7 Vanilla-Flavored Sodas, Ranked Worst To Best

The fizzy origins of soda date back to the 1700s, so the concept is far from a new one. However, modern drink markets are chock full of unique options suitable for anyone's taste preferences. For example, when you walk into any grocery store today you can find a range of orange soda brands to satisfy that fruity craving, or discover several ginger ale brands, which are my personal favorite when my stomach isn't feeling great. And, of course, you'll find all your standard, mainstream options like Coke, Pepsi, and other cola variants. But, one of my personal favorites have always been vanilla-flavored sodas, with one particular option having been my all-time favorite since I was a child. By and large, I've been content to enjoy my top option without considering what else might be available. Or at least I was until recently, when I began to wonder if there was something better out there.

Thankfully, I was granted the opportunity to explore this quandary by taste testing seven vanilla-flavored sodas and sharing my thoughts with you here, so you can also benefit from my research. Each drink was ranked primarily based on taste using my food industry background and other relevant experiences. You can find my full methodology at the end of this article. Now, ready to discover which vanilla-flavored soda is a must-add to your next grocery list? Let's get into it.

This is the second non-standard soda I've tried from the Olipop line, and I haven't been thrilled with either of them. I think this is a shame — the idea of a better-for-you soda with prebiotic benefits is something I can get behind. But, I also recognize that I may be alone here, because Olipop took the number one spot in our prebiotic soda brands ranking. But I'm not going to drink something I don't enjoy just because it provides me some benefits.

Each can of Olipop Strawberry Vanilla Prebiotic Soda contains 45 calories, 9 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of sugar. Ingredients primarily include carbonated water, OLISMART, strawberry juice concentrate, cassava root syrup, apple juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, stevia leaf, Himalayan pink salt, and natural flavors. OLISMART is a brand-specific proprietary blend of prebiotic fibers crafted from cassava root fiber, chicory root inulin, Jerusalem artichoke inulin, Nopal cactus, marshmallow root, calendula flower, and kudzu root.

The smell when I popped open the can was unnerving and akin to rotting strawberries that had been drenched in vanilla extract. It's so unfortunate that this turned out to be largely indicative of the taste, which was a gut-wrenching combination of rancid fruit, potent vanilla, extreme sourness, and overwhelming stevia sweetness. To make it all worse, the texture felt chalky and the fizz felt weird. You couldn't pay me to drink this again, and I definitely don't recommend it.

There are definitely some good Zevia flavors, with the orange creamsicle and strawberry lemon burst being my favorites. In fact, this brand is one of the scant few healthier-for-you drink brands I've ever enjoyed. Unfortunately, I will not be adding Zevia's vanilla cola to my list of preferred flavors.

Each can of Zevia Vanilla Cola contains zero calories or sugar. The ingredients list is very simple, including only carbonated water, natural flavors, stevia leaf extract, tartaric acid, caffeine, and citric acid. I really like that this (and every other Zevia soda) has no calories or sugar, which is why it ranked higher than the Olipop option — because, sadly, it doesn't taste much better, and the two were nearly tied for last place. From the moment I took my first sip, I was overwhelmed with what tasted like pure stevia that had been drenched in vanilla extract. There are no real cola notes, and I couldn't even finish my serving.

Skip this. I won't be buying it again, and I think there are much better vanilla-flavored sodas you could drink instead. Even if you're set on having a healthier, non-traditional soda, there are a few higher-ranking options on this list.

Each can of Spindrift Real Fruit Soda Orange Vanilla contains 44 calories, and 7 grams of sugar. Additionally, a can will provide 1 gram of protein, and 140 milligrams of potassium. Ingredients include carbonated water, orange juice, apple juice, vanilla extract, and citric acid. One thing I do like is that this is a very short, wholesome ingredients list where I know exactly what everything is.

If this fruit soda were being ranked as a seltzer or carbonated water, I have every faith it would have ranked at least a few spots higher. As a soda, it just doesn't fulfill any of the things I would normally look for — it's not fizzy enough, doesn't have a deep enough flavor profile, and even the sweetness is too low. Plus, the flavor wasn't what I was expecting at all. The vanilla was overdone, which seems to be the case with many of these types of sodas. Then, the apple juice came through more than the orange juice, which left me feeling really confused. This Spindrift option is slightly better than the Olipop and Zevia ones, but it's still not great by any means.

I won't be drinking this again, although I stand by the fact that it wouldn't make a terrible seltzer water– an apple-flavored one, anyways. Choose the next soda if you're looking for a non-standard soda, or one of the top two options if you just need a fizzy vanilla fix.

I'd never heard of a multifunctional soda before, and I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what it meant. But I do know that this soda contains prebiotic fiber, along with some organic ginger, and a few other things that are supposed to be beneficial for you — which leads me to believe that maybe "multifunctional" here means that it has multiple functions for health and wellbeing.

Each can of Reed's Strawberry Vanilla Multifunctional Soda contains 35 calories, 3 grams of dietary fiber, and 5 grams of sugar. The ingredients list is pretty long, which made me feel a little trepidation about trying this. Included in the list is sparkling filtered water, organic cane sugar, organic ginger, chicory root fiber, lemon juice concentrate, lime juice concentrate, natural strawberry-vanilla flavor, organic mushroom extract blend, organic turmeric, carrot juice, blackcurrant juice, natural honey flavor, spices, stevia leaf extract, and black pepper extract.

The scent of this soda is actually really nice, which is one of the reasons this ranked a little higher than the other options. I'm still not thrilled with this soda because (once again) it has a defined stevia taste, but it's less than the lower-ranking options. Also, the flavor profile threw me off. The dominant taste is ginger, which is then followed by muted strawberry and vanilla tones. I wouldn't drink this again, but it's the best option on this list for a vanilla-flavored prebiotic soda.

Each can of Virgil's Handcrafted Vanilla Cream Soda contains 170 calories, and 42 grams of sugar. Ingredients include sparkling filtered water, cane sugar, natural vanilla cream flavor, citric acid, caramel color, and natural mushroom extract. This is a small-batch soda, meaning it's a premium soda created in limited quantities. For this reason, it's a little pricier than some of the other options on our list.

Honestly, this soda was pretty good, even if it isn't really my cup of tea, so to speak. I like the fact that it didn't use stevia, so there was no overly strong sweetness. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this drink from Virgil's was the perfect amount of sweet. However, the vanilla flavor was a little overdone, albeit a little less so than the pure vanilla extract flavors dominating the top of this list. The carbonation was nice, and there was an appealing vanilla scent when the can was opened.

I wouldn't purchase this again, simply because I prefer another vanilla-flavored soda significantly more, but I would probably drink it if offered to me by someone else. If you're looking for a creamy vanilla soda, however, there's a slightly better option I recommend instead.

I'm always a fan of sodas that come in glass bottles instead of aluminum cans or plastic bottles, for a few reasons. For starters, I think the taste is more pure, as I always seem to detect a faint hint of metal or plastic in non-glass containers. Second, it's better for the environment, which is something I try to consider whenever possible.

Each glass bottle of Hank's Gourmet Vanilla Cream Soda contains 160 calories, and 41 grams of sugar. The simple ingredients list includes filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, natural flavor, artificial flavor, benzoate, yucca extract, and citric acid.

The very first thing I noticed about this Hank's soda as I took a sip was that it has a wonderfully balanced flavor profile. It's sweet without being overwhelming, featuring a beautiful blend of cream soda and vanilla flavor notes. The carbonation is really nice — it's a little lighter than a standard soda, but it doesn't have that weird crawly feeling that some new-age carbonated drinks tend to have. I really don't have anything bad to say here. The only reason it ranked lower is personal preference, as I prefer cola-based drinks over creamier options.

Full disclosure: This soda has been my all-time favorite option for as long as I can remember. In fact, it's what prompted me to consider ranking vanilla-based sodas, because I hoped I might find a new favorite. But, nothing ended up coming close and — as you probably noticed — most of the options on this list were unfortunately disappointing.

Each can of Coca-Cola Vanilla Soda contains 150 calories, and 42 grams of sugar. The surprisingly simple ingredients list includes carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, and caffeine. This drink has a refreshing cola smell with light vanilla scent notes paired with an invigorating, crisp fizz. The flavor profile is very well balanced, with a traditional cola taste dominating, streaked with natural notes of vanilla. To me, this feels a little lighter than standard Coke, which makes it more of an everyday soda for me.

I will continue stocking my home with Coca-Cola Vanilla Soda moving forward, and strongly recommend you pick up some on your next shopping trip. Once you do, you'll see exactly why this drink ranked as our top vanilla-flavored soda — and exactly why I've been hooked on it for so long.

When determining which vanilla-flavored sodas to include in this ranking, I chose everything available to me from my local Shoprite and Acme in Vineland, New Jersey. I also included two options from the Sprouts Farmers Market in Mantua, New Jersey. My assessments were primarily based on flavor, although I also considered balance, smell, and carbonation. Each soda was tasted without alterations, directly from its container, for the fairest possible assessment.

I mostly used my 15-plus years of food industry experience to help make my judgements. However, prior consumption of sodas and previous work creating articles for Daily Meal also played a role. This includes similar drink-based rankings like this one reviewing the new Coca-Cola Cherry Float Soda, and this one ranking popular coffee creamers. While personal preference did play a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased as possible about product quality.