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The 10 Most Caffeinated Diet Drinks

If you are moderating your caffeine intake - it's worth noting that most diet soft drinks have as much (or sometimes even more) caffeine than their sugar-filled counterparts.

Diet Coke in particular has 30% more caffeine than regular Coca-cola.

Here is a list of the most caffeinated diet soft drinks.


Diet Pepsi Max
Per 12oz can : 69mg caffeine

A can of regular Pepsi-cola contains 38mg caffeine.


Diet Sundrop
Per 12oz can: 69mg caffeine

Sun Drop is a brand of citrus soda drink from Cadbury-Schweppes. The level of caffeine in the Diet version came as a complete surprise - but then - even the regular version has 63mg in a 12oz can. Note: regular can displayed.


Diet Mountain Dew
Per 12oz can: 55mg caffeine

Mountain Dew is one of the most popular citrus soft drinks. Both diet and regular have the same amount of caffeine. In countries outside the USA - Mountain Dew has either reduced amounts of caffeine (or no caffeine at all).


Pepsi ONE
Per 12oz can: 54mg caffeine

Pepsi ONE is a very similar formulation to Diet Coke with Splenda - although Pepsi ONE contains significantly more caffeine.


Diet Cheerwine
Per 12oz can: 48.1mg caffeine


Diet RC Cola
Per 12oz can: 47.3mg caffeine

Royal Crown (RC) colas have been around for a long time and are currently owned by Cadbury Schweppes. As in the case of Diet Coke - here the diet version has more caffeine than the regular RC Cola. 2


TaB
Per 12oz can: 46.5mg caffeine

TaB (from Coca-cola) is one of the oldest diet or sugar-free soft drinks around. It has more caffeine than Diet Coke


Diet Coke
Per 12oz can: 46.5mg caffeine

Diet Coke has significantly more caffeine in it than regular coke (34.5mg).


Diet Sunkist Orange Soda
Per 12oz can: 41.5mg caffeine

Contains slightly more than the regular version of Sunkist. Who would have thought that Orange Soda was caffeinated?


Diet Dr Pepper
Per 12oz can: 41mg caffeine

Contains the same amount as regular Dr Pepper.


Reference - Instant coffee

According the USDA - 1 rounded teaspoon of instant coffee powder contains 57mg of caffeine. (source).


What about Diet Coke Plus?
The new vitamin-filled Diet Coke Plus does not (yet) list caffeine, nor is it listed on the Coca-cola nutrition site, and the response to my email to coca-cola only told me that the drink contains "vitamins and minerals" - and neglected to list the caffeine amount!

Diet Pepsi?
Didn't even make it to this list. Diet Pepsi has 36mg caffeine in a 12oz can.

Sources: The Energy Fiend caffeine database and caffeine in citrus, along with PepsiCo, Coca-cola, Sundrop.

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81 Comments

Ann

Diet Cheerwine? ...

Reply
ally knight

well i guess that its not as bad for you as we thought you know

Reply
Shanosha

There are some sodas on this list that I've never heard of in my life. But this is good info to know. I've been cutting back on soda for about a year now, ever since I noticed that cafee sometimes give me headaches and can make me feel a little dizzy. Now I only drink it occasionally when eating out.

Reply
ralph wiggum

super cool story

Reply
Claire S.

Wow, when I took a trip to North Carolina this summer, I drank Diet Sundrop every day! Who knew?

Reply
Sunny

hmmm isn't it amazing how they can get so many grams of caffeine AND sugar into these cans? just amazing ....i feel sick >

Reply
Tara

um - diet means there isn't any soda. But yeah...

Reply
Dr.J
Ann said:
Diet Cheerwine? ... [...]
HaHa!! Cheerwine rules!! It's a small company in North Carolina that persisted due to local loyalty and their refusal to sell out to the big soda company!(Coke and Pepsi)Reply
Mike H.

I've always known that mountain dew was particularly high in caffeine (I think the regular is also 55mg) but I found out a couple years back that up here in Canada it contains none! I wonder if this is the same for the diet version. Anyone know?

Reply
climbamtn

canada has some strict labeling issues and requested mt dew be labled as an energy drink for the amount of sugar and caffeine, however amped is already the mt dew branded energy drink rather then change formula or labling they pulled all caffinated versions of mt dew from the canada. at this point in time there is no caffiene in any mt dew in canada.

Reply
Mark

What the heck is Diet Cheerwine? Hilarious.

Reply
Dr.J
Mark said:
What the heck is Diet Cheerwine?[...]
See the answer two posts up :-)Reply
Eeyoreem
Dr.J said:
[...]

Cheerwine is awesome. I went to college in NC and got hooked on it. I never tried diet until this year. Now I'm up in PA but my brother lives down there so whenever he comes to visit or anyone in the family goes down there they have to get me my fix. Its awesome.

Reply
Spectra

Diet Sunkist is awesome! My brother drinks the regular Sunkist and no one believes us when we tell them that it has a good jolt of caffeine. Everyone always says: "Orange soda doesn't have caffeine". Yes, except for Sunkist and Diet Sunkist.

Oh, btw...I love Diet SunDrop. That's some good stuff.

I've never tried that new Diet Pepsi Max, but I'd be curious to see what it tastes like.

Reply
Ann

So does Cheerwine taste like wine? Like cheer ... ?

Reply
rpm2004
Ann said:
So does Cheerwine taste like wine? Like cheer ... ? [...]

Cherry flavored

Reply
Janelle Jenkins

Crystal Light recently started selling a new version of their "On The Go" packets. It's for energy in the flavor of wild strawberry. This little packet makes 2 servings of 60mg of caffeine... And you're definately gonna use the whole packet. That's 120mg of caffeine... What a kick!!!!

Reply
Christine

Mike H. I think it's the law in Canada that only dark-coloured pop can be caffeinated? I'm not too clear on that one. Barq's is caffeinated, but that's the only non-cola that has any caffeine in it.

Reply
Maksimir

I am surprised Jolt Cola is not on the list, they must have missed it.

Reply
Josh

Maksimir: Jolt Ultra you mean?

12oz of that has approx 77 mg caffeine.

Reply
SHANNA

Diet Pepsi Max is SUPPOSED to have more caffeine- hence the name MAX! Tastes really good too!

Reply
plasticorange

Daily drinker of Pepsi One, I like that is uses Splenda, which is like the only artificial sweetener that hasnt caused cancer in lab rats, YET.

Interesting about the Sunkist.

Reply
Tony C
Sunny said:
hmmm isn't it amazing how they can get so many grams of caffeine AND sugar into these cans? just amazing ....i feel sick >[...]
No sugar... This particular list is all DIET sodas. That's also why there's no Jolt sodas here, as they are all sugared concoctions.Reply
Jenn

i cannot tell you how much i LOVE pepsi max. i am a huge fan of diet pepsi (i drink it when i want a cola drink, but it's less harsh on my teeth), but pepsi max now takes that title of favorite soda. i like even more than regular pepsi! i really hope they keep it around.

Reply
tony

always use a straw best way to save ur teeth

Reply
Mike H.
Christine said:
Mike H. I think it's the law in Canada that only dark-coloured pop can be caffeinated? I'm not too clear on that one. Barq's is caffeinated, but that's the only non-cola that has any caffeine in it.[...]

Thanks! Shouldn't surprise me with some of the other bizare food legislation they have here. In Quebec you aren't allowed to make margarine the same colour as butter!?

Reply
Dave

How on EARTH does Tab have more caffeine than diet coke, but they both are listed as 46.5 grams? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

Reply
ad;flkgadfa

well see it could have been 46.55 grams of caffeine as opposed to 46.53 grams of caffeine which would make it have more. That was an easy one; somebody did not pass 6th grade math

Reply
Jim


Is the caffeine level increased across other Coke brands, such as Coke Zero, or the Splenda-sweetened Diet Coke?

Reply
Josh

You guys forgot Rockstar Zero. No carbs, no sugar, 280 mgs of Caffeine

Reply
rosendo
Dr.J said:
[...]
i don't care what it isReply
Jim

This list does not include anything in the Energy Drink category - but just low-calorie CSDs (Carbonated Soft Drinks).

Reduced sugar does not mean reduced caffeine.

Reply
ana

Then Diet Pepsi Max shouldn't be on the list. The Pepsi Max line is part of Pepsi's energy drink line.

Reply
rosendo

thats because your an idiot

Reply
goblyn13
Tony C said:
No sugar... This particular list is all DIET sodas. That's also why there's no Jolt sodas here, as they are all sugared concoctions.[...]

Jolt Ultra is Jolt's suger-free version. From there Website (http://www.joltenergy.com/Fridge/tabid/80/Default.aspx)

Jolt Ultra

No carbs, no calories, just caffeine, Vitamin B
complex, guarana, ginseng, taurine and great
taste, so you can drink more and do more
naturally.


Reply
Kevin

What? No Jolt?

Reply
Christine
Mike H. said:
In Quebec you aren't allowed to make margarine the same colour as butter!?[...]

Actually, I think that *used* to be true for all of Canada (as your parentals about mixing the colour with the margarine) but it was changed a handful of years ago; we can now buy butter-coloured margarine, rather than that garishly coloured stuff.

Reply
cowboy_k
Christine said:
Mike H. I think it's the law in Canada that only dark-coloured pop can be caffeinated? I'm not too clear on that one. Barq's is caffeinated, but that's the only non-cola that has any caffeine in it.[...]

A couple years ago, Mountain Dew figured out how to work around that here in Canada - they started selling "Mountain Dew Energy" as an energy drink, which doesn't fall under the same regulations as normal soft drinks - I believe it's classified as a "nutritional supplement", and they just have to show the caffeine in the list of "active medicinal ingredients". :-)

Reply
andyb

Diet Red Bull has 80mg caffeine in an 8.3oz can - so it's almost 70% more caffeinated than Diet Pepsi Max...

Seems like this isn't the definitive list.

Reply
Dont Drink Diet

You should eventually be held responsible for all the future deaths caused by Aspartame and your promotion of this poison. Good job death dealer.

Reply
Mike H.
Dont Drink Diet said:
You should eventually be held responsible for all the future deaths caused by Aspartame and your promotion of this poison. Good job death dealer.[...]

To whom are you referring? Am I missing something here? Nobody is promoting diet drinks.

Reply
Mike H.
cowboy_k said:
A couple years ago, Mountain Dew figured out how to work around that here in Canada - they started selling "Mountain Dew Energy" as an energy drink, which doesn't fall under the same regulations as normal soft drinks - I believe it's classified as a "nutritional supplement", and they just have to show the caffeine in the list of "active medicinal i[...]

To Christine and Cowbow_k

Those are very interesting tidbits - thanks for the enlightenment!

Reply
Andrea

Wow. Maybe I'll just give up soda altogether...

Reply
MK

Get the real scoop on coffee at www.CaffeineAwareness.org
And if you drink decaf you wont want to miss this special FREE report on the Dangers of Decaf available at www.soyfee.com

Reply
Jason

FYI, Vault Zero has 70.5 mg of caffeine in a 12 oz. can.

Reply
Tanner

Yeah, cheerwine rocks!

Reply
Emily

Most of the drinks that have been mentioned in the comments (Jolt, Red Bull, etc.) fall under the energy drink label, which is not what this list is about

Reply


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