The Most Popular Grocery Item in America Had More Than 1 Billion Instacart Deliveries Last Year

While you likely fill your shopping cart with a handful of necessities each week, there is one grocery item that people want in their kitchens above all else: bananas. According to new data from Instacart, the yellow fruit is the top-selling grocery item delivered by the service in the United States and Canada, beating all other grocery purchases by a long shot.

This isn't the first time bananas have claimed the top spot—they've held the title for nearly 11 years in a row. This year, though, bananas reached a new milestone with more than 1 billion bananas delivered via Instacart. According to the delivery service, that's enough bananas to cover the distance from New York City to Los Angeles more than 47 times.

“Bananas are the ultimate grocery staple for so many people and families, and because of that, we see the popular fruit show up in grocery orders like clockwork each week," says Laurentia Romaniuk, trends expert for Instacart. "In 2022, one in four carts contained bananas and this number has remained relatively consistent from year to year."

As evidenced by their decade-long reign as the most popular grocery item in the country, bananas aren't dwindling in popularity any time soon. "They’re a completely trend-proof food that can serve as everything from an easy on-the-go Vitamin C snack or potassium boost to the foundation of a smoothie or a decadent treat best enjoyed with your favorite nut butter," says Romaniuk.

Despite the fruit's popularity, the perfect banana doesn't look the same to everyone. According to Instacart, shoppers care how green or not green their bananas are. Nearly 40 percent of banana orders have special instructions containing the word 'green.'

The demand of bananas also varies depending on which state you're in. Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania are the states with the highest share of banana purchases. On the other hand, Hawaii, Louisiana, Alaska, Alabama, and Maine buy the lowest share of bananas.