There’s a good chance I have too much Mountain Dew in our home. (You can probably apply that statement to almost anything that Snackology covers.) More specifically, the Zero Sugar versions of Mountain Dew.
The release of Dirty Mountain Dew Zero Sugar really drove that point home for me. The newest member of the Mountain Dew flavor became the seventh flavor that I still had at least one can of in my stash. It was time to rank them.
I have no shame in telling you all that I love Mountain Dew. Before Coke Zero came into my life, it was probably my go-to soda in high school. I moved into my freshman dorm with a mini fridge stocked full of the classic Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew Code Red, Mountain Dew LiveWire and Mountain Dew Pitch Black. (That fridge would eventually become the home for new favorites like Molson Canadian and Miller High Life.)
When I switched to diet soda, my options became more limited. Back in the 2000s, Diet Mountain Dew was available everywhere, but it hasn’t been until recent years when PepsiCo has really done a great job releasing Zero Sugar versions of its limited-edition Dew flavors.
We live in a world where Diet Mountain Dew and Mountain Dew Zero Sugar can live side by side on shelves.
There are even multiple takes on the Baja line available, with Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus Zero Sugar returning to stores earlier this year while Mountain Dew Baja Blast Zero Sugar is now a standard Mountain Dew flavor after beginning its life as a Taco Bell exclusive.
As I mentioned, I had seven flavors of Mountain Dew Zero Sugar on hand for this ranking. But there was one key flavor that was missing: Mountain Dew Code Red Zero Sugar.
This flavor exists, but it’s weirdly only available in the midwest. I don’t know why PepsiCo has turned the Zero Sugar variant of Code Red into a regional exclusive, but it didn’t feel right to leave it out of this ranking.
Thanks to the magic of Amazon, I was able to order a 12-pack of Code Red Zero Sugar. Did it cost me $25 to add this elusive Mountain Dew flavor to my collection? Yup. But it was worth it ...
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8. Mountain Dew Summer Freeze Zero Sugar
I was very much into Mountain Dew Summer Freeze Zero Sugar when it debuted last summer. “It’s a bright blue soda that tastes like Pepsi melted down a truckload of Bomb Pops,” I wrote in July. “It’s OK to like fun, stupid things like Mountain Dew Summer Freeze.”
I bought three 12-packs of Summer Freeze Zero Sugar for that review. The fact that I still have some should tell you everything you need to know about how eager I still am to drink it.
7. Mountain Dew Zero Sugar x Trolli Cherry Lemon
As the soda half of a collab between Mountain Dew and Trolli, Mountain Dew Zero Sugar x Trolli Cherry Lemon was responsible for bringing the taste of Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers gummi candy to a carbonated beverage. With that edict, I’d say this goofy Mountain Dew flavor was a success.
Despite the “cherry-lemon” qualifier, Mountain Dew Zero Sugar x Trolli Cherry Lemon invoked memories of Kool-Aid for me. I kind of love how sweet it somehow is despite being a Zero Sugar option.
6. Mountain Dew Zero Sugar
I’m not sure what Mountain Dew Zero Sugar’s role is supposed to be. I think this is like a Diet Coke/Coke Zero situation, where PepsiCo went back to the drawing board and created a Zero Sugar version that tasted closer to the original Mountain Dew using different artificial sweeteners.
If Mountain Dew Zero Sugar is my only option, sure, I’ll drink it, but I’ve been drinking Diet Mountain Dew for close to two decades.
5. Dirty Mountain Dew Zero Sugar
I’ve become a bigger and bigger fan of Dirty Mountain Dew Zero Sugar with each passing day. (I even bumped up the latest member of the Dew family’s snack score in its official Snackology review.) This is a really fantastic addition to the Mountain Dew Zero Sugar lineup.
Dirty Mountain Dew Zero Sugar brings something different to the conversation. Yes, it’s a Mountain Dew — but more importantly, it’s a “Cream Soda Dew.” Most Mountain Dew flavors are built around a citrus base of some sort. But Dirty Mountain Dew Zero Sugar delivers on that creamy dirty soda promise.
The only reason that this one ranks at No. 5 and not higher is that we’re about to get into a handful of powerhouse flavors.
4. Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus Zero Sugar
When PepsiCo first rolled out Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus Zero Sugar, I was sadly only able to snag a single 12-pack. It was a shame, since I loved this flavor during that initial spring 2025 run. “Yeah, this one is absolutely a buy,” I wrote last year. “I quickly finished the can I had poured and had to show some restraint to not grab a second serving.”
I was thrilled when Baja Cabo Citrus Zero Sugar returned earlier this year. The flavor was slightly modified, but it remains the Mountain Dew Zero Sugar flavor that I’ll chug down the quickest. I love this one — and I’ve stocked up on 12-packs of cans and a few 20 oz. bottles to make sure I have enough this time around.
3. Mountain Dew Baja Blast Zero Sugar
Is there a Mountain Dew flavor more iconic than Baja Blast?
This flavor began its life as a Taco Bell exclusive. If you wanted to enjoy the oddly aqua soda, you had to buy it alongside a Doritos Locos Taco or Crunchwrap Supreme. (Fine, twist my arm.) The Baja Blast family expanded to include a Zero Sugar version, giving those of us who want our calories to come from the giant bag of Taco Bell food that we purchased and not from our beverage an option. PepsiCo eventually sent both variants of Baja Blast to stores to celebrate the flavor’s Bajaversary in 2024.
I can’t eat Taco Bell without a Baja Blast Zero Sugar. It’s just part of the equation. The only exceptions I’ll make are to try Taco Bell’s dirty soda version of both Mountain Dew Zero Sugar and Baja Blast Zero Sugar or sample Mountain Dew Baja Midnight. (There’s a Zero Sugar version of that one coming out at some point this year ...)
2. Diet Mountain Dew
The original. The godfather. The version of Mountain Dew Zero Sugar that you’re most likely to catch me drinking. Like its calorie count, I have zero complaints about Diet Mountain Dew. It’s comforting. It’s crisp. Its classic citrus taste goes with pretty much any meal or snack. (It’s a must-have for me if I’m eating a tuna sandwich or sub.)
Every so often, I’ll see a report about PepsiCo allegedly discontinuing Diet Mountain Dew to make way for the dominance of Mountain Dew Zero Sugar. What a mistake that would be. You don’t kill a treasure like Diet Mountain Dew.
1. Mountain Dew Code Red Zero Sugar
When I cracked open my first can of Mountain Dew Code Red Zero Sugar for this ranking, I was instantly taken back to a summer during my early teen years. On the way to an aunt’s house to help her with her desktop computer (this was 2001, folks), my dad and I stopped at the Toys “R” Us by our house. I don’t remember why, but it was a moment forever etched in my memory.
In the cooler by the registers, there it was. Mountain Dew Code Red.
I don’t remember how I knew Code Red was coming out. This was before the Internet and social media. But somehow, Code Red was the first new soda/snack release that I knew I wanted. Heck, that moment might be why Snackology exists.
That sip of Mountain Dew Code Red Zero Sugar that I took from one of the cans that I bought off Amazon was just as crisp, just as delicious, just as magical as I remember this flavor.
Mountain Dew Code Red Zero Sugar needs to be available nationwide.
How’d I do?
Is your favorite ranked too low? Was there an upset that you just can’t stand? Did I miss your pick completely? Let me know in the comments.
Snackology is a publication of The Omnicosm.
Issue No. 216
Snackology is written and produced by Bill Kuchman. Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
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