Ideally, the best diet sodas taste exactly like their non-diet counterparts (except for Diet Coke, which is doing its own thing). And, while I hate diet soda, I respect the culture around it. What started as a weight-loss fad has turned into its own phenomenon that has nothing to do with dieting whatsoever.
And I can’t say this enough: I hate diet soda. Why would you ever drink a worse version of the perfection that is soda? When I’m consuming a diet drink, it makes me feel sad. I would rather just drink water. Some people, on the other hand, grew up on diet soda and have acquired a taste for it. Regular soda doesn’t scratch the itch for them and I understand that. If you’re one of those people and you’re feeling skeptical about me compiling a list of the best tasting diet sodas, don’t fret! Who better to determine the best diet soda than someone who hates diet soda? If I like it, anyone can.
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- Diet Coke
Any time I have to write about diet coke, I feel afraid. Diet Coke lovers are so loyal and so scary. I think Diet Coke tastes disgusting, but I always include it on lists 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.
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- Diet Dr Pepper
Diet Dr Pepper has a cult following. Many people consider it the best diet soda that has ever been made. And while I don’t think it’s the best version of a diet soda, I do think it is very good (for a diet soda, of course), so it gets the fifth spot on our list. 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.
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- Diet Mtn Dew
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 one of the best-tasting diet sodas out there! If you’re a gamer looking to suck down less sugar, have one of these.
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- Cherry Pepsi Zero Sugar
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 did 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.
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- Sprite Zero Sugar
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.
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- A&W Zero Sugar Root Beer
I’m a root beer fan, but A&W isn’t my favorite. Diet A&W, on the other hand, was definitely one of the best diet sodas we tried. It tastes like the classic root beer you know and love with just a small tinge of weird, artificial, chemical aftertaste. For me, that makes it a great diet soda product. And when it comes to root beer, I think there is one important question: Would I want to pour this over vanilla ice cream? Luckily, for Diet A&W, the answer is yes!
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- Dr Pepper Zero Sugar
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 before 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.
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- Sunkist Orange Zero Sugar
Diet Sunkist tastes like regular Sunkist. Maybe even better than regular Sunkist? I can’t believe I actually liked this, but I did. It tastes good! It’s citrusy and fresh. There’s no weird chemical-y taste. It tastes just like the delicious, non-diet sodas I know and love. 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.
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Diet Soda!
Diet Soda!
Diet Soda!
Diet Soda!
Diet Soda!
Diet Soda!
Diet Soda!
Diet Soda!
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