Walking through the soda aisle can be overwhelming due to the variety of diet sodas available. In addition to classics like Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper, there are sugar-free versions of root beers, fruit punches, and more.
This article provides a detailed overview of some of the top diet sodas on the market, focusing primarily on flavor.
Exploring the World of Diet Sodas
1. Diet Dr. Pepper
Despite Dr. Pepper Zero's attempt to impersonate the regular Doctor, Diet Dr. Pepper emerged as the overall winner. While this assessment is inevitably influenced by personal experience, the intention was to potentially displace Diet Dr. Pepper from its top position among personal preferences. That didn't happen, but it did help articulate why Diet Dr. Pepper holds the top spot. While the cherry aroma of Diet Dr. Pepper is far stronger than that of Dr. Pepper Zero, when the flavor kicks in, something changes: Diet Dr. Pepper takes a step back, retaining the signature cherry base but with a lighter touch. Zero, on the other hand, was too sweet and strongly flavored for an "anytime" drink, which is exactly what Diet Dr. Pepper excels at being.
2. Diet Coke
Diet Coke originated in the early 1980s, and its position in today's soda-drinking world makes it hard to believe that Coca-Cola's decision-makers at the time feared it might not perform as well as Tab. The flavor is crisp, refreshing, and vaguely lemony, which is unsurprising considering regular Coke's probable inclusion of citrus as one of its flavors (the exact recipe is still a trade secret). While not a fan of regular Coke, Diet Coke is a very inoffensive beverage, avoiding extremes. This makes it a good mixer and the type of drink that makes sense with breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even after dinner if caffeine isn't an issue.
3. Fresca
Fresca has been around since the mid-1960s and was actually Coca-Cola's second ever diet soda, coming in after Tab. The packaging is a subtle icy sky blue and lemon-yellow accents, and the drink doesn't seem to get the amount of marketing attention that its Coca-Cola cousins receive. Fresca poured out a bit cloudy, just as you'd expect from a drink made with concentrated grapefruit juice. In terms of flavor, Fresca more than lived up to its name, which means "fresh" in several languages, including Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese: It was incredibly refreshing and tasty, and it was hard not to drink it all at once. It was sweeter than Sprite Zero, though more natural tasting, with a pleasant hint of tartness from the grapefruit. It's caffeine-free, too.
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4. Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar
Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar is a sugar-free version of the regular product, while Diet Dr. Pepper is a calorie-free purveyor of regular Dr. Pepper's flavor profile. So was the difference between the two a "no calories versus no sugar" marketing thing? Dr. Pepper Zero had much less of an aroma than Diet Dr. Pepper. However, the flavor packed a shocking punch. It was similar to its Diet sibling's taste but amplified, lighting up the entire mouth with pure Dr. Pepperiness. With this test, it's clear that Zero is just what its name implies - a zero sugar alternative that would probably work beautifully in recipes like the Dr. Pepper pickles drink. However, being so used to Diet Dr. Pepper, Dr. Pepper Zero was a bit intense.
5. Diet Pepsi
The experience of taste-testing Diet Pepsi led to one of the biggest beverage surprises. Not being a Pepsi drinker at all, the first sip had me scrambling to think of how to describe Diet Pepsi's hard-hitting opening note. With more sips, the flavor took on an almost medicinal tone, but not in a bad way. T detected tinges of caramel, vanilla, citrus, and perhaps a tad of ginger. In the end, T stopped worrying about how to define the taste and just focused on how T felt about it. Diet Pepsi was a very enjoyable experience.
6. Sprite Zero
The zero-sugar version's label was revamped in 2023 to include bold black font, explaining part of the surprise that the beverage didn't look the way it has all our lives. Then there's the fact that Sprite no longer uses green bottles to better facilitate recycling (kudos to them!). Sprite Zero had a fairly strong lemon-lime scent and a moderately sweet flavor that hit neither overwhelmingly strong nor disappointingly weak. The flavor faded fast on the tongue but left a little zing of lemon that was nice. This could be very refreshing on a hot day, and there's no caffeine, so it's good any time. Plus, like the regular version, Sprite Zero's tasty, mild flavor would make it a good mixer.
7. Olipop Strawberry Vanilla
Like Poppi, Olipop is a relatively new prebiotic soda with a notable quantity of dietary fiber and less sugar than conventional sodas. When poured,the Olipop Strawberry Vanilla featured an attractive pink color, almost like rosé wine. The strawberry aroma was appealing and the flavor sweet and lightly decadent. Like Poppi, the real sugar took the taste buds to new places that they enjoyed, and there was no unpleasant lingering aftertaste. That said, there were nine grams of fiber in my can, suggesting that this may not be a drink that you'd want to consume in epic quantities, especially if you're already consuming your daily recommended amount of fiber. Furthermore, a can is normally priced is $2.38 (I got mine on sale for $1.97) and a four-pack of 12-ounce cans goes for nearly $9. That makes this, like Poppi, pricier than conventional sugar-free sodas.
8. A&W Zero Sugar Root Beer
In the battle between A&W and Barq's root beers, Barq's tends to win for palates that prefer a sharp, heavy bite to their root beer, while A&W excels for those who like a creamy, milder flavor. I didn't realize A&W has a milder flavor profile until I tried my first sip and wondered who forgot to add the root beer to the drink. As I continued to sip, the beverage's creamy notes grew on me despite the initially disappointing lack of deep, dark rootiness. Though it's a more toned-down root beer, the flavor lingered a while on the palate after drinking it, and the aftertaste was pleasant enough. That said, this root beer could feel a little too dessert-like in the middle of the day for me and wouldn't be my personal choice as a grab-it-anytime drink, but it has its merits.
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9. Poppi Strawberry Lemon
Conventional diet sodas don't typically make health claims beyond their heavy "no sugar" marketing, but Poppi is a new, different breed of soda. With its inclusion of prebiotic fiber, apple cider vinegar, five grams or less of sugar, and 25 or fewer calories, Poppi brands itself as a healthier soda that "safe" for consumers to love. The Poppi tested contained four grams of sugar and 4% juice. As someone who never drinks sugar, including juices, it hit differently than the other sodas, with clear but not overwhelming real-sugar sweetness. The strawberry element gave nice bubblegum-lemonade vibes, but the apple cider vinegar was a bit too noticeable for my tastes.
10. Diet Cherry Coke
Of all the flavored sugar-free varieties that Coca-Cola has graced us with throughout the years, a cherry variety in one formulation or another has been one of the longest-lasting. The soda offered a mild aroma on opening that was more Coke than cherry. The cherry flavor was definitely present, with a nice aftertaste that didn't linger long on the palate. The overall taste was not as intense as I'd expected from my long-ago memories of regular Cherry Coke, but the cherry became more pronounced as the beverage's temperature rose, which I enjoyed. However, the longer the soda was sipped, the more synthetic the cherry flavoring tasted - the same phenomenon encountered with Sunkist.
11. Coke Zero
Coke Zero was released in 2005 as a healthier option for regular Coca-Cola drinkers, particularly for young male consumers who perceived Diet Coke as too feminine. Coke Zero was actually nicknamed "Bloke Coke" in the U.K. in 2006, highlighting the drink's gender-focused marketing. Coke Zero definitely approximates the flavor of Coke more than Diet Coke does; that more intense lemon base is obvious, both in aroma and flavor. If you're a devoted drinker of regular Coke who's looking for a sugar-free switch, you might find this easier on the palate than Diet Coke just because of that similarity to the original. Coke Zero actually grew on me the longer I sipped it. Dare I say that lemony tinge actually feels more refreshing than Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper?
12. Pepsi Zero
In a longtime battle between Pepsi and Coca-Cola, Pepsi ranked second place to Coke from 2004 to 2023, when Dr. Pepper ousted Pepsi from its position. The aroma and flavor of Pepsi Zero gave off more Coke than Dr. Pepper vibes. That is, there was a definite tinge of lemony citrus to Pepsi Zero rather than the cherry notes that Dr. Pepper has. Pepsi Zero brought its own thing to the table, though, with a flavor only describable as "lemon toffee caramel" with a sweet, lingering aftertaste. I can see how it has a legion of fans.
13. Sunkist Zero Sugar Orange Soda
Both Sunkist Orange Soda and its zero-sugar version contain about 19 milligrams of caffeine per 12 fluid ounce serving. That's less than half the amount in a can of Diet Coke, but it's still something to keep in mind if you're considering this classic orange cola as an afternoon treat. Sunkist Zero Sugar gave off a slight orange aroma that was too light a taste and came off a bit underwhelming. The flavor also faded fast on the tongue and left a synthetic-feeling coating, despite the inclusion of natural flavors in the ingredients. That said, Sunkist Zero Sugar seems refreshing. If offered to me, I might accept one on a hot afternoon.
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14. Canada Dry Zero Sugar Ginger Ale
The regular version of Canada Dry Ginger Ale originated back in 1904 when its founder, John J. McLaughlin, who was then the owner of a sparkling water plant, aimed to make a lighter ginger ale than the syrup-heavy varieties available at the time. Similar to regular Canada Dry's lightness, the aroma of the zero-sugar version was not particularly strong or gingery, and the first sip revealed a subtle, muted taste that left me disappointed. For a ginger ale, I was expecting more of a gingery kick. That said, I can see this being a great drink mixer at home, just like the flappers of the dry days used its sugary forebear.
15. Diet Mountain Dew
This highly caffeinated soda - at least the regular version - has a pretty serious cult following, especially among Appalachian coal miners who uses the caffeine to stay alert. With acquaintances who raved about Mountain Dew's flavor and productivity-enhancing caffeine content, I cracked open my bottle of the diet version, eager to see what I've been missing. The strong yellowish-green color that's vaguely reminiscent of Hi-C Ecto Cooler from the 1980s, was a bit of a shock. Once it was poured into a glass, the soda gave off no discernible aroma. I found it not particularly sweet, just vaguely orangey and limey; the flavor faded quickly on my tongue like it never happened. I was left wondering what the point was, and I wouldn't personally add Diet Mountain Dew to my own soda rotation because it did not excite my taste buds in any way.