Sprite is a popular carbonated beverage that is distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. This lemon-lime beverage fiercely competes with similarly flavored sodas like 7 Up. According to a Forbes.com entry (2015), “[Sprite] is the world’s leading lemon-lime flavored soda, and the third best-selling soft drink brand worldwide”.

But does Sprite contain caffeine in its drinks? Sprite is generally referred to as a healthier soda than other major brands. However, it’s high in sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). For all our caffeine-lovers out there, we’ll look at Sprite’s different variants and answer any questions you might have about Sprite’s caffeine content.

Sprite Product Variants

There have been many Sprite variants that were available to purchase. The following is a list of current variants according to sprite.com:

• Sprite (1961): The standard lemon-lime flavored soda.
• Sprite Zero Sugar (1974): The sugar-free version of original Sprite.
• Sprite Cherry (2017): After occasional experimentation with Coca-Cola Freestyle, Sprite Cherry was added as a permanent product in 2017. Sprite Cherry is simply Sprite with added cherry flavoring.
• Sprite Lymonade (2019): This soda is the original Sprite with an additional 1% lemon juice added.
• Sprite Tropical Mix (2016): This flavor contains strawberry and pineapple flavors added to the original lemon-lime formula.
• Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry (2019): This variant is an updated recipe for the original Sprite Cranberry that was released in 2013. This soda adds a bit of warm spice flavoring to the combination of cranberry and lemon-lime.
• Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry Zero Sugar (2019): This variant is the sugar-free variant of the Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry soda.

Sprite and Caffeine

While Sprite comes in many different variants, you may be wondering about their caffeine content.

Does Sprite Have Caffeine?

It’s often perceived that Sprite and other clear or lemon-lime flavored sodas are caffeine-free. This perception is correct. Sprite does not contain any amount of caffeine. However, this is normal for a lot of sodas. Ginger ale’s caffeine content is 0 and the same goes for Sierra Mist.

Does Sprite Zero Have Caffeine?

Sprite Zero, and all other variants of Sprite, do not contain caffeine. Sprite and Sprite Zero do have differences in their drink content, but they both do not incorporate caffeine into their recipes.

Sprite Caffeine Content

This is the caffeine content for a 12 ounce serving of Sprite

Sprite Nutritional Facts

These are the nutritional facts for a 12 ounce serving of Sprite

Is Sprite Bad For You?

Since Sprite is caffeine free, it is common to assume that it’s healthier to consume than other sodas. Unfortunately, Sprite contains a large amount of sugar as seen in the chart above. According to the American Heart Association, men shouldn’t consume 36 g of added sugar in 24 hours, while women shouldn’t consume more than 25 grams (“How much sugar…” n.d).

While most of the Sprite variants contain around 70% of the daily recommended carbohydrates, there exists the Sprite Zero variants that don’t contain any sugar. While these drinks offer a healthier alternative, it’s still recommended to enjoy any variant of Sprite in moderation. Sprite and its variants can easily add excess sugars and calories to your diet if you stray from the sugar-free variants. 

If you are curious about learning more about other major soda brands, you can catch our studies and findings here.

References

Sprite. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/companies/sprite/?sh=963d1493020b