Caffeine Free Pepsi has vanished from supermarket shelves. Online retailer like Amazon and Walmart have been out of stock for weeks. Many people are wondering if this is a shortage, or has it been discontinued.
Pepsi Caffeine Free is not permanently discontinued. There is a spike in demand for canned soft drinks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, there is a shortage of aluminum used for beverage cans. Most soft drink manufacturers have temporarily limited production of some products until the aluminum shortage is resolved.
Rest assured that Pepsi Caffeine Free will return soon. In the meantime, it may be possible to find it occasionally in supermarkets and online.
Where can I buy Caffeine Free Pepsi?
Walmart gets a high priority from manufacturers. So, their website is a good place to check for stock. As of 6/01/2021, Walmart was back in stock. Here is the link so you can check yourself
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Amazon also has pull with manufacturers, but they are also a marketplace. So, smaller vendors can jump in if they have any stock. On 10/23/2020, many of the items were back in stock. Here are the links:
- 12-pack on Amazon (in stock)
- 18-pack on Amazon (in stock)
- 24-pack on Amazon (in stock)
I checked Target’s website. They don’t seem to ship any sodas. You will need to go to your local Target to see if they have any.
Check for bottles (but not 2 liter) at your supermarket
Unfortunately, Pepsi discontinued the 2 liter bottles. So, you won’t find in big bottles. It is still sold in 6-packs of 16.9 oz bottles. I haven’t seen these online but you might find them in your supermarket.
There is a Facebook page to support bringing it back the 2 liter bottle.
Watch out for grocery delivery
Grocery delivery sites like Instacart and Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods often don’t have up-to-date information about stock on their websites. This means it may look like its in stock, when in fact it is not.
I recently tried to buy Pepsi Caffeine Free from Instacart through Target. The website said it was in stock, so I put it in my cart. The minimum order was $35 (I think) so I added a bunch of random stuff until I hit $35. Soon after I placed the order, I got a note from the shopper that everything was in stock, EXCEPT the Pepsi. Ugh.
Is Caffeine Free Coke available?
Nope. Caffeine Free Coke is suffering the same issue. Here is our article about why you also aren’t able to get Caffeine Free Coke.
If Coke Zero is an alternative for you, here is our full post on Coke Zero.
Diet Pepsi Caffeine Free
Diet Pepsi Caffeine Free is available if you can handle the artificial sweeteners. I know most of you are probably here because you can’t handle the artificial sweeteners or don’t like using them. This might be a good time to try something new, or try making your own using the recipe below.
Make your own!
If you can’t find your favorite caffeine free soda you can make your own.
Caffeine Free Cola Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 quart water
- 7 1/2 cups sugar about 2lbs
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 2 oranges, zest and juice
- 3 cinnamon sticks, broken or 1/4 tsp ground
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 slices fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp ground dried ginger
- 1/4 cup Kitchen Bouquet or other browning sauce
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add water, sugar, fruit zest, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg and ginger into a sauce pot over high heat. Bring to a boil for 1 minute and then turn off the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Add fruit juices, Kitchen Bouquet and vanilla.
- Strain mixture.
- To make a cola drink, add 1/2 cup of syrup to 1 1/2 cups carbonated water. Mix gently and add ice.
- Store leftover syrup in the refrigerator for two weeks.
Notes
Related Questions
No. There is no caffeine in Pepsi Caffeine Free.
This might sound like a silly question, but consider that decaffeinated tea and coffee both do contain a small amount caffeine. In the case of Pepsi Caffeine Free, there is none.
Yes, it should taste the same. The recipes for most soft drinks are highly guarded secrets, so we don’t know if the recipes are the same (minus the caffeine). If it tastes the same to you, great. If not, oh well.
The best source of official information is Pepsi’s website.