A Look Back at 2014's Top Food Trends

— -- There was a lot to love in food this year, but some stood out more than the rest. These are the foods that reached a fever-pitch in 2014.

Frankenfoods

The list can probably stop here, because frankenfoods definitely take the (hybrid) cake. As a residual result of the Cronut, frankenfoods reigned supreme in 2014, even becoming popular enough to spawn their own TV show and raise GrubHub orders of hybrid foods 148 percent over last year. The list of creative mash-up dishes is endless, from desserts such as donut pie, deep-fried pumpkin spice latte and nutellasagna to savory creations such as pizza cake, ramen grilled cheese and deep-fried Thanksgiving dinner.

Gourmet Doughnuts

Lurking in the shadow of the Cronut and the cupcake, the doughnut has been patiently waiting for its time to shine, and that time was 2014. We saw versions stuffed with ice cream and macaroni and cheese, topped with tomato sauce and cheese for a pizza take, and shaped out of ingredients, such as ramen, that are not normally associated with the treat. It all makes for an especially exciting time to eat the sweet fried snack that is still just as good on its own as it is in these new, gourmet, forward-thinking versions.

Avocado Toast

If you’re on Instagram, then you’ve definitely seen a filtered photo of mashed avocado on toast – or even posted it yourself. Celebrities from Olivia Wilde to health nut Gwyneth Paltrow rave about the popular breakfast food, and according to Google trends, searches for avocado toast have gone up 66 percent since 2013.

Ramen

This was the year ramen went rogue. Before, the dish was known as either an instant college kid staple or a pristine, classic Japanese soup. This year, though, the noodle soup busted out of its traditional constraints into grilled cheese, doughnuts, burritos, sushi and more. In other words – it was Americanized.