Brian Nagele
Is there anything more nostalgic than a cold orange soda? Even if you’re casually sipping one at your nine-to-five desk job, the smell and taste can transport you back to your best childhood memories.
If you’re anything like me, you haven’t indulged in the divine drink since childhood, and as you read this, you’re wondering why in the world not.
Whether you’re looking to relive old childhood memories, teach your kids about the wonder of orange soda, or simply stock up for your guests, I’ve got you covered. Orange soda is still a popular soft drink, but now there are a wide variety of brands to meet diverse preferences.
I’ve compiled a list of the best orange sodas on today’s market.
Sugar-free, loaded with caffeine, or a flavor different than anything you’ve ever experienced—despite your priorities, there’s something for you on this list.
Check out my list of the best orange sodas below!
Fanta Orange Soda
Fanta Orange soda is a classic. The mere aroma brings back childhood memories of after-school time with friends or summer pool days.
Despite its abundance of sugar, Fanta is caffeine free and an experience you should revisit yourself or let your children try at least once!
Fanta is perfect for soda-lovers that like a lot of carbonation! The first sip is so full of bubbly orange flavor that it nearly burns but immediately turns refreshing.
Ingredients include carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate, sodium polyphosphates, modified food starch, yellow six dye, and red 40 dye.
Check out other popular Fanta flavors to try!
Sunkist Orange Soda
Prefer your orange soda with a little bit of caffeine? Sunkist Orange has 31 milligrams of caffeine which is still less than other sodas.
But, people love Sunkist for far more than the caffeine! Slightly sweeter than Fanta but still tangy, the soda is good alone but also pairs well with an ice cream float!
Best of all, Sunkist is available at most gas stations, grocery stores, and vending machines. The ingredients are similar to Fanta with a few additions.
Sunkist consists of carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate, modified food starch, flavors, ester gum, caffeine, yellow six dye, and red 40 dye.
Crush Orange Soda
Crush Orange soda is slightly less accessible than Fanta and Sunkist, but worth the hunt!
Fizzy-bodied yet sweet, Crush Orange offers the best of both worlds. It’s also available in various packaging, the most popular of which is glass.
Sipping the orange soda from a glass bottle is more aesthetically pleasing and preserves the orange flavor more than aluminum or plastic can.
Crush orange soda uses the following ingredients to achieve its smooth orange taste: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate, natural flavors, salt, modified food starch, ester gum, yellow six dye, and red 40 dye.
Stewart’s Orange & Cream Soda
Stewart’s Orange & Cream Soda is an old-time classic and therefore challenging to find.
The rarity tastes like dessert in a bottle, so if you grew up on orange creamsicles, it’s worth tracking down!
Because the beverage is only available in glass bottles and runs slightly pricier than other orange sodas.
The orange cream soda is caffeine free and has less sugar than other options, at only 45 grams. It’s also the ideal option for anyone sensitive to red dye as it doesn’t include any!
The drink contains carbonated water, cane sugar, orange juice concentrate, sodium benzoate, citric acid, natural flavors, artificial flavors, modified food starch, ester gum, and yellow six dye.
Mirinda Orange Soda
The Mirinda soda brand markets countless flavors in various countries.
However, Mirinda Orange Soda is the original flavor and is most popular in the United States.
Created in Spain, PepsiCo bought the brand in the seventies. Today, you can find Mirinda Orange Soda at any major grocery store.
The beverage is tangy but not too carbonated, making it the ideal choice for anyone that dreads that burning sensation in their chest!
Ingredients include carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, modified food starch, potassium sorbate, potassium benzoate, natural flavors, ester gum, yellow six dye, calcium disodium, and sodium citrate.
Faygo Orange Soda
Faygo Orange Soda is a delicious but rare find. The brand’s headquarters are in Detroit, Michigan, and the beverage is only available in select states.
The taste is light and sweet, and despite its rarity, less expensive than other orange sodas.
Therefore, if you’re looking to stock up for a summer party, I suggest getting the most bang for your buck and ordering Faygo in bulk.
The ingredients aren’t too different from other orange sodas. Faygo contains carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, potassium benzoate, modified food starch, brominated vegetable oil, yellow six dye, and red 40 dye.
Mountain Dew Kickstart Energizing Orange Citrus
The Mountain Dew Kickstart Energizing Orange Citrus contains juice, caffeine, and soda in a single beverage.
While it may not be the best drink to pair with dinner, it’s the perfect way to start the morning if you don’t like coffee, as it has 46 milligrams of caffeine.
You can find the drink in any major grocery store or order it online. The Orange Citrus Kickstart has the same sweet tang as other orange sodas but significantly fewer calories and sugar.
Major ingredients include carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, white grape juice concentrate, orange juice concentrate, citric acid, natural flavor, sodium polyphosphates, gum arabic, vitamin c, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, caffeine, yellow five dye, and yellow six dye.
Solo Orange Soda
Perhaps the rarest find of all—Solo Orange Soda. Solo soda was developed in Spain but is owned by a Norwegian company and thus, most popular in Norway.
Luckily, it’s also available in the United States! Solo tastes different from American-made orange sodas. It’s more citrusy than sweet and lighter-bodied, resembling more of a juice than a soda.
The beverage contains slightly different ingredients than other orange sodas, giving it a juice-like character.
Solo’s ingredients include water, orange juice concentrate, citric acid, natural orange aroma, sodium benzoate, ascorbic acid, guar gum, and beta-carotene food coloring.
Zevia Zero Calorie Soda
Want an orange soda without the sugar rush and high-calorie count?
You might like Zevia Orange. Zevia soda contains zero sugar, caffeine, dyes, or calories.
The beverage is also naturally sweetened, gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO, and vegan.
Because Zevia is a clean drink, it’s not as heavy as an actual orange soda, but still so satisfying! Zevia tastes what a ripe orange might taste like–not too sweet, not too tangy.
The ingredient list is simple: carbonated water, natural flavors, citric acid, and stevia leaf extract.
You can find Zevia orange soda for a reasonable price at stores like Sprouts, Walmart, and Frys.
I love Orangina. Its in Indiana. Got it from Fresh Market!! Its the best!!