One of my favorite Mountain Dew releases from 2025 has begun making its appearances as it returns to stores this year. Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus came and went before I had a chance to pick up another 12-pack last May, so I’m thrilled that Pepsi has brought it back. (I’m obviously picking up the Zero Sugar version.)
Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus must’ve been super popular when it was first released. Not only was it impossible to find shortly after it hit shelves, but Pepsi bringing it back seems to be a vote of confidence. Mountain Dew’s Baja Blast line is an iconic hit, with the main flavor breaking free of its Taco Bell exclusivity while the fast food chain continues to innovate with new variations like Mountain Dew Baja Midnight. (And the infamous Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pie.)
Baja Cabo Citrus is back with a few twists. The branding for the flavor has scuttled all mentions of it being “the perfect pairing with Doritos,” allowing the soda to stand as its own thing instead of being tied to a push for corporate synergy. More importantly, as Sporked reported a few months ago, Baja Cabo Citrus “features a new formula that features no artificial dyes (which is part of a wider PepsiCo initiative) and some other adjustments to the flavor.”
I paid $8.99 for a 12-pack of Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus Zero Sugar at Target. I picked up the 20 oz. bottle at a gas station while we were traveling last weekend, and I honestly don’t know what I paid.
The pics
The thoughts
When I saw an end cap of 20 oz. bottles at a gas station last weekend, I was instantly struck by how different Mountain Dew Baja Caba Citrus’ coloring was this time around. Instead of being an electric orange hue, the soda is a much more subdued auburn color. Those artificial dyes were really doing their job, I guess.
Matching the flavor of the 2025 edition of Baja Cabo Citrus is where it counts, though. This take definitely leans more “tropical” than “citrus“ in terms of being “tropical citrus punch” now. (If you grew up drinking Minute Maid’s tropical punch that came in the half-gallon carton, the update Baja Cabo Citrus will taste familiar.) While I have to admit that it doesn’t exactly match how it previously “brought back memories of when I first discovered Mountain Dew LiveWire back in 2003,” Baja Cabo Citrus is still an excellent addition to the Mountain Dew and Baja Blast families.
I need to go hunt down a few more cases.
The snack score
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 (5 out of 5 cookies)
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Snackology is written and produced by Bill Kuchman. Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
The Omnicosm founder. Popculturology, Deep SNL Thoughts and Snackology writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
