Coca-Cola has reigned supreme over American taste buds for more than 100 years. Its iconic brand recognition and the mystery behind its secret formula (which is guarded in a vault at the company’s Atlanta museum) attest to its legendary status. Yet, despite this heavy-weight champion, Coca-Cola is far from being the only soda Americans love. (These are the soda brands you’ll want to avoid.)

In a nation of soda lovers, many other fizzy favorites have emerged in Coca-Cola’s wake. While Coke still wears the crown as America’s favorite soda, other major brands hold a significant amount of the market. Surprisingly, Pepsi may have even been dethroned from its long-held position as the second most popular soda in America! 

Why This Matters

Knowing and understanding soda trends in America is extremely helpful in many sectors. Companies in the food and beverage industry can use this information to tailor and target their marketing campaigns, while retailers can utilize it to optimize their inventory. Soda is a huge industry in the United States and can provide many valuable insights into consumer behavior and market trends across the nation. 

10. Welch’s

• Year founded: 1869
• Flavor: Grape (and other flavors)
• Color: Dark grape
• Manufacturer: National Grape Cooperative Association

No Big Parent Company

The only Coca-Cola alternative on this list not owned by a soda giant is Welch’s, which is owned by the National Grape Cooperative Association. As a result, the grape drink is unsurprisingly the most popular flavor and is made from Concord and Niagara grapes. Welch’s drinks are one of the biggest surprises in the soft drink world and make for a great flavored soda alternative to the world of Coca-Cola. 

9. Sunkist

• Year founded: 1979
• Flavor: Orange
• Color: Orange
• Manufacturer: Keurig Dr Pepper

The Fanta Competitor 

As much as it is a popular alternative to Coca-Cola, Sunkist has long been popular with soda fans who want something different. Now available in various flavors, the original orange drink helped make orange the third-best-selling flavor in the United States. In addition to the orange flavor, Sunkist has expanded its menu to include grape, strawberry, Cherry Limeade, Pineapple, Lemonade, Fruit Drink, Orange Mango, and many more flavors.

8. A&W 

• Year founded: 1919
• Flavor: Caramel, minty vanilla
• Color: Brown
• Manufacturer: Keurig Dr Pepper

The Famous Cream Soda

Famously used at diners to make cream soda drinks, A&W Root Beer is a fan favorite. Now owned and manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper, it’s incredible to think that the original A&W Root Beer soda drink sold for just five cents, which is nearly $1.00 in 2024 money. Today, A&W is also famous for being one of the first restaurant chains in the U.S., where the drink became an instant hit as suburbs began to pop up post-World War II. 

7. Canada Dry Ginger Ale

• Year founded: 1904
• Flavor: Golden
• Color: Ginger
• Manufacturer: Keurig Dr Pepper

Ginger Tasting Goodness

One of the most popular sodas originating outside the United States, Canada Dry Ginger Ale has been happily adopted by Americans as their own. The “dry” in the name highlights the soda’s lack of sweetness, as its golden color is often confused with wine. The drink soared in popularity during Prohibition, when it was used as a mixer with alcohol to help mask the taste, and its soda success has continued ever since. 

6. Fanta

• Year founded: 1941
• Flavor: Orange
• Color: Orange
• Manufacturer: Coca-Cola

Orange Deliciousness

One of the more original founding stories for a soda brand is Fanta, which stems from World War II when it was difficult to import Coca-Cola into Germany. As a result, the German head of Coke created a new orange-flavored soda for the German market, using only ingredients available in Germany during the war. Discontinued in 1949, production was restarted in 1955 using oranges. Along with Sunkist, Fanta has helped make orange one of the country’s most popular soda flavors and has expanded into other flavors. 

5. 7-Up

• Year founded: 1929
• Flavor: Lemon-Lime
• Color: Colorless
• Manufacturer: Keurig Dr Pepper (PepsiCo)

The 1929 Drink

Ironically, the first release of 7-Up in America came just two weeks after the 1929 Wall Street crash. As it contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug, the drink was immediately popular and even promoted as a patent medicine product. Fast-forward to today, 7-Up remains an iconic part of the PepsiCo lineup after being sold by its founders to the soda giant in 1986.

4. Mountain Dew

• Year founded: 1948
• Flavor: Citrus
• Color: Yellow-Green
• Manufacturer: PepsiCo

Tennessee Grown

The little-known history of Mountain Dew involves a formula invented in 1940 by Tennessee bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman. First produced in 1948, PepsiCo later acquired the soda in August 1964. Mountain Dew is not just a Coke rival but it is also the most popular citrus soda in the world. Mountain Dew famously provides limited-time productions, region-specific, and even in some cases, retailer-specific flavors of the drink. 

3. Sprite

• Year founded: 1961
• Flavor: Lemon-Lime
• Color: Colorless
• Manufacturer: The Coca-Cola Company

The Lemon-Lime Drink

Best known as the lemon-lime soda, Sprite is well-known and highly beloved for its citrusy and refreshing taste. Manufactured and distributed by the Coca-Cola company, its creation is believed to be partially based on Coke having a drink that can rival 7-Up. After its release, Sprite was found to have immediate success as a drink for teenagers. However, the drink’s 1993 slogan change to “Control Your Thirst” was a marketing boon and significantly grew Sprite’s market share into different age groups. 

2. Pepsi 

• Year founded: 1893
• Flavor: Blend of vanilla, caramel, and cola nut
• Color: Caramel E-150d
• Manufacturer: PepsiCo

Coca-Cola’s Biggest Rival

It goes without saying that Pepsi is Coca-Cola’s biggest rival, and there are no signs of this soda battle slowing down. Initially founded in 1893, Pepsi has become a giant all on its own, releasing 11 different drink versions. Of course, it was the “Pepsi Challenge” as part of the “cola wars” that many Pepsi fans truly remember as the highlight of the two-brand rivalry. 

1. Dr Pepper

• Year founded: 1885
• Flavor: Proprietary combination of 24 flavors
• Color: Caramel
• Manufacturer: Keurig Dr. Pepper (The Coca-Cola Company) 

Second Highest-Selling Soda

Something remarkable happened in the soda world in 2024 as Dr Pepper overtook Pepsi as the second-highest-selling soda in the nation. What’s most unique about Dr Pepper is its flavor, and it has earned the nickname “pepper soda” because it’s in a category of its own as far as taste. Interestingly, Coca-Cola acquired distribution rights for Dr Pepper in 2010, giving it a leg up against Pepsi in the ongoing battle between the two soda giants. 

 

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