Buying a bev at the grocery store used to be a matter of choosing between water, flavored seltzer, or a can of Coke. But there’s a new staple beverage aisle category these days: a class of drinks claiming to be “gut-friendly” or “digestive health-boosting” alternatives to traditional sodas. These drinks, which typically contain either prebiotics, probiotics, or both, have become ubiquitous. And while there were once just a few brands in the space, it now feels like there’s a new one every time I go to the grocery store.
Our top picks
- The best prebiotic soda overall: Olipop
- The most fruit-forward prebiotic soda: Evolution Fresh
- The best uncarbonated prebiotic drink: Halfday Iced Tea
- The best probiotic soda overall: Culture Pop
With so many to choose from, I set out to figure out which prebiotic and probiotic drinks taste the best—and spoke with two registered dietitians about whether they have any actual health benefits. After tasting dozens of flavors from upward of 10 brands, I finally have answers.
What is a prebiotic? What is a probiotic? What’s the difference?
Prebiotic and probiotic sound nearly identical, and are both terms you’ll see used in conjunction with phrases like gut-healthy and good for digestion. That’s because they both have beneficial impacts on the gut—but it’s crucial to understand that they are two different things that work in two different ways.
“A probiotic is a type of beneficial bacteria that, when consumed in adequate amounts, provides the host (human) with a potential benefit,” says Taylor Grasso, MPPD, RD, LD, and host of the podcast Simply Balanced.
Prebiotics, on the other hand, can be thought of as the food for that good bacteria. Put simply, they’re “a type of fiber that feeds those probiotics to help them increase and multiply,” according to Grasso. Prebiotics and fiber are often equated, but according to the ISAPP, “only a subset of dietary fibers actually qualify as prebiotics.”
The best prebiotic soda overall: Olipop
Olipop Favorites Variety Pack
Amount of fiber: 9 g
Prebiotic source: “OLISMART” blend of cassava root fiber, chicory root inulin, Jerusalem artichoke inulin, nopal cactus, marshmallow root, calendula flower, kudzu root
Sweetener(s): Cassava syrup, fruit juice, stevia
Price per 12-pack: $36
My favorite flavors: Strawberry Vanilla, Cream Soda, Tropical Punch
One of the most well-known brands in the prebiotic soda scene, Olipop’s products boast nine grams of prebiotic fiber per can—more than any other brand on this list. Its lineup includes 20 flavors at the time of writing, and includes both classic soda flavors like Vintage Cola and Root Beer, and fruit-forward options like Strawberry Vanilla (my favorite) and Watermelon Lime.
What we love: Olipop’s impressive fiber content is one of its main draws over similar brands in the space,
