Why Everyone’s Talking About Dirty Sodas

Every few years, the internet discovers dirty sodas all over again.

Videos by Sporked

You’ve probably seen them by now―giant cups of soda loaded with cream, flavored syrups, fruit purees, and enough customization options to make a Starbucks order look simple. Suddenly, everyone’s putting creamer in Coke, TikTok is flooded with custom soda orders and people outside Utah are asking the same question: What exactly is a dirty soda?

The answer is surprisingly simple. A dirty soda is a soft drink that’s been dressed up with add-ins like cream, flavored syrups, fruit juices, or all three. Think Diet Coke with coconut syrup and lime. Or Dr Pepper with vanilla cream. Or Sprite mixed with raspberry syrup and sweet cream.

In other words, it’s soda… but with a lot more personality.

Where Did Dirty Sodas Come From?

While dirty sodas may feel like a recent TikTok invention, they’ve actually been around for years.

The trend is most closely associated with Utah, where specialty soda shops built entire businesses around creating customized soft drinks. Chains like Swig and Sodalicious became local institutions by offering customers dozens of different ways to remix their favorite sodas.

The drinks became especially popular in a state where many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints avoid alcohol and coffee. For some customers, dirty sodas became a fun alternative―a customizable treat that felt a little more exciting than a standard fountain drink.

Why Dirty Soda Is Everywhere Right Now

Thanks to TikTok, dirty sodas first exploded beyond Utah a few years ago. Videos showing elaborate soda combinations racked up millions of views and suddenly people everywhere were experimenting with creamers, syrups, and citrus additions. But the trend has enjoyed a second wave of popularity recently thanks to a combination of social media, expanding soda chains, and reality TV.

For many viewers, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives served as an introduction to Utah’s soda-shop culture. The show features dirty sodas so frequently that some viewers walked away wondering whether everyone in Utah was secretly sponsored by a soda company. Meanwhile, brands have started leaning into the trend themselves. Coffee Mate even launched creamers designed specifically for dirty sodas, making it easier for curious consumers to try the drinks at home.

What Does a Dirty Soda Actually Taste Like?

This is the part that tends to divide people.

On paper, adding cream to soda sounds a little strange. In practice, it’s not all that different from a root beer float. The cream softens the carbonation, adds richness, and turns a regular soft drink into something that feels closer to dessert. Whether that’s a good thing depends entirely on how much you enjoy sweet drinks. Dirty soda fans love the endless customization options and dessert-like flavors. Critics tend to view them as already-sugary drinks made even sweeter.

Both sides have a point.

Are Dirty Sodas Here to Stay?

If history is any indication, probably.

Dirty sodas have already survived one viral cycle and come back for another. That’s usually a sign that a trend has moved beyond being a trend. Will everyone suddenly start adding coconut cream to their Diet Coke? Probably not. But considering how many people are still discovering dirty sodas for the first time, don’t be surprised if you keep seeing them pop up on your social feeds for a while.