Why young India is ditching chips for flavored nuts(and why it’s not just a “fitness phase”)

Neel Parekh
Nov 21, 2025
2 min read

India’s twenty-somethings aren’t suddenly waking up as nutrition saints. They still binge Netflix. They still forget to drink water. They still order food at 1 AM.But one thing has quietly changed — the snack in their hand.

Chips are losing their throne.Flavored nuts, especially roasted cashews, chickpeas, and peanuts, are sneaking in and taking over.

Let’s break down why this shift is real and not just another Instagram trend.

1. People are tired of snacks that fight back

Chips are great for five seconds… then comes the guilt, the grease, the weird aftertaste, and the sudden urge to drink three litres of water. Today’s snackers want something tasty that doesn’t make them feel like they’ve been hit by a truck.

Flavored nuts fix that.Good crunch, real flavor, zero greasy regret.

2. The clean-label wave finally hit

Younger buyers read labels now. Not perfectly… but enough to get suspicious when a packet looks like a chemistry project.

They want– ingredients they can pronounce– flavors that feel real– snacks that aren’t pretending to be something else

Roasted nuts fit that bill without trying too hard.

3. Protein matters now

Nobody knew what protein was ten years ago. Now everyone’s acting like a nutritionist.

With nuts, you get natural protein, healthy fats, and actual nutrition instead of hot air trapped in a shiny foil bag.

4. Nuts carry status

Let’s be honest: whipping out a flavored cashew pack hits different from opening a ₹10 chip packet .It’s subtle, but it signals taste. Effort. Self-care.Young India loves things that feel premium but not pretentious.

A well-designed pack of roasted cashews?It’s basically the iPhone of snacks.

5. Work-life chaos demands smarter snacking

Half the country is on Zoom calls all day.The other half is stuck in traffic.

Everyone wants a snack that fits into life, not one that crashes their day.

Nuts are:– easy to carry– not messy– not noisy (office people thank you)– actually satisfying

Chips?Great until your keyboard becomes a crime scene.

6. The flavor game leveled up

This is where brands like Craventure change the story.Young India doesn’t want “boring healthy.”They want bold, interesting, punchy flavors without the junk.

Butter Chilly Onion. Green Chilli Garlic. Cream & Onion.These aren’t “healthy alternatives.”They’re straight-up better experiences.