Quick Answer
A 12oz can of Sprite is 140 calories, 38g sugar, 65mg sodium and no caffeine. Sprite Zero Sugar has 0 calories and 0 sugar, sweetened instead with aspartame and acesulfame potassium.
- That’s a full day of sugar. 38g is roughly 9 to 10 teaspoons, at or above the American Heart Association’s whole-day added-sugar limit in one can.
- No caffeine in either version, unlike Coke.
- Not healthier than Coke or 7UP. All three are within a gram of each other on sugar.
- PKU warning: Sprite Zero contains aspartame, so the can carries a phenylalanine notice.
Original Sprite Nutrition Facts (12 fl oz can)
| Nutrient | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 140 | — |
| Total Fat | 0 g | 0% |
| Sodium | 65 mg | 3% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 38 g | 14% |
| Sugars (all added) | 38 g | 76% |
| Protein | 0 g | — |
Ingredients: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate (to protect taste).
Sprite Zero Sugar Nutrition Facts (12 fl oz can)
| Nutrient | Amount | % DV |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 0 | — |
| Total Fat | 0 g | 0% |
| Sodium | 35 mg | 2% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0% |
| Sugars | 0 g | — |
| Protein | 0 g | — |
Ingredients: carbonated water, citric acid, potassium citrate, natural flavors, potassium benzoate (to protect taste), aspartame, acesulfame potassium. Because it contains aspartame, the can carries a phenylalanine warning for people with PKU.
Sprite vs Coke vs 7UP (per 12 fl oz)
| Drink | Calories | Sugar | Sodium | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprite | 140 | 38 g | 65 mg | 0 mg |
| Coca-Cola | 140 | 39 g | 45 mg | ~34 mg |
| 7UP | 140 | 38 g | 45 mg | 0 mg |
All three run about the same calories and sugar per can. The real differences are caffeine (Coke has it, the two lemon-lime sodas don’t) and sodium (Sprite runs slightly higher than the other two). None is meaningfully healthier than the others — they are all regular sugar-sweetened sodas at a near-identical sugar load. The same holds across the category, as our Mountain Dew nutrition breakdown shows at 46g per can.
How Much Sugar Is That, Really?
38g of sugar is about 9 to 10 teaspoons in one can. The American Heart Association recommends capping added sugar at about 25g a day for women and 36g a day for men, meaning a single can of Sprite meets or exceeds that limit on its own, before counting sugar from anything else eaten that day. Because it is all added sugar rather than sugar occurring naturally in a food, it counts fully against that cap.
Is Sprite Zero Sugar a Better Choice?
For calories and sugar, yes — zero of both. It swaps that for aspartame and acesulfame potassium, both FDA- and EFSA-approved within set daily intake limits. People with phenylketonuria (PKU) must avoid aspartame entirely; everyone else can treat it as a reasonable lower-sugar swap for regular soda, in the same category as other diet sodas. If you would rather avoid sweeteners altogether, sparkling water is the straightforward alternative — our Clear American sparkling water review covers what to look for.
Frequently Asked Questions
A standard 12 fl oz can of Sprite is 140 calories, all of it from 38g of added sugar. A 20oz bottle runs closer to 240 calories and about 64g of sugar, since it holds nearly 1.7 times as much.
An occasional can is not going to cause harm on its own. Drunk daily, the 38g of added sugar per can adds up quickly against recommended daily limits and contributes to the same risks as any regular soda: weight gain, dental issues, and higher added-sugar intake overall.
No. Neither Original Sprite nor Sprite Zero Sugar contains caffeine. This is the one genuine difference between Sprite and cola drinks like Coca-Cola, which carries about 34mg per 12oz can.
No single soda is meaningfully healthiest. Sprite, Coke and 7UP all carry a near-identical sugar load per can. Sprite’s one real advantage over cola drinks is having no caffeine, which matters if you are avoiding caffeine specifically, not because it is lower in sugar or calories.
No. Only Sprite Zero Sugar and other Zero variants are sugar-free. Original Sprite, Sprite Lemonade and the flavored varieties all carry sugar comparable to regular soda.
Not meaningfully. Both have 140 calories and roughly 38 to 39g of sugar per 12oz can. The only real difference is that Sprite has no caffeine while Coke has a small amount, useful to know if you are avoiding caffeine, not a health advantage either way.
Related Reading
- Mountain Dew Nutrition Facts — a higher-sugar soda compared.
- Is Clear American Sparkling Water Healthy? — the zero-sugar alternative.
- Vitamin Water Zero Nutrition Facts — another zero-calorie drink examined.
- Fast Food & Brand Nutrition Facts: The Complete Guide — every brand we have broken down.
Sources
- Coca-Cola published product and nutrition information for Sprite and Sprite Zero Sugar (US formulations).
- American Heart Association — Added Sugars (about 25g a day for women, 36g for men). heart.org
- US FDA — Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels (basis for all % DV figures). fda.gov
Formulations differ between countries, so check the label where you are. Written and fact-checked by the HealthCoachJP editorial team, following our editorial process. No clinician has reviewed this article. This page is general nutrition information, not medical advice. Last updated: August 2026.
