Guide
The 2026 crafted soda trend, explained
Why dirty and crafted sodas went mainstream in 2025 and 2026: McDonald's, KFC, Dunkin', Arby's, Taco Bell and more, the cold foam and boba building blocks, and how to make them at home.
What happened
In 2025 and 2026, specialty soda went from regional shops to national menus. KFC launched a peaches-and-cream Mountain Dew Sweet Lightning soda on June 9, 2025, pitched directly at the "viral dirty soda trend". Taco Bell took Refrescas nationwide on June 26, 2025 and kept growing its drinks-first Live Más Café. In 2026 the floodgates opened: Burger King (March), Saucy by KFC (April 6), Dunkin' (April 29), McDonald's (May 6, three crafted sodas and three refreshers) and Arby's (August, Shirley 'n Cream).
Why now
Drinks are an affordable treat, a reason to visit, and high-margin. Taco Bell has said it wants $5 billion in beverage sales by 2030. Coverage from Nation's Restaurant News notes that Swig, the Utah chain credited with popularizing the style, grew sales nearly 50% year over year in 2024.
The building blocks
Three ingredients define the 2026 wave: vanilla cold foam on top, popping boba for texture, and freeze-dried fruit for color and crunch. Nostalgic bases (Shirley Temple, peaches and cream, creamsicle) are the flavor theme of the year.
Make the trend at home
Our recipes use generic names and grocery ingredients. Start with a vanilla cold foam spiced cherry cola, an orange-vanilla cream soda, a Dirty Shirley, or a berry lemon-lime with boba. See who sells what in our chain tracker.
Recipes to try
FAQ
Is a crafted soda the same as a dirty soda?
Close cousins. Dirty sodas mix cream in; crafted sodas usually top the drink with cold foam.
Which fast-food chains sell dirty soda?
As of October 2026: McDonald's, KFC, Saucy by KFC, Taco Bell (Live Más Café), Burger King, Dunkin', Arby's and Buffalo Wild Wings, plus soda-shop chains like Swig, Sodalicious and FiiZ. Many items are limited-time. See our tracker.
Is this site affiliated with any chain?
No. We're an independent recipe site and game.
Sources
More guides
Independent site; not affiliated with any restaurant or soda brand. Brand names are used only to report news and describe ingredients. Spot an error or a new launch? Tell us.
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