Mountain Dew Flavors — Ranked

So many flavors of Dew over the years. Haven’t tried them all (especially regional-exclusives), but here we go:

In memory of Riddler’s Brew.

27. Fruit Quake

It just…was not good. By any means.

26. Gingerbread Snap’d

Much like Fruit Quake, Gingerbread Snap’d was presented to us as the first Holiday flavor post-Merry Mash-Up. Let’s just say they should have never turned their back on Mash-Up.

25. VooDew (2019-present)

Lumping together each yearly flavor of VooDew (2019-now) since I’m simply not a fan of the mystery flavors chosen by Pepsi Co. They’re too sweet and sugary, like the candy they taste like.

24. Diet & Zero Sugar

While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with either Diet Mtn Dew or Mtn Dew Zero Sugar, I can honestly say if I were given the option to choose this over the regular brand, I’d never pick either of these.

23. Spark

One of the earlier store-exclusive (now everywhere) Dew flavors, Spark is like a carbonated lemonade, and that was just about perfect when it first hit Speedway in Summer 2020.

22. Liberty Brew

A crisp summertime flavor where literally anything was possible inside that can.

21. White Out

To me, it’s not amazing and it’s not terrible. Right in the middle.

20. Legend

What’s better than some Buffalo Wild Wings? Having a Dew flavor only available while eating there. Legend is solid, it just tastes all too similar to preceding dark citrus flavor Pitch Black.

19. Cyclone

Disregard the fancy glasses pictured above, Cyclone is a citrus punch flavor found only at Speedway gas stations. A solid burst of strong fruit punch which pairs well with a Styrofoam cup and ice.

18. Dark Berry Bash

I swear, the artwork on some of these flavors are leagues better than the actual drink. Groovy surfing spaceman, but slightly underwhelming taste from Dark Berry Bash. Do better, Applebee’s.

17. Livewire

Nothing wrong with a classic, but I could easily name at least 5 better orange sodas.

16. Baja Gold

Kind of odd to have Mtn Dew make one of their first Baja-spinoff flavors the same pineapple base flavor as the superior Maui Burst. Unfortunately, Gold just seems to miss the mark.

15. Holiday Brew

Holiday Brew, the first holiday season Dew flavor, may be a blend of the OG flavor and Code Red, but the whole is not better than the sum of its parts. It’s not bad by many means, but you figure they’d try something…different.

14. Frost Bite

Frost Bite — again, a drink with much cooler packaging art than the actual flavor. Walmart’s flavor is enjoyable, but almost tastes like a slightly off-kilter Voltage. And you don’t mess with Voltage.

13. Major Melon

Watermelon might not be the first flavor you think of for a soda, but Mtn Dew unsurprisingly pulls it off with Major Melon. It’s not as crisp as other Dews, but it’s pretty dang refreshing.

12. Baja Mango Gem

The better of the two original “Baja” spinoff flavors, Mango Gem is another flavor you might not have assumed would make a great soda flavor, meanwhile Mtn Dew just continues to crank these hits out.

11. Thrashed Apple

The only time I have ever bought Mtn Dew, or anything edible for that matter, on eBay. Thrashed Apple is a Kroger-exclusive flavor which is in a different region from where I’m from. I’ve only had two cans to this date, but it was incredibly memorable for a sour apple flavor.

10. Code Red

Not much else to say about one of the classic flavors. Code Red is still a Top 10 Dew.

9. Pitch Black

First one to class and the last to leave, Pitch Black is to this date the best version of a “Dark Berry” outing from Mtn Dew. Best of all, it made a comeback in early 2023.

8. Purple Thunder

Circle K had best Dew of 2022 with its exclusive Purple Thunder, a crisp plum-flavor that tastes good both bottled and from the fountain. Glad it’s wasn’t made to be a limited time deal, and even more glad that I live near several Circle K’s.

7. Baja Blast

Baja Blast is that flavor that everyone always knew was great, but has only recently turned into a worldwide phenomenon. Getting Baja Blast at Taco Bell where it originated is still your best bet, but the fact that it sparked spinoff flavors, seasonal Summer contests and sweepstakes is a monster in its own right.

6. Throwback & Real Sugar

There’s something very delicately different about the Throwback and Real Sugar variants of Mtn Dew. An escape to a simpler time perhaps…or maybe just a really tasty soda.

5. Voltage

Much like Code Red, Voltage is one of the earlier flavors of Dew that just stands the test of time. It’s refreshing, tasty and always choice.

4. Maui Burst

Imagine this: the tumultuous 2020 has come to a close, and you hear whispers that Dollar General is releasing a pineapple-flavored Mountain Dew. What do you do? You drive nearly an hour to the nearest location, and you clean out their stock. (Based on a true story) — Maui Burst is one of the best.

3. Merry Mash-Up

As you can tell from the earlier depths of the list, Merry Mash-Up is without hesitation the best Holiday flavor of Dew to date. It did something different, with its cranberry/pomegranate punch-out that reminded you of a cozy Christmastime. Sadly, after 2020 the flavor was discontinued. And with the trend of rather terrible concoctions made since, it’s unclear whether they care enough to bring it back. Fingers crossed we see it again someday.

2. Sweet Lightning

It’s the best restaurant exclusive, or any exclusive for that matter. I’d go as far as to say Sweet Lightning is the best FLAVORED Dew, period. This was something crafted like it was meant to only be served at KFC, and kudos to them for that. The strong, sweet peach flavor with a noticeable hint of honey is delectable. I can’t see there being many other options to top this as a new flavor.

1. Mountain Dew

You know it, you love it, that’s why we’re all here. It’s tough to top Mountain Dew as it’s known around the world. Cliche? Maybe, but where would we be without it?