Quick Answer
Fanta Vanilla Cherry Spritz is a new Coca-Cola fountain soda created exclusively for Noodles and Company. It launches July 1, 2026 at participating Noodles and Company locations across the United States, available in both regular and Zero Sugar versions, in time for National Mac and Cheese Month.
The flavor is built to balance the rich creamy cheeses on the Noodles and Company Mac menu, with a profile that blends cherry, smooth vanilla and a crisp citrus finish.
Where It Came From
According to a press release on the Noodles and Company investor relations site and follow up coverage from Allrecipes, QSR Magazine and Trend Hunter, Coca-Cola developed Fanta Vanilla Cherry Spritz as a menu paired soda, the same playbook PepsiCo has used for years with Taco Bell. The hook is that Noodles and Company is the only major chain with a dedicated Mac menu, so the Coca-Cola flavor team built a soda specifically to cut through the cheese.
The brand is calling the soda its "perfect pairing" for the Creamy Cheddar Mac and Cheese, the chain's signature item. The launch lines up with National Mac and Cheese Month, which runs through July, and with National Mac and Cheese Day on July 14.
What It Tastes Like
Based on the official ingredient profile and early tasting notes from Allrecipes and Trend Hunter, the flavor blends:
- A Fanta style cherry base for sweetness and color
- A vanilla note layered over the top for smoothness
- A bright citrus finish that keeps the drink from feeling syrupy alongside cheese
The combination is closer to a cherry vanilla cream soda than to classic Fanta Orange. Coca-Cola designed the citrus lift specifically because cheese sauces sit heavy on the palate, and a flat sweet soda would compete with the dish instead of cleansing.
How to Try It
Fanta Vanilla Cherry Spritz is fountain only and Noodles and Company exclusive. You cannot buy it in cans, in two liter bottles or at any other restaurant. To order, dine in or pick up at any participating Noodles and Company location starting July 1, 2026 and select the new flavor on the smart fountain dispenser. Both regular and Zero Sugar pour from the same machine.
Delivery and online ordering customers can usually request the soda as the drink option on their Mac entree combo. The soda is offered as a limited time pairing tied to National Mac and Cheese Month, so it is positioned as a promotional flavor rather than a permanent menu addition.
Mac and Cheese Month Deals
Noodles and Company is stacking the soda launch with a National Mac and Cheese Month promotion. The headline offer, per the chain's announcement and QSR Magazine, is a Rewards member discount of 50 percent off Mac and Cheese entrees on National Mac and Cheese Day, July 14, 2026, alongside additional in app offers across the month.
Combining a Mac and Cheese entree with the new soda is the cheapest way to actually taste the intended pairing, since the soda was tuned to balance the chain's signature dish.
Why Restaurant Exclusive Sodas Are a Thing
The Fanta Vanilla Cherry Spritz launch follows a well established pattern in fast casual dining. Pepsi's long running exclusive flavors at Taco Bell, Coca-Cola's special blends at certain Five Guys locations and Dr Pepper's restaurant partnerships all rely on the same idea: a soda you can only get at one chain becomes a small reason to choose that chain over a competitor, and a low cost way to create social media moments around a launch.
For Coca-Cola, it also lets the company test a flavor profile in the real world without committing to a national retail rollout. If the cherry vanilla spritz is a hit, expect to see the formula reappear elsewhere in the lineup, possibly as a limited edition can.
How It Compares to Other Cherry Vanilla Sodas
Cherry vanilla is a crowded category. Dr Pepper Cherry Vanilla, Coca-Cola Cherry Vanilla and various craft soda labels all play in the same space. What is different here is the citrus finish, which is lighter and more lemon lime forward than the cola or pepper based competition, and the fountain delivery, which keeps carbonation higher than a canned soda would.
Bottom Line
Fanta Vanilla Cherry Spritz is a Coca-Cola fountain exclusive built for Noodles and Company's mac menu. Available starting July 1, 2026, in both regular and Zero Sugar, with a 50 percent off mac promotion on July 14 for Rewards members. If you like cherry vanilla sodas and you have a Noodles and Company nearby, it is worth a stop during Mac and Cheese Month.
