In the fast-moving world of social media, trends can emerge, dominate, and vanish in the blink of an eye. One moment you’re scrolling through your feed as usual; the next, you’re hit by a tidal wave of the same sound, hashtag, or viral video format that seems to be everywhere at once. This week, one such phenomenon erupted online, capturing eyeballs, spiking engagement, and reshaping discussions across platforms — all within about 24 hours.
The social media trend that has taken off at unprecedented speed isn’t a dance challenge, a celebrity stunt, or a product launch. It centers around a viral lunchtime creation that has transformed ordinary cooking videos into the latest food craze and inspired social feeds around the world.
Below, we dig into what this trend is, how it spread so quickly, and why it resonates with millions of users across TikTok, Instagram, and beyond.
What Went Viral and Why
The trend began with a simple recipe shared by a creator: a cheese-stuffed sweet potato — roasted until tender and filled with a slab of rich, melting cheese. The formula is straightforward, the ingredients minimal, but the response has been anything but modest.
In a matter of hours, thousands of social media posts featuring this dish — often tagged with #courtneycook and variations — began to circulate, each version riffing on the original concept. Some added spices and toppings; others showcased unique cooking hacks. But at its core was the same irresistible combination of comfort food simplicity and irresistible visual appeal.
What began as a casual lunchtime video from a content creator quickly ballooned into a global social media moment, with some clips reaching more than 7 million views within days. Chefs, home cooks, and food influencers all jumped in, sharing their own takes on the cheese-stuffed sweet potato and turning it into one of the season’s most shareable food trends.
A Recipe Goes Viral: Anatomy of a Social Media Explosion
What makes this particular trend noteworthy — and emblematic of social platforms today — isn’t just that it went viral, but how it did so.
Social media trends often spread rapidly when they hit a cultural sweet spot: they are easy to replicate, visually appealing, and feel inclusive. In this case, a handful of factors aligned:
- Simplicity: The recipe requires few ingredients and minimal technical skill, making it accessible to casual creators and seasoned influencers alike.
- Sensory Appeal: Videos of cheese stretching from sweet potatoes are undeniably shareable — combining comforting textures and vibrant colors that perform well in short video formats.
- Community Engagement: Users around the world began remixing the original idea, adding toppings, twists, and regional flavors, which encouraged broader participation.
Social platforms like TikTok and Instagram are engineered to amplify content that checks these boxes, and within a very short time, the trend had saturated feeds across both apps.
From Kitchen Niche to Mainstream Buzz
Interestingly, the explosion of this food trend wasn’t confined to foodies or culinary influencers. It quickly migrated into general lifestyle and entertainment feeds — a sign of how integrated social media culture has become with everyday life.
News outlets, celebrity chefs, and even mainstream publications took notice as the trend crossed over from niche recipe videos to broader cultural conversation. Some users framed it as a form of self-care or comfort food during the holiday season, while others celebrated its DIY chef spirit.
By the time major accounts and televised segments began covering the cheese-stuffed sweet potato craze, it had already cemented its place as the trend of the moment, with visibility rivaling fashion crazes and viral memes.
What Experts Say About Viral Food Trends
Digital media analysts point out that what we saw with this trend is not an isolated phenomenon, but rather a pattern that has become increasingly common in 2025.
According to recent social media analysis, hashtags and short video formats continue to be the engines of online trend proliferation, with platforms like TikTok leading the charge in making everyday ideas explode into viral sensations.
Food trends, in particular, have a unique power: they engage multiple senses and invite participation, whether through recipe recreation, remixing, or just sharing reactions. When a food idea is visually striking and easy to make, it becomes a perfect candidate for social amplification — especially in the lead-up to holidays or seasonal celebrations when users are already sharing more content.
The Impact on Food Culture and Beyond
The rise of the cheese-stuffed sweet potato trend speaks to more than just viral entertainment — it highlights how social media continues to shape real-world behavior.
Restaurants have reported increased interest in similar comfort dishes, grocery stores are seeing spikes in key ingredients, and home kitchens are adopting the recipe as a staple. In this sense, what started as an online moment has translated into tangible shifts in food culture.
It also underscores a shift in influencer dynamics: everyday creators can now trigger global trends without needing celebrity status or professional credentials. Authenticity — rather than polish — is often what propels these moments across social networks.
What Comes Next?
In an era where digital culture evolves in real time, the lifecycle of trends has never been shorter — and the speed of spread has never been faster. While the cheese-stuffed sweet potato phenomenon may be the talk of the moment, analysts note that similar trends can appear and disappear just as quickly.
Brands, creators, and consumers alike now navigate a landscape where a single post can ripple outward into millions of engagements within hours. As platforms continue to refine their algorithms and features, the next viral hit could be just a swipe away.
But for now, kitchens around the world are busy roasting sweet potatoes and melting cheese, united by the same irresistible visual loop that exploded across social feeds — and redefining what it means for a trend to take over in just 24 hours.
7 years in the field, from local radio to digital newsrooms. Loves chasing the stories that matter to everyday Aussies – whether it’s climate, cost of living or the next big thing in tech.
