Pastel Viral Bread
Cloud Bread (August-September 2020) TikTok trend featured pastel-colored, fluffy, 3-ingredient “bread” (egg whites, sugar, cornstarch). The aesthetic appeal drove massive popularity despite questionable taste and meringue-like texture.
Recipe: Whipped egg whites + sugar + cornstarch + food coloring; baked into fluffy clouds
Virality: 450M+ #CloudBread TikTok views (September 2020)
Appeal:
- Extremely photogenic (pastel clouds)
- Simple (3 ingredients)
- ASMR-friendly (fluffy texture, tearing sounds)
- Low-calorie marketed as “keto-friendly”
Reality:
- Tastes like sweet scrambled eggs/meringue
- Not actually bread (no flour, yeast, bread texture)
- Deflates quickly
- More dessert than bread substitute
Variations: Rainbow colors, filled with cream cheese/Nutella
Backlash: “This is just meringue”; misleading name; texture disappointing
Media response: Food bloggers tested, mostly confirmed overhyped
Decline: October 2020; novelty wore off; taste couldn’t sustain interest
Cloud bread exemplifies TikTok food trends prioritizing aesthetics over flavor - Instagram-worthy foods that look better than they taste.
Sources:
https://www.delish.com/
https://www.insider.com/tiktok-cloud-bread-recipe-taste-test-review-2020-8