Ideally, the best diet soda tastes exactly like its non-diet counterpart (except for Diet Coke, which is doing its own thing). It shouldn’t blatantly taste like aspartame or any other artificial sweetener. It should be refreshing and sweet and scratch that soda itch without any of the sugar.
We don’t care why you want to know what the best diet sodas are—it really doesn’t matter whether you’re drinking them for calorie reasons or simply because you have come to actually prefer diet sodas to regular, full sugar sodas. All we care about is that you and your taste buds are satisfied. So, over the course of many, many different soda taste tests, we have compiled a pretty comprehensive list of the best tasting diet soda that can be found (as determined by both diet soda lovers and haters alike). Whether you’re looking for the best diet root beer, the best diet ginger ale, or something all its own, you’ll find the best zero sugar soda on this list. And if we missed a category, let us know in the comments. We’ll include it in our next update!
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- Diet Coke
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Any time I have to write about Diet Coke, I feel afraid. Diet Coke lovers (our own editor-in-chief Justine Sterling is one of them) are so loyal and so scary. Personally, I think Diet Coke tastes disgusting, but I have to include it on this list of the best tasting diet soda because I know if I don’t Diet Coke lovers will burn down my apartment building. That being said, I respect and relate to how much Diet Coke people love Diet Coke because it is how I feel about regular Coke. We both love soda and we stand together in solidarity. Need to hear about it from a Diet Coke drinker? Justine has this to say: “While Diet Coke might not taste anything like regular Coke, it’s crisp and zippy and so refreshing. It’s like extremely flavorful cola-flavored seltzer. And it rocks with a wedge of lemon.” — Jordan Myrick & Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Reed’s Real Ginger Ale Zero
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Ginger ale really relies on sugar, so finding the best diet ginger ale was tough. But Reed’s is crisp, clean, and sweet. It definitely tastes a bit like artificial sweetener, but if you’re accustomed to that flavor, then you might not even notice. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- A&W Zero Sugar Cream Soda
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Cream soda essentially just tastes like sugar. So, finding the best diet cream soda was a toughie. While others we tried were certainly sweet, A&W Zero Sugar Cream Soda has more depth and dimension. It actually tastes like cream soda, rather than diet cotton candy soda. It’s easy drinking and not immediately identifiable as being a diet soda. And, as we know, not tasting like diet soda is one of the main characteristics of being one of the best diet sodas. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Squirt Zero Sugar Grapefruit Soda
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When it comes to the best diet grapefruit soda, Squirt takes the title. Yes, Fresca is good. There is no denying it. We stock it in the fridges at the office. But Squirt Zero Sugar is zestier, tangier, and more grapefruit soda-y than Fresca. It has tiny, prickly bubbles. It’s cloudy, giving the impression that it’s actually made with juice. And it’s extremely refreshing. It’s definitely the best tasting zero sugar soda if you like your sodas tart and fruity. — Justine Sterling
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- Diet Dr Pepper
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Diet Dr Pepper has a cult following. Many people consider it the best diet soda that has ever been made. It does taste like Dr Pepper. You can taste all 23 flavors! It’s hard to taste exactly the same as Dr Pepper because Dr Pepper is perfect and doesn’t need to be altered in any way. Changing it automatically makes it worse. If you couldn’t tell, I love Dr Pepper. That said, there is a better sugar-free Dr Pepper on this list. — Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Diet Mtn Dew
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I find that there are two kinds of soda drinkers: brown soda drinkers and clear soda drinkers. I am a brown soda drinker. Coke, Dr Pepper, and root beer are my go-to drinks. I didn’t even try Mountain Dew until I was, like, 25. And this taste test was my first time trying Diet Mountain Dew. I have to give it to them: Diet Mountain Dew is some of the best tasting diet soda out there! If you’re a gamer looking to suck down less sugar, have one of these. — Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Diet Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beer
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This diet ginger beer smells so spicy and gingery. Honestly, don’t get too close or it will tickle your nose and you will sneeze. It tastes extremely gingery, too. While it’s not as balanced between spicy and sweet as a regular ginger beer (hard to do that without real sugar), it’s an excellent approximation of regular ginger beer. It tastes fresh and, amazingly, it tastes homemade—a real craft brew. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Kroger
- Cherry Pepsi Zero Sugar
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Something to know about me is that I hate Pepsi. I always have. Even this perfect commercial couldn’t convince me to make the switch from Coke to Pepsi. I will always be a Coca-Cola loyalist. All that being said, I do like Cherry Pepsi Zero. If they can make someone who hates Pepsi and diet sodas like a diet Pepsi, I can tell you they have a pretty good product on their hands and one of the best diet sodas. — Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Sprite Zero Sugar
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I forget Sprite exists all the time. Then, once in a blue moon, I feel sick and crave Sprite. Sprite doesn’t deserve that treatment from me. It’s not medicine. It’s delicious! Sprite Zero Sugar also deserves more respect from me because it tastes good. Well, good for a diet soda. I don’t think this would convert a diet soda hater, but it certainly isn’t bad. Whether you have a stomach ache or you’re craving something citrusy, Sprite Zero Sugar can definitely scratch that itch. — Jordan Myrick
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- Diet Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry
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This diet version of Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry soda is unbelievably good. It has an intense candied black cherry flavor. It’s not medicinal at all. It’s vibrant and sweet and creamy—though it actually finished dry, which helps make it taste like a real craft soda. It would be incredible in an ice cream float. I’d never had the pleasure of tasting this diet soda before our most recent diet soda taste test, and I am so pleased to have it in my life. This is some of the best tasting zero sugar soda I’ve ever had. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Diet Stewart’s Root Beer
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Diet A&W Root Beer used to be in this spot, but after our most recent root beer tasting, Diet Stewart’s Root Beer took its place as the best diet root beer. It doesn’t taste like fake sweetener at all. It’s sweet (but really not too sweet at all) and spiced. It tastes like cinnamon and nutmeg and, of course, sassafras root. I love the tiny little bubbles. And it’s just so refreshing. It is begging to be paired with a sloppy sub straight from the deli. If you haven’t had this root beer and you like root beer, then I demand you try it ASAP. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Dr Pepper Zero Sugar
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As I mentioned before, I am a Dr Pepper person. It is my go-to soda. I drink Dr Pepper multiple times a week. I love it so, so much. People swear that Diet Dr Pepper tastes almost exactly like Dr Pepper and I could kind of see where they were coming from, but then Dr Pepper Zero changed all that. Dr Pepper Zero really tastes almost like the real deal. It even beat out regular Dr Pepper flavors in our Dr Pepper taste test! This is the best diet soda for any soda lovers out there that want to cut down on sugar without sacrificing taste. — Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Sunkist Orange Zero Sugar
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Diet Sunkist tastes like regular Sunkist. Maybe even better than regular Sunkist? I can’t believe I actually like this, but I do. It tastes good! It’s citrusy and fresh. There’s no weird chemical-y taste. It tastes just like the best orange soda. If you want a diet soda but don’t want a diet soda, grab a bottle of Diet Sunkist, pour it over ice, and think about how right I am while you drink it. It continues to be the best diet soda around. — Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Best Diet Coke
Best Diet Ginger ALe
Best Diet Cream Soda
Best Diet Grapefruit Soda
Best Diet Not Cola
Best Diet Soda for Gamers
Best Diet Ginger Beer
Best Diet Cherry Cola
Best Diet Lemon-Lime
Best Diet Fruity Soda
Best Diet Root Beer
Best Diet Dr Pepper
Best of the Best
Other diet sodas we tried: Reed’s Zero Sugar Extra Ginger Beer, Bundaberg Diet Ginger Beer, Diet Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda, Diet Shasta Cream Soda, Zevia Cream Soda, Diet Shasta Grapefruit, Fresca, Big K Diet Cola, 7-Up Zero Sugar Cherry Soda, Zevia Cola, Gosling Diet Ginger Beer, Diet Crush, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Zero, Coke Zero, Diet A&W
