From Caffeinated Marshmallows to Old Bay Goldfish, These Are Coolest New Foods & Drinks of Summer 2023

Our one issue with some sheet pan dinner recipes is how unevenly they cook—all too often, our veggies get scorched while the chicken remains, uh, medium rare. Kraft Heinz takes that concept—throw it all at the oven, at the same temp, for the same time period—and streamlines it with its Homebake 425°/:30 line. What’s even cooler is it’s customizable: choose your main (like BBQ pulled pork or Southwest-style Chipotle Chicken), side (such as cheesy rice) and veggie (green bean casserole, perhaps?), pop them into the recyclable tray and cook at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes, and boom! Your customized dinner is served.

For years, we’ve yearned for the sheer variety of Kit Kat flavors sold in Japan, and it seems like Hershey has heard our cries, rolling out new flavors on the regular. Its latest, Churro, is loaded with the cinnamon sugar flavor you’ve come to associate with the treat (thanks to its crème coating) and the wafers offer a similar, subtle crunch. It’s starting to pop up in stores now, but expect to see it everywhere in time for National Churro Day (which, yes, is a thing) on June 6.

Tested among three kids—ages four through seven—and the reaction was universal: “Can we have another, please, please, please, PLEEEEASE?!” Imagine the joy of a confetti cake, only chocolate. And in mini muffin form.

We’ve all had soggy, overly salty store-bought noodles that just made our sad desk lunch…well, sadder. Omsom’s first launch since its May 2020 debut, Saucy Noodles, will make you rethink what you know about the prepackaged stuff. There’s no powder seasoning mix here—just four sauce packets (in flavors like Soy Garlic, Coconut Lemongrass Curry, Garlic Black Pepper and Chili Sesame)—and thick, air-dried noodles designed to complement them without turning to mush six seconds into your meal.

What happens to the leftover oats from making oat milk? Some are finding a second life, being “upcycled” into Seven Sundays’s new oat protein cereal. These little o’s have three times the protein and twice the fiber as the whole oat, the brand says, and they come in four flavors: chocolate and sea salt, super fruity, simply honey and maple cinnamon.

Fact: Most mocktails taste like overpriced Juicy Juice. Recess set out to change that stigma, with an alcohol-free sampler pack that includes palomas, mules, mojitos and margaritas. Each can clocks in at 25 calories, with just 3 to 4 grams of added sugar (5 to 7 grams total), so they’re not saccharine-sweet, either. They’re crisp, tangy and refreshing.

OK, maybe you want a real marg, but you’re not up for squeezing all those limes. That’s where Fever-Tree’s new mix comes in. We’ve been a fan of the brand for its not-too-sweet mixers, which is why we’re pumped that they’re expanding into non-carbonated options. This mix is a blend of Spanish sea salt and Mexican limes, making it bright and zesty, rather than sugary sweet and neon green. All you need to do is add your fave tequila.

The 3 o’clock slump is hitting and you’re craving something sweet—reach for these latte-flavored marshmallows. No, really. Two ‘mallows contain 27 mg of caffeine, roughly as much as a shot of espresso.

By now, you’ve mastered brewing your own cold brew. But when you’re in the mood for something fancy, reach for Chamberlain’s latest drop, which features notes of birthday cake and vanilla buttercream. Bonus: It requires zero special equipment. Just add one sachet per eight ounces of water to a pitcher, stick it in your fridge for 12 to 24 hours and enjoy.

People went so wild over this limited-edition Goldfish flavor that the brand brought it back for summer 2023—and even hired Lisa Loeb to rerecord her ‘90s hit “Stay (I Missed You)” as an ode to the saltine-based crackers coated in the black pepper, paprika, celery salt and red pepper flake blend. It’s expected to sell out quickly, so if you’re interested, add ‘em to your cart, stat.

Not us, gobbling these plant-based sweets by the fistful. OK, that is us, but once you try these rich-yet-not-bitter dark chocolate bits (which are 100 percent chocolate and feature zero preservatives), you’ll start doing the same. Find them, and a semisweet variety, in grocery stores this June.

Missing pastina? Same. Jovial Foods’s Stelline pasta is a solid alternative, albeit a smidge bigger than that Ronzoni classic. It’s made with 100 percent organic, gluten-free brown rice, and it’s hitting grocery stores now, so you can get back to making buttered noodles or chicken and stars soup ASAP.

Could you visit a flair-bedecked chain restaurant or go on a cruise ship in the late ‘90s and early aughts without encountering molten lava cake? It was a dessert phenomenon that swept the world as mightily as the Spice Girls, and now, it’s getting a reunion tour…albeit in the form of bite-sized milk chocolates. And—dare we say it?—this twist is even better. The chocolate-y caramel filling captures the gooey core the dish is famous for, minus the oft-dry cakey exterior the original dish tended to have.

Your ready-in-seconds breakfast deserves a summertime makeover. Malt-O-Meal is launching three seasonal flavors at Walmart this June, including Strawberry Shortcake and Orange Dreamsicle, but we’re most excited about the Key Lime Pie Crunch. It features lime-flavored puff cereal balls, graham cracker-flavored baked squares and marshmallows to mimic the flavors found in the sweet-tart dessert.

These pink and blue marshmallows change colors (to orange and green, respectively) as they heat up. For real. Your s’mores will never be the same. Or at least through September, because that’s how long they’ll be available in stores.

Dairy- and gluten-free shoppers, we’ve got a literal treat for you: Chloe’s is making its way to the freezer aisle, with 80-calorie ice cream sandwich cookies. (FYI: They’re made with oatmilk, so they’re just as creamy as traditional ice cream.)

This five-ingredient drink is designed to give you a jolt of vitamin C (thanks to fresh oranges and tangerines) and an immunity boost from the aloe vera and pineapple. As for the sweet basil? That rounds out the flavor, giving it a light, herbaceous quality.

You love elote. You love mac and cheese. Have both in a single bite with this elevated boxed mac, which is creamy and cheesy, yet also boasts the tanginess of cojita cheese, sweetness of summer corn and chile heat. Oh, and it’s Kosher certified, low-GI and packs 15 grams of protein per serving, plus 8 grams of fiber.

Come summer, we want to throw everything on the grill, and Target understands. This slab of brownies comes in its own aluminum pan, so you don’t have to step away from the flames to prep dessert. (But you can also heat them in the oven.) Topped with milk chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows, it’s just begging to be roasted until gooey.

Forget bringing a box of rosé or whipping up big batch cocktails for your next cookout—Hoop Tea makes prepping for Happy Hour all too easy with its 3-liter shareable Spiked Tea pouches, available in classic iced tea, watermelon, mango and peach flavors.

Holy layers of flavor, Batman! Hostess's latest creation is part cake, part multi-layer bar...and we have it on good authority that they're dangerously delicious. The Triple Chocolate bars feature chocolate cake sandwiching cocoa creme and sweet crunchy bits, and the whole thing is coated in chocolate fudge. Keep an eye out for them at a grocery store near you.