Prebiotic soda and probiotic soda have exploded in popularity, even among people who don’t give a lick about their gut microbiome. Why? They’re much lower in sugar than traditional sodas (they’re frequently sweetened with sugar alternatives like stevia and cassava root rather than high fructose corn syrup), they come in fun flavors (raspberry rose, anyone?), and a lot of them taste really good. They’re sweeter than flavored seltzers but they aren’t super saccharine. They also purport to have digestive benefits. Allow me to break it down as quickly as possible…
Your stomach and intestines are home to microbes—trillions of them—that help you digest food. Probiotics are live and active cultures that increase the number of good bacteria in your gut, while prebiotics are fibers that feed those good bacteria. Make sense? Okay, great. Now, just so we’re clear, we’re not here to tell you which prebiotic sodas and probiotic sodas are best for your bod—we’re not scientists, everyone’s biology is different, etc., etc.—but, if you’re interested in dipping a toe into the world of aesthetically pleasing prebiotic sodas like Olipop, Poppi, and Culture Pop, we can help you pick the most delicious ones. Here are the best prebiotic sodas and the best probiotic sodas we found in a recent taste test.
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- Wildwonder Guava Rose
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All of Wildwonder’s sparkling drinks are good. They’re fruity, mildly sweet, and very grown-up tasting. I brought a bunch of these on a bachelorette weekend and everyone (especially the non-drinkers) really adored them. Guava Rose is the standout. Floral flavors are well represented in the prebiotic soda world, but they tend to get overpowered by the fruit flavors they accompany. This sparkling bev actually tastes a little bit floral, and the guava flavor is genuine, not just generically “tropical.” Another potential plus: Wildwonder if both prebiotic and probiotic, so if you want cultures and the stuff to feed ‘em, there you go. This probably would have ranked higher, but it’s definitely more of a sparkling juice drink than a “soda.”
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- Mighty Pop Natural Orange Vanilla Flavor
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While Wildwonder contains both prebiotics and probiotics, Mighty Pop contains prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. What are postbiotics? According to WebMD: “Postbiotics are a byproduct of probiotics when they eat prebiotics.” Presumably, other pre and probiotic sodas would result in the creation of postbiotics, but I’m sure Mighty Pop has its reasons for putting them right there in the can. Anyway, the point here is that this Mighty Pop orange-vanilla soda tastes incredibly good. Both the orange and vanilla flavors are very natural—it’s like the best version of a creamsicle. And it only has 3 grams of sugar a can.
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Poppi Ginger Lime
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Poppi is currently embroiled in a class-action lawsuit in which a customer alleges the brand’s gut health claims are overblown given that a can only contains 2 grams of prebiotic fiber. But, like I said, we’re talking about taste here, and Poppi makes some really good flavors, anemic prebiotic content notwithstanding. Ginger Lime is the best Poppi flavor in my personal opinion, but I can see it being too tangy for some people. This stuff is seriously limey. I believe in the power of suggestion, and to me this seems like the best prebiotic soda to drink when you feel like you’re getting sick—the can calls it an “immunity sidekick” (whatever that means) and it tastes kind of like a health shot from a fancy juice joint.
Credit: Merc / Poppi
- Poppi Raspberry Rose
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When we tasted and ranked all the Poppi flavors, Raspberry Rose was the best Poppi flavor taste-tester Jordan Myrick tried. And it’s quite good (although if you want a more compelling and genuine raspberry flavor, check out the best prebiotic soda on this list). Like every Poppi flavor, this is lightly sweet and lightly carbonated, which makes it pretty pleasant to drink. It’s floral without tasting like perfume or potpourri. If you aren’t expecting a big dose of prebiotics from your prebiotic soda, this is a tasty option that’s complex enough to stand in for a canned mocktail in a pinch.
Credit: Merc / Poppi
- SunSip Raspberry Lemonade
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SunSip prebiotic soda is a spinoff of the uber-popular kombucha brand Health-Ade, maker of the best tasting kombucha on the market. I guess it’s no surprise that they make some of the best prebiotic soda, but it was a surprise that the raspberry flavor in this can is so accurate. As I wrote in my tasting notes, “This is one of the only raspberry-flavored foods or drinks I’ve ever tasted that actually tastes like raspberry.” It’s tangy and tart and delicious, like the very best version of a ripe raspberry. Unreal, tbh. One note on SunSip: It’s sweetened with monk fruit, which is safe and doesn’t have any official side effects, but can cause some gas and bloating, at least anecdotally (I am the anecdote).
Credit: Merc / Health-Ade
- Olipop Root Beer
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This is a ranking of the best prebiotic soda (and probiotic soda and postbiotic soda), but you’ve probably noticed that there aren’t a lot of classic soda flavors on this list. Well, if you want a prebiotic soda that scratches that sugary-traditional-soda itch, try Olipop Root Beer. It’s wonderfully spiced with flavors like sweet birch, vanilla bean, and burdock root, and while it doesn’t have the bite of A&W or Barq’s, it’s going to be really satisfying with a fatty lunch like a hamburger and fries.
Credit: Merc / Olipop
- Olipop Lemon Ginger
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I absolutely love Olipop Lemon Ginger. I’ve personally done two separate taste tests of every Olipop flavor, and both times I determined that it’s the best prebiotic soda in their ample lineup of flaves. It’s bright and zippy and extremely refreshing. It tastes like a ginger beer without the burn, and the lemon isn’t so tangy that it leaves you groping around for a bottle of Tums. This would be the best prebiotic soda to use as a mixer, particularly if you’re a fan of Moscow Mules, and it only has 2 grams of sugar per can.
Credit: Merc / Olipop
- SunSip Cherry Cola
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I’ve recently discovered that when it comes to cola, I’m basically a Coca-Cola purist, so I literally cannot believe I’m giving SunSip Cherry Cola the top spot on this list. But got-DAMN it’s good! Granted, it tastes more like a black cherry soda than a cola, but if you love black cherry soda, you’re going to love this. It’s sweeter than a black cherry seltzer (I’m thinking Waterloo) but not as saccharine as a black cherry soda like Boylan or Dr. Brown’s. Plus, this stuff contains prebiotics, vitamins (C, B6, B13), and it isn’t made with stevia, which must be a pro for some people since it’s called out on the can (it’s sweetened with monk fruit, fruit juice, and some cane sugar instead). Health stuff aside, this just tastes great.
Credit: Merc / Health-Ade
Best Juice-Forward
Best Postbiotic
Best Poppi (Runner-Up)
Best Poppi Flavor
Best Fruit Flavor
Best Classic Soda Flavor
Best Olipop Flavor
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Poppi Strawberry Lemon, SunSip Lemon Lime, SunSip Strawberry Vanilla, Culture Pop Orange Mango & Lime, Culture Pop Strawberry & Rhubarb, Culture Pop Watermelon & Lime
I have tried a number of Poppi, Ollipop, and other Prebiotic sodas. I love Kombucha and I love soda so I thought I would like the prebiotics. I have struggled to enjoy them, as the flavor just always seems so off to me. That being said I just tried the SunSip Cherry-Cola and have found a winner completely agree with you it is the best of the best.
I find that I like Poppi better than Olipop. Whatever Olipop uses as their sweetener has a weird taste.