What is Diet Coke?

Diet Coke is a low-calorie cola-flavored drink that was first introduced in 1982 by The Coca-Cola Company. It is a reformulated version of Coca-Cola with most of the sugar replaced with artificial sweeteners. Diet Coke is sweetened primarily with aspartame, though acesulfame potassium or sucrose have been or are also occasionally used, depending on region.

Diet Coke's flavor profile mirrors that of Coca-Cola but with minimal to no calories. Like Coca-Cola, it uses natural flavorings extracted from vanilla, cinnamon, coriander, and orange peel oils which, combined with caramel color, gives Diet Coke its distinctive hue and flavor without the usual high sugar content common to sweet, carbonated beverages. Unlike its cousin Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Diet Coke's original recipe does not use stevia as a sweetener.