Sprite vs Mountain Dew – What’s the Difference?

Have you ever wondered about the similarities and differences between Sprite vs Mountain Dew (a.k.a. Mtn Dew)? We break down the relevant information about these two sodas to help you determine the one that is best for you. If you already have a favorite between Sprite and Mountain, vote for it in our poll at the end of this article.

Sprite vs Mountain Dew

Taste

Sprite is a clear soda with a refreshing lemon-lime flavor. This might sound like flavored sparkling water, however, the sugar and carbonation are certainly noticeable to where it is hard to mistake this beverage for anything but a soda.

Mountain Dew is considered a citrus-flavored soda with a greenish-yellow coloring. The flavor is often described as a mix of orange, lemon, and lime. However, most people cannot pinpoint the exact flavor of Moutain Dew. Sugar is certainly dominant in this beverage. It almost like drinking candy instead of a refreshing beverage.

Ownership & History

Sprite is owned by The Coca-Cola Company. It was initially a Fanta product that was developed in Germany in 1959. It was called Clear Lemon Fanta. This soda came to the U.S. market in 1961 to take on the popular lemon-lime soda, 7Up. See our article on Sprite vs 7Up for more details on these two beverages.

Mountain Dew is owned by PepsiCo. It was invented in 1940 by Barney and Ally Harman as a mixer for whiskey. According to the Thrillist, Mountain Dew is actually a slang word for moonshine used back in the day. When the Harman brothers attempted to bring Moutain Dew to the market, it did not initially catch on with consumers. The Tip Corporation (a beverage company) eventually purchased the brand and reformulated the Mountain Dew recipe in 1961. This revised flavoring seemed to work since PepsiCo purchased the brands in 1964.

Nutrition

It is common knowledge that sodas are not healthy beverages to drink on a regular basis. However, not all sodas are created equally as is shown below. A can of Mountain Dew has more calories, carbs, and sugar compared to Sprite. Based on nutrition alone, Sprite is clearly the better option between these two sodas.

	Sprite	Mountain Dew
Serving Size	1 Can (12 fl oz)	1 Can (12 fl oz)
Calories	140	170
Total Fat	0g	0g
Sodium	65mg	60mg
Total Carbohydrate	38g	46g
Total Sugars	38g	46g
Protein	0g	0g

Caffeine

There is a big difference in caffeine between Sprite vs Mountain Dew. Sprite is caffeine-free whereas Mountain Dew has quite a bit of caffeine for a soda. The table below shows the caffeine in Mountain Dew for various serving sizes.

Mountain Dew Caffeine

Serving Size	Caffeine	Caffeine/Fl. Oz.
7.5 fl oz	33.8 mg	4.5 mg
8 fl oz	36 mg	4.5 mg
12 fl oz	54 mg	4.5 mg
16 fl oz	72 mg	4.5 mg
16.9 fl oz	76.1 mg	4.5 mg
20 fl oz	90 mg	4.5 mg
24 fl oz	108 mg	4.5 mg

Ingredients

Okay, we don’t drink soda because it is good for our health. Most people realize that they will be drinking ingredients that they have no clue what they are. However, based solely on ingredients, Sprite has fewer garbage ingredients compared to Mountain Dew.

Sprite – Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate (to protect taste).

Mountain Dew – Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, concentrated orange juice, citric acid, natural flavor, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), caffeine, sodium citrate, gum arabic, erythorbic acid (preserves freshness), calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), yellow 5

Products

Here are the various sodas that each brand makes:

Poll: Sprite vs Mountain Dew

If you had to pick one, would you prefer Sprite or Mountain Dew. Vote Below.

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Image Credits:
Rocksee/flickr
Mike Mozart/flickr