As temperatures climb, so do India’s cravings for comfort and cooling foods. And in its Summer Trends 2026 report, Instamart highlights how the country leans into familiar staples, with dahi, mangoes, and late-night ice cream rituals taking centre stage. Here’s a look at what food and drinks India is ordering to stay cool this summer.
Indians Turn To Dahi This Summer For Desi Cooling!
With temperatures rising through April, Instamart noted a sharp surge in orders across key summer food and drink categories. Staples like mangoes, cold coffee, fizzy drinks, and fruit popsicles saw a quick spike in March and April, showing how closely food choices track the weather.
Interestingly, good ol’ dahi is dominating summer baskets on the platform. It remains one of the most-ordered items overall, with six of the top ten products being curd-based—proving that desi cooling still rules. Alongside dairy, seasonal fruits like watermelon and muskmelon are also gaining popularity, pointing to a preference for fresh and simple choices.
When it comes to mangoes, the season is just getting started. So far, Sindhu mangoes are the most ordered, followed by Banganapalli and raw mangoes. This proves that India’s love for mangoes begins even before Alphonso arrives in full swing. This trend of ordering mangoes online isn’t limited to metro cities. While Bengaluru leads in mango orders, cities like Kozhikode, Madurai, Trichy, Vizag, and Nellore have seen a surge of up to 358%, highlighting strong demand across the country.
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What Food India Is Ordering This Summer
Summer calls for something cool, and this season, Indians are choosing flavour-first drinks and foods. On Instamart, jeera masala soda orders jumped 900% in March, while cold coffee rose nearly 700%. Drinks like coconut water, buttermilk, lassi, and milkshakes also saw strong growth, along with increasing demand for zero-sugar and functional beverages.
Coming to another summer staple–ice cream! The report declared Bengaluru as India’s ice cream capital, as the city contributes to 14% of India’s total consumption, followed by Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Delhi, Kolkata, Kochi, and Gurgaon. Across cities, 9 PM stands out as the peak ice cream moment, a post-dinner ritual followed consistently across the country.
Also Read: Mumbai Is India’s Most Sleep-Deprived City While Chennai Has Most Disciplined Sleepers, Says Report
So, what are you ordering online to keep cool this summer?
Cover Image Courtesy: Pexels & Canva Pro/Aflo Images (representative image)
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What are the top summer foods in India?
Cooling and comfort foods like dahi, mangoes, coconut water, and ice cream are dominating, along with a rise in flavour-first and functional beverages.
Which drinks Indians consume most in summer?
Popular choices include cold coffee, buttermilk, lassi, coconut water, milkshakes, and traditional drinks like jeera masala soda.