30 Healthy Alternatives to Soda for a Better Bubbly Beverage

Whether you're looking for a sparkling mouthfeel, caffeine, health benefits, or fewer calories, these soda swaps will surprise you.

By

Amy Barnes

Updated on January 25, 2023

cans of Nixie, Aha, Poppi, OLIPOP, and Zevia — Photo: Allrecipes Illustration

I used to think I needed soda for a boost of caffeine or sugar. During the early days of the pandemic, however, I couldn't purchase my favorite soda from the grocery store. I wasn't drinking it in restaurants. And to my surprise, my energy levels didn't drop.

Fast forward to today, and I can't tolerate more than a mini can of soda, nor do I really miss it. That's because I never had to kick my habit of sipping a tasty beverage. I just found alternatives to soda.

Whether you want to cut soda to consume more water, less caffeine, fewer additives, fewer sweeteners, or fewer calories, you'll find many alternatives on the market. You can even make your own bubbly beverage at home with a soda maker (you may have heard of SodaStream), which lets you choose your flavor and saves you money. As for convenient, grab-and-go options, these soda alternatives can help even the most serious soda connoisseurs find their new carbonated drink of choice.

Healthy "Soda" Drinks

If you love everything about soda but its sugar content, you can find some delicious dupes on the market that mimic the classic flavors of cola, root beer, cream soda, and ginger ale with Zevia Zero Calorie Soda and OLIPOP, a gut-healthy prebiotic drink. Health-Ade and Poppi, also popular prebiotic drinks, come in fun flavors that rival the fruit soda you're used to.

Fruit-Flavored Sparkling Water

Sparkling water made with natural flavors or real fruit juice (like Spindrift) can stand in as a great soda alternative. Pure fruit juice contains almost as much sugar as soda per cup, but these options bottle up plenty of fruity flavor with little to no sugar.

Sparkling Tea

Sparkling tea as a soda alternative has multiple benefits, from antioxidants to a boost of caffeine. Whether you prefer your tea to taste herbal, citrusy, or fruity, there's a brand for you.

Caffeinated Sparkling Water

Giving up soda doesn't mean caffeine also has to be off the table. In fact, eliminating soda and caffeine all at once could set you up for giving in to your cravings. So, grab one of these caffeinated beverages with zero guilt. The following four brands have neither sugar nor calories.

AHA Sparkling Water With Caffeine and Electrolytes
Bubly Bounce Caffeinated Sparkling Water
Phocus Caffeinated Sparkling Water
Hiball Energy Seltzer

Kombucha

Fizzy, fermented tea, and kombucha can easily stand in place of soda once you get used to its subtle tang. It's relatively low in calories and boasts probiotics for gut health, but be mindful that it contains sugar (with Humm Zero Sugar Kombucha as an exception) and caffeine. If your goal is to sip less sugar, you can always dilute kombucha with sparkling water for a healthy hint of flavor.

Herbal Sparkling Water

Herbal sparkling water isn't as widely available as other carbonated H2O, and it has a steeper cost than the average bubbly beverage. Yet, if you're trying to subdue cravings for sweet flavors or looking for a drink that's fresh in every sense, a 12-pack could be well worth the cost.

Water Enhancers

If you want to boost your water's taste or health benefits, flavor drops like MiO and packets like Liquid I.V. do the job well whether you're at home or on the go. Use them to add electrolytes, vitamins, or even caffeine to sparkling or still water.

Sparkling Mineral Water

If you enjoy soda for the fact that its carbonation keeps you feeling full, unflavored sparkling mineral water can do the trick. You can sip a glass at mealtime without its taste clashing with your food, plus carbonated water can aid digestion and prevent constipation.

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