Yes. The fiber in most prebiotic sodas is inulin, and the most common commercial source of inulin is chicory root. If you have been drinking prebiotic soda for the fiber, you have been drinking chicory root.
The difference is what else is in the can.
What's actually in a prebiotic soda
Turn one over and read the ingredients. Behind the flavor and the sweetener, the functional ingredient is almost always a fiber blend, and chicory root inulin is usually the first one listed. Some brands add cassava root fiber or Jerusalem artichoke inulin alongside it — both are also inulin sources, just different plants.
The rest of the can is water, carbonation, fruit juice concentrate or a high-intensity sweetener, natural flavors, and an acid.
None of that is a criticism. It is a soda, and it is meant to taste like one. But it is worth knowing that the thing you are paying for — the fiber — is a single ingredient, and it comes from a root that has been grown in Europe for centuries and roasted as a coffee substitute since at least the 1800s.
Where chicory root syrup fits
Chicory root syrup is that same ingredient, in its own bottle, with nothing done to it.
Our ingredient list reads: Chicory Root. That is the entire list.
Per tablespoon (21g), the panel says:
| Dietary fiber | 11g — 39% Daily Value |
| Total sugars | 4g |
| Added sugars | 0g |
| Calories | 40 |
| Fat, sodium, protein | 0 |
A typical can of prebiotic soda carries around 9g of fiber per 12 fl oz.
So: one tablespoon of syrup delivers more fiber than a whole can. That is not a criticism of the can either — a can is a drink and a tablespoon is an ingredient, and they are not competing for the same moment. But if the fiber is why you are buying, the arithmetic is worth seeing plainly.
The obvious question
If it's the same fiber, why does the syrup cost less per serving?
Because you are not paying for water, carbonation, flavoring, a can, refrigeration, or a truck to move all of that around. A 600g bottle is about 29 tablespoons. Sold at $22.49, that works out to roughly 78 cents a serving — against roughly $2.50 for a single can.
You are also not getting a cold, fizzy, flavored drink, which is a real thing to give up. Which brings us to the part most people work out on their own.
You can just make the soda
One tablespoon of chicory root syrup into a glass of chilled sparkling water is, functionally, a prebiotic soda. It takes about ten seconds.
The base ratio 1 tbsp (21g) chicory root syrup
+ 8–10 oz chilled sparkling water
+ ice, stirred gently
= 11g fiber, 0g added sugar, about 40 calories
Pour the syrup in first and the water on top — syrup is denser than water, so it mixes itself. Stir, don't shake.
It will not taste like cola, because there is no cola flavoring in it. It tastes faintly of caramel and malt, closer to a very mild cream soda. Some people add a squeeze of lemon or lime, which sharpens it considerably. A teaspoon of fruit powder turns it pink and fruity.
Start with half a tablespoon
This matters more than anything else on this page.
11g of fiber is a lot of fiber, particularly if your current intake is closer to the American average of around 15g a day. Inulin ferments in the large intestine, and when people go from very little to a lot overnight, the usual result is gas and bloating.
Start at half a tablespoon a day for a week. Increase from there if you want to. Plenty of people are happiest staying at half. There is no prize for getting to a full spoon quickly, and the fastest way to decide you dislike a product is to take too much of it on day one.
What this is and isn't
Chicory root syrup is a source of dietary fiber and an unrefined alternative to cane sugar. It is not a medicine, it does not treat any condition, and it is not a substitute for eating vegetables. If you have a medical condition or take medication, talk to your doctor before making changes to your diet — that is not a disclaimer we are obliged to write, it is just true.
What it is: one ingredient, 11g of fiber a tablespoon, no added sugar, and about a third the price per serving of the can.
No one is perfect. Just have good balance.