12 Aldi Summit Popz Prebiotic Sodas, Ranked

Everywhere I look, there's a new prebiotic soda popping up. That colorful assortment of 12-ounce cans at the grocery store keeps getting bigger and bigger with each shopping trip. It all started with brands like Poppi and Olipop, which were early to the functional soft drink scene. But now there are endless players in the game, each with their own nutritional promises, but all centered around the idea of better-for-you drinks with less sugar and more benefits.

Admittedly, I've wholeheartedly jumped on the bandwagon. I pick up one or two of these pops nearly every time I go to the grocery store. I can't resist trying out new brands and new flavors. But the string of sodas I was most excited to try are the ones from Aldi's Summit Popz line. Why, you might ask? Well, because they come in a range of flavors and with the same kind of benefits you're used to from the big brands, but at an Aldi price. The discount store even sells names like Poppi for $2.09 per can, while each Popz is priced at $1.65.

So they're clearly winning in terms of cost. But how do they taste? And what are the best fruity flavors of the bunch? I sampled 12 options — every one I could find at my local Aldi — to compare and find out. Here's how they ranked.

You may have noticed that a few of these Popz cans are all-white rather than washed in a bright color that coordinates with their flavor. I thought it was interesting and finally realized that it's not a simple coincidence. These options differ because they are flavored "with other natural flavors" rather than the fruit flavors they are trying to imitate. That means this tropical can contains no traces of real mango or pineapple juice, as the front may have you believe, but gets its taste from a fusion of ingredients, including apple juice, monk fruit, and citric acid. Paprika oleoresin is even thrown in to achieve that orange-y color.

Frankensteining together different ingredients to create something new isn't exactly uncommon in the soft drink world, so I would let this slide if it were still tasty and refreshing. But spoiler: It wasn't. The primary flavor is artificial mango with a metallic finish. I didn't get any splashes of pineapple or other flavors, such as orange, that tend to define a tropical beverage. Since it's hardly carbonated at all, there's also nothing to distract from this inferior taste, and this Popz quickly fell to the bottom of the rankings.

Another white can, another disappointing flavor. This one shares a very similar list of ingredients to the tropical. Carbonated water is once again infused with apple juice, monk fruit, citric acid, and other natural flavors. And with no sign of real watermelon, the science experiment goes haywire yet again.

The lime is seemingly lost altogether, so the watermelon is left to its own devices. Even that is faint, though. It's even more subtle and syrupy than the taste you would find in something like a watermelon White Claw. Since it is so washed out, the beverage is more similar to a flavored sparkling water than a soda — light on flavor and sparkles. What's interesting is that while the white cans offer some of the dullest fruity tastes and a low level of sweetness, they contain more sugar than the rest of the flavors — 8 grams of added sugar, which is double, if not more, than some others.

Needless to say, watermelon lime was not a favorite. But since it's not plagued by an off-putting metallic taste and it does match its description (at least to some degree), it's a slight improvement from the tropical.

It's difficult to recreate that classic cola taste in a prebiotic soda. Largely, it's because you're missing a great deal of that sugar and heavier body that defines a drink such as Coke or Pepsi. But even compared to diet or zero-sugar soda versions, this Popz lags behind.

The ultra-light amber color was not a good start, and it gives way to an interesting flavor. It's not as washed out as one would expect. Instead, it offers a strong punch of stevia sweetness, and in the first few sips, it seemed to lean far into spiced notes. I found myself being reminded of a stick of Big Red gum. So, it's certainly more flavorful than I was expecting, though not necessarily in a good way. It barely has more going for it than the previous fruity white cans. 

I think a touch more fizziness could have helped, but it's almost flat, similar to a cross between soda and iced tea. Aldi describes this one as "cola taste with a modern twist," but I'd call it a slight regression. I much prefer the prebiotic colas from Poppi, Olipop, and even Pepsi.

I thought the third time might be the charm for this particular breed of "flavored with other natural flavors" Popz. And there are some signs of improvement here. For starters, strawberry is undoubtedly front and center, and the flavor is more concentrated — even without the inclusion of real strawberry juice concentrate. But it still feels limited by that same ingredient list used for the tropical and watermelon lime varieties.

Monk fruit, apple juice, and citric acid unite one last time to create another oddly syrupy beverage. It smells of strawberry candy, and the flavor follows suit. It's similar to the taste of those strawberry bonbons you would find in a dish at your grandma's house, dressed up to resemble real strawberries. Just imagine that, but a liquified and diluted version. That's the Strawberry Summit Popz.

If you're a big fan of those particular hard candies, you might enjoy it. There's a certain nostalgia factor at play here. Personally, though, I think it tastes less like a fresh soda and more like a lightly carbonated strawberry drink mix. So, it's still a pass for me.

Lemon and lime go together like peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, burgers and fries. They're two complementary flavors that fuse together with ease in a refreshing soda — that is, if the formula gets that delicate balance right.

When it comes to the Popz variation, it's certainly sippable, which is more than I can say for some of the previous sodas. But it isn't as harmonious as I would have hoped. It's far more lime-centric than lemon — perhaps because real lime juice concentrate is included in the ingredient list while lemon is not. It's pretty tart, and the other flavors don't completely mask the apple cider vinegar, so there's that extra acidity to it as well.

On the bright side, there is a decent amount of cane sugar sweetness. It feels sweeter than other prebiotic lemon-lime sodas and also dials up the bubbliness compared to other Popz cans. But these high points aren't enough to fully make up for the rest. So it still comes off harsh and leaves a faint sourness that lingers on your tongue.

The doctor is in, and he's actually pretty tasty. My diagnosis is that it's a surprisingly flavorful soda ... at least at first. This soda has some complexity to it and comes much closer to a name-brand Dr Pepper than the cola does to its counterparts of Coke or Pepsi. It leans heavily into a sweet cherry flavor that's swirled with a few notes of vanilla and some light spices. It's almost as though it combines about 18 flavor notes as opposed to Dr Pepper's 23.

So, first impressions were great. But as you finish your gulp, it starts to go south. That's when the stronger notes of stevia start to take over. The sweetener leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and it even combines with a sourness that's presumably a byproduct of both the tartaric acid and apple cider vinegar. It's also still flatter than I would have liked. I think extra bubbliness has a way of making soda better — intensifying the brighter flavors you want while helping to cover up the less pleasant ones you don't. Without it, Dr. Popz comes with some unfortunate side effects.

In addition to its classic flavors, the Summit brand also appears to be testing out a trio of summer-inspired installments. I found them on an end-cap at Aldi, separate from the other varieties, and dressed up in pastel colors dotted with cute warm-weather imagery. There were three to try, including this orange cream can.

In my circle, the orange-flavored prebiotic sodas receive mixed reviews. But I happen to fancy them, and I feel the same way about this one. The taste is subtle yet juicy with a clear orange soda vibe. It's not too sweet and not riddled with an overpowering stevia taste (even though stevia is part of the equation). I also appreciate that real orange juice concentrate is included in the ingredients, making it feel more authentic than all the Popz that came before it.

The only disappointing part is that the cream piece doesn't really come through. The smoother mouthfeel and vanilla notes are missing, so it just tastes similar to a standard orange flavor. You could add a splash of cream yourself to fill this gap, making your own DIY dirty soda — I'm not sure if you've heard, but those are majorly trending right now.

This is the Popz I was most excited to try — the second in the summer-coded trio. I don't know if it was the beautiful blue color of the can, the fun surfboard and rainbow doodles, or the promise of sherbet, but it sounded like a sweet soda dream.

I was not anticipating the cherry red when pouring out of the can, but the flavor was about on par with my expectations. To me, it tasted of cotton candy with distinct notes of berry and vanilla. The label confirms that raspberry juice concentrate, lime juice concentrate, and cane sugar help to create that summer fair experience.

I enjoyed this one so much after my first couple of sips that I moved it to my top spot. As I kept drinking, though, it started to lose some of its appeal. What starts as a bright, dessert-inspired flavor begins to turn syrupy and heavy. I think the combo of sugar and stevia finally catches up to you as you work your way further down the can. So, while it lives up to its name more so than the orange cream, it doesn't maintain its charm long enough to earn a top spot.

Aldi isn't shy about stealing one of Poppi's staple flavors. Sure, there's a lot of crossover between prebiotic soda brands — most try their hand at the classics like colas, orange sodas, and even cherry lime creations. But Raspberry Rose feels distinctly Poppi, and Aldi slips the same flavor combo into its lineup anyway, even designing its can to look fairly similar to the name brand.

Raspberry rose is one of my favorite Poppi flavors, so naturally, I thought there was no way this recreation could compare. I ended up being right. It doesn't fully live up to the original, but it comes really, really close. It delivers a smooth, sweet raspberry flavor right off the bat. It's not as aggressive or sour as a blue raspberry-inspired beverage, but rather gives you a more realistic taste of the red fruit. It has a stronger flavor than many of the other Popz variations and doesn't feel too artificial.

I don't necessarily taste any kind of floral notes, but that's okay. I could never pick them out in the Poppi version either. I actually used to think it was called raspberry "rosé," as in the wine, and frankly, I would be perfectly okay with that too.

It's probably not hard to tell that this is the third and final summer-themed Popz. It screams Fourth of July and summertime fun. Like actually. The word "fun" is literally stamped onto the can multiple times to remind you.

The name "Red, White & Blue" is not a great description of flavor, but I deduced from the image of the ice pop that it takes after the red, white, and blue Bomb Pops. This is a pretty accurate representation. It tastes just like a liquified ice pop with those familiar flavors of cherry, raspberry, and even a hint of citrus. These notes combine to make the drink seem more like a sweet treat than a better-for-you soda. The sweetness level intensifies as you drink more, but it never feels as syrupy as the Rainbow Sherbet did.

I hope this flavor sticks around for longer than just a season. It's tasty, and I appreciate that it's more unique than something like the blatantly borrowed raspberry rose. Plus, the lighter fizziness goes well with this kind of sweeter profile.

I was hesitant about this one after the strawberry Popz. But somehow, adding lemon to the mix makes this can 10 times better — just as shaking up lime with coconut (as Harry Nilsson prescribes in his hit song) is supposed to make everything better. The magic is in how citrus helps to cut through the sweetness, making the drink less candied and more balanced.

I immediately took a liking to it and finished off half the can before I even realized it. It has a spritz of both lemon and strawberry juice concentrate, so it has more authentic flavors without tasting too processed. It's light and easy to sip, similar to a toned-down version of a full-sugar lemonade stand's pink lemonade. 

The slightly creamy consistency makes it even better. It's essentially the soda version of a strawberry Lemon Chill — you know, those frozen lemonade treats you eat at a ball game? That sold it for me, and I think it would make a great base for a summery cocktail. There was one more Popz that played on the sweet-and-citrus pairing that I preferred. But I'd definitely grab strawberry lemon again.

I tend to gravitate towards this combination of red cherry and lime. It always seems to deliver, no matter what format it's put into. It landed as my absolute favorite Sparkling Ice flavor in a completely separate taste test, and the Popz brand does it justice as well. It's Popz at its best.

As is the case with most cherry limeades, the cherry does steal the show at first with its bright and sweet flavor. Then, you get more of that zesty citrus on the backend and in the aftertaste. It strikes a good balance between the two fruits, and it's perfectly flavorful without becoming too candy-like or syrupy. The light fizz helps to improve the flavor even more.

It comes across as a nostalgic premixed mocktail in a can. One that would have been a hit at the soda fountain but also translates today into casual everyday sipping in any season. Winter, spring, summer, fall ... it doesn't matter. It feels like it would always hit the spot and quench your thirst — for both refreshment and flavor.

I stopped by two local Aldi stores in Columbus, Ohio, and picked up every Summit Popz flavor I could find, totaling 12 individual-sized 12-ounce cans. According to the store's website, there are a few additional flavors on top of these, but they were out of stock near me. At home, I tried them all one by one and took notes on their ingredients, flavor, and bubbliness.

In terms of ingredients, most Popz are pretty similar, relying on some combination of water or carbonated water, fruit juices, and sweeteners. They're also fairly alike in terms of calorie count and sugar, so I focused more on taste. The one caveat was that sodas flavored with "other natural flavors" that didn't include the fruit they were trying to replicate tended not to taste as authentic.

From there, I wanted a soda that tasted fresh and lightly sweet rather than artificial or too syrupy. Something that closely resembled the fruits or flavors listed on the front of the cans and that I could see myself drinking again. I also made a few comparisons to name-brand prebiotic sodas where applicable. As for fizziness, all the Popz flavors are light in this department. But some felt a bit more stale or flat than others, and I preferred those with a little bit more carbonation to bring out the taste notes even more.