Gatorade is a sports drink that has been popular with athletes for many years. The drink is typically used by people who are working out to replace lost fluids and electrolytes, which can be helpful in preventing dehydration.
Gatorade Zero is a diet version of Gatorade, which means that it doesn’t have any calories or sugar in it. It does have just over 160 mg of sodium per serving, though—so if you’re looking for something more low-calorie than regular Gatorade but still want some electrolytes in your beverage (like us), then this might be an option for you!
Gatorade Zero has several flavors that are available for purchase in stores. Each flavor has its own unique taste and personality—some are sweeter than others and some have more of an earthy flavor. So how do you know which ones are going to be your favorites?
Luckily for you, we’ve done all the hard work for you by tasting each of these flavors ourselves so we can give you our honest opinion on what they’re like. This way when you finally get around to buying one at your local store or grocery store (which should be soon!), you’ll know exactly what to expect before taking that first sip!
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Our Tasting Methodology
In order for this ranking to be as accurate and fair as possible, we decided to employ a number of different tasting methods. First, each drink was purchased at random from a local store—not from an online retailer or specialty shop (although some of those can be found on Amazon). We also purchased all of the drinks on the same day so that they were all fresh.
All of the beverages were tasted one after another, in full view of each other; we did not taste them in isolation. This helped ensure that our opinions weren’t influenced by previous drinks and gave us time to discuss each flavor before moving on to its next counterpart. After each sip, we took time to discuss what we thought about it—what was good and bad about it; did it taste like anything else? Did it smell like something else? What would make this Gatorade Zero better?
Finally, before beginning our taste test we ate something bland (like bread with butter) followed by something salty (like chips). This allowed us enough room in our stomachs for ten different flavors without being too full because we wanted everyone’s opinion on these drinks!
Here are our rankings of the flavors of Gatorade Zero we’ve tasted so far:
1. Berry
Gatorade has always been my favorite sports drink, but I wanted something that was low in sugar but still tasted good. This is it! It has the same great Gatorade taste you love but with a berry twist.
It’s fruity and sweet without being too sweet, so it really stands up to the flavor of the other flavors in this line. And when it’s cold? Oh, man. That’s when this stuff is just magic.
It has a great balance between the tartness of the berries and the sweetness of the other ingredients in this flavor. If you like sour drinks or fruit juices, then this will definitely be something you’ll enjoy.
It has all of the other great qualities of other flavors in this line: it’s zero in calories, has zero sugar (it’s made with Sucralose instead), is gluten-free, and it contains electrolytes—so you can stay hydrated while also avoiding sugar calories!
I would definitely recommend this flavor to anyone who likes berry-flavored drinks like Kool-Aid or Hawaiian Punch (or any other fruity drink for that matter). It’s a refreshing treat that will keep you hydrated throughout the day whether you’re at home or at work!
2. Glacier Freeze
This flavor is my second favorite of all time—and that’s saying something! It tastes great when chilled in the fridge. If you haven’t tried this flavor yet, you need to get your hands on some immediately!
This drink tastes very much like the original with no sugar, which is great for those who have to watch their sugar intake! The flavor is light and refreshing—perfect for summer workouts or after you’ve had a long day at work.
The taste is delicious and perfect for diabetics like me. It’s just tart enough to be refreshing, but sweet enough to make you feel like you’re drinking juice. There are notes of cranberries, strawberries, and citrus throughout the taste—it’s a little bit tart at first, but then it gets sweeter as you sip on it.
The color is also lovely—it’s somewhere between light blue and lighter blue. But don’t confuse it with Cool Blue.
If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy your favorite sports drink without worrying about your blood sugar levels or weight gain, definitely give this one a try!
3. Lemon Lime
It has a strong, tart, and sour taste with a strong artificial lemon flavor. This flavor is not as sweet as regular Gatorade, so it may not be the best option if you are looking for something that tastes like lemonade or other sugary beverages.
When you drink it, you can almost feel all the vitamins and minerals replenishing your body.
I like to mix it with some ice so that it’s more refreshing and flavorful than regular water, which is great for staying hydrated during hot weather or when working out in the sun.
My favorite thing about this flavor is how long the taste stays on my tongue without being overpowering or making me feel queasy after I finish drinking it. It’s not overwhelming, so I don’t have to worry about accidentally swallowing too much liquid at once—which is something that often happens when I drink regular Lemonade!
There is no consistency with this flavor because I bought a lemon-lime drink from Wegmans last month, and it was awful (not sure if there was something wrong with the batch).
4. Orange
Orange is a citrus flavor, similar to the original Gatorade. It’s sweeter than the other flavors, but not too sweet—just like the regular. The orange flavor is also one of the most accurate to its name: it doesn’t taste like chemically-flavored “candy,” but rather like you’re drinking orange juice that has been diluted with water.
It’s the perfect combination of thirst-quenching and energy boost, with a light yet natural citrus flavor that doesn’t leave your mouth dry or feeling bloated.
I like to drink this after working out, when I’m sore and tired because it quenches my thirst better than regular Gatorade and gives me a boost of energy. I recommend chilling your bottle in the fridge before drinking.
5. Fruit Punch
If you’re looking for something that tastes like fruit punch, this is it. The flavor is tart and sweet, with a slight sourness on the back end that cuts through any cloying sweetness.
It’s not as sweet as the original Fruit Punch Gatorade, which makes it perfect for those who don’t have much of a sweet tooth or are more interested in getting electrolytes than tasting artificial flavors.
This is also one of my favorite flavors out of all ten options—I love drinking it during a workout because its refreshing taste helps me push past my limits!
This is one of the hardest flavors to find, but it’s worth seeking out. It’s great for diabetics and people who want a lighter version of Gatorade, with less sugar and fewer calories than most other flavors.
6. Glacier Cherry
Glacier Cherry is a pretty good Gatorade Zero flavor. It tastes more like the original full-calorie version than the G2’s, which makes it a good choice if you want Gatorade but don’t want as many calories.
The taste is very subtle and not too tart or flavorless—it has a nice fruity taste without being overpowering in any way. The color is clear so there’s no worry about staining teeth like with many other sports drinks on the market today (and you’re not sacrificing anything when it comes to hydration!).
It can be hard to find sugar-free versions of this flavor at stores, but if you can get your hands on it, it will be worth the search.
7. Grape
Grape is one of the most popular flavors of Gatorade Zero, and it’s easy to see why. The grape flavor is light and refreshing with a slight tang that lingers on your tongue. The taste is subtle, so you won’t feel like you’re drinking cough syrup by accident.
This flavor was slightly artificial tasting, but not bad at all. It almost tasted like a purple popsicle – which isn’t bad if you ask me!
I took this flavor hiking with me once; it came in handy when I needed to quench my thirst without having to stop and drink water while walking up a mountain trail that had no water sources along with it (there was no point in stopping anyway because there wasn’t any shade).
My kids loved it and drank it all, which is saying something because they’re very picky about what they drink. It has a purple color but don’t worry—it doesn’t stain your teeth or clothes at all like some grape-flavored sodas can do (I’m looking at you, Fanta Grape).
8. Strawberry Kiwi
The first thing you’ll notice about this flavor is that it’s a light pink color. It’s not as sweet as some of the other flavors, and yet the taste is hard to find in many sugar-free drinks.
The flavor is a delicious blend of tart strawberry and sweet kiwi that provides you with hydration and electrolyte replenishment.
Kids love this flavor because of the bright colors and adults will love it for its taste; it’s not water down like many other sugar-free drinks out there. The Strawberry Kiwi flavor uses sucralose to sweeten up your drink, which means you can have a tasty treat without worrying about your blood sugar levels going through the roof!
The bottle says it has a 9-month shelf life from the date of production, which is good because this flavor isn’t easy to find!
The only drawback is that it contains 160mg Sodium and 50mg Potassium per serving. This could be too high for some people who are trying to reduce their sodium intake or work on controlling their blood pressure levels.
All in all, though this is a good product and I hope they start carrying this particular flavor at more locations so that people have more options when choosing what kind of drink they’re going to get after their workout!
9. Cool Blue
It tastes like blue raspberry and has just the right amount of flavor to keep you drinking it. It’s subtle, but it definitely has a nice berry flavor. It’s not overpowering or artificial tasting, which is refreshing for me.
It’s good for rehydrating and restoring electrolytes after a workout, but it has a salty taste that makes it not as pleasant as some of the other flavors. I was happy to be able to drink something cold and sweet after my workout without any extra calories or sugar, but Cool Blue didn’t quite live up to my expectations in terms of flavor and intensity.
If you love the taste of traditional Gatorade then you will enjoy this flavor because the blue raspberry flavor is still present, but with some subtle differences that make this drink unique and refreshing to drink on a hot day!
It might not be the best-tasting flavor out there, but it gets the job done without being overbearing—and that’s what matters most when you’re thirsty post-workout! If you prefer your beverages to be on the less sweet side, then this is definitely your drink!
10. Lime Cucumber
The main reason it’s at the bottom of my rankings is that I can only find this flavor very rarely where I live — it’s mostly sold online or at stores, which don’t tend to be located too close by for me.
Lime Cucumber is a very refreshing flavor, but it’s not as prevalent as other Gatorade Zero flavors. If you’re looking for something to cool off while still being refreshing, this is your best option.
I’ve found that this flavor tends to be a little more on the cucumber side and very little lime — which isn’t what I had expected at all! For those who don’t like an overpowering taste of cucumber in their drinks, I recommend freezing before drinking—it makes for some nice slushy goodness!
I think it tastes like a cucumber salad in liquid form. This also makes it difficult to enjoy because it leaves me with a bitter aftertaste every time I drink it.
Is Gatorade Zero Worth a Try?
Gatorade has been around since 1965 when Dr. Robert Cade invented this sports drink after studying his athletes’ sweat levels during football practice at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
If you’re looking for a sports drink without sugar, Gatorade Zero is a good option. It has the same electrolytes as regular Gatorade, but with only zero calories per serving. Furthermore, the taste of Gatorade Zero is similar to that of the original flavors.
You can buy Gatorade Zero in bottles or pods, or purchase ready-made powder packs that you can add to water for a quick drink on the go. So if you’re an athlete who needs to stay hydrated during heavy sweating sessions (or if you just want a refreshing drink), Gatorade Zero is a good alternative to sugary sports drinks.
Final Thoughts
We hope that our guide has helped you to find the best flavor of Gatorade Zero for you! If you’re looking for a zero-sugar, zero-calorie alternative to traditional Gatorade, then the Gatorade Zero lineup is a solid choice. While all of these flavors are made with sweeteners and other ingredients that will leave your mouth with an almost artificial aftertaste, we feel that this is still an improvement over sugar-based options like Original or G2.
In terms of taste, Berry and Glacier Freeze were our top favorites—not only because they were sweet without being too sweet but also because they didn’t leave us with an overpowering aftertaste. You can also try Powerade Zero or Propel Electrolyte Water if you’re looking for similar products with similar benefits.
Thank you! I’m dealing with a spike to my blood sugar as a side effect of a medication. You answered every question I had. This is so thorough and is very helpful to me in making good decisions without wasting money. Anyone with chronic health issues knows just how important that is. Again, so grateful!