Biscoff was a small, individually wrapped biscuit served with coffee for decades before it became a global cookie butter obsession — the recipe hasn't changed, but the way the world eats it has.
From a Belgian bakery to your coffee saucer
Lotus Bakeries was founded in 1932 in Lembeke, Belgium, by Jan Boone, building on the Dutch and Belgian tradition of speculoos — a caramelised, spiced biscuit usually eaten around the winter holidays. The company's version became known internationally simply as the biscuit that arrived with your coffee: Lotus says its biscuits are served on more than 300 airlines worldwide, which is how most people outside Belgium first encountered them, long before the branded name "Biscoff" caught on.
What actually makes a Biscoff a Biscoff
- Base ingredients — wheat flour, sugar, rapeseed oil and cinnamon, with no artificial colours or flavours added.
- The caramelisation — the biscuits are baked with a brown sugar syrup that caramelises in the oven, giving the deep, toffee-ish flavour that separates it from a ginger nut or a digestive.
- Dietary profile — no eggs, dairy or nuts in the original recipe, which is why Biscoff biscuits are widely sold as vegan.
The cookie butter phenomenon
Lotus turned the biscuit into a spread — originally sold in Belgium as "speculoos pasta" and launched in the US as Biscoff Spread in 2008 — essentially a jar of the biscuit blended into a peanut-butter-like paste. It sat as a fairly niche product for over a decade. Then, from around 2020, TikTok and Instagram recipe creators started using it in cheesecakes, lattes, doughnuts and traybakes, and "Biscoff" went from being one biscuit brand to an entire flavour category that bakeries, chains and supermarkets now build seasonal ranges around.
Where Biscoff sits among UK sweet favourites
Because the original biscuit contains no dairy or eggs, it's become a reliable option for anyone building a vegan snack selection, sitting alongside other dairy-free treats rather than needing a special substitute recipe. That's a big part of why it has spread so far beyond the coffee saucer it started on.
Frequently asked questions
What is Biscoff made of?
Biscoff biscuits are made from wheat flour, sugar, rapeseed oil, cinnamon and raising agents, with no eggs, dairy or nuts, which is why both the biscuit and its spread are suitable for vegans.
Why is Biscoff so popular right now?
Biscoff went viral on TikTok and Instagram from around 2020, as bakers used the caramelised biscuit spread in cheesecakes, drinks and desserts, turning a niche coffee-shop biscuit into a mainstream cookie butter flavour used across the food industry.
Is Biscoff Belgian or American?
Biscoff is Belgian. It is made by Lotus Bakeries, a company founded in Lembeke, Belgium in 1932. The name itself is a portmanteau of biscuit and coffee, reflecting how it was originally sold as a coffee accompaniment.