Is Orange Juice Healthier Than Soda?

Short answer: Raw orange juice and regular cola have similar energy per equal volume. Both supply free sugars; juice does not retain the fiber of a whole orange. A smaller glass should not be mistaken for a lower-calorie drink.

Selected foods: Orange juice and Cola. These specific preparations are compared below.

Which to pick for your goal

If you want	Better pick	The numbers
Fewer calories	About the same	orange juice 47 kcal, soda 44 kcal per 100 ml
Less sugar	About the same	orange juice 8.8 g, soda 10 g per 100 ml
Overall (Nutri-Score)	Orange Juice	C vs E

Small differences count as a tie: a few calories or a few tenths of a gram won't change your day.

Nutrition side by side, per 100 ml

Per 100 ml	Orange Juice	Soda
Calories	47 kcal	44 kcal
Protein	0.7 g	0 g
Fat	0.2 g	0.3 g
incl. saturated	0 g	0 g
Total carbohydrates	11 g	11 g
incl. sugars	8.8 g	10 g
incl. fiber	0.2 g	0 g
Salt	0 g	0 g
Nutri-Score	C	E

Rounded values from exact USDA records (see * Data and sources below). Different brands, cuts and recipes can have different values. Diary food cards and the alternative versions below retain their own typical recipes.

For the same amount: 240 ml

Equal amount	Orange Juice	Soda
Calories	113 kcal	105 kcal
Protein	1.8 g	0 g
incl. saturated	0.1 g	0 g
incl. sugars	21 g	25 g
incl. fiber	0.5 g	0 g

In a typical serving

One serving	Orange Juice	Soda
Serving	cup, 240 ml (8.1 fl oz)	can, 330 ml (11 fl oz)
Calories	113 kcal	144 kcal
Protein	1.8 g	0 g
Sugars	21 g	34 g
Easy walking to burn it*	37 min	47 min

* For a 70 kg (154 lb) person; the app works it out for your weight and your activities.

Portion size usually moves the numbers more than the choice between two similar foods: a heaping serving of the “healthier” one can easily outweigh a modest serving of the other.

Blood sugar angle

Orange juice has 11 g of carbohydrate per 100 ml (8.8 g sugars, 0.2 g fiber); Soda has 11 g (10 g sugars, 0 g fiber). This table is not a measured glycemic-response comparison; the amount eaten and the rest of the meal matter. Glycemic index values vary by variety, ripeness and cooking, so treat any single number with caution — and eat either with vegetables and some protein.

Other versions: typical diary estimates

The first two rows repeat the selected USDA records; other rows are typical diary estimates, without an exact source-record match. The cut, fat level or recipe can change the result. Per 100 ml:

Per 100 ml	Calories	Protein	Sugars	Fiber	Nutri-Score
Orange Juice	47	0.7 g	8.8 g	0.2 g	C
Soda	44	0 g	10 g	0 g	E
Orange (per 100 g)	47	0.9 g	8.6 g	2.4 g	A
Apple juice	46	0.1 g	10 g	0.2 g	C
Zero-sugar cola	0.3	0 g	0 g	0 g	C

*Data and sources

Orange juice, raw (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) — USDA FDC 169098 (SR Legacy; published 4/1/2019).
Beverages, carbonated, cola, regular — USDA FDC 174852 (SR Legacy; published 4/1/2019).

Retrieved 2 October 2026. USDA composition is per 100 g; drink values per 100 ml use the record’s measured household weight, with the USDA customary cup of 236.6 ml. Displayed cup servings remain 240 ml. Carbohydrate includes fiber on this US site; salt is sodium × 2.5. The food records are historical reference values, not current brand guarantees.

WHO guideline on free sugars: honey, syrups and fruit-juice sugars count as free sugars. WHO guideline on saturated and trans fats: consider replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat.

FAQ

Which has fewer calories, orange juice or soda?

They're about the same: orange juice 47 kcal, soda 44 kcal per 100 ml. In a typical serving that's 113 kcal for orange juice (cup, 240 ml) and 144 kcal for soda (can, 330 ml).

Is orange juice or soda better for weight loss?

No single food makes you gain or lose weight — the day's total does. Gram for gram they're close in calories (orange juice 47 kcal, soda 44 kcal per 100 ml), so neither is a shortcut. The portion usually matters more: a typical serving of orange juice (cup, 240 ml) is 113 kcal, of soda (can, 330 ml) 144 kcal.

Which has less sugar, orange juice or soda?

About the same: orange juice 8.8 g, soda 10 g per 100 ml. A typical serving has 21 g of sugars for orange juice and 34 g for soda.

Does this comparison apply to every brand or recipe?

No. The main table uses the two specific USDA foods named and linked on this page. Fat level, ingredients, trimming, cooking and water content can change the result. Use the same amount for a fair comparison and check the label for the product you actually eat.

Log it and see your day

In Calories Not Count every food gets a Nutri-Score grade, a sugar–salt–fat–fiber traffic light, fair same-calorie swaps and the minutes of movement it costs for your weight and your activities — no scale needed. Goals like lower sugar, more protein or more omega-3 can be set in the diary, and swaps there are ranked for that goal.