The best Gatorade flavors are fruity without tasting fake. They should give you a boost of electrolytes to make you good at sports. Or, if you’re like me, they should rehydrate you in the hellish aftermath of a night of drinking alcohol and eating Taco Bell.
Now, Gatorade comes in a lot of varieties and formats at this point. There’s Gatorlyte (which is like Pedialyte), G Fit, and a variety of powdered versions. For this taste test, we concentrated on regular ol’ Gatorade Thirst Quencher, rounding up all the flavors we could find (18 of them!) to figure out which is the best Gatorade flavor that currently exists. Like any good game, the competition was fierce. Ultimately, one Gatorade flavor does reign supreme. And don’t worry, I looked at pictures of Serena Williams during this whole taste test to really get in the zone.
- Blue Cherry
Blue Cherry is the worst blue Gatorade. It tastes medicinal rather than fruity. When you’re buying blue Gatorade, make sure you do not accidentally buy this one!
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Strawberry Watermelon
This flavor of Gatorade is too fake tasting. It tastes like artificial watermelon and strawberry. It’s like drinking candy (and not in a good way).
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Strawberry
Once again, Gatorade does not do strawberry well. Steer clear of any Gatorade flavor that starts with “straw” and ends with “berry.”
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Green Apple
Green Apple Gatorade tastes decent! It’s not the best Gatorade flavor, but it’s certainly not the worst Gatorade flavor. It has a little bit of a bite and it’s sweet. If you’re a big fan of green apple, this will do!
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Cool Blue
Cool Blue is a good Gatorade blue. In terms of Gatorade flavors, however, it sits in the middle. It doesn’t stand out as much as some of the others, but it certainly tastes good.
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Melon
I was surprised by the melon Gatorade flavor. It tastes like a watermelon Jolly Rancher. That being said, it’s not so delicious that it would turn a melon hater into a melon lover. Melon lovers will love this, though!
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Arctic Blitz
Arctic Blitz is another flavor that is pleasantly mild. The bottle describes it as “crisp” and “cool,” and I would agree with that assessment. It’s supposed to be watermelon honeydew flavor. I couldn’t pick up either of those flavor profiles and neither of those things are arctic. I don’t understand the name, but I like the taste!
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Icy Charge
Similar to Arctic Blitz, Icy Charge doesn’t taste like its alleged flavor (pineapple lime) to me. I just mostly get a pleasant sweetness that I like a lot. I actually really enjoy these Franken-flavors that don’t taste like the fruits they were supposedly inspired by. It’s like a fun surprise!
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Fruit Punch
You can’t go wrong with a standard fruit punch and this is about as standard as you can get. You get a hint of cherry, a hint of citrus, and a hint of pineapple. While it’s not the best fruit punch on the market, it is a tasty choice when it comes to Gatorade flavors.
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Riptide Rush
I’ve heard that Riptide Rush is grape mixed berry. I love grape so I wish Riptide Rush was more grapey, but a lot of people hate grape, so I’m assuming that’s why it’s so mild. It is a very middle-of-the-road, easy, uncontroversial grape item and that’s why it ranks so high on this list. This is a grape for grape haters and I think that’s interesting!
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Lemonade
Lemonade Gatorade is good. It’s not as good as Lemon-Lime Gatorade, though. And it’s certainly not as good as actual lemonade, but it’s good. If you are really craving both lemonade and Gatorade, this is for you.
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Grape
Once again, I like grape! This grape flavor is for grape lovers. It’s like grape medicine mixed with water, which I know isn’t for everyone, but it does appeal to a certain audience. And that audience is me!
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Lime Cucumber
I was shocked by Lime Cucumber Gatorade. It actually tastes like lime and cucumber! If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, just try it! It’s super refreshing and light and I think you will actually enjoy it if you give it a chance.
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Glacier Cherry
I don’t even like cherry and must admit that this tastes good. It’s a well-balanced cherry that doesn’t taste medicinal. This cherry will appeal to cherry lovers and turn anyone who’s anti-cherry into a lover of the tiny red fruit.
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Orange
Another classic that hits hard. Orange is citrusy without being astringent. It’s like mild Tang. Plus, since it’s orange, I feel like I’m getting a boost of vitamin C. I don’t think there’s actually more vitamin C in orange Gatorade than other flavors of Gatorade, it’s just a placebo effect and it’s working on me!
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Glacier Freeze
Glacier Freeze is my blue Gatorade. It’s a light berry flavor that kind of tastes like a blue raspberry Slurpee melted down and mixed with water (and I mean that in a good way). This is also my favorite Franken-flavor of all the Gatorade Franken-flavors.
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Lemon Lime
Lemon Lime is one of the best Gatorade flavors on the market because it is one of the most flavorful Gatorade flavors on the market. My big issue with Gatorade is that it isn’t flavorful enough in general. Thankfully, Lemon-Lime gives both lemon and lime. This OG Gatorade flavor is still around for a reason.
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
- Passion Fruit
I honestly could not believe this was Gatorade. It is so flavorful! If you put boba in this, I would believe it was from a local bubble tea shop. This is sweet, fruity, and tropical. If you can find this Gatorade flavor, grab it immediately. It’s the best Gatorade flavor that exists!
Credit: Merc / Gatorade
Gatorade!
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Gatorade!
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im feeling wildly vindicated by this list
Bruh blue cherry is my favorite-
Great article! i have never seen the passionfruit but will be searching for it now. also number 9 didnt have Riptide , it just says title haha