As spring fever takes root, new menu items, LTOs and brand collaborations are also in bloom, with operators and consumers alike ready for fresh offerings. Unsurprisingly, many of the most exciting dishes to emerge will feature trending ingredients that are enjoying a frenzy of their own. Two items to watch this spring that have little to nothing in common beyond their buzz-worthy status are lion’s mane mushrooms and churros. The former can be a category chameleon, seamlessly appearing as a spicy appetizer, seafood-inspired entrée or key component of an unconventional crème brȗlée. Similarly, the churro is effortlessly surfing across dayparts, finding itself as much at home on the brunch menu as it is among beverage, dessert and snack options.

Read on to learn more about the history of these items, their rising popularity and fresh ideas for future offerings.

Menu Newsmakers I: Lion’s Mane Roaring

Credit: Blue Plate Catering

In its award-winning crème brȗlée, Blue Plate Catering showcases the sweet side of mushrooms. The dessert incorporates lion’s mane into the custard, which is topped with “dirt” made of Oreo crumbles and porcini powder.

As mushrooms continue their steady march across menus, they’re transitioning from stalwart supporting players to starring roles in a range of dishes. Their growing popularity reflects their right time/right place combination of meaty texture, flavor compatibility, ready availability and health halo. The practice of combining chopped mushrooms with ground meat has been picking up steam, leading chefs to become more experimental with mushroom varieties. The bar menu at newly launched Bacchus in Milwaukee, for example, features Tempura Maitake Mushrooms finished with togarashi and miso mayo. And in New York City, Alessa Cucina E Bar offers a first course featuring cremini mushrooms, blue crab, mascarpone, fontina and bread crumbs.

The mushroom of the moment is definitely lion’s mane. Named for its notably shaggy appearance, lion’s mane has a pleasing, seafood-like taste and texture. It’s also highly promotable. At The Chapman, a stylish operation that has been heating up the dining scene in Winter Park, Fla., Crispy Bang Bang Lion’s Mane swaps out the typical shrimp in favor of mushrooms; the appetizer gets its explosive flavor from spicy ssamjang-chile aïoli. The menu at Third Kingdom in New York City is focused entirely on mushrooms, like Lion’s Mane Dumplings, which are plated with daikon sauce and micro cilantro. In suburban Minneapolis, Ingredients Café offered Lion’s Mane Cannelloni as an Italianate winter special. The pasta was crowned with mozzarella and a sauce of creamed spinach.

The blue ribbon for creativity, however, goes to Blue Plate Catering in Chicago, which recently took home gold in a national recipe competition. The winning entry, Lion’s Mane Crème Brȗlée, is an unexpected twist on the classic that combines the typical dessert ingredients with the atypical addition of lion’s mane mushrooms. The custard is topped with mushroom “dirt,” a clever mélange of Oreo crumbles and porcini powder with a sunny garnish of citrus marigold blossoms. This award-winning dish sets the bar high for out-of-the-box mushroom dishes but given consumers’ continued interest in lesser-known fungi, operators are almost certain to keep pushing the envelope.

Menu Newsmakers II: Churro Variations Surging

Credit: Taco Bell

Taco Bell and Milk Bar joined forces to create the limited-time Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros, affirming the excitement around the fried dough sticks.

Churros, the simple flour-water-salt mixture that is typically deep-fried and dusted with cinnamon and sugar, have stood the test of time. Of Arabic origin, the pastry was widely adopted throughout the Iberian Peninsula, where it is still consumed with hot chocolate as breakfast fare or a late-night pick-me-up. Churros are also a foundational sweet—sans dipping chocolate—in Mexican cuisine, which has, arguably, paved the way for its movement onto modern U.S. menus.

American diners can start their day with Churro French Toast at Flying Biscuit Cafés throughout the Southeast or Churro Pancakes at Miguel’s Jr. locations in Southern California. Last year, Dunkin’ rolled out a Churro Donut, a cake doughnut rolled in cinnamon and sugar, as a sweet springtime promotion.

Churros liven up snack time, too. Responding to customer demand, Burger King brought back Churro Fries for a limited time in December, and Great American Cookies celebrated fall with Caramel Churro Cookies, made with caramel chips and cinnamon-sugar crunch. And speaking of sweet stuff, Taco Bell and the iconic, New York-based brand Milk Bar recently set the internet on fire with a super-sweet collaboration. Available for a limited time at the Mexican-inspired chain, the Milk Bar Birthday Cake Churros are filled with vanilla icing and finished with Milk Bar’s signature pink sprinkles.

Churros have also become a reliable starting point for beverages. Once again, Taco Bell led the charge when it tested a line of Churro Chillers in late 2023. Since then, the brand has been refining the slush recipes and is currently testing flavors like Wild Strawberry, Mexican Hot Chocolate and Caramel Café, with the hope for a large-scale release later in the year. Last summer, coffee juggernaut Dutch Bros rolled out a Churro Freeze LTO, which blended coffee, ice cream and caramel. The indulgent concoction was garnished with cinnamon-sugar Soft Top (the chain’s signature aerated milk topper) and crowned with churro bits.

Also on the coffee side, Dunkin’s Churro Donut LTO was accompanied by the Churro Signature Latte, made with espresso, milk and churro syrup. And just last month, McDonald’s announced an expanded line of churro-based beverages at its CosMc’s concept. Joining the existing Churro Cold Brew Frappé are new options, including Churro Latte, Cold Brew and Shaken Espresso. Whether the churro will become as deeply entrenched in the U.S. as it is in Mexico and Spain remains to be seen. Regardless, its simple form and easily adaptable flavor profile make it a fun building block in creative foods and beverages alike.