I Tried the New Pepsi Prebiotic Soda—But Is It Good?

Prebiotic soda is all the rage. It’s low sugar but doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners, and it purports to support gut health by virtue of containing the types of fiber that enrich the good bacteria in your belly. From Poppi to Olipop, there are a bunch of brands solely slinging prebiotic and probiotic sparkling bevs, but naturally the big boys want to get in on that action, too. In fact, Pepsi doubled up: The brand actually purchased Poppi and now a new Pepsi prebiotic soda has just launched in two flavors, classic and Cherry Vanilla Pepsi. 

Each prebiotic Pepsi contains just 30 calories, 5g of sugar, and 3g of prebiotic fiber. (For reference, Poppi contains 2g of prebiotic fiber per serving.) We tried both to find out if we’re pro prebiotic Pepsi or anti prebiotic Pepsi.

New Product!

Pepsi Prebiotic Cola

Pros: I will admit that it’s been a minute since I had a Diet Pepsi (maybe since our taste test of all the Pepsi flavors), but this tastes pretty similar to Diet Pepsi me. It has lighter carbonation than Coke (I personally think that Pepsi always tastes a little flat), but the cola flavor is good. It’s definitely one of the better prebiotic or probiotic colas I’ve tasted (Sunsips Cherry Cola is damn good but it tastes more like a black cherry soda than a cola). If you’re fine with the flavor of diet soda—and you don’t mind that this one actually has 5g of sugar—give it a shot! 

Cons: Per a line of text on the can, this prebiotic Pepsi doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners, but boooooy does it taste like it does. I think the loophole is that while the sweeteners aren’t artificial, they are sugar alternatives and they have the same lingering, saccharine flavor as aspartame. If you’re at all sensitive to the flavor of diet soda, you probably won’t like this.

Credit: Liv Averett / PepsiCo

Rating:

7.5/10

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New Product!

Pepsi Prebiotic Cola Cherry Vanilla

Pros: Hey, Cherry Vanilla Pepsi is back! For the first time since 2016! Sort of! Let me just say that this flavor of Pepsi prebiotic soda is a REAL rollercoaster. It has a bright, juicy cherry aroma when you crack open the can. It smells like the juice in a jar of the really, really red maraschino cherries. And that’s what it tastes like, too. You get cherry juice straight to the dome on your first sip, and then, like the other classic Pepsi prebiotic soda, its sweeteners settle on your palate, for better or worse.

Cons: Okay, I know I just said “for better or worse,” but it’s definitely for worse. This prebiotic Cherry Vanilla Pepsi has a really aggressive aftertaste that I really grew to dislike as I continued to drink it. It’s really hard to shake! And ultimately the cola flavor is just too easily overpowered by the cherry flavor and the sweeteners. I don’t think I’d grab this again.

Rating:

5/10

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