2000s Snacks – Sweet, Salty, and Savory Memorable Delicacies

The decade of the 2000s offered a plethora of culinary options. There was definitely something for everyone, including yogurt-flavored cereal, yogurt with cereal flavors, and snacks and beverages that were wonderfully radioactively colored. Some products are receiving a second chance. Others, such as Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos, were axed and might never be revived. 

Let’s see how much change a decade can bring. This article will look at some of the most loved and popular 2000s snacks.

Names of 2000s Snacks

1. Cupcakes
2. Cake Pops
3. Smoothies
4. Yogurt
5. Cheetos
6. Tuna Tartare
7. Sliders
8. Ramen Noodles
9. Mac ‘N’ Cheese
10. Avocado Toast
11. French Toast Crunch

Most Memorable Sweet 2000s Snacks

1. Cupcakes

Cupcakes are one of the most iconic 2000s snacks. On Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw visits Magnolia Bakery in New York City, which kickstarts the cupcake craze. Over the next few years, popular cupcake businesses from New York and Los Angeles, such as Crumbs and Sprinkles, expanded into multi-state franchises. Additionally, neighborhood cupcake shops spring up everywhere. By 2009, there was a “deluge” of new cupcake cookbooks. 

Cupcakes are considered an American snack, even though cake has been around in some form or another since ancient times. It is believed that Amelia Simmons’ “American Cookery,” published in 1796, had the first-ever mention of “a cake to be made in little cups,” as opposed to a layer cake.

It was a cost-effective baked item for both consumers and bakers because of its delicate look, diminutive size, and balanced form for embellishment. Additionally, cupcakes are a convenient sweet treat during celebrations and festivities since kids adore them and they can be shared or given as gifts.

2. Cake Pops

A cake pop is a cake with a lollipop-like form. Similar to how cake balls are made, cake crumbs are combined with icing or chocolate and molded into little spheres or cubes. Sprinkles and other ornaments might also be used. After that, lollipop sticks are used to attach the cake. Cake pops may be made from leftover cake or cake crumbs.

A cake pop takes quite a while to make. Some simple forms and shapes, such as spheres and circles, may be shaped by hand, while more complicated ones could need extra molding equipment. Many of the ingredients required to make a regular cake are also used to make cake pops, which may be prepared from cakes of any flavor. 

Between 2005 and 2011, the popularity of the cake pop rose, and therefore, it joined the list of the most popular 2000s snacks. 

3. Smoothies

Since Jamba Juice first opened its doors in 2000, consumers have turned to smoothies as their preferred liquid snack because they want to eat less processed food and more fresh fruit. 

The first smoothies were sold in health food stores on the West Coast in the 1930s after they adapted Brazilian recipes to make these beverages from pureed fruit. The first “banana smoothie” and “pineapple smoothie” recipes may be found in Waring “Blendor” cookbooks from the 1940s.

4. Yogurt

Yogurt stands proudly among 2000s snacks. It was a time when plain yogurt was the most popular. Yogurt was the product that the NPD market research agency discovered had risen the most in the American diet in 2004.

The exact origins of these creamy snacks are uncertain. However, it was likely created by Neolithic humans in Mesopotamia and Central Asia in approximately 5000 BC, when the first tamed milk-producing animals were brought into domestication.

Yogurt consumption by nomadic Turks is mentioned in Turkish sources from the 11th century (1100–1001 BC). Ancient pottery reveals that milk was being stored in pots by the Neolithic people. Additionally, yogurt, a fermented meal, was a fantastic way to preserve milk because it naturally contains an acid that inhibits the growth of dangerous germs.

Most Popular Salty and Savory 2000s Snacks

5. Cheetos

Cheetos are popular and loved even today, however, it was one of the most loved 2000s snacks. They were quick, easy, delicious, and available in convenience shops and vending machines. 

Despite not being the creators of the cheese puff snack, Frito-Lay Cheetos are undoubtedly the market leader with more than $4 billion in annual global sales. There are presently 21 other types of Cheetos available in North America in addition to the classic crispy variety, and there are even more variations available worldwide.

Cheetos 2000s snacks list included Cheetos Salsa Con Queso, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos con Limon, Baked Cheetos, Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos, and Xxtra Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. These iconic 2000s snacks remain popular today, even if some of them have been discontinued.

6. Tuna Tartare

In 2000, tuna tartare, the lighter cousin of beef tartare, was having a moment if you wanted to eat more fish but weren’t a fan of sushi. Although Chef Shigefumi Tachibe invented it in Beverly Hills in 1984, it took some time for the general public to warm up to it.

It was an improvised solution after several patrons of Chaya Brasserie decided they didn’t want red meat one day, according to the Atlantic. Fast on his feet, Chef Tachibe made some delectable history. Being one of the most popular 2000s snacks, tuna tartare was typically served with crackers or toast. To make it, chopped pickles, onions, eggs, and fresh, raw tuna cubes were combined.

7. Sliders

Sliders, among other things, were popular 2000s snacks. Despite being offered at White Castle since 1921, they only became well-known and earned a gourmet reputation in the 2000s. Little buns can be stuffed with anything, from beef rib and Gruyère cheese to meatballs and tomato sauce.

Visually, they look like mini hamburgers. Due to their excessive grease content, sailors in the U.S. Navy gave mini-burgers the nickname “sliders” in the 1940s. The burger would disappear after only one or two bites. A well-known American fast food company called White Castle is where the slider was first invented. The cheap, greasy mini-burgers that White Castle is famous for are being served even today. 

8. Ramen Noodles

People have started attempting to replicate this popular Japanese dish at home ever since it became popular in the West in the 2000s. A restaurant-quality ramen dish is cooked with broth, flavor, noodles, and toppings including pork belly, soft-boiled eggs, pickled bamboo, and dried seaweed. In addition to the quick noodles that have been popular 2000s snacks among students.

The Japanese noodle dish ramen is popular worldwide, especially in the United States. Ramen is a dish that is unique to almost every area of Japan. Examples include the tonkatsu (pig bone broth) ramen from Kyushu and the miso ramen from Hokkaido.

9. Mac ‘N’ Cheese

Gourmet mac ‘n’ cheese has become a widely available snack in the past decade. It was often served in a small pan or casserole dish and may come with upscale garnishes like Gruyère and bacon or truffle, mushroom, and lobster tail. The Hairy Bikers‘ crayfish and shellfish recipes are just one of many well-known chefs who have published their own cookbooks.

Where Mac ‘N’ Cheese was originally invented is not known. The Italian cookbook Liber de Coquina first mentions cheese and pasta casseroles in the 14th century and includes a recipe for spaghetti and Parmesan cheese. A cheese-and-noodle meal called makerouns is mentioned in The Forme of Cury, an English cookery book from the fourteenth century. Mac ‘n’ cheese was a popular 2000s snack that was quick, easy to make, and delicious. The cheesy bowls of delight, which sell over a million boxes daily, haven’t simply satisfied hunger for decades, but they’ve also played an iconic part in every stage of people’s lives.

10. Avocado Toast

Without a doubt, avocado on toast is the most popular meal but also the most contentious in today’s world. People actively blog about it online, purchase it from upscale eateries, and eat it at home. It’s both adored and despised. 

Although avocado toast was first recorded in Brisbane, Australia, in 1929, the Washington Post reports that chef Bill Granger may have been the first to include it on the menu of his café in 1993. That’s why we listed it among the popular 2000s snacks.

Avocado toast has been around for much longer, but its popularity exploded in the 2000s, in part because of Gwyneth Paltrow. Although Dunkin’ only recently introduced the millennial staple to their menu, avocado toast has long been a delectable and well-liked snack.

11. French Toast Crunch

What could be better than getting the best of both worlds: french toast and cereal? The General Mills Corporation introduced French Toast Crunch in the middle of the 1990s as a morning cereal with French toast flavoring. 

General Mills altered the cereal to resemble Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which is a thin, wavy square flavored with cinnamon and sugar. The cereal pieces had previously resembled little slices of French toast. Later, General Mills brought back the original concept.

French Toast Crunch was dropped by General Mills in the US in 2006. General Mills released the product again on December 5, 2014, in response to consumer demand. French Toast Crunch was made and is still sold in Canada under the names “French Toast Crunch” and “Croque Pain Doré” at this time. The original formula and style of Canadian French Toast Crunch are used throughout production.

Bottom Line

It’s the ultimate praise when we call something “an oldie but a goodie,” since it’s managed to endure the test of time and fashion. In this article, we explored the “top athletes” of 2000s snacks. Salty and savory snacks include Mac ‘N’ Cheese, avocado on toast, tuna tartare, ramen noodles, and Cheetos. Sweet snacks on our list are yogurt, cake pops, cupcakes, and smoothies.