9 Popular Capri Sun Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

There are few things more reminiscent of my childhood than Capri Suns. I used to beg my parents for them every grocery trip, and crossed my fingers that they'd be in my school lunches. While many adults will adamantly tell you they no longer drink them, I'll be the first to admit I still enjoy one of these juice pouches every once in a while — after all, they pair well with everything from my favorite spicy Aldi snacks to the healthy desk snacks that help get me through the workday. Of course, as an adult, my tastes are a little more discerning, and I've found that I won't simply drink any flavor just because of the brand name attached to it. This made me wonder: Which popular Capri Sun flavors are actually amazing, and which deserve to remain on the shelf during your next shopping trip?

Thankfully, I was given the opportunity to answer this question by taste testing nine popular Capri Sun flavors and ranking them from worst to best. I judged each option based almost solely on taste using my food industry background and other relevant experiences. You can find my full methodology at the end of this article. Now, are you ready to discover your new go-to Capri Sun flavor? Let's get into it.

This bottom choice may be controversial — I am fully aware that many people love fruit punch flavors from juices across the board. Me? I've never been a big fan, even as a child. That being said, both of my children enjoy fruit punch, and neither of them are very big on Capri Sun's option, so I feel further justified in this popular flavor's placement in this ranking.

To me, a good fruit punch should feel like a medley of flavors that provide distinct notes of their own, while maybe offering a bit of extra sweetness. This Capri Sun option just felt like an overwhelming flavor of "red," and that's the best way I can explain it. The sweetness was overbearing, and I wouldn't have been able to tell you what the combined flavors were even supposed to be. Although, according to the box, it's supposed to be a combination of apple, grape, and cherry juice, in case you were wondering.

Skip this. There are much better Capri Sun flavors if you're looking for a handy juice pouch. And, if you're looking for fruit punch specifically, I recommend making your own version instead, like this party punch mocktail.

I wanted to love this because I adored the idea of getting my kids to eat some more veggies without a fuss. Unfortunately, the flavor here fell really flat for me, and my kids could barely finish just one.

Texturally, this option felt a little different than all of the other Capri Sun flavors on the list, which might sound strange since it's juice. But, this felt thicker with a slightly heavier mouthfeel, which I found a bit off-putting. The textural difference wasn't so jarring it couldn't be overlooked, but the taste fell really flat, too. The primary flavor notes I got when I took my first sip were heavily artificial peaches paired with alarmingly strong carrots. The fact that I could detect any individual flavor notes at all pulled this ahead of the fruit punch, but just barely.

I wouldn't buy this again, and even my kids couldn't be tempted to drink it again. I suggest opting for a higher-ranked option on this list if you value your taste buds.

One thing I realized when creating this ranking is that I'm not a fan of most of Capri Sun's mixed fruit flavors. Almost all of the mixed juice options ended up at the bottom of this list, while the few single-flavored juices ended up at the top. Far from intentional, I only realized this while compiling my notes, and it makes me wonder if standard apple, grape, and orange flavors might not be the brand's forte.

Splash Cooler predominantly tasted like watered down apple juice paired with moderate artificial notes, slightly too much acidity, and mildly excessive sugar. Since Capri Sun highlights on the box how it doesn't use artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup, I couldn't pinpoint where the heavily artificial undertones in many of their flavors are coming from. Either way, drinking this wasn't an enjoyable experience for me overall.

Would I drink this again? I might if it was the only available option. However, I definitely wouldn't buy it again and suggest you opt for something else, too.

I'm honestly surprised at how low the Capri Sun Pacific Cooler ranked on this list because it was always one of my top three choices growing up. Unfortunately, nostalgia alone was not enough to make me enjoy this as an adult — and that's pretty disappointing.

Based on the ingredients list on the box, Pacific Cooler is supposed to be a blend of pear, grape, orange, pineapple, and apple juice. It felt like a lot of the mixed drink options from Capri Sun included the same basic juices, which might explain why it was so hard to assign ranking in the middle of this list. Either way, this one was a little lighter and more refreshing than the Splash Cooler, although there was still too much acidity. The flavor was (once again) predominantly watered down apple juice, but there were also light yet obvious pear notes. An added benefit is that the artificial flavor was a little less apparent here than with some of the lower-ranked options.

I would definitely drink this again if it were offered to me by someone else, but I wouldn't go out of my way to have it again. My personal suggestion is to choose one of the top three popular Capri Sun flavors if you want the best experience, which means skipping over this Pacific Cooler option.

Tropical punch is usually a universally loved flavor across various juice brands, and this option from Capri Sun is a solid middle-of-the-road choice. Plus, this feels more like the taste of summer than the brand's Summer Blast flavor — a great drink for days out by the pool or the beach.

According to the package, Tropical Punch was created from a blend of pineapple, cherry, grape, and apple juice. The strongest flavor notes were apple and cherry, although I could catch faint hints of pineapple with only a mild artificial undertone that was easily overlooked. Personally, I didn't detect grape juice at all. The sweetness was nicely balanced to counteract a bit of the tang without overwhelming it, which was really nice. This flavor profile was robust instead of watered down, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking for something a little stronger.

I'd drink this again if offered to me. The only reason I wouldn't buy it again is that I strongly prefer the top three choices in this ranking and will likely stick to purchasing those moving forward. But if you're looking for a tropical punch specifically, you won't be terribly disappointed with Capri Sun's.

The most interesting thing about Capri Sun Strawberry Kiwi is that it doesn't actually contain any kiwi juice. But, I think the flavor profile is pretty accurate for the most part — and much better than many fake kiwi drinks I've had in the past.

Without real kiwi, the flavor profile here was created by pear, strawberry, and apple juice. I'd be interested in learning exactly how those are combined to create strawberry kiwi, and can't honestly imagine how apple and pear juices create kiwi flavor. However it was done, a strong kiwi taste shone through this drink pouch, paired with moderate notes of bright strawberry. Only the faintest artificial notes existed, and the sugar profile felt very appropriate. Overall, this feels like something you would drink at a family barbecue, or enjoy with something like a chicken salad sandwich and a bag of salty potato chips.

I might buy the Capri Sun Strawberry Kiwi flavor again, although I'll primarily stick to the top three ranked options on this list. I would definitely drink it again if offered to me by someone else, and can recommend this to anyone who's looking for a solid kiwi-flavored drink.

This is the part of the list where we finally get into popular Capri Sun flavors that I strongly recommend. So, grab your grocery list and start taking notes to make sure you don't forget the options you most want to try.

After my mediocre or downright poor experiences with the other Capri Sun mixed fruit juice drinks, I didn't have high expectations for Summer Blast. The flavor was supposed to be a blend of passion fruit and mango, packaged in a patriotic red, white, and blue pouch. Interestingly, once again the juices contained inside weren't exactly what the flavors are supposed to be, but instead a mix of apple, pear, and mango. Mango was the dominant flavor here, with moderate notes of what was almost passion fruit but not quite — even though it wasn't exactly what I expected, it was quite refreshing and unique. There was a natural sweetness from the mango, and a robust fruity flavor profile that allowed each individual ingredient to shine through instead of becoming muddled. 

If you're looking for a mixed juice Capri Sun option, this is your best bet. Personally, I'll be stocking this hot weather-themed drink pouch regularly through the end of summer, and would happily drink it at any time of year.

I'm not sure if the lemonade is a new flavor or just a new-ish option. But, I didn't know it existed as a Capri Sun flavor until I started doing my research for this ranking list. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, since a lot of lemonades from major juice companies either taste like straight sugar or pure lemon juice with no happy medium. Thankfully, that didn't end up being the case here — in fact, this was my kid's top option and was very nearly tied for first place. The only reason it ranked lower was that it was slightly too acidic for me to regularly drink. 

One thing I really liked about this Capri Sun Lemonade was that there was a faint citrusy smell once I popped the straw through the little hole in the top. Due to the pouch format, most Capri Sun flavors don't have a noticeable scent. The flavor was very bright and lemony without being too sour or overwhelming. The sweetness was perfectly balanced to allow a bit of tang to shine through.

If you're a fan of lemonade, I highly recommend grabbing a pack of these. They're the best pre-mixed lemonade from a major juice brand I've ever had and I will definitely be keeping these in stock at my home from now on. 

For full disclosure, Capri Sun Wild Cherry has always been my favorite flavor — any time that this option was available, I'd choose it. Of course, that has always limited the options I've regularly tried, so I went into this with every hope of finding a new favorite. But, even when stacked side-by-side with eight other flavors, Wild Cherry held onto the top spot in my heart. 

The thing I loved most about Capri Sun Wild Cherry is that it had a bold yet natural flavor profile with less acidity than you might originally think it had. One of the biggest issues I 've had with some of these flavors is how acidic they taste, which doesn't sit well with my more mature stomach. The cherry was very fresh and bright, offering a nice counterpoint to plainer meals or snacks like pretzels, potato chips, or bologna sandwiches.

I highly suggest grabbing yourself (or your children) a box of Capri Sun Wild Cherry. Once you do, you'll have zero doubt as to why it was ranked as our best-tasting popular Capri Sun flavor.

I chose Capri Sun flavors for this ranking based on their availability to me at my local Shoprite in Vineland, New Jersey. Of those flavors available at the time of my visit, I aimed to pick ones that I thought I would like, while ensuring a wide range of options for the most comprehensive and fairest ranking possible. Each option was tested with no additions, and was primarily judged based on taste.

To make my judgments, I mostly relied upon more than 15 years of food industry background. Prior consumption of Capri Suns and related drinks also helped, as did my previous work creating articles for Daily Meal. This includes similar drink-based articles like this one ranking bottled smoothie brands and this one ranking vanilla-flavored sodas. Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased as possible about product quality.