6 Diet Sodas That Are Better Than the Full-Fat Versions

When someone says a diet soda is just as good as a regular, full-sugar soda, nine times out of ten I assume they are either crazy or lying. Like, yeah, I know you really love Diet Coke, but it does not taste as good as regular Coke. It just doesn’t! And yes, Diet Dr Pepper comes really close to tasting like regular Dr Pepper, but…still, not quite.

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What I’m saying is that I’m a diet soda skeptic and that makes me precisely the correct person to tell you about diet sodas that are actually good. Every zero-sugar soda on this list was taste tested by one of Sporked’s soda experts—and every one of them got higher marks than their non-diet counterparts. I know you’re dubious (I was!), but these are members of a small, elite group of diet sodas that actually outdo the sugary stuff.

Pepsi Zero Sugar Strawberries ‘n’ Cream from the United Kingdom

This creamy, fruity Diet Pepsi was a UK exclusive, but we found a can at World Market. And we’re glad we did because it rules. It has a rich creaminess and a bright, fresh strawberry flavor that enhances the flavor of the cola and successfully obscures the artificial sweeteners in the mix. Creamy sodas are good this way and this is an extra good one.

Mug Floats Vanilla Howler Zero Sugar

While, the full sugar version of Mug Floats Vanilla Howler earned a 7.5 Spork score, the zero sugar version earned 8 Sporks. Why? The zero sugar version leans a little bit more into the vanilla cream flavor, so it tastes more like actual dirty soda. If you’re a root beer fan, try this.

Shasta Zero Sugar Cho•Co•lat De•lite

Okay, this one is kind of a cheat because there isn’t a full-sugar version, but we’re including it because how often do we get to talk about chocolate soda? Sounds vaguely against god’s plan, right? Well, buckle up, because it’s actually good. It kind of tastes like melted chocolate ice cream with a slight root beer vibe. Sporked soda critic Tyler Bowers said it was one of the best diet sodas he tasted in all of 2025.

Mountain Dew Zero Sugar x Trolli Cherry-Lemon

Artificial sweeteners are REALLY sweet, and it turns out works great for candy-flavored soda. This zero sugar Mountain Dew, a collab with Trolli, really tastes like the yellow-and-red Sour Brite Crawlers while not tasting too much like fake sweeteners. Mountain Dew released this in lieu of a VooDEW mystery flavor this year, and we were fine with that!

Diet Cherry Coke

Diet Cherry Coke originally launched in 1986 and was discontinued in 2020, but it was brought back for a limited release at Kroger (and Kroger owned) stores in 2025. TBH, we didn’t taste test this head to head with regular Cherry Coke, but earned a 9.5 Spork score on its own merits and that’s pret-ty good!

Mountain Dew Summer Freeze Zero Sugar

When we tried the full sugar version of this rocket pop-flavored Mountain Dew, we decided it was sort of a miss because it was SO sweet, you really just couldn’t taste the trio of blue raspberry, lemon, and cherry flavors. The zero sugar version figured that out. Toning down the sweetness just a touch lets the flavors really shine. It definitely has a sucralose aftertaste, but we wouldn’t kick it out of bed for eating popsicles.

About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.