Which sodas actually slush in a Ninja Slushi?
The most-asked question in our AI assistant: "will [my soda] freeze?" Short answer — anything at 11–13% sugar goes straight in; diet sodas need help. Full chart, fixes, and links below.
By SlushiGuide Editorial · Updated July 5, 2026
| Soda | Sugar / 12 oz | Brix | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
Coca-Cola Classic Pour and go. | 39 g | ~11% | ✅ Slushes |
Pepsi Pour and go. | 41 g | ~11% | ✅ Slushes |
Dr Pepper Pour and go. | 40 g | ~11% | ✅ Slushes |
Mountain Dew Optional splash of water if too sweet. | 46 g | ~13% | ✅ Slushes |
Mountain Dew Baja Blast The reference recipe — see below. Get the recipe → | 46 g | ~13% | ✅ Slushes |
Sprite / 7-Up Pour and go. | 38 g | ~11% | ✅ Slushes |
Fanta Orange Pour and go. | 44 g | ~12% | ✅ Slushes |
A&W Root Beer Delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. | 46 g | ~13% | ✅ Slushes |
Monster Energy (green) Cut with 20% water to soften caffeine intensity. | 54 g | ~13% | ✅ Slushes |
Red Bull (regular) Pour and go. Excellent vodka-Red-Bull slush base. | 27 g | ~11% | ✅ Slushes |
Sanpellegrino Aranciata Pour and go — Italian-cafe slush energy. | 35 g | ~11% | ✅ Slushes |
Fever-Tree Tonic (regular) Add 15 g sugar per 500 ml or splash of simple syrup. | 24 g | ~7% | ⚠️ Add sugar |
Ginger Beer (Fentimans / Bundaberg) Add 10 g sugar per 500 ml to reach 11% Brix. | 32 g | ~10% | ⚠️ Add sugar |
Kombucha (unflavored) Add 50 g sugar per 500 ml — kombucha alone won't freeze. | 6 g | ~2% | ⚠️ Add sugar |
Diet Coke / Coke Zero Add 60–80 g allulose per litre. See our sugar-free guide. | 0 g | ~0% | ❌ Won't freeze |
Diet Pepsi / Pepsi Zero Same fix as Diet Coke — allulose only. | 0 g | ~0% | ❌ Won't freeze |
Diet Mountain Dew 60–80 g allulose per litre. Sucralose alone won't help. | 0 g | ~0% | ❌ Won't freeze |
Sparkling water (LaCroix, Bubly) Not a slush base — use as a mixer with syrup/purée. | 0 g | ~0% | ❌ Won't freeze |
Why diet sodas won't freeze
The Ninja Slushi doesn't chill to true freezer temperature — it targets around −2°C (28°F). Regular sodas contain ~11% dissolved sugar, which drops the freezing point enough that ice crystals form but stay separated → slush. Diet sodas contain essentially zero sugar, so at −2°C they behave like plain water: they freeze into a solid block that the auger can't cut through, and the machine error-stops.
Sucralose, aspartame, and stevia sweeten but don't depress the freezing point — you need bulk sugar (or a sugar analogue like allulose) for that. See our sugar-free Slushi guide for the exact allulose ratios.
How to fix a diet soda in 30 seconds
- 1. Measure: 1 litre (33.8 oz) of your diet soda.
- 2. Add: 70 g of allulose (about 1/3 cup). Whisk until dissolved — allulose dissolves cold, so no simmering needed.
- 3. Optional: a tablespoon of lemon juice keeps the flavor from tasting flat.
- 4. Pour into the Slushi on Slush mode. 55–60 minutes to soft slush.
Verify the math with our slush calculator or ask the AI assistant about any specific soda not on the chart.