21 Best Kool-Aid Flavors Ranked in 2025

Most of us, if asked our favorite Kool-Aid flavor, would probably just sit there looking dumbfounded. Kool-Aid is just Kool-Aid; what do you mean it comes in flavors?

Well, it does. Shocking as this may be, there are currently 22 flavors of the traditional Kool-Aid product alone, and that’s not counting offshoot products. That’s right: even when you only look at the powdered packets, there are nearly two dozen Kool-Aid flavors! The fruit punch you remember from childhood birthday parties is far from ubiquitous. 

But with a variety of flavors also comes what we’ll call variation in quality. Read: not every Kool-Aid flavor is going to taste like the gloriously artificial fruit beverage of your childhood dreams.

So, which Kool-Aid flavors should you go for? These 21 Kool-Aid flavors ranked from least to most delicious should give you a place to start. 

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• How Many Flavors of Kool-Aid Are There?
• The 21 Best Flavors of Kool-Aid Ranked

How Many Flavors of Kool-Aid Are There?

Currently, there are 22 unique Kool-Aid flavors on sale. That said, this isn’t a static number, and it’s almost impossible to keep track of every Kool-Aid flavor there’s ever been.

New Kool-Aid flavors are introduced and old Kool-Aid flavors are discontinued regularly, and even being slashed from the roster doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to find certain discontinued Kool-Aid flavors online if you’re lucky. 

What Were the Original Kool-Aid Flavors? 

The range of Kool-Aid flavors we see today hasn’t always been around. The brand traces its roots back to 1927, when inventor Edwin Hastings created the original Kool-Aid powder. The drink went through several sales and a dizzying array of new flavors before it became the powdered drink brand we know today.

Hastings’ original Kool-Aid powder came in six flavors: cherry, grape, lemon-lime, orange, raspberry and strawberry. With the exception of raspberry, these traditional fruit flavors are all still available. 

Ironically, raspberry, the sole discontinued Kool-Aid flavor of those six, was inventor Edwin Perkins’ favorite. The closest thing you can get these days is a blue raspberry flavored Kool-Aid. 

The 21 Best Flavors of Kool-Aid Ranked 

21. Aguas Frescas Jamaica  

Kool-Aid really shot for the moon with this flavor. Agua fresca is a classic summertime drink in Latin America, and one of the most famous varieties is jamaica: an herbal, tea-like concoction made primarily of hibiscus. So, of course, when Kraft-Heinz decided to craft a line of new Kool-Aid flavors based on agua fresca, jamaica was first in line.

Unfortunately, it did not translate well to the Kool-Aid medium. Hibiscus has an earthy, herbal flavor that’s incredibly hard to create in a lab. It may not have been the wisest choice for a Kool-Aid flavor in light of that, and it’s not really a fan favorite. So maybe steer clear of this one.

If you’re searching for a great jamaica drink, it’s one of the best Jarritos flavors, so turn to that brand when the craving hits. 

20. Aguas Frescas Mandarina-Tangerine 

This somewhat new Kool-Aid flavor has a very different problem from its cousin covered above: it’s too bland. While the jamaica flavored variety suffers from a failure to recreate its original flavor well, Mandarina-Tangerine feels like a flavor that should’ve been better.

After all, we’re going to be seeing the orange flavor a lot higher up on the Kool-Aid flavors list. So, if we know they can make a killer citrus Kool-Aid flavor, shouldn’t the company have been able to do this better?

One wonders. But the fact remains that this Kool-Aid flavor doesn’t give you the orangey punch you’d hope for in a cheerful cup of tangerine-flavored Kool-Aid. 

19. Cherry  

Seeing Cherry placed near the bottom of a Kool-Aid flavors list might be stunning, and we know we’re going to ruffle some feathers with this one. But we don’t really care that this is one of the six original Kool-Aid flavors, or that standing the test of time usually means something — that can’t overcome our aversion to anything that reminds us of cherry cough syrup.

For some, that taste isn’t too off-putting. A lot of people can live with the artificial aftertaste of this cherry flavor or even enjoy it. We get it — it’s nostalgic. But we can’t quite get over our aversion to the medicine-lite taste of this beloved old Kool-Aid flavor. 

18. Berry Cherry  

This one suffers from the same basic problem as plain old Cherry: it just tastes a bit too artificial for our liking. That may sound like a ridiculous criterion to use when ranking Kool-Aid, of all things — no one is operating under the illusion that any part of Kool-Aid is found in nature! But there’s a line.

There’s an amount of artificial we can live with and an amount that gets too unpleasant to be enjoyable. Berry Cherry, unfortunately, falls on the latter end of that spectrum. 

17. Black Cherry  

See the above two flavors. Honestly, we could rank basically every Kool-Aid flavor containing cherry in any of these three spots — none of them specifically stand out or are better or worse than the others. Black Cherry is another of those unlucky victims of a bit too much chemical aftertaste.

While you’ll definitely find ardent fans of this Kool-Aid flavor, they’re not the most numerous bunch. Like Cherry and Berry Cherry before it, Black Cherry is definitely an acquired taste. 

16. Blue Raspberry Lemonade  

You probably went to at least one gathering as a kid where Kool-Aid lemonade was served, but that’s far from the only lemonade-based flavor on shelves. This one happens to be the weakest.

While it’s not an unpleasant flavor, and definitely a few steps up from the cherry trio we just got done talking about, it doesn’t have the refreshing zinginess you want in a glass of lemonade. If the lemon flavor came through a little more sharply, this Kool-Aid flavor would probably rank much higher.

15. Grape 

Grape is a lot of people’s top Kool-Aid flavor. As one of the six original flavors, it’s obviously stood the test of time. But of those original flavors, it’s one of the ones that leaves the most to be desired.

Sure, it’s nostalgic. You may have fond memories of drinking Grape Kool-Aid at a birthday party or summer BBQ, and if it’s your longtime favorite, hey, you do you. But we’re not huge fans. The sweetness can be a little cloying to some, and there’s a syrupy taste to this one that isn’t as refreshing as we’d like. 

14. Mixed Berry  

Mixed Berry is a controversial Kool-Aid flavor, no doubt. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what type of berries it’s meant to taste like, and you can’t avoid the artificial aftertaste. That’s a pretty common feature of most of the flavors on the bottom half of this list.

That said, Mixed Berry has something that’s been sorely lacking in previous flavors on this list: tartness. Its sour notes keep this Kool-Aid flavor from falling into the “cough syrup” realm, and that’s enough for a pretty decent ranking if you ask us. 

13. Watermelon  

This Kool-Aid flavor is a rare find. While it’s not discontinued, not many stores carry Watermelon anymore, so you may have to go on the hunt for it if you’re dead-set on trying it.

If you do, you may join its small but ardent group of fans. It lacks the popularity and cultural clout to climb any higher, but those who love it claim that this Kool-Aid flavor is one of the most refreshing. 

12. Sharkleberry Fin 

The punny name of this Kool-Aid flavor tells you a grand total of nothing about what it tastes like. The label, though, might hold a few hints: look carefully and you’ll find orange, strawberry and banana pictured. That’s basically what this flavor is, and it does a pretty great job of executing those flavors.

Frankly, we couldn’t tell you why it’s called Sharkleberry Fin. Yeah, yeah, it’s a pun, we know — but why? Science might never find that answer. Even so, this is a very enjoyable Kool-Aid flavor that deserves a respectable ranking on this list. 

You might sweat at the thought of how well a banana Kool-Aid flavor could possibly be done, but this is a respectable effort. The best thing we can say about Sharkleberry Fin is that it does exactly what it says it will. That’s pretty high praise for a Kool-Aid flavor, and enough to get it pretty close to the top 10. 

11. Green Apple 

It’s the undisputed king of Jolly Rancher flavors, but Green Apple doesn’t fare quite as well on a Kool-Aid flavor ranking. Not everyone is a fan of this rather unusual flavor, which is much more sour than most Kool-Aid flavors. But that’s exactly why we love it.

Green Apple Kool-Aid isn’t one of those flavors that always runs the risk of tasting like the syrup they put on snow cones. It’s tart enough to avoid that fate and its bright flavor will wake you up more than you’d think a cup of Kool-Aid could. So while not everyone loves it, we think this is one underrated flavor. 

10. Aguas Frescas Pina-Pineapple  

Let’s not sugarcoat it: the other agua fresca-inspired flavors we included on this list didn’t do so hot. You wouldn’t think this was a very promising line of products going off of those early rankings, so allow us to give agua fresca-style Kool-Aid flavors credit where due: they can be wildly delicious when done right.

To crack the top 10, a Kool-Aid flavor has to be absolutely Class-A. This one earns its place with its intense, almost bracing, pineapple flavor. There’s no mistaking this one for any other fruit: it’ll hit you head-on with the essence of pineapple (or at least a lab-grown imitation). This is the only agua fresca-inspired flavor that really nails the tropical vibe they’re all aiming for. 

9. Lemonade 

Ah, lemonade. Ever the safe choice, you know exactly what you’re getting every time you pour yourself a glass. It’s sweet but tart, reliable and almost universally loved. So, of course, the classic lemonade Kool-Aid flavor was going to earn itself a great ranking.

Is Lemonade Kool-Aid going to hit like a glass of the fresh-squeezed stuff? No, and we doubt anyone is expecting it to. But as a way of preparing a huge jug of the stuff for an event where quantity is in greater demand than quality, this solid rendition will satisfy all your lemonade needs. 

8. Tropical Punch  

It’s almost heretical to rank the most iconic of Kool-Aid flavors this low, but know that it doesn’t mean very much. The margin between the top 10 flavors is absurdly small, so don’t take this eighth-place ranking as an insult. We’re not here to question whether Tropical Punch is deserving of its iconic status.

So why the lower ranking? Well, because this most beloved of Kool-Aid flavors doesn’t stand up too well to close-up scrutiny.

It’s a nostalgic flavor that tastes delicious when you’re chasing down an overloaded burger at a cookout, but it’s hard to identify any of the individual flavors that go into this mix or to ignore the chemical aftertaste. Tropical Punch has mass appeal, but it’s not the best-executed of Kool-Aid flavors.  

7. Strawberry  

Another OG six flavor, this one has more of a vague pink-candy vibe than a fresh-strawberry one. And we know we’ve been knocking flavors left and right for not tasting like the real fruits they’re based on, but in this case, it works. Why? Because we’d rather eat a candy-like strawberry flavor than a poor imitation.

Artificial strawberry flavors are hard to get right, something you’ll probably be familiar with if you’re a fan of strawberry ice cream. It’s hard to make it taste like anything near the real fruit, so this rather unorthodox approach was actually for the best. 

Keep your expectations of a natural flavor low and you’ll free yourself to enjoy what’s really there: a delicious confection for the punch bowl. 

6. Lemon-Lime 

Lemon-Lime is another of the more tart Kool-Aid flavors, which, in our opinion, works in its favor. There aren’t many of those on this list, so if they’re done well, they get an automatic ratings boost. The same is definitely true of this delectable, lime-forward Kool-Aid flavor that we contend is one of the sleeper hits of the Kool-Aid lineup.

It’s a summery flavor through and through, thanks to its refreshing citrus bite. We bet that a float made with Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid poured over ice cream would make a fantastic pool party food idea if you’re a little sick of root beer. 

5. Peach Mango  

Over the years, Kool-Aid flavors have gotten a bit more creative, and this is a perfect example. Peach Mango Kool-Aid takes on new fruits, ones not among the handful found in the OG Six flavors and their predecessors, and shows us that, with the possible exception of a few aguas fresca-style flavors, Kool-Aid does pretty well with experimental flavors like this.

And, no, neither peach nor mango is exactly unprecedented; you can definitely think of examples of these flavors out in the wild. Still, this pleasantly sweet flavor (it’s got more mango flavor than peach for a less in-your-face sweetness) is a great departure from the norm for Kool-Aid. 

4. Strawberry Lemonade  

That this stellar flavor ranks fourth is evidence of how tight the competition for the top spots on this list really was. Strawberry Lemonade Kool-Aid is exactly what you would hope it would be: tart, refreshing, sweet and a perfect balance of strawberry and lemon flavors.

There was nothing wrong with plain old Lemonade Kool-Aid to begin with, but the addition of strawberry makes this flavor better by a country mile…and it’s not even the best lemonade Kool-Aid flavor. 

3. Pink Lemonade  

This Kool-Aid flavor doesn’t really taste like lemonade. It is, for lack of a better phrasing, simply pink: what you get with this one is an unidentifiable fruity flavor that somehow tastes exactly how the drink looks.

How? Unclear. Does it really give you the lemony flavor you may want? Not really. But it’s obscenely delicious, and it’s kind of hard to argue that either of those things really matters. Long live the best of all Kool-Aid lemonades. 

2. Strawberry Kiwi

Strawberry Kiwi is one of those flavor combinations that sort of seems to disappear as soon as you graduate from elementary school, isn’t it? And that’s a crying shame, because if any two fruits were made to be combined, it’s those two. Strawberry Kiwi Kool-Aid is a perfect example of that.

It’s balanced, sweet but not too sweet, and tastes like those long summer afternoons at the pool. It’s hard to beat the taste of nostalgia.

1. Orange 

We’ll be honest: we could’ve gone in a number of directions with this first-place pick. Several flavors were worthy of the title, and the choice was fraught. But Orange pulls through for one simple reason: it’s the best of the original six flavors by far. 

We think that standing the test of time like that means something. The five remaining flavors from the original six have all managed to do that, but Orange is the best of the bunch. 

It probably owes part of its success to the fact that orange is one of the easier artificial fruit flavors to get right, but it also has that wonderfully fake Sunny D flavor that feels like it might be a little bit habit-forming. 

While any top-five Kool-Aid flavor would’ve been a worthy winner, we think Orange, by virtue of its irresistible taste and longevity, is the best pick in the end.

You may never have thought about all the Kool-Aid flavors out there to be tried. That’s only natural: when you’re a kid, you tend to stick to the classics, the safe bets that parents buy when they’re stocking the pantry. But you might be surprised by the facelift your favorite childhood drink has gotten since you last tried it. 

Whether you’re loyal to your favorite classic flavor or love to try new things, there’s something among the best Kool-Aid flavors that’ll suit you just right. Our advice? Find your flavor and order a whole case online. You’re a grown-up now, after all. Isn’t that what adulthood is for? 

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.