Low-calorie non-alcoholic drinks in a can are a great way to enjoy the sunshine - and watch your alcohol and calorie intake. Each drink on our list is a delicious alternative to boozy cocktails, beers, and wines, with under 150 calories per serving.
There are plenty of zero-alcohol or low-alcohol by volume (low ABV) drinks out there that you can enjoy - the best alcohol alternatives sit among them. But if you're watching what you're drinking for weight loss purposes, it can be hard to choose the right one. While they might be low in alcohol, they are not always low in sugar or additives.
You can have the best of both worlds though, with seltzers, spritzers, and mocktails from brands like Red Bull, Brewdog and Remedy Drinks coming in at just a tiny fraction of your daily calorie count.
Low-calorie non-alcoholic drinks in a can
Under 100 calories
I've historically always turned a mocktail down - they tend to be too sweet for me. But you don't have to miss out on your favourite low-calorie cocktails with Mocktails' delicious Mockscow Mule (94 calories per serving) and Mockarita (78 calories per serving). This pick of the best low-calorie non-alcoholic drinks tastes tart and fresh, so much so that I had to check it wasn't the real thing.
There's nothing quite like the fresh taste of orange to get me in the mood for the sun so I couldn't miss San Pellegrino's sparkling orange off our list. With real busts of orange and a recognizably crisp flavour, I haven't found flavoured sparkling water that ticks the boxes like this one. Just 64 calories, no alcohol. This also makes for a great mixer for low-calorie vodka if you're not sticking to the alcohol-free variety.
Matcha made it onto our list of the best healthy alternatives to coffee for its punchy flavour and effects. PerfectTed's Matcha energy drink in pear ginger is another great way to experience the full naturally caffeinated benefits of the tea. It's a good option if you want to try something new, at just 52 calories per 250ml serving.
The blood orange flavour should give this brand its name, as these premium soft drinks are just that. It's comparable to a Campari spritz or negroni with a not-unpleasant medicinal ring to the taste. At 50 calories, Punchy is one for those who want a drink with flare. The variety pack includes other exciting flavours.
Even when I am drinking, this is my go-to beer. At 0.5% ABV, it has the same amount of alcohol in it as some bananas and bread, believe it or not! So, it's still classed as a zero-alcohol beverage. Lighter than other lagers and with a punchy taste, making it the perfect pick for cooling down this summer. Easily enjoyable at 53 calories per 330ml.
In 2024, Days' Pale Ale is perhaps one of the most popular non-alcoholic beers around with 0.0% ABV. While Lucky Saint has a better taste, in my opinion, this is a great option for those who want a totally alcohol-free beer. At 73 calories per can, it's also one of the lowest in calories. It's also made with all vegan ingredients.
Under 50 calories
Red Bull has entered a new era! The Pink Edition combines red fruit flavours with light notes of verbena to create the perfect replacement for your cocktail or fruity cider in this new low-calorie, non-alcoholic drink in a can. It has a kick of caffeine, niacin, and vitamin B6, so it can help you keep up all afternoon, and there are only 4.5 calories per can.
Designed to help you relax without alcohol with the addition of nootropics, Impossibrew offers several different types of non-alcoholic beers. The lager is my favourite with just 49 calories per can. There's also the Impossibrew Pale Ale if a hazy beer is more your style.
With its uniquely smooth grapefruit twist, Brewdog's alcohol-free Elvis Juice didn't escape our notice. At just 26 calories per can, it's a great option for those who love a fruity IPA but don't want the alcohol. Whether you're drinking it as your first of the night or switching it up with alcoholic varieties, you won't notice the difference.
It's almost impossible to find a brand that could replicate a good spritz, alcohol-free and under 50 calories, but Nuisance came the closest with their incredible range. It doesn't quite match up flavour-wise but it has a recognisably refreshing taste and pinkish colour that makes it a winner in my books. And at 50 calories per can, it's one of the lowest.
While I've been aware of the many benefits of CBD, having tried oil drops and gummies, drinks were new to me. At first, I wondered if 'lightly sparkling' was code for 'slightly flat' but this is exactly how I'd describe it - like still water but with a kick. At 21 calories per can, TRIP's CBD peach ginger flavour is the highlight of the lot.
If you like your "lightly sparkling" water without CBD, I'd suggest going for Humble Warrior's tropical pineapple ginger drink. Flavour-wise, they're relatively similar with strong tropical notes coming through as you sip. It's also one of our lowest-calorie non-alcoholic drinks in a can at just 20 calories per serving.
I like to think of Dalston's as the craft beer of the soft drink world. You could get a standard soft drink like you get a normal lager, but why? When at just 46 calories a can you could have a significantly better experience. This elderflower flavor is particularly juicy and refreshing, ideal for those who love a flavored G&T.
Remedy Drinks' Kombucha Tea was one of the alternative soft drinks I started having long before I switched to low-cal, low/no-alcohol. They have exciting flavors like cherry plum, ginger lemon, and peach, which offer a sweet twist to counteract the kombucha fizz. At just 7 calories per can, this is also the option with the lowest calories.
Choosing low-cal/no- or low-alcohol doesn't mean you have to ditch that post-Paloma feeling. While it doesn't have the kick of tequila like a classic Paloma, this grapefruit-infused soda takes you more than halfway there with its punchy flavour. Best served over ice, if you can.
Does non-alcoholic beer have alcohol in it?
Occasionally, yes, but you can still enjoy the benefits of not drinking alcohol. Beers that are labeled as 'alcohol-free' are legally allowed to contain up to 0.05% alcohol in the UK, while low-alcohol beers like Lucky Saint are typically de-alcoholized so they contain no more than 0.5% alcohol.
According to a review in the Food Engineering Journal, manufacturers have two ways of reducing the alcohol content in beer. They can either remove the ethanol from the finished product, or they can make sure that alcohol doesn't form during the brewing process.
While it's very easy to create alcohol-free cocktails, otherwise known as 'mocktails', creating truly alcohol-free beer is difficult because ethanol (the scientific name for alcohol) forms as a natural part of the brewing process. So these two processes to reduce the alcohol content in beer can vary in their success.
