<p>Cellulose has received attention in recent years due to its availability from agro-industrial wastes, as well as its potential for sustainable production of gels. Its mechanical strength, swelling, biodegradability, and water absorption are its remarkable attributes for gel production. Cellulose-based gels can be classified as hydrogel, oleogel, bigel, xerogel, aerogel, and cryogel depending on the continuous phase components. This review provides a recent advancements and applications of cellulose-based gels derived from agro-industrial wastes in the food sector during the last decade. These gels are widely used in the food industry for several purposes, such as targeted delivery, food safety, fat replacement, food packaging, thermal insulation for food transportation and preservation, and functional foods. The review also addresses the challenges involved in controlling consumer acceptance, improving extraction, scalability and processing, and ensuring consistent cellulose quality from a variety of waste sources regardless of their potential. Strategies for overcoming challenges were highlighted in significant domains such as sustainable processing approaches, food application expansion including sustainable packaging and 4D printing, and bigel and composite development. The implementation of these strategies has the potential to boost sustainable food innovations and speed up the commercialization of cellulose-based gels.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>