Big news, guys. For the first time in nearly 40 years, Pepsi has been dethroned as America’s second favorite soda. (Yes, I said second, no one can beat Old King Coca-Cola.) Dr Pepper, first concocted in 1885 making it the oldest of the top three, has officially seized silver with a very slight but still notable margin. Dr Pepper and Pepsi technically tie with the rate of 8.3% of the US soda market, while Coca-Cola leaves everyone in the dust (recycling bin?) claiming 19.2%. Many congratulations on your 139-years-in-the-making victory, Doctor.
Dr Pepper is officially the second favorite soda in the country!
According to new analytics data provided by Beverage Digest, Dr Pepper surpassed longstanding runner-up Pepsi to become the second most popular soda in the U.S. in 2023 behind top favorite Coke.
Dr Pepper secured the second-most favorite by a slight margin over Pepsi, which previously held the position since 1985, per CNN. Both drinks, however, tied with a soda market rate of 8.3%.
This wasn’t enough though to beat Coke — which holds steady at the top position with 19.2% of the soda market captured in the country last year. Other brands owned by Coca-Cola rounded out the top five, with Sprite in fourth position at 8.1% and Diet Coke in fifth at 7.8%.
Dr Pepper was founded in Waco, Texas, a year before Coca-Cola was created in 1885 and Pepsi in 1893. The brand’s increasing popularity is due to its many flavors, investments in strategic marketing and distribution efforts, Digest reported.
Editor of Digest Duane Stanford told CNN following the results, “Dr Pepper has been gaining, [Pepsi] has been declining, and they’re meeting in the middle.”
Dr Pepper’s new entry in the top two favorite sodas comes after the release of the brand’s range’s 24th flavor, Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut, in May.
The limited-time flavor, available in regular and zero sugar versions, has “layers of tropical coconut flavor and a delicious, creamy finish” and is the “only coconut-cream-flavored dark soda on the market,” per a press release.
In an exclusive first look and taste of the new summer-inspired drink, PEOPLE noted a distinct tropical scent upon opening the regular and zero sugar cans, providing a nice balance of the coconut flavor, which is reminiscent of a virgin pina colada, with the taste of the beloved soda.
Don’t mind me, I’m just cleaning up after barfing over the mere mention of Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut. Just because some flavors can be put together, doesn’t mean they should be! I’m pretty sure I would rather suffer through a sip of 7-Eleven’s hot dog seltzer (which was an April Fool’s gag, after all) than a creamy coconut soda. Blech. That’s it, I can’t talk about it anymore or I’m gonna hurl again.
I am not a Dr Pepper imbiber myself (Coca-Cola, on the rocks), but I have encountered a smattering of Dr Pepper enthusiasts, and they are the most fervent beverage fans I have ever seen. In our office we have a soda bin in the fridge marked “For Clients Only.” Us worker bees mutually and silently understood this to mean “For Staff Only.” Leaning heavily on the Coke products (regular, diet, zero) along with some Canada Dry ginger ales, a couple months ago I noticed the addition of Diet Dr Pepper. This came at the request of two of my coworkers who very diligently ensure that they split the wares evenly and restock in a timely fashion. Naturally I consulted these colleagues for comments on this breaking news. Coworker 1 said “Those 23 just do it!” referring to the drink’s signature 23 flavor blend. Coworker 2 claimed it was the best of all the diet sodas, then really raised the stakes by saying, “There aren’t many things in life that I really love…” but Diet Dr Pepper was one of them. To my utter disappointment, and despite my best efforts at teeing each of them up, neither responded with, “Because it makes the world taste better.”
I LOVE Dr. Pepper – and would try any variation on the flavour they introduced… coconut cream?! SIGN ME UP! I prefer the diet version but it’s hard to find in Canada. Yum!
The creamy coconut is AMAZING! I really hope they make it permanent.
yeah, that sounded good to me too, but I have not seen it around, and I’m the one that does the grocery shopping in the house!
I’m a fan of Dr Pepper Cream Soda Zero. I know it’s an unhealthy can of chemicals but it’s my favorite little pick me up when I need a treat mid-afternoon at work, and keeps me out of the candy jar.
That said, soda is so expensive! I wonder how much this has to do with sales and promotional pricing and not just flavor preferences?
I stopped drinking soda years ago and probably haven’t had Dr. Pepper since high school. But after reading about this yesterday I went to my corner store and bought not one but two bottles. I was shocked by all the flavors – strawberries and cream! – but chose the original laboratory formula. I guzzled the first one in my car and hated myself for enjoying it. 😉
Vernor’s Ginger Ale girl here. Hard to find, but the Best.
I had some Vernor’s recently and I had forgotten how wonderful it is!
People should just stop drinking this stuff. They destroy gut health and the amount of sugar in them puts a huge strain on your body. Especially children.
As someone who rarely drinks soda, my go-to, when I do indulge, is an ice cold Mountain Dew! I’ve never been a fan of Dr Pepper but, to each their own. (I don’t mind Coke but has to be ice cold, too)
Interesting, I am the same. I don’t really drink sodas anymore because I find them too sweet, but every now and then I get a craving for Mountain Dew! Which is crazy because it’s like the most sickly sweet of sodas lol.
Dr Pepper was always gross to me, even as a kid when I drank a lot of pop. It always tastes like carbonated Robitussin 🤢
I’m a hard core Diet Coke enthusiast—like 2 20oz per day (thanks Costco). I know it’s bad for me. I know I should stop. But I won’t.
I can drink Diet Dr. Pepper, but I find that I nurse one all day, as opposed to drinking it like water (a la Diet Coke). The flavor is just seems—stronger? spicier?
I am on a low carb, sugar-free, natural food diet BUT…. on a long car drive? When I stop to fill up with gas? Diet Dr. Pepper is my guilty pleasure! Something about it is just so. darn. good.
Nothing like an ice cold Coke to quench the thirst. My favorite though is Cherry Coke. I enjoy drinking the original Dr. Pepper but don’t care for the new flavors. I used to work with a guy who every morning came into the office with 2 six packs of diet Dr. Pepper. Every time you saw him he’d have a bottle in his hand and by the end of the day he’d finished both six packs. Next day, rinse and repeat.
I don’t know anyone who drinks pepsi, so this tracks. I’ll be drinking diet cokes until they tell me I must stop, and I wonder does the popularity of coke include all varieties, or just classic coke?
My Mom was a huge Pepsi fan lol. Now she doesn’t drink soda all that often but she still will ask for a Pepsi when we go out to eat lol.
These percentages track but it seems Pepsi is still in race because some restaurants don’t give you a choice and only have Pepsi. I would try the coconut Cream Dr. Pepper because I love coconut. The best is Trader Joe’s coconut yuzu sparkling water, it’s made with real coconut water and has very little sugar.
I don’t drink a ton of pop much anymore (maybe once or twice a year) but when I do, it is Diet Pepsi or Diet Cherry Pepsi. I’ll drink Coke if it is the only cola around but it’s not my preferred.
I have been looking for the Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut everywhere – it sounds divine to me!Sorry, Kismet! My two favorite sodas are Vanilla Coke and Dr. Pepper. And I love trying out the special flavors both brands release. I still mourn the Cinnamon Coke flavor that was discontinued. It was AMAZING.
It’s really a bummer when you like one of those short-lived flavors. I liked the dreams one, or maybe it was clouds? It was a few years ago. We bought a 12-pack of the cinnamon coke and neither of us liked it, it sat for over a year before tossing it. I should have probably offered it on ebay. Live and learn. I would think you could add cinnamon syrup (like for italian sodas, or what they use at starbucks) to achieve a similar taste
Yes that’s what I’m thinking of trying. See if it’s the same.
A few years ago they had a cherry vanilla flavor of Dr. Pepper that was INCREDIBLE and I’m really bummed out that they haven’t brought it back (although my research tells me that it’s still available in some southern markets?!). It was the best. Cherry Dr. Pepper and Cream Soda Dr. Pepper are very good but neither were as great as cherry vanilla and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t stock up! I have tried the coconut and tbh I was underwhelmed – it’s one of those coconut flavors that reminds me of sunscreen. It’s not completely awful but I don’t know if I’ll ever finish the box….
When I first visited my friend who lived in middle Tennessee I was shocked at how much dr pepper I saw being consumed. It would not surpise me if a large percentage of sales were to a small percentage of Americans.
That being said Diet Dr pepper is fire and I’ll definitely occasionally get it as a treat now and then if I’m out to eat and it’s on the menu.
Diet Dr Pepper is the best diet soda out there. And every Dr Pepper flavor is pretty good. In the dead of summer, a cherry diet Dr Pepper can’t be beat!
Diet Dr. Pepper is the best! I don’t drink much soda these days, but when I do, I treat myself to a diet Dr. Pepper. Now I’m thirsty…
I once heard someone say that Dr. Pepper is like BBQ-flavored Sprite. I like both of those things and I like Dr. Pepper but I think of it every time I see it now.
I’m a hardcore Mello Yello stan. It’s hard to find most places except the upper Midwest, but I stock up whenever I find it. When I lived abroad, I actually had to have it shipped to me from an American candy store in France at an exorbitant cost…
Dr Pepper was my jam until Pepsi Max came along which has been sadly renamed Zero Sugar here. It’s still my go to, probably due to the high caffeine content. I seek out and bring back cans of Max when traveling, to the ridicule of my family.
A coke will always be #1, DP is tied with 7up for me. I like to pretend that 7up is like the least bad for you, but I know all of it is bad. I can’t seem to give it up though. Water with every meal?? Ufff
As a frequent soda drinker, I can confirm that Diet DP is the best diet soda on the market. It actually tastes closer to the real deal. That being said, I am a Coke lover. It will always be my first choice. When I go to a restaurant and ask for a Coke and they say “Is Pepsi okay?” I say “Absolutely not!” I will however, drink a Dr. Pepper as an alternative. And being a Texan, it’s pretty much available anywhere.