KFC and Mountain Dew’s Latest Dirty Soda Sounds Like Sunshine in a Drink

The “dirty soda” trend is alive and kicking — and this time around, it has a distinctly summertime twist.

Peaches and Cream Mountain Dew is coming to a KFC near you, the fried chicken chain confirmed on Thursday. Sweet Lightning Mountain Dew, a KFC-exclusive soda that first appeared on menus in 2019, is getting a modern update with an added swirl of sweet vanilla cream. The new Mountain Dew Sweet Lightning Peaches and Cream soda resembles a sweet honey creamsicle — just without all the sticky mess when it melts.

“Leaning into the viral dirty soda trend popular among Gen Z and Millennials, this bold new flavor hits restaurants starting June 9,” the chain shared in the announcement. “For an extra twist, customers can add a vanilla cream swirl to elevate every sip.”

What exactly makes a soda dirty? While there’s no clear-cut recipe for this unusual pairing, most beverages consist of a carbonated soft drink, cream, and a variety of syrups. As niche as it sounds, Mountain Dew isn’t the first brand to mix bubbly soda with coffee creamer. 

Earlier this year, Tex-Mex competitor Taco Bell introduced the Dirty Mountain Dew Baja Blast by adding a splash of vanilla cream to its signature beverage. Both KFC and Taco Bell are subsidiaries of Yum! Brands — a Kentucky-based company that owns many of America’s most popular fast-food chains — which may provide insight into the industry’s overall strategy. 

Meanwhile, pizza chain Papa John’s recently raised eyebrows with its wildly polarizing Cini Dirty Soda. This “bold twist” on the trend combines pepperoncini flavoring, sweet cream, and tangy citrus in one fizzy drink. 

Now, let’s get back to that Sweet Lightning Peaches and Cream launch: It’s only available for a limited time — while supplies last, as the KFC team tells us — and prices vary by location. If you’re looking for something to complement all that citrusy goodness, KFC recommends turning it into a meal with the Fill Ups meal deals. 

Across the nation, independent specialty shops have opened their doors (and their free-flowing soda fountains) to attract the curiosity surrounding the dirty soda trend. Many pinpoint the Utah-based chain Swig as the originator of this movement, especially following the brand’s cameo in Hulu’s hit Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. CoolSips, a similarly modern spin on the classic soda shop, operates three locations in Manhattan for the East Coast crowd.

Some days, however, all your heart desires is the soothing nostalgia of a drive-thru order. With KFC’s refreshing soda and the creamy Baja Blast, it seems that dirty soda’s novelty hasn’t yet faded.