The Shirley Temple got a glow-up. The maraschino-cherry mocktail your grandparents ordered you at restaurants is now the biggest trend in the healthy soda aisle — first as a viral DIY recipe all over TikTok, and now as an official canned flavor from Poppi, Olipop, and Bloom Pop, all racing to own the nostalgia.
This guide covers both paths: the two-minute homemade Poppi Shirley Temple (the version that went viral), and an honest comparison of the canned Shirley Temples if you’d rather skip the assembly.
The Viral Poppi Shirley Temple Recipe
The genius of this recipe is what it removes. A traditional Shirley Temple is ginger ale or Sprite plus grenadine — roughly 45 grams of sugar in one glass, more than a can of Coke. The Poppi version keeps the look, the cherry flavor, and the ceremony, at around 7–9 grams of sugar total.
Ingredients (makes 1):
- 1 can Poppi Cherry Limeade (or Raspberry Rose — both work beautifully)
- 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice, straight from the cherry jar (this replaces grenadine)
- Juice of ¼ lime
- 2–3 maraschino cherries
- Ice, and a splash of sparkling water if you like it taller
Instructions:
- Fill a glass with ice — a stemmed glass if you’re doing it for the camera, which, let’s be honest, is half the point.
- Pour the Poppi over the ice.
- Add the tablespoon of cherry juice and the lime squeeze. Watch it sink and swirl — that pink gradient is the TikTok money shot.
- Drop in the cherries. Give it one gentle stir.
Nutrition per serving (approx.): 40 calories, 8g sugar, 2g fiber. A restaurant Shirley Temple runs 150–180 calories and 40+ grams of sugar, so you’re cutting sugar by roughly 80% while keeping the exact drink you remember.
Two upgrades worth trying: a splash of tart cherry juice instead of maraschino juice deepens the cherry flavor and cuts the candy sweetness, and a rim of lime-zest sugar makes it party-worthy. If you want it even lower in sugar, use fresh lime and skip the cherry juice — the cherries alone carry the flavor.
Or Skip the Recipe: The Canned Shirley Temples, Compared
The brands noticed the trend. There are now three major canned “healthy” Shirley Temples on shelves, and they are not created equal.
| Poppi Shirley Temple | Olipop Shirley Temple | Bloom Pop Shirley Temple | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | ~25–35 | ~35–50 | ~25 |
| Sugar | ≤5g | 2–5g | ~4g |
| Fiber | 2g | 6–9g | ~2g |
| Signature note | Bright grenadine-forward cherry, ginger ale undertone | More muted cherry, less candy-like | Newer entrant, softer carbonation |
| Best for | Tasting closest to the real thing | Fiber seekers | Trying something new |
In side-by-side taste tests, tasters consistently describe Poppi’s version as the closest match to an actual Shirley Temple — the bright cherry and crisp ginger-ale undertone are all there, though some find it leans heavy on the grenadine flavor. Olipop’s take is more restrained and less candy-sweet, and it wins on the numbers: several times the prebiotic fiber per can. Interestingly, people’s brand loyalty tends to predict their pick — Olipop devotees prefer Olipop’s version, Poppi fans prefer Poppi’s.
Our verdict: if you want the nostalgia hit, Poppi wins. If you want the fiber, Olipop wins. If you want the fun of building it yourself, the DIY recipe above beats both. For the deeper brand-vs-brand breakdown, see Olipop vs Poppi.
Why This Trend Actually Makes Sense
The Shirley Temple is the original “inclusion drink” — it exists so the kid at the table gets a fancy glass too. That’s exactly the job healthy sodas are doing for adults who quit regular soda or don’t drink alcohol: something festive to hold that isn’t a beer and isn’t a Coke. It’s the same reason the Poppi Shirley Temple took off as a “sober girl summer” and Dry January staple. If you’re cutting back on regular soda yourself, this drink is a genuinely useful tool — we cover the full playbook in how to stop drinking soda.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Poppi Shirley Temple have caffeine?
No. Poppi’s Shirley Temple flavor is caffeine-free, and the DIY version uses caffeine-free fruit flavors. (Only Poppi’s cola-style flavors contain caffeine — full list here.)
What’s the best Poppi flavor for a Shirley Temple?
Cherry Limeade is the classic base — the lime is already built in. Raspberry Rose makes a slightly more floral, “adult” version. Some people use Grape for a deeper red color, but the flavor drifts from the original.
Is a Shirley Temple with Poppi actually healthy?
Healthier, not health food. You’re swapping ~45g of sugar for ~8g and picking up a little prebiotic fiber. It’s a dramatically better choice than the traditional version, but it’s still a treat, not a supplement.
Can I make it with grenadine instead of cherry juice?
You can — it’ll taste the most traditional — but one tablespoon of grenadine adds about 10–13g of sugar and defeats most of the purpose. Maraschino cherry juice gets you 90% of the flavor at a third of the sugar.
Where can I buy the canned Poppi Shirley Temple?
Target, Walmart, most major grocery chains, and Amazon. It launched as a limited/seasonal release, so availability rotates — if it vanishes from shelves, the DIY recipe above is your year-round backup.
Building a healthier soda shelf? Start with our best healthy sodas guide, and see where every flavor lands in our Poppi flavors ranked list.
