Food Content Trends in September

Blue graphic of a basket of apples that reads "Food Content Trends in September" with the Food Blogger Pro logo.

Can you believe it’s nearly September?!

The temperatures are starting to dip, the leaves are beginning to turn, school has started back up, and the Pumpkin Spice Latte will be finding its way into the hearts and stomachs of many.

As with the change of any season, fall brings a whole gaggle of new trending search items. In-season produce, upcoming holidays, and popular fall pastimes all influence readers’ searches in September.

Ready to jump in? Let’s do it.

Fall Holidays

It’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year!

While it may feel a little early to start thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, would you believe that searches for recipe ideas are already starting?! Here are some dates to put on your editorial calendar:

  • Labor Day
  • National Cheese Pizza Day
  • Rosh Hashanah
  • National Guacamole Day
  • Last Day of Summer (at least for those of us in the Northern hemisphere!)
  • Canadian Thanksgiving
  • Halloween
  • Veterans Day
  • American Thanksgiving

That said, you have to ask yourself what posts can be beneficial for your readers. What can make your content stand out and be supremely helpful amongst the billions of other Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas ideas on the internet?

It’s never too early to start asking yourself these questions as we head into the fall and winter holiday season.

Seasonal Content

Along those same lines, it’s time to start revisiting some of that seasonal content you already have on your blog and see if you can make it even better, more relevant, and more shareable.

The last three months of the year (also known as quarter-four or Q4) are rapidly approaching, and these months are super important for food creators. Why? As people start searching for holiday recipes, advertisers tend to spend more money, which can provide a big boost for creators who monetize through sponsored content, brand partnerships, and display ads.

You’ll want to make sure to get your seasonal content in tip-top shape for when that time comes! Create new pins, update the images, or add more details that can help guarantee your readers’ success.

Curious to learn more about republishing content?

Apples

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, especially when they’re juicy and in-season!

September is the perfect time of year to start formulating those apple-centric recipes, as searches for apple recipes start their two-month spike this month. Those vibrant yellows, greens, and reds are sure to create beautiful and festive dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert.

Google Trends graph for apple recipes.

You could even incorporate some of last month’s back-to-school trends into your apple creations, as these searches are still trending this month. Easy apple after-school snacks, on-the-go apple breakfasts, and quick and easy apple lunch ideas…the possibilities are endless with this wünderfruit!

Fall

!!!!!!!!! I have absolutely no shame in saying that I am 100% in love with fall. Zero. It’s the best time of year! Even if it feels like it lasts for approximately 5.4 seconds.

Fall recipe searches are trending in September, and this opens up SO many fun content-sharing opportunities.

Google Trends graph for fall recipes.

The obvious: pumpkin spice everything. Starbucks typically releases their Pumpkin Spice Latte, so loads of people are ready to start experimenting in the kitchen with pumpkin, squash, and all-things-spice.

But let me ask you a question: when you think of fall, what kind of recipes come to mind? Think back to being a kid, to high school, to college. What were the recipes or foods that got you into the fall spirit? Share them, and the stories behind them, with your readers.

Football

With the start of fall comes the start of football here in the U.S.! For many of us, that also means the start of football snacking season — and Google agrees!

Google Trends graph for football recipes.

While many food bloggers publish content around the Super Bowl, early fall is also prime time for football-related eats. Think appetizers, M&M cookies inspired by your favorite team, and crockpot recipes. Speaking of crockpots…

Comfort Food

‘Tis the season for one of the most exciting food trends of the year: comfort food! And I mean, let’s be serious: we’re all in need of some comfort food this year.

Google Trends graph for comfort food.

Some ideas: slow cooker recipes, soups, casseroles, Instant Pot recipes, one-pot meals – basically any recipe that will give you that “hug in a bowl” feeling. 🙂

And for those around the world…

Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up (it falls on the second Monday in October)! The foods enjoyed for Canadian Thanksgiving are very similar to those we love for American Thanksgiving – think turkey, ham, stuffing, and pies. If you get a jump start on your Thanksgiving recipe content, you might get a boost from your Canadian readers, too!

In the Southern hemisphere, the September Equinox marks the beginning of Spring! This audience may be looking for lighter recipes filled with seasonal vegetables like asparagus, broccoli or radishes. Readers might also be interested in tips on starting a fruit, vegetable or herb garden this time of year!

Phew! So many exciting things are happening as the season is starting to change.

Now let’s chat: How are you going to make the most of fall this season?

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29 Comments

  1. Alexa, this is so incredibly helpful! Thank you for putting this article together. It really helps with sparking my creative thought process!

  2. Thanks for the update and reminder! I’m going to make full use of this information by pinning content that focusing on recipes that include Apples, Pumpkin, Soups and Comfort Foods. It’s so helpful to have a gentle reminder on the items that can use focus.

  3. Hey FBP Team,
    Just a reminder that your community is global …. I totally get that pumpkin spice, comfort food and ‘fall’ recipes would be trending strongly in the USA. The whole southern hemisphere has just stepped in to spring. I would be helpful if you could segment out trend predictions.
    Cheers 🙂

    1. Sarah! You’re so right. Thanks for keeping us accountable. I have some ideas for adding content for those on the other side of the world in future Trending Now posts. That said, if you have any ideas, I’m all ears!

  4. Just reading this post makes me excited for fall! It doesn’t start here in the Midwest till later, but hey. . .it’s coming! Thank you for these ideas and suggestions.

    1. Good question, Shalini! It’s tricky because you don’t want to start on that seasonal content too early (most people don’t want to see pumpkin recipes in July), but you don’t want to wait until the end of the season either.

      Now that it’s September, it might be a good time to start posting those fall recipes, and they might start to really pick up traction in October and November!

      Also, keep in mind that those fall recipes will be on your blog once the next year rolls around, so they might perform even better during the autumn months of that following year.

  5. Yep!! I LOVE fall too! I’m already at working optimizing my pumpkin posts with improved keywords, new photos, adding the TOC, and more. Getting it done! Thanks for the trend posts, love them.