Every SunnyD Flavor Ranked From Worst To Best

No elementary school cafeteria is fully complete without a sea of SunnyD bottles scattered across the lunch tables while the kids devour their meals. Kids are naturally drawn to the vibrant colors of each flavor, as well as the eruption of sweet sugar that each gulp offers. Of course, you don't only have to attend elementary school to enjoy the taste, as plenty of adults reach for a glass of SunnyD over plain old orange juice. And with a name that makes you think of an easygoing, sun-filled summer day, who wouldn't want to toss back a glass or two while lounging in the yard or by the pool?

SunnyD first hit the shelves decades ago, debuting in 1963 after two Florida-based dads were unimpressed by orange juice (via SunnyD). Over the years, SunnyD has expanded beyond its orange juice-inspired premiere, with a bunch of different flavors for those looking to explore everything the drink company has to offer. 

However, we must admit that not all SunnyD varieties are created equal. So, if you're headed to the store to snag some SunnyD, keep this ranking handy, as some SunnyD flavors are worthy of your attention, while others are best left on the supermarket shelves.

While gulping down a glass of straight-up orange juice is refreshing on its own, sometimes you want something else in that glass. SunnyD offers an Orange Strawberry option for those who enjoy both the tang of oranges and the sweetness of strawberries. On paper, this should be a winning combo. However, there's no winning to celebrate with this rather odd combination of flavors. Trust us: you'll want to give this one a hard pass when perusing the supermarket selection.

You may pour a glass of this hoping the tang and sweet will join forces to give you a refreshing blast of great flavor, but that's not what you'll get. The weak strawberry flavor doesn't come through in force, which is a letdown when you want that sweetness to cut through the acidity that's left behind. Not only is the sweetness absent, but the strawberry flavor starts to become rather annoying the more you realize what's missing.

When you're looking for something that will punch your thirst in its face in the most satisfying way possible, it's easy to immediately reach for Fruit Punch. And why not? The name has the word "punch" in it, so it's easy to assume that the medley of different fruit flavors will do a decent job of hitting your palate with gulp after gulp of refreshing flavor. SunnyD offers a version of Fruit Punch, but it doesn't come close to that thirst-quenching wallop your mouth wants.

SunnyD claims that every sip you take is "like a full-on haymaker of flavor." In a perfect world, that might be the case, but this red drink falls incredibly short of haymaker level. The bottle's label typically displays an orange, an apple, a peach slice, and a cherry, but you really can't distinguish any such flavors. So, it just ends up tasting like a dull yet overly sweet red liquid that doesn't have a plan.

There's something about drinking a blue liquid that makes you feel like a kid again. SunnyD has a vibrantly colored Blue Raspberry option for those who crave the sweet and slightly tart flavors raspberries offer, even if blue raspberry isn't exactly a thing in nature. However, if your appetite wants to enjoy the taste of the juicy fruit with a side of nostalgia, steer clear. You're far better off buying a carton of real raspberries and avoiding this sickly sweet blue bottle.

The raspberry flavor here definitely comes through, but the drink falls on the more tart end of the flavor spectrum. That might be a problem for those who don't want to pucker their lips after each sip. Not only is the drink seriously acidic, but it's also packed with a substantial amount of sugar. That means you get a one-two punch of sweet and tart flavors that can taste incredibly overwhelming if you're not ready for the experience.

Instead of just kicking off your morning routine with one fruit flavor, the Orange Mango variety of SunnyD sneaks in the flavor of mango so you get more bang for your buck. Right? Well, not exactly. While orange and mango flavors do pair well together, this version doesn't exactly give you the flavorful rush of both fruits you might have hoped for when cracking open that bottle.

The issue is the balance of the flavors. You'd think that if you had two different fruits involved, it would be roughly half orange and half mango, but that's not the case here. The mango struggles to rear its head when it's set against the far more dominant orange. In the end, it just tastes like you're drinking something orange-flavored. It's not that the flavor of the drink is unappealing, only that we wish the mango made itself a little more known.

SunnyD couldn't let the awesome taste of peaches slip through its fingers, so the company decided to rein in the beloved flavor, combined it with oranges, and offer an Orange Peach version to SunnyD enthusiasts. Yet we were pretty disappointed in the result. This is a drink that struggles to truly figure out what it is or where it's going.

The flavor of the peach is super evident in this drink, which is great. Open the bottle and you'll get an eruption of peach taste with each sip you take. Yet the one thing that hinders the experience is the tangy orange flavor that keeps butting its head into each mouthful. You'll likely wish that the flavor was only peach without that pesky, sometimes overwhelming citrus taste hanging around. It's an odd combination, given how much the orange flavor hinders the peach. This is worth a try, but you'll likely find it wanting.

When you wake up in the morning feeling extra tropical, anything with mango in it certainly does the job. SunnyD apparently wants to mentally whisk its customers away to a tropical paradise where the stress of daily life is put on hold, so the company came out with a Mango drink to make that happen. Although it might not make you feel like you're lying in a hammock enjoying the laid-back island life, it comes pretty darn close.

SunnyD smartly released this mango-flavored beverage without the encumbrance of another fruit. We think that would have taken the attention away from the main attraction: the mango. Thankfully, with every sip, there is a great burst of mango flavor. Keep in mind that if you don't absolutely love the taste of mango, you might get a little mangoed-out after a minute. But, for mango enthusiasts, a tall glass of this stuff will likely hit the tropical spot.

Lemonade is one of those drinks that rarely need tinkering, at least not if it's made correctly. And if you add the right amount of additional flavor, you can have yourself a unique blend that still offers the refreshing citrus hit of lemon. This is where SunnyD's Raspberry Lemonade comes into play. The company took the summery flavor of lemonade that everyone loves and threw in the sweet and slightly tart taste of raspberries. 

This option works for those who want their lemonade game stepped up a bit. One of the concerns when it comes to adding in raspberry is that the tartness of the berries might take over and leave the other flavors in the dust. Luckily, that's not at all the case here. Both the lemon and raspberry flavors are present and balanced quite nicely, though it remains a pretty sugary hit that could be a bit sweet.

Few fruits truly embody the vibe of the summer like watermelon. When you bite into a fresh watermelon, juice erupts out of its subtly crunchy texture like a flavor volcano, making it one of the most thirst-quenching fruits you can eat. So, if the mission to quell that raging thirst is upon you, SunnyD offers a Watermelon option. All told, it's a solid choice when the urge to watermelon hits hard.

Unlike in some other drinks, the watermelon flavor here is loud and proud. SunnyD does a good job of imitating the flavor of the actual fruit. One of the best parts of this drink, at least to our minds, is that it's not packed with a ton of sugar. Too much of that stuff can mask the flavor of the fruit and often leads to an overly sweet taste that makes you feel like you need to schedule a dental exam.

Not only does SunnyD recognize how tasty pineapple is, but it has managed to harness its tropical flavor in its Orange Pineapple variety, which is well-suited to anyone who loves a bit of that yellow goodness in their life. This is one pineapple drink that does a great job of delivering the awesome flavor of the tropical fruit and then some.

The pineapple flavor in this drink overpowers the orange, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes you want balance, but when the tropical fruit slams you with its sweetness, you want the orange to take a backseat so you can savor the star of the show. You still get a hint of orange, which is nice, but the pineapple is why you made the purchase. Don't worry, as it's pineapple you will receive. So long as you really enjoy pineapple, you should like this SunnyD flavor.

When it comes to nearly everything in life, you want things to go smoothly. The job interview. Meeting your sweetheart's parents for the first time. A Christmas party you're throwing. What you're drinking. So why not purchase something with "smooth" in its name? The Smooth Orange flavor hits your mouth like a relaxing day in a lawn chair, and it lingers there for the perfect amount of time.

The tang that's so associated with the original flavor isn't prevalent here, which makes for a genuinely smooth orange drink that's easy on the gullet. You get a full orange flavor that splashes across your tongue, with a refreshing taste that speaks of nothing but summer. We think this drink keys into that nostalgic SunnyD experience, but with a much easier ride. If you're craving the flavor of orange, this is a great SunnyD option. Smooth is always good and this drink proves it.

Summer just wouldn't be the same without the presence of that delicious thirst-quenching lemonade. A big hit of that citrusy goodness on our tongue helps the heat of the sun to melt away. And during the dog days of summer, that sensation is more than necessary. SunnyD offers up Lemonade to customers who need to snag a fresh burst of citrus flavor to possibly stave off the heat of a hot day. The company does a bang-up job of it all.

The lemon flavor shouts in every gulp, which is exactly what you want in lemonade. It announces its presence like a VIP and refuses to leave until your glass is empty. Even if you drink this in winter, your mind will be carried to sun-filled days. It's a feeling you wish you could bottle up and take a swig of every morning. It's refreshing, it's delicious, and we think it outshines many other brands of lemonade.

Out of all the flavors of SunnyD, one reigns supreme: Tangy Original. As the originator of it all, this drink sits atop the SunnyD pedestal and stares down at all the other flavors like a proud parent. This is the orange taste that started the revolution, and it deserves every bit of praise it's ever received.

Not only does each sip carry a hefty amount of orange flavor, but there's a tangy quality that smacks you on the back of the tongue and lives there for a while. The sensation beckons you back for another sip, with an almost addictive flavor that's hard to deny. Meanwhile, we simply can't beat the nostalgia of this taste, which brings us back to summer vacations, camp days, and school lunches with just a single sip. All told, it's hard to beat the original, which is why this still rises to the top of the SunnyD lineup all these years later.