Diet Sodas - Spring 2026
I don't drink alcohol. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs, but I do drink a ton of diet soda. Honestly, I drink too much and I need to work on that, but that's not what this blog is about. This blog is about the limited flavors that have come out recently and my thoughts on each one.
I know its marketing at its finest, but I am always on the lookout for whatever new flavor of diet soda gets released and over the last few months there have been a lot of new/returning/limited flavors.
Let's take a quick look at each one.
Diet Cherry Coke
This is probably the most boring of the list. Diet Cherry Coke was around for many years, from 1986-2020 to be exact. It was one way to make canned Diet Coke (which tastes horrible) taste just a little bit better. I wouldn't say I was a huge Diet Cherry Coke drinker (I preferred Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi which they NEED to bring back) but I'd partake in a bottle every now and again.
Last year, Coke re-released Diet Cherry Coke along with Diet Coke Lime as a limited release with cool retro packaging. This year, we're back to a modern boring package, which does make the drink much less fun to drink. With that beings said, the flavor is good enough and it's a nice break from my regular diet of Coke Zero or Diet Pepsi. If the internet is correct, Coke is bringing this back permanently or at least until sales slip again.
Diet Coke Lime
Last year, I bought a 20 oz bottle of Diet Coke Lime and walked away disappointed. There was not nearly enough lime taste and I'm not even a big fan of lime. But when I saw the retro lime packaging, I decided to pick up a twelve pack this year and I'm so glad I did. Coke has tweaked the formula and the lime flavoring is much more balanced and it makes for a great drink. It's refreshing and light, and the lime really offsets that bitter Diet Coke taste. Is it better than say Coke Zero? No, not at all, but its a nice change of pace.
Coke Zero Cherry Float
I'm honestly not the best person to review this drink. I'm not a huge fan of vanilla nor do I enjoy floats, but my wife is, so I picked up a twelve pack and she loves the stuff. I found it to be palatable and tasty if you are into that sort of thing, but a couple of swallows was enough for me to experience all that is Coke Zero Cherry Float.
Dr. Pepper Zero Cherry
Now this is a soft drink! Growing up, I loved Dr. Pepper but as I've gotten older I can't tolerate the spice in Dr. Pepper nearly as well. So, its pretty rare for me to pick up a Dr. Pepper and really like it. Well, Dr. Pepper Zero Cherry is a drink I really like! It has a terrific taste and that Cherry brings down that spice level of Dr. Pepper. It's a much smoother experience that feels more like a Pepsi product than a Dr. Pepper, which I appreciate.
Mountain Dew Zero Baja Cabo Citrus
Similar to Dr. Pepper, I grew up drinking tons of Mountain Dew but now I'm not much of a fan. Diet Mountain Dew and Mountain Dew Zero seem to upset my stomach, so the only Mountain Dew I'll buy is the Zero Baja which is actually quite tasty. It took me a while to find the Zero Baja Cabo Citrus, but I finally picked up a twelve pack and I've been drinking on it for a month or so. It's not my favorite drink, and at first I wasn't even sure I liked it, but it has grown on me. It's hard to describe because it's kind of it's own beast with the Baja flavoring and Cabo Citrus, it certainly won't remind you of Mountain Dew. I'll finish up my twelve pack, but I wouldn't pick this one up again.
I began work on a second installment but I didn't finish it. Since it's now Fall of 2026, I figured I'd post what I wrote below so it doesn't go completely to waste.
The biggest challenge with trying all the latest diet sodas is that availability depends heavily on where you live. Your local bottling company may not distribute every flavor, and even when they do, some limited varieties only show up in select stores.
A good example is Pibb Zero. Here in North Carolina, the only places I've ever found it are in Coca-Cola Freestyle machines at Five Guys and at Wegmans. It's not available anywhere else, trust me, I've looked. I don't love Pibb Zero, it's just the fact that I cannot have it that makes me want it so much more.
Two diet sodas I've never been able to find locally, I stumbled upon on Amazon for just five dollars for a twelve pack. That's a great deal already, and totally worth experimenting to see whether or not these sodas are any good.
Dr. Pepper Zero Cream Soda
As I mentioned in my last post, I'm not the biggest vanilla fan so it shouldn't shock you that I'm not a huge cream soda fan. However, my wife is, so I bought two twelve-packs of Dr. Pepper Zero Cream Soda. I took a sip of my wife's can and said, "I'm not a fan of cream soda, but this the best damn cream soda I've ever had." I don't think I'd want a whole can to myself, but it is a tasty beverage and one definitely worth visiting if you are a fan of cream soda. Similar to the other Dr. Pepper Zero flavors, there is just enough Dr. Pepper to give it a good taste, while really letting the alternate flavor shine. This felt like a cream soda with a hint of Dr. Pepper and not the other way around.
Squirt Zero
I've seen Squirt on the shelves for years, but I've never tasted it. Heck, I didn't even truly know what it was. When I went to order it on Amazon, I discovered its a grapefruit flavored soda, which startled me a bit. I don't care for grapefruit, but again, this was five bucks and worth a taste.
Squirt Zero is actually really good. It doesn't remind me of grapefuit at all. Instead, it's got more of a Mountain Dew vibe going on, but goes down lighter like Sprite. I guess, in a way, its more like Sun Drop or Mellow Yellow, which is a good thing according to my taste buds.
As usual, neither of these drinks would replace my typical Coke Zero or Diet Pepsi buying, but they are a nice break and something fun to explore.
Dr. Pepper Zero Creamy Coconut
Part of the reason I'm writing these blog posts is to help me keep up with all these limited time/new sodas. Sometimes they get released annually and I can't remember if I've tried them or not. For example, Dr. Pepper Zero Creamy Coconut has been released before, although I don't think I ever found a bottle. This time around, I stumbled upon it and despite not being a fan of coconut, I knew my wife would like it. Upon opening the bottle it smelled a bit like sun screen, and the coconut taste is very potent, but it was surprisingly smooth and I think the cream helped it. It's not a flavor for me, but it was another solid soda.