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The healthiest hard seltzer & rtd, ranked.

Hard seltzer is the category this site expected to dislike and does not. A 4.5% vodka seltzer with no sugar carries no congeners worth measuring, no tannins, no histamines and no sulfites, which on chemistry alone beats every wine, every beer above 4% and every aged spirit here. The catch is not in the can, it is that the can comes in twelves, and the canned cocktails on the same shelf at 12.5% are a different product wearing the same packaging.

Full Hard Seltzer & RTD category profile →

What is the healthiest hard seltzer & rtd?

A zero-sugar vodka seltzer is the lightest thing in this category and one of the lightest drinks on the whole site. Nutrl has no sugar at all and High Noon has two grams from real juice, both on a distilled vodka base at 4.5%, and both come to under 100 calories a can. White Claw and Truly are a shade behind only because they are built on a fermented sugar base rather than a distilled one, which is a small difference. The one to watch is the canned cocktail: Cutwater at 12.5% is roughly three seltzers in the same size can, with added sugar the seltzers do not have.

See the full ranking Calories and sugar Every metric compared
Category baseline chemistry
Congeners
Very Low
Histamines
Very Low
Polyphenols
Very Low
Sulfites
Very Low
Tannins
Very Low
Sugar
Low
Additives
Moderate

Hard Seltzer & RTD brands, lightest first

Tap any brand for full chemistry breakdown.

Filter

Showing all 16 hard seltzer & rtd brands.

  1. 1

    High Noon Vodka Seltzer

    Vodka seltzer
    4.5%
    Modesto, California
    2/10
    Rate it
  2. 2

    Nutrl Vodka Seltzer

    Vodka seltzer
    4.5%
    USA
    2/10
    Rate it
  3. 3

    Loverboy Sparkling Hard Tea

    Hard tea
    4.2%
    New York, New York
    3/10
    Rate it
  4. 4

    Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & Vodka

    Vodka iced tea
    4.5%
    Boston, Massachusetts
    3/10
    Rate it
  5. 5

    Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka

    Vodka iced tea
    4.5%
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    3/10
    Rate it
  6. 6

    Topo Chico Hard Seltzer

    Hard seltzer
    4.7%
    USA
    3/10
    Rate it
  7. 7

    Happy Dad Hard Seltzer

    Hard seltzer
    5%
    Santa Ana, California
    3/10
    Rate it
  8. 8

    Truly Hard Seltzer

    Sugar-brewed seltzer
    5%
    Boston, Massachusetts
    3/10
    Rate it
  9. 9

    Vizzy Hard Seltzer

    Hard seltzer
    5%
    USA
    3/10
    Rate it
  10. 10

    White Claw Hard Seltzer

    Sugar-brewed seltzer
    5%
    Chicago, Illinois
    3/10
    Rate it
  11. 11

    Simply Spiked Lemonade

    Spiked lemonade
    5%
    USA
    4/10
    Rate it
  12. 12

    Smirnoff Ice Original

    Flavored malt beverage
    4.5%
    USA
    5/10
    Rate it
  13. 13

    Mike's Hard Lemonade

    Flavored malt beverage
    5%
    Vancouver, Canada
    5/10
    Rate it
  14. 14

    Twisted Tea Original

    Malt-based hard iced tea
    5%
    Boston, Massachusetts
    5/10
    Rate it
  15. 15

    Toucan Margarita

    Ready-to-mix cocktail
    11.4%
    Dallas, Texas
    5/10
    Rate it
  16. 16

    Cutwater Lime Margarita

    Canned cocktail
    12.5%
    San Diego, California
    6/10
    Rate it

Hard Seltzer & RTD calories and sugar, by brand

Per 12oz serving, lightest first. Sugar is what separates these; ethanol calories track ABV alone.

Brand Sugar Carbs Cal
Nutrl Vodka Seltzer 0g 0g 88
Loverboy Sparkling Hard Tea 0g 2g 90
High Noon Vodka Seltzer 2g 2g 96
Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & Vodka 1g 2g 96
Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka 2g 2g 96
Topo Chico Hard Seltzer 2g 2g 100
Truly Hard Seltzer 1g 1g 102
Happy Dad Hard Seltzer 1g 2g 106
Vizzy Hard Seltzer 1g 2g 106
White Claw Hard Seltzer 2g 2g 106
Simply Spiked Lemonade 18g 19g 174
Twisted Tea Original 23.3g 25.9g 202

What makes one hard seltzer & rtd healthier than another

  • ▸Vodka-based beats sugar-brewed, slightly: rectified beats fermented
  • ▸Sugar is genuinely low in seltzers, 0 to 2g, and genuinely not in canned cocktails, spiked lemonades or malt iced teas
  • ▸Nutrition is printed on the can, which no other category here manages
  • ▸Seltzers are gluten-free; malt-based cans (Twisted Tea, Smirnoff Ice, Mike's) are brewed from barley
  • ▸Check the ABV before the flavour. 4.5% and 12.5% look identical on a shelf
  • ▸The format is the risk. Nothing about a cold 4.5% can paces you

Every hard seltzer & rtd scored on all of it

The criteria above are only useful if you can check them, so each one that varies between brands has its own column here. Lower is lighter in every column.

Swipe to compare one measure at a time

Hangover

Hangover index

1 / 12

Congener load and ethanol dose, scored 1 to 10.

  1. 1High Noon Vodka Seltzer2/10
  2. 1Nutrl Vodka Seltzer2/10
  3. 3Happy Dad Hard Seltzer3/10
  4. 3Loverboy Sparkling Hard Tea3/10
  5. 3Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & Vodka3/10
  6. 3Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka3/10
  7. 3Topo Chico Hard Seltzer3/10
  8. 3Truly Hard Seltzer3/10
  9. 3Vizzy Hard Seltzer3/10
  10. 3White Claw Hard Seltzer3/10
  11. 11Simply Spiked Lemonade4/10
  12. 12Mike's Hard Lemonade5/10
  13. 12Smirnoff Ice Original5/10
  14. 12Toucan Margarita5/10
  15. 12Twisted Tea Original5/10
  16. 16Cutwater Lime Margarita6/10

Mean chemistry load

2 / 12

Mean of the seven chemistry scores.

  1. 1High Noon Vodka Seltzer1.1/5
  2. 1Nutrl Vodka Seltzer1.1/5
  3. 3Happy Dad Hard Seltzer1.4/5
  4. 3Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka1.4/5
  5. 3Topo Chico Hard Seltzer1.4/5
  6. 3Truly Hard Seltzer1.4/5
  7. 3Vizzy Hard Seltzer1.4/5
  8. 3White Claw Hard Seltzer1.4/5
  9. 9Loverboy Sparkling Hard Tea1.6/5
  10. 9Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & Vodka1.6/5
  11. 11Simply Spiked Lemonade1.7/5
  12. 11Toucan Margarita1.7/5
  13. 13Mike's Hard Lemonade1.9/5
  14. 13Smirnoff Ice Original1.9/5
  15. 15Twisted Tea Original2.3/5
  16. 16Cutwater Lime Margarita2.4/5

Strength

3 / 12

Alcohol by volume as bottled.

  1. 1Loverboy Sparkling Hard Tea4.2%
  2. 2High Noon Vodka Seltzer4.5%
  3. 2Nutrl Vodka Seltzer4.5%
  4. 2Smirnoff Ice Original4.5%
  5. 2Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & Vodka4.5%
  6. 2Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka4.5%
  7. 7Topo Chico Hard Seltzer4.7%
  8. 8Happy Dad Hard Seltzer5%
  9. 8Mike's Hard Lemonade5%
  10. 8Simply Spiked Lemonade5%
  11. 8Truly Hard Seltzer5%
  12. 8Twisted Tea Original5%
  13. 8Vizzy Hard Seltzer5%
  14. 8White Claw Hard Seltzer5%
  15. 15Toucan Margarita11.4%
  16. 16Cutwater Lime Margarita12.5%

Calories per 12oz

4 / 12

Calculated for a 12oz pour, mixers excluded.

  1. 1Nutrl Vodka Seltzer88
  2. 2Loverboy Sparkling Hard Tea90
  3. 3High Noon Vodka Seltzer96
  4. 3Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & Vodka96
  5. 3Surfside Iced Tea + Vodka96
  6. 6Topo Chico Hard Seltzer100
  7. 7Truly Hard Seltzer102
  8. 8Happy Dad Hard Seltzer106
  9. 8Vizzy Hard Seltzer106
  10. 8White Claw Hard Seltzer106
  11. 11Simply Spiked Lemonade174
  12. 12Twisted Tea Original202
  13. Smirnoff Ice Original–
  14. Mike's Hard Lemonade–
  15. Toucan Margarita–
  16. Cutwater Lime Margarita–

Grain-free at source

5 / 12

Grain-free at source, or distilled from grain.

  1. Cutwater Lime MargaritaGrain-free
  2. Happy Dad Hard SeltzerGrain-free
  3. High Noon Vodka SeltzerGrain-free
  4. Loverboy Sparkling Hard TeaGrain-free
  5. Nutrl Vodka SeltzerGrain-free
  6. Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & VodkaGrain-free
  7. Surfside Iced Tea + VodkaGrain-free
  8. Topo Chico Hard SeltzerGrain-free
  9. Toucan MargaritaGrain-free
  10. Truly Hard SeltzerGrain-free
  11. Vizzy Hard SeltzerGrain-free
  12. White Claw Hard SeltzerGrain-free
  13. Mike's Hard LemonadeFrom grain
  14. Smirnoff Ice OriginalFrom grain
  15. Twisted Tea OriginalFrom grain
  16. Simply Spiked Lemonade–

Congeners

6 / 12

Fermentation byproducts, tied to hangover severity.

  1. 1High Noon Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  2. 1Nutrl Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  3. 1Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & VodkaVery Low
  4. 1Surfside Iced Tea + VodkaVery Low
  5. 5Happy Dad Hard SeltzerLow
  6. 5Loverboy Sparkling Hard TeaLow
  7. 5Mike's Hard LemonadeLow
  8. 5Simply Spiked LemonadeLow
  9. 5Smirnoff Ice OriginalLow
  10. 5Topo Chico Hard SeltzerLow
  11. 5Toucan MargaritaLow
  12. 5Truly Hard SeltzerLow
  13. 5Twisted Tea OriginalLow
  14. 5Vizzy Hard SeltzerLow
  15. 5White Claw Hard SeltzerLow
  16. 16Cutwater Lime MargaritaModerate

Histamines

7 / 12

Bacterial byproduct: flushing, headaches, congestion.

  1. 1Happy Dad Hard SeltzerVery Low
  2. 1High Noon Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  3. 1Loverboy Sparkling Hard TeaVery Low
  4. 1Mike's Hard LemonadeVery Low
  5. 1Nutrl Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  6. 1Simply Spiked LemonadeVery Low
  7. 1Smirnoff Ice OriginalVery Low
  8. 1Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & VodkaVery Low
  9. 1Surfside Iced Tea + VodkaVery Low
  10. 1Topo Chico Hard SeltzerVery Low
  11. 1Toucan MargaritaVery Low
  12. 1Truly Hard SeltzerVery Low
  13. 1Twisted Tea OriginalVery Low
  14. 1Vizzy Hard SeltzerVery Low
  15. 1White Claw Hard SeltzerVery Low
  16. 16Cutwater Lime MargaritaLow

Polyphenols

8 / 12

Antioxidant plant compounds, protective in small doses.

  1. 1Happy Dad Hard SeltzerVery Low
  2. 1High Noon Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  3. 1Mike's Hard LemonadeVery Low
  4. 1Nutrl Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  5. 1Simply Spiked LemonadeVery Low
  6. 1Smirnoff Ice OriginalVery Low
  7. 1Topo Chico Hard SeltzerVery Low
  8. 1Truly Hard SeltzerVery Low
  9. 1Vizzy Hard SeltzerVery Low
  10. 1White Claw Hard SeltzerVery Low
  11. 11Cutwater Lime MargaritaLow
  12. 11Loverboy Sparkling Hard TeaLow
  13. 11Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & VodkaLow
  14. 11Surfside Iced Tea + VodkaLow
  15. 11Toucan MargaritaLow
  16. 11Twisted Tea OriginalLow

Sulfites

9 / 12

Preservative SO₂, a common headache trigger.

  1. 1Happy Dad Hard SeltzerVery Low
  2. 1High Noon Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  3. 1Loverboy Sparkling Hard TeaVery Low
  4. 1Mike's Hard LemonadeVery Low
  5. 1Nutrl Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  6. 1Simply Spiked LemonadeVery Low
  7. 1Smirnoff Ice OriginalVery Low
  8. 1Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & VodkaVery Low
  9. 1Surfside Iced Tea + VodkaVery Low
  10. 1Topo Chico Hard SeltzerVery Low
  11. 1Toucan MargaritaVery Low
  12. 1Truly Hard SeltzerVery Low
  13. 1Twisted Tea OriginalVery Low
  14. 1Vizzy Hard SeltzerVery Low
  15. 1White Claw Hard SeltzerVery Low
  16. 16Cutwater Lime MargaritaLow

Tannins

10 / 12

Astringent compounds from skins, seeds and barrels.

  1. 1Cutwater Lime MargaritaVery Low
  2. 1Happy Dad Hard SeltzerVery Low
  3. 1High Noon Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  4. 1Mike's Hard LemonadeVery Low
  5. 1Nutrl Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  6. 1Simply Spiked LemonadeVery Low
  7. 1Smirnoff Ice OriginalVery Low
  8. 1Topo Chico Hard SeltzerVery Low
  9. 1Truly Hard SeltzerVery Low
  10. 1Vizzy Hard SeltzerVery Low
  11. 1White Claw Hard SeltzerVery Low
  12. 12Loverboy Sparkling Hard TeaLow
  13. 12Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & VodkaLow
  14. 12Surfside Iced Tea + VodkaLow
  15. 12Toucan MargaritaLow
  16. 12Twisted Tea OriginalLow

Sugar

11 / 12

Residual sugar: blood-sugar swings and dehydration.

  1. 1Happy Dad Hard SeltzerVery Low
  2. 1High Noon Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  3. 1Loverboy Sparkling Hard TeaVery Low
  4. 1Nutrl Vodka SeltzerVery Low
  5. 1Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & VodkaVery Low
  6. 1Surfside Iced Tea + VodkaVery Low
  7. 1Topo Chico Hard SeltzerVery Low
  8. 1Truly Hard SeltzerVery Low
  9. 1Vizzy Hard SeltzerVery Low
  10. 1White Claw Hard SeltzerVery Low
  11. 11Toucan MargaritaModerate
  12. 12Cutwater Lime MargaritaHigh
  13. 12Mike's Hard LemonadeHigh
  14. 12Simply Spiked LemonadeHigh
  15. 12Smirnoff Ice OriginalHigh
  16. 16Twisted Tea OriginalVery High

Additives

12 / 12

Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, sorbates.

  1. 1Toucan MargaritaVery Low
  2. 2High Noon Vodka SeltzerLow
  3. 2Loverboy Sparkling Hard TeaLow
  4. 2Nutrl Vodka SeltzerLow
  5. 2Simply Spiked LemonadeLow
  6. 2Surfside Iced Tea + VodkaLow
  7. 7Cutwater Lime MargaritaModerate
  8. 7Happy Dad Hard SeltzerModerate
  9. 7Mike's Hard LemonadeModerate
  10. 7Smirnoff Ice OriginalModerate
  11. 7Sun Cruiser Iced Tea & VodkaModerate
  12. 7Topo Chico Hard SeltzerModerate
  13. 7Truly Hard SeltzerModerate
  14. 7Twisted Tea OriginalModerate
  15. 7Vizzy Hard SeltzerModerate
  16. 7White Claw Hard SeltzerModerate

Base ingredient

The raw material fermented before distilling.

Factors are scored 1 (very low) to 5 (very high). Load is the mean of all seven. Hang is the overall hangover index, which weights congeners and ethanol dose more heavily than a flat mean does, which is why the two columns do not always agree.

Calories are calculated, not copied: 7 kcal per gram of ethanol and 4 per gram of carbohydrate, with ethanol mass taken from the bottling ABV across a 12oz pour at a density of 0.789 g/mL. Mixers are not included; a tonic adds roughly 80 calories of sugar, soda water adds none.

FAQ

Is hard seltzer actually healthier than beer? ▾

Per serving, clearly yes, and it is not close. A 5% hard seltzer carries about 100 calories, one or two grams of sugar, no gluten, no biogenic amines and effectively no congeners. A 5% beer carries more calories, meaningfully more carbohydrate, gluten, and the histamine and tyramine load that drives most beer hangovers. On our index a seltzer scores 2 to 3 and most full-strength beers score 4 to 7. Per evening it depends entirely on how many cans, and seltzer is easier to drink quickly.

Which hard seltzer has the least sugar? ▾

Nutrl, at zero grams, because it is vodka, seltzer and flavouring with nothing sweetened. Truly has one gram and White Claw, High Noon and Surfside have two. To be clear about the scale: two grams of sugar is eight calories, so the difference between the zero-sugar can and the two-gram can is trivial. Anyone choosing between them on sugar is optimising the smallest variable on the label.

Is hard seltzer gluten-free? ▾

The seltzers are, for two different reasons, but not every can on this page. The malt-based drinks (Twisted Tea, Smirnoff Ice, Mike's Hard Lemonade) are brewed from barley malt and are not gluten-free. The vodka-based ones (Nutrl, High Noon, Surfside, Sun Cruiser) are built on a distilled spirit. The brewed ones (White Claw, Truly) ferment cane sugar rather than malted barley, so there is no gluten in the base to begin with. That makes seltzer one of the safest categories for coeliac drinkers, since neither route involves grain at any stage.

How many calories are in a hard seltzer? ▾

Between about 88 and 106 in a 12oz can of seltzer, and almost all of it is alcohol. Sweet RTDs are not seltzers: Simply Spiked Lemonade is about 170 and Twisted Tea about 194. Working it from ABV: a 4.5% can holds roughly 12.6 grams of ethanol, which is 88 calories, and a 5% can holds 14 grams, which is 98. Sugar adds four to eight calories on top. The marketed "100 calories" is honest. Canned cocktails are a different matter: a 12.5% margarita can carries about 245 calories from alcohol alone before any sugar.

Are canned cocktails the same as hard seltzer? ▾

No, and the packaging does everything it can to blur that. A hard seltzer is 4 to 5% ABV with almost no sugar. A canned cocktail like Cutwater is 12.5%, which is roughly three seltzers of alcohol in an identically sized can, with real added sugar. They sit on the same shelf in the same format at similar prices. Read the ABV, not the flavour name.

Does vodka seltzer give you less of a hangover? ▾

At equal alcohol, yes, marginally, and the reason is that there is very little in the can except ethanol and water. No congeners, no amines, no tannins, no sulfites and next to no sugar means none of the secondary factors that make wine or dark spirits rough. What is left is ethanol dose, which is the largest factor in any hangover and which the format makes very easy to accumulate. Seltzer hangovers are almost always volume, not chemistry.

Is hard seltzer made from real vodka? ▾

Some of it. Nutrl, High Noon, Surfside and Sun Cruiser are built on distilled vodka. Happy Dad, Vizzy, Topo Chico and Simply Spiked do not state their alcohol source, and Twisted Tea, Smirnoff Ice and Mike's are malt beverages. White Claw and Truly are built on a fermented cane sugar base that is stripped to neutrality, which is a brewing route rather than a distilling one. Both end up very low in congeners, and the distilled route is marginally cleaner because the spirit has already been rectified, which is why the vodka-based cans score a point better here.

Compare across categories

How hard seltzer & rtd stacks up against other categories.

Overall ranking Brand comparison tool Chemistry glossary What helps a hangover How long a hangover lasts Strongest alcohol Thanksgiving cocktails