I Tried Wendy's New Watermelon Drinks, And Only One Will Be The Star This Summer

In case you missed it, summer is staunchly on its way. That means we're about to be walloped with seasonal offerings from virtually every food-centric company around, and Wendy's is leading the charge in 2026. The fast food chain is bringing one of summer's most popular fruity flavors to customers. And if you don't want to grow your own watermelons, you can try one of Wendy's three new beverages: watermelon lemonade, Sprite watermelon, and watermelon sparkling energy.

Now, don't be fooled into thinking the drinks will taste the same just because they all feature watermelon. Each drink was fairly different from the next, but I found a definite hierarchy when I tasted each of them. The three new drinks capitalize on both familiarity and consumer trends, and while all of them are tasty, I think folks will find one stands above the rest.

To determine whether the new releases are hype-worthy, I went to my local Wendy's bright and early on release day (April 27, 2026) to check them out. Keep reading for my full thoughts on the three new watermelon drinks from Wendy's.

Thankfully, I have a relatively neutral opinion on watermelon, so I wasn't too biased either way beforehand. After all, I like watermelon flavors when they're executed well, and don't like them when they're subpar — meaning I was able to remain pretty objective when reviewing these beverages. Though this isn't a ranking like many taste tests I do, I did have a pretty clear hierarchy for the drinks after taste-testing them, which I'll talk about below.

The drinks reviewed were the company's watermelon lemonade, Sprite watermelon, and watermelon sparkling energy beverage. I took at least a few sips of each drink, and had water in between to fully sort out each one's strengths and weaknesses. I then determined whether each beverage was a worthy buy based on how refreshing, tasty, and sippable it was. I did not include price in my determining factors.

My favorite of the three new Wendy's drinks by a landslide was the watermelon lemonade. While some say the best fast food lemonade is from Chick-fil-A, I'd personally say this was the greatest fast food lemonade I've ever had. I adored this offering, and think it will take center stage at any Wendy's-centric mealtime. Also of note is that I got a small and felt that was plenty to satisfy me. This drink is so punchy that you don't need a ton of it to make an impression.

Bright, tangy, fruity, sour, and sweet all at once, the chain's watermelon lemonade is a bona fide flavor explosion. Now, I could see it being too tart for some. It definitely left a little zing in my mouth, and though that's part of what I loved about it, others might not be such huge fans of its bite.

The watermelon was subtle but apparent, and gave the drink plenty of flavor without making it too sweet — a problem I frequently encounter with strawberry lemonades. Either way, take this as a sign to make a Wendy's run for a watermelon lemonade.

My second-favorite drink in Wendy's watermelon line-up would have to be its Sprite watermelon. The drink is what it sounds like — a flavored Sprite, like others sold by the brand – so it didn't wow me quite like the previous drink did. Still, a watermelon-flavored Sprite has the potential to be at least a little exciting, right?

Well, I had hoped. Instead, what I got was ... Sprite. It was certainly a little different from your standard fountain Sprite, but I don't think I could have identified the additional flavor as watermelon without knowing ahead of time. Instead of significantly altering the drink, it just gave it a slight fruity element. While that was definitely an asset, I still found myself wanting more. Sprite fans (or those who prefer carbonated drinks over still ones) will probably like this beverage, but I was underwhelmed in the wake of the watermelon lemonade.

My least favorite of Wendy's trio of new watermelon drinks was its watermelon sparkling energy. Again, I'm not going to say anything negative about this one — it was still a fine drink, after all — but it paled in comparison to the flavor-packed watermelon lemonade. If you need a boost of energy to get you through the afternoon slump, though, you aren't likely to be upset by grabbing this beverage. 

My biggest problem with the watermelon sparkling energy drink was its subtlety. As with the previous menu item, I don't think I'd have identified watermelon as being the primary flavor profile on my own. It's gently sparkling, which was a nice touch, and it's definitely fruity — just not in a way that's instantly recognizable. The watermelon sparkling energy drink also toes the line of fruity and tangy, which I consider to be a very good thing. It just didn't do enough to blow me away.

At this point, it goes without saying that I'm a huge advocate for the new watermelon lemonade from Wendy's, and there's no doubt I'll be getting it again while it's available. As for the other two drinks, they simply couldn't live up to what the lemonade offered. They weren't bad in the slightest, and I'd probably have given them more positive feedback if the lemonade wasn't also in the mix.

If you tend to like watermelon, I don't think any of these will disappoint. At the same time, they're not so watermelon-infused that they'd turn off those who aren't fans of the flavor. Watermelon can be a very tricky flavor to get right because of its general subtlety, so overall I'd say Wendy's did a good job with these. They weren't all as punchy as I'd hoped, but you can make your own determination. In fact, these are worth heading to your local Wendy's, grabbing one of each, and deciding for yourself.

The three watermelon drinks are available at Wendy's starting April 27, 2026. It's unclear how long they'll be around, but they definitely won't be on menus forever, so I'd recommend stopping by your local Wendy's while they're at stores.

Prices will likely vary depending on location, and the prices aren't available online as of this writing. Based on the other lemonade and energy drink options available at my local Portland, Oregon restaurant, you can likely expect prices to range between $2 and $4 per drink.

We weren't able to find any in-depth nutrition information about these three beverages. However, the watermelon sparkling energy drink contains between 80 and 120 milligrams of caffeine depending on the size, so that's something to keep in mind before ordering.