Review: Pepsi's New Prebiotic Colas Will Give Poppi A Run For Its Money

Any Pepsi fans in the house? I know, I know — the Pepsi-Coke rivalry is a touchy subject for many, with staunch fans of one or the other scoffing at restaurants that don't serve their preferred brand. But, Coke fans, it might be time to change your tune a little. Pepsi recently announced that it's launching a new lineup of Prebiotic Colas, making it a fierce contender in the prebiotic drink realm. Sure, Coke has its own Simply Pop line of prebiotic drinks, but we don't think they're worth the prebiotic benefits. Plus, none of them come in a cola flavor. 

In this particular era of health-conscious consuming, it's a little surprising that it took Pepsi so long to formulate its own prebiotic soda — personally, I prefer these new offerings over Poppi's, which (somewhat ironically) was acquired by PepsiCo in the spring of 2025. Granted, Pepsi's Prebiotic Colas only come in two flavors, so you don't have a breadth of options (and if you're reading this close to the time of writing, you still have a few months to wait before you can get your hands on some). Still, if you're a cola drinker who's resigned themselves to fruit-flavored prebiotic sparklers in an effort to be "healthier," this is a launch worth celebrating. Spoiler alert: They're very good. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Remember how I said none of Simply Pop's cans are cola-flavored? The fact of the matter is, Pepsi is actually the first brand to create a prebiotic soda "in the traditional cola category," according to its press release. I'm assuming the company is alluding to being the first among major cola brands; I'd be remiss not to mention that the Slice brand carries a prebiotic cola that is also quite good. As for Pepsi's offering, it's certainly a notable one, and personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Coke followed suit soon. 

Pepsi's goal with its product was to offer the gut-healthy benefits of prebiotics that are all the rage these days, while also remaining true to its classic cola flavor. As of right now, the cans are only being released in traditional and cherry vanilla cola flavors; whether more flavors will follow, only time will tell. Each can contains 3 grams of prebiotic fiber. Given that the average daily recommendation is 3-5 grams of prebiotic fiber, these cans are a not-negligible addition to your diet. Whether they actually aid in the inner workings of your digestive system will likely vary from person to person, and I'd refrain from supporting any gut-healing claims you may see scattered around the internet; but if prebiotic drinks have the potential to support a healthy diet, why not indulge?

Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a bit before getting your hands on any of Pepsi's Prebiotic Colas. The cans will be available for purchase online starting on Black Friday of 2025. As for getting them at your brick-and-mortar stores, you'll have to wait until February 2026 — once they do hit stores, expect them to live alongside the rest of the Pepsi lineup. They'll be available in single 12-ounce cans as well as 8-packs; pricing will likely vary by location, but you can expect an 8-pack to be about the same price as your typical 12-pack of regular Pepsi.

Now for its nutrition specs. For comparison's sake, we'll look at the regular Prebiotic Cola against a 12-ounce can of Pepsi's standard cola. The standard cola has 150 calories — so, 120 more than the prebiotic can, which comes in at 30 calories. It also has 41 grams of added sugar compared to the prebiotic's 5 grams. The prebiotic, however, has the higher amount of sodium, but it's only 35 milligrams compared to 30 in the standard cola. There are also a couple notable differences between the ingredient labels. Namely, the prebiotic's label lists cane sugar and stevia extract as its sweeteners; the standard, on the other hand, relies on high-fructose corn syrup and sugar. 

I'll be frank: If you're a fan of Pepsi, you should absolutely switch over to these prebiotic cans once they're available. I thought they tasted very true to Pepsi's classic cola. I could see some die-hard fans complaining about the slight stevia flavor, but I found that to be muted due to the cane sugar — I notice the flavor of artificial sweetener much more in other drinks that don't balance it with a natural sweetener. The prebiotic Original Cola flavor was crisp, bubbly, and slightly sweet and easily satisfied my daily cola craving. 

Far superior (for me, anyway) was the Cherry Vanilla flavor. Even if you think vanilla is the worst cola flavor, you should still give Cherry Vanilla a try — its vanilla notes are very subtle and act more as a grounding, warm element rather than taking center stage. I frequently have a problem with the slightly medicinal tone that cherry-flavored things can take on, but I tasted none of that here. Instead, the drink was bright, juicy, and flavorful, one I could drink all day. Unless you're a cola purist, I'd recommend Cherry Vanilla; that said, either flavor will give you great bang for your buck. 

Big congrats to Pepsi are in order — it definitely succeeded in making a flavorful, gut-healthy soda for fans of the brand to enjoy, and I don't think the company could have been any more spot-on with the flavor profiles of each drink. Aside from the very, very slight flavor of artificial sweetener, each remains true to the brand's signature taste, a feat when formulating something with such vast differences in nutritional quality.

Will I be buying Pepsi's Cherry Vanilla Prebiotic Colas by the bucketful once they hit stores? Probably, and you can't blame me — when a drink is satisfying, delicious, and even touts possible health benefits, how could you possibly say no? Keep your eyes peeled for the official widespread release in February 2026; until then, keep chugging your classic Pepsi and just pretend it has prebiotics. We won't tell a soul.