Don't Quit! Protein Soda Review: Less Protein, Better Soda
Protein: 15g whey protein isolate
Can size: 12 oz
Sugar: 0g
Caffeine: None
Price: ~$2.50 per can at publication (~6 g protein per dollar)
Flavors: Root Beer, Orange, Grape, Fruit Punch
The Strategy: Taste First, Grams Second
Don't Quit! is Jake Steinfeld's brand (Body by Jake), and its soda line makes the opposite bet from Bucked Up. Instead of maxing protein, it caps at 15 grams and spends its effort making the can taste like the sodas people actually miss: root beer, orange, grape. No candy-shop flavor names, no caffeine, zero sugar.
Published testing says the bet paid off. Tasting Table put Don't Quit! Root Beer at number one of eleven protein sodas, writing that it could swap with any sugar-free root beer unnoticed, with no fake-sweetener aftertaste. The Orange took fourth and was described as a dead ringer for classic orange soda. The Grape landed mid-pack there and got 6.5 out of 10 from Sporked, which compared it to fizzy Welch's with the tannic dryness working in its favor. Fruit Punch was the runt of the litter, tenth of eleven at Tasting Table, more energy-drink-vague than soda.
The Honest Trade-Off
15 grams is a snack, not a meal. If your target is 30 to 40 grams post workout, this can is half a serving and you will pay soda prices twice. The right frame: Don't Quit! is a soda replacement that happens to carry protein, not a protein delivery vehicle. Judged that way, roughly 6 grams per dollar while actually enjoying the drink is a fair deal, and better math than Barebells or Waay.
Who Should Buy It
Pros
- Root Beer won Tasting Table's 11-soda test outright
- Classic soda flavors that read as soda, not supplement
- Zero sugar, zero caffeine
- Cheapest per-can entry point here (~$2.50)
Cons
- 15g protein per can, half of what Bucked Up offers
- Fruit Punch is the consensus weak flavor
- In-store distribution still catching up to Walmart and Amazon online
Verdict: The pick if you are weaning off regular soda and want protein as a bonus. Start with Root Beer. If you need maximum grams per can or per dollar, the Bucked Up review is where to go next, or see them head to head in Bucked Up vs Don't Quit!.