Obviously, Dr Pepper doesn’t grow on trees. The soda is made up of a mysterious mix of flavors, both natural and artificial. So, what are the 23 flavors in Dr Pepper?
We should admit that this is purely guesswork. Dr Pepper hasn’t officially released their 23-flavor formula. However, these are the most popular guesses by soda super fans.
As we speak, I’m swirling a glass of Dr Pepper like it’s wine. And you know what? I am picking up on some notes of vanilla.
It’s really subtle. I might’ve picked up on it because I was seeking it out. Their Vanilla Float flavor has tons of vanilla, though.
Apparently, this is a big source of debate. Some people like to argue that Dr Pepper has almond-y undertones, usually in opposition to cherry.
Well, why not both? We’re talking about 23 different flavors here. It’s totally plausible that almond is one of them. So stand down, Team Cherry.
If you’re allergic to almonds and this worries you, you should steer clear. Unless you’ve tried it and nothing happened. Then it probably doesn’t have almonds.
Amaretto is an Italian liqueur that owes much of its flavor to bitter almonds. However, this isn’t a solely almond-flavored drink. Other ingredients distinguish it.
Amaretto is its own unique flavor, though there are different variations. Overall, the drink tends to straddle the line between bitter and sweet, favoring the latter.
This flavor might actually be in Dr Pepper’s 23 ingredients. People make faux Dr Pepper cocktails by combining amaretto and Coca-Cola, among other things.
Dr Pepper might have cinnamon flavors. If you’re looking for cinnamon soda, though, then you should probably opt for a Mr. Pibb. Its cinnamon flavor is more distinct.
You can make knockoff Dr Pepper at home using cinnamon. The fact that cinnamon helps you mimic Dr Pepper’s taste is a good indicator that it’s in there.
Still…I’m not entirely convinced. If Dr Pepper had more of a kick then I might believe it, but it just doesn’t. It’s too sweet.
Redditors have claimed that Dr Pepper tastes like bleach and black licorice. We don’t agree on the former, but they’re onto something with the licorice part.
If this is true, it wouldn’t be surprising. There’s been crossover between Dr Pepper and licorice candy in the past. In 2019, they released Dr Pepper licorice twists.
Even if Dr Pepper turns out to be devoid of black licorice flavoring, you can still try its licorice candy. Wait, actually, they’re discontinued. Never mind.
Clove is a bittersweet, warm spice, akin to cinnamon. It’s not something you’d eat straight. Often, it’s one component of a spice mixture, like pumpkin spice flavoring.
Now, Dr Pepper tastes nothing like pumpkin spice. But that doesn’t mean that cloves haven’t been added to the mixture, giving the soda an edge.
That’s the thing, though. Dr Pepper doesn’t really have that much of an edge. I struggle to believe that it has cinnamon, let alone cloves.
I’m on board with this one. It’s unlikely that Dr Pepper’s dark color comes from molasses, but it does help convince me that molasses is in there somewhere.
You’ve probably never had molasses straight up, but you’ve definitely tasted it before. It’s one of the defining ingredients in gingerbread cookies. You can’t make them without it.
Dr Pepper doesn’t taste like gingerbread, though it does have a certain undertone that can only be attributed to molasses. It’s uniquely sweet. It lingers on your tongue.
I have no idea what people are talking about with this one. It’s a popular guess, but I can’t understand why for the life of me.
Close your eyes. Think of a lemon. What’s the first thing that comes to mind, other than the color yellow? Yeah, it’s the sour taste.
What about Dr Pepper says “sour”? There isn’t even the slightest undertone of lemon in your average bottle of Dr Pepper. You must be drinking something else.
Plums are a lot more likely than lemons. I can kind of see artificial plum flavoring being part of Dr Pepper’s secret formula, but just barely.
Plums have a tartness to them that Dr Pepper just doesn’t have. They might be in Dr Pepper, if someone took away the sour and left the sweet.
I’ll give this guess a solid maybe. I can’t tell if Dr Pepper actually has plum flavoring, or if my senses are now skewed from thinking about plums.
Contrary to popular belief, allspice isn’t a big mixture of every warm spice known to man. It’s made from a berry native to Central America and Mexico.
Weirdly, I think allspice is more likely than cinnamon or cloves. Though it has a stronger, more distinctive taste, I think Dr Pepper might have traces of it.
It’s not like Dr Pepper is bland. There’s a really slight kick to it. Personally, I think traces of allspice are more likely than large amounts of cinnamon.
If I had a hankering for ginger-flavored soda, I’d go for a ginger ale or a ginger beer. I would not go for a Dr Pepper.
Why? Because Dr Pepper tastes absolutely nothing like ginger. I mean, your average ginger ale doesn’t either, but at least it’s more than Dr Pepper.
I’m sticking by my theory that the (very, very) slight kick in Dr Pepper is from allspice. Ginger has nothing to do with it.
I’m on board the blackberry train. I think it’s incredibly likely that blackberry is one of the 23 flavors in Dr Pepper. Its subtle sweetness rounds it out.
Now, I don’t think Dr Pepper tastes strongly of blackberry, but nothing does. Blackberry is the perfect complementary flavor. A hint of blackberry can make or break something.
With that being said, I think that blackberry makes Dr Pepper. Team Blackberry is onto something. They’re going to be proven right someday.
Caramel is one of those flavors that I’m on the fence about. I mean, I love it as is, but I’m unsure if it’s actually in Dr Pepper.
See, caramel has a distinct taste. You can’t mistake it for anything else. There could be traces of it in Dr Pepper, but they’ve got to be faint.
Dr Pepper is confirmed to have caramel color, if that counts. That could be why people think there’s caramel flavoring somewhere in there, too.
I think it’s unlikely that apricot is one of the 23 flavors in Dr Pepper, even if it’s a popular guess. Still, people might be onto something.
Remember the amaretto flavor rumor? Well, almonds aren’t the only ingredient in this liqueur. Apricot kernels also feature in certain amaretto recipes.
Apricot flavoring on its own might not be as likely, but amaretto certainly is. It’s possible that those notes of apricot are from the amaretto.
Coca-Cola isn’t the only kind of cola out there. Cola is actually a specific type of soda with its own unique flavor, namely vanilla and cinnamon (per InterExchange).
Out of all the flavors here, cola is one of the most likely. If there’s any cinnamon at all in Dr Pepper, it probably comes from cola.
Dr Pepper has a more unique tase than Coke and other colas. Still, I don’t think that means that cola doesn’t play a part in its production.
A surprising amount of people think that juniper is one of the 23 flavors in Dr Pepper. It has a strong spice, so I’m on the fence.
I’ve already gone on at length about Dr Pepper’s lack of spice. However, there’s something about Dr Pepper that has me partially convinced there’s juniper in it.
Juniper plants are evergreens, and have a pine-y smell. There’s an underlying freshness in both Dr Pepper’s smell and taste that could be attributed to juniper.
If you didn’t know, prunes are dried plums. Like many other dried fruits, they taste a bit different from their original, more fresh form.
Prunes, for instance, are generally sweeter than plums. I doubt that Dr Pepper would use both prune and plum flavoring, so I’m treating this as either/or.
I think it’s more likely that Dr Pepper has prune flavoring. It has virtually no tartness whatsoever, which rules out plums in my book.
Listen. I know it’s called “Dr Pepper.” I know that might’ve confused you. But I really, really do not understand where people are coming from with this one.
I can see a warm, bittersweet spice being added to the formula for a kick. The kick is barely there, but I can see it. But pepper?
No way. I can’t taste or smell it no matter how hard I try. If there is pepper, it can’t be more than half a peppercorn.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I can totally taste the raspberry flavoring in Dr Pepper. In my opinion, it’s one of the most prominent.
Of course, it’s not so prominent that it overpowers every other flavor. Dr Pepper is by no means a raspberry soda, but it’s in there.
That special raspberry tanginess doesn’t shine through as much, though that’s unsurprising. The raspberry flavor is probably one of the artificial ones. Still, I can taste it.
This seems like it’s just wishful thinking. I’m a big tomato fan, but even I can’t see where people are coming from with this.
If Dr Pepper does have tomato flavor, I have a question for them: why? Is it to round out the taste and make it less sweet?
Hold on. Let me take another sip. Okay, I can kind of taste the tomato now. I really don’t know what to think anymore.
Maybe I can trick myself into thinking that there’s tomatoes in Dr Pepper. But there’s absolutely no way that I can convince myself that there’s carrots in this.
Is it artificial or natural carrot flavor? What does artificial carrot flavor even taste like? Does it taste like carrot cake or something like that?
If it does, there’s no way it’s one of the 23 flavors in Dr Pepper. I mean, stranger things have happened, but I’m more inclined towards the tomatoes.
This is an uncommon guess, though there are some cardamom truthers out there. If you’ve ever had Thai iced tea, you’re familiar with it.
A lot of people might doubt that there’s any cardamom in here. It’s not as popular a guess as amaretto is, that’s for sure.
As for me, I’m still not entirely sure. I do think it’s possible. Actually, I’m going to say yes, because I think it would be cool.
If Dr Pepper’s 23 flavors include any citrus, it’ll be orange. Orange isn’t as sour as lemons and doesn’t have limes’ bitter aftertaste. It’s all sweetness.
With a drink as sweet as Dr Pepper, it’s likely that oranges are part of their secret formula. At least, a type of orange flavoring.
If Dr Pepper ever reveals the full list of mystery flavors, I’d be willing to bet that orange is on it. The raspberry/blackberry/orange fusion is palpable.
So, what do you think? Are you absolutely convinced that Dr Pepper has carrots in it? Or are you just as confused as I am?
Ultimately, this experience has been enlightening. If I learned anything, it’s that you can convince yourself that Dr Pepper has any flavor you want it to.
Besides lemons. I’m sorry, I just don’t see (or taste) it. If you want more content like this, you should check out our blog!
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