10 hot strains to smoke in 2026

Leafly Nation, the hotness has arrived. It’s time to call some shots in our annual predictions of the strains that will be in everyone’s grinders in 2026. We’ve got ten selections for you this year, including cutting-edge strains fresh from the grow labs and classic throwbacks that are poised to make another run for the limelight.

Our tarot cards/star charts/journalistic instincts are showing the softening of candy gas dominance and the triumphant return of unapologetic funk, with a push for consumers to rediscover why the hell we call great weed “dank” in the first place.

Our list includes descendants of some of our all-time favorite strains and left-field genetics that’ll have you buzzing in ways you never expected. Ready to discover what the future holds? Let’s dive in.

Sub Zero

Super Boof x Oreoz | Hybrid

Sub Zero aka Sub Zero #12 (Super Boof x Oreoz) is a powerful and beautiful strain bred by Grow More Fire Genetics that is set to have a red-letter year in 2026. Don’t get this strain confused with Subzero or the (many) other cultivars that have used the name Sub Zero over the years; while many of those strains are undoubtedly excellent, this is one you’ll want the authentic experience for.

Sub Zero mainly takes after the Oreoz side of its parentage, so you can expect a heavy diesel funk with minty undertones. Super Boof isn’t the type of girl who gets upstaged easily, though, and the strain makes a mark by providing a slice of sharp citrus.

When you see the amount of frost coating the deep purple nugs on Sub Zero, it becomes clear just how this strain earned its ice-cold name. We suggest snagging some Sub Zero when the weather outside is frightful; its warm, relaxing high will make a snowday inside even more cozy and warm.

– Morgan Rosendale

Lemon Haze

Lemon Skunk x Silver Haze | Sativa

Lemon Haze (Lemon Skunk x Silver Haze) is a strain that looks like it finally might be ready to make its center stage debut. Lemon Haze has often been overshadowed by its cousin and fellow Lemon Skunk child, Super Lemon Haze, a ubiquitous sativa that has a place on weed Mount Rushmore. But the data doesn’t lie, and ours is showing that Lemon Haze has been on the rise in the past year and may continue to trend upwards.

This rise could be a side effect of the dominance of SLH. The popular strain has possibly become overtuned, and some consumers are finding that the mellower, more subtle flavor of the less-super Lemon Haze reminds them of the traits that made Super Lemon Haze the juggernaut it is.

Is Lemon Haze going to topple SLH to become the new prototypical sativa? Fat chance. However, Lemon Haze may be carving out a respectable niche for itself as an alternative for citrus-heads to explore. If you haven’t had the pleasure, give Lemon Haze a shot this year, especially if Super Lemon Haze is one of your favorites.

– Morgan Rosendale

Sand Castles

Banana Pie x Papaya Bomb | Hybrid

Sand Castles (Banana Pie x Papaya Bomb) from Whitethorn Valley Farm is one of the brightest new drops of 2025. Coming to us via Farm Cut, a five-farm regenerative collective producing unique genetics in Northern California, it tastes like warm sun rising over a ridgeline, and behaves accordingly.

The profile on these big and beautiful, bright green buds is not as tropical as the crosses would suggest. While there are definitely notes of sweet tree fruits, a burst of terpinolene overpowers the tropical notes with its signature rush of floral, herbaceous pine.

The high beam terpinolene buzz is supported by caryophyllene and myrcene, creating a profile that’s both playful and grounding. The high of Sand Castles lands clean, focused, and relaxing, making it an ideal first smoke of the day and great for creative flow.

–Lindsay MaHarry

White Cherries

White Truffle x Trop Cherry | Hybrid

White Cherries (White Truffle x Trop Cherry) is a lovely, moderately potent anytime hybrid with a just-sweet-enough flavor that’s smoother than Casanova’s best pickup line. It’s a dream; the sort of strain that lifts everything up, including your body, your mind, your spirit, and your appetite. White Cherries just makes you feel more.

White Cherries is a great go-to strain when it’s time to lock in. It’s virtually impossible to stress out after a few good puffs, and the strain inherits the uplifting, focusing nature of Trop Cherry, along with most of its cherry-pie aroma.

If you’re someone who knows their way around a dab rig, then White Cherries should particularly snag your attention in the new year. The extraction process takes the strain to a new level of flavor.

– Morgan Rosendale

Gary Payton

Snowman x The Y | Hybrid

Take note, America: 2026 might just be Gary’s year. Gary Payton (Snowman x The Y) has been percolating for a while now, with Leafly’s first review appearing back in 2019. Its profile started to rise when it snagged some cannabis cup victories in the early 2020s, and it’s been steadily growing in availability and popularity since then.

The strain comes to us via a collaboration between Powerzzzup Genetics and Cookies, and the San Fran-based breeders’ legacy of excellence may just get a little more sterling after the year is over.

Our data is showing that Gary Payton may be getting ready to break through into the stratosphere this year. Consumers nationwide are clicking with the caryophyllene-forward strain named for the Hall-of-Fame NBA player for its anxiety-slaying, chill-inducing nature and smooth smoking experience. If you haven’t tried Gary Payton yet, now’s your moment.

– Morgan Rosendale

Durban Cookies

Durban-leaning GSC | Hybrid

Durban Cookies is a Durban-leaning pheno of GSC that offers a wonderfully uplifting twist on one of the most beloved strains of all time. This flower makes you feel happy and whole. It’s the perfect addition to a soft Saturday morning as the birds are singing and breakfast sizzles on the stove.

The buds are dense and crystalline. Green and sometimes a flash of purple. The nose leads with pastry notes of sweet, warm dough, backed with that unmistakable terpinolene beam.

The high is mind-relaxing, body-awakening, and fully functional. Great for increasing daily whimsy, enjoying anxiety-free social situations, or simply reveling in the company of yourself.

–Lindsay MaHarry

Animal Cocktail

Animal Face x Garlic Cocktail | Hybrid

Animal Cocktail (Animal Face x Garlic Cocktail) is a strain with a unique profile, courtesy of Uprising Seed Co., that has been around for a few years and seen some sustained popularity in the PNW, signaling it might be ready to break through into a wider conversation. It has verdant green, frosty buds that’ll catch your eye in the dispensary shelves and won’t stop captivating you until hours after you’ve smoked it.

Animal Cocktail boasts a distinctive, gas-forward aroma that carries notes of peanuts, a unique combination of scents and flavors that piques the palate of those who have grown bored of the same-old.

Any creative pursuits you have are greatly enhanced by a little bit of Animal Cocktail; it’s a mind-expanding, electrifying strain hybrid, great for chilling out and capturing a vibe. Add Animal Cocktail into your strain rotation and discover the passion within.

–Morgan Rosendale

Gumbo

Unknown genetics | Indica

Gumbo is one of those strains that’s always been around, a favorite of old-heads with a breeder that has been lost to time, and it may be taking on a new life in 2026. Our data shows this indica has been experiencing an updraft of popularity recently, and we’re here for it. We think this strain’s got the stuff to saddle back up and compete in a market dominated by hybrids and sativas and show the whippersnappers a thing or two.

What makes us confident in Gumbo’s potential? You’ll be hard-pressed to find an indica that smells sweeter. The strain gets its name from bubblegum, not the seafood stew, and has accordingly sweet notes that counterbalance the strain’s inherent dankness. If you love to go to bed with a bud, then Gumbo will be one of your faves in 2026.

–Morgan Rosendale

Z Cube

The Original Z x OG Kush | Hybrid

Z Cube (a standout pheno of The Original Z x OG Kush) is another stop on the Z-cross light rail that shows no signs of braking, and honestly, why would it? They’re fruity, structurally gorgeous, and blessed with a buzz that’s next to perfection.

Bred by Dying Breed Seeds, Z Cube is everything people love about The Original Z, squared. Glittering green nugs streaked with violet. A rainbow candy lime zest profile that unfolds into an earthy, herbal finish with a light hint of gas.

The potent high is fantastic and versatile. In the day, it feels bright, silly, and fun, lifting your mood by veiling the cold world with rose-colored hues.  By night, it melts into something calmer, easing the body and dissolving whatever nonsense you carried home from work.

Bottom line? Z Cube proves the candy wave isn’t played out—it’s evolving.

–Lindsay MaHarry

Permanent Gas

Permanent Marker x Sour Diesel | Sativa-leaning hybrid

We first wrote about Permanent Gas as one of our favorite strains to smoke in Washington State last year, and our opinion on the strain has not cooled. It’s a cross between the Leafly Strain of the Year 2023, Permanent Marker, and Sour Diesel, a time-honored favorite. It’s a marriage of the old and the new that makes a candy-gas strain that’s light on the candy and isn’t afraid to let that skunky, funky goodness out.

Sour Diesel has just finished a banger of a year, and we predict that any strain with genetics from good ol’ Sour D will continue to fly from dispensary shelves, and Permanent Gas is one of our picks to lead the way.

Permanent Gas is not kidding around. It’s a potent, take-no-prisoners sativa-leaning hybrid that newer consumers should be careful around. But those with the tolerance to tango with Permanent Gas will find themselves with a complex, flavorful companion that is ideal for social situations or an afternoon spent gaming.

–Morgan Rosendale

If we don’t stop ourselves here, we’ll be going all day. Here’s to another great year of cannabis!