Did you know that you can make your own healthy soda at home?
It’s not hard at all!
And it’s absolutely delicious in a cream soda float!
Use your favorite coconut, vanilla, or homemade Healthy Ice Cream.
(S is not a fan of coconut, which gave me a great excuse to try out a cashew-based version for our floats.)
Way back in the 1920s, my great grandmother would make homemade soda in her basement, then invite all the neighbors over for a party.
Well, soda is not all she made in her basement. But we probably shouldn’t go into that… 😉
Homemade root beer and ginger ale were her specialties; however I’ve always liked cream soda best, and so I adapted my great grandma’s homemade soda technique for the recipe I’m posting today: homemade and healthy cream soda, high in B vitamins, and much lower in sugar than the cola you’d get from a store.
Homemade Cream Soda
- 1/4 cup warm water (60g) (about 110 degrees F)
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar or regular sugar or agave (12g)
- pinch stevia extract, or 2-3 tbsp sweetener of choice
- 1/4 tsp brewers or dry active yeast (see below for yeast-free version)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (2g)
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 strip lemon zest (2-in or so)
- 2 cups water (480g)
- 32oz soda bottle, with a cap
Dissolve the 1 tbsp sugar (not xylitol or stevia) in the water, then sprinkle the yeast over top. Set aside 6-10 minutes, or until it bubbles. (If it doesn’t bubble, either your yeast is bad or your water was too hot.) Meanwhile, put all other ingredients into the soda bottle and shake well. Pour the bubbly yeast mixture into the soda bottle, either using a funnel or pouring through a paper cup with a small hole at the bottom. Shake, then put the cap on the bottle and store it in a warm, dry place. Wait about a day and a half (no longer), then slowly open the bottle over the sink—just in case. Your soda is ready to drink, or store it in the fridge. I’m sure that if you want instant cream soda, you could just use carbonated water and skip the yeast
For Instant Cream Soda: Omit the yeast and the 1 tbsp sugar. Use carbonated water for all the water in the recipe. Stir all ingredients together, and there is no need to wait.
Click for: Cream Soda Nutrition Facts
Question of the Day:
Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper… What’s your favorite type of soda?
When I was really little, I loved to buy orange sodas from the vending machine at a park near our house. But I’d never actually drink the sodas, as I didn’t like the sugary sweetness or carbonation. This was always a struggle between my mother and me… she knew the only reason I’d ask for money for a soda was because I liked pushing the button and watching it fall from the machine. The actual drink would end up in the trash after a few sips. Looking back, I tell my mom she should’ve been happy about this; she didn’t have to deal with a crazy-hyper kid on a sugar high!
Link of the Day:
Hey Katie,
I just tried out your recipe and I have to admit, I forgot my bottle for a day or so. Tried it and it tastes good and is bubbling but I am not sure, if the drink contains alcohol or not, because I am not sure how the yeast works with the sugar. Can you help me out with that? 😀
Thank you for asking that question Vivien I would also like to know if anyone knows the alcohol situation of this recipe. I served these floats for dessert the other night and the yeastyness and vanilla has us all very leary of drinking anymore of it. We may be thought of as squares but we do prefer our children not drink alcohol. But thank you Katy for the inspiration! It began a new quest for me.
It contains almost none. I just googled it for you (because I really had no idea of the answer), and I found this link that says “less than 1 percent.” http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/brew-soda-at-home.aspx
Can you tell me more about the specific ingredients you used? It’s impossible to try and guess what went wrong since I wasn’t there.
hi katie
that’s just it, i followed exactly the recipe. I didn’t have brewer’s yeast so used regular yeast like you use for bread
but the color was white, the lemon zest adn the vanilla don’t make a good mix it was i supposed to add actual soda or something? I used regular sugar. it didn’t look like your picture. your picture is brown, mine was white, it was creamy.
it wasn’t clear how we are to store it …so we stored it in the fridge not outside.
You need to use brown sugar or sucanat for a brown color. It also sounds like your yeast was bad because you don’t need to add soda for it to bubble if the yeast is good.
For the day and a half period the soda should have been stored in a dry WARM place, otherwise the yeast would stop working.Think of bread rising when doing this. Too warm and you cook the yeast, too cold and it fizzles out. Your stevia could also be bad if old too.
Wow! This recipe is absolutely amazing!!! Going to try it!
Since I avoid drinks that have any kalories worth mentioning, I always go for sugar-free soda. And I drink too much of it. I tried to change my habbits but I always end up with an empty 1,5l bottle of something fizzy by the end of the day.
Theres a product called “Schwipschwap” (you say “shwipp-shwupp”; I am german ;D) by Pepsi (and copy-versions of it). It’s a mix of coke and orange-fizz. I love the stuff…
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this already, and I’m not 100% sure that the yeast you have in America is the same as the one in Denmark, where I’m from .. The yeast here in Denmark is like a square/cube and it’s firm .. And it dies at 50 degrees celsius, and that’s why the “drink” may stop bubbling ..
Plus a tip for baking with firm yeast is to dissolve it with a tablespoon of sugar – just mix it with the crumbled yeast and let it sit for a couple of minutes and then stir again, it’s like it melts! 🙂
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this already, and I’m not 100% sure that the yeast you have in America is the same as the one in Denmark, where I’m from .. The yeast here in Denmark is like a square/cube and it’s firm .. And it dies at 50 degrees celsius, and I’m pretty sure that’s why the “drink” may stop bubbling ..
Plus a tip for baking with firm yeast is to dissolve it with a tablespoon of sugar – just mix it with the crumbled yeast and let it sit for a couple of minutes and then stir again, it’s like it melts! 🙂
I’ve never used coconut sugar before. Does it have a strong coconut flavor? My husband hates coconut (the weirdo, lol) so I don’t know if I’d want to use that. I was thinking about trying sucanat or maple syrup instead. Any idea if either of those would work?
Thanks!
I just used sucanat and it turned out really well!
Great! Thanks Laura 🙂
Can you post the root beer and other recipe your grandmother used to make? This is really cool.
I tried the recipe for instant cream soda. At first it tasted very much like chemicals…blech. But then I let it sit out for a day and it tasted SO much better. Still not exactly like cream soda, but good. Also, if you are doing the instant cream soda–use half the vanilla and omit the cream of tarter. The cream of tarter just makes it taste like chemicals and the vanilla is way too strong. I had to end up using way more carb water to get it to taste right.
I really appreciate you sharing this recipe. I used it to make one of the many home made sodas I sell at festivals and farm markets. May the Lord Jesus bless you for your generosity! I’ve shared your recipe on my G plus page too!
When recipes call for “sparkling water” or “carbonated water” are you talking about Mineral Water? Because that’s kind of salty. I’ve seen a lot of recipes ask for “sparkling water,” but I’ve never seen it in stores. Just curious, because I don’t care for mineral water.
You are correct about the mineral water being salty (I think it’s also bitter), you are tasting the minerals. These recipes are calling not calling for that, but for plain carbonated water, which you may have seen in stores with any of the following names: “soda water,” “club soda” or “seltzer water.”
I’d love to try the yeast free version, but do not see it below. Are you able to post it?
Thanks so much!
It’s just below the recipe:
For Instant Cream Soda: Omit the yeast and the 1 tbsp sugar. Use carbonated water for all the water in the recipe. Stir all ingredients together, and there is no need to wait.
If you want to omit the yeast all together, you can make a “ginger bug” to add natural carbonation. Mix 1T grated ginger root, 1T chlorine-free water, and 1T sugar in a non-reactive container (I use an old peanut butter jar) and cover with a coffee filter and store at room temp. For the next 6 days (7 days total) continue to add the same ingredients. You’ll end up with a wonderful smelling ginger concoction alive with healthy microbes to carry out your carbonation! This bug is alive, and if you want to keep it that way it has to be fed. Put it in the fridge and feed 1T sugar, 1T water, and 1T grated ginger once a week. To use, strain off 1/4C of liquid for a half gallon or 2L bottle. Replace the activated yeast in the above recipe with this ginger bug. Whenever the bug is used, replace the amount removed with a mixture of equal parts water and sugar. Your soda will become naturally carbonated, and you can use it in ALMOST anything. Fizzy chai tea is AWESOME.
I forgot to add that the sugar isn’t for you, its for the microbes. They process the sugar to make CO2. Be careful when reducing the sugar by too much — if the bugs starve they won’t carbonate your soda.
One more thing — if your ginger bug is working you’ll start seeing bubbles around day 4 or so. A quick shake or stir will release the gases and make a slight fizz in your jar.
Is tonic water and carbonated water the same thing?
no it is not!
hmmmm, sounds simple enough! would you happen to have the ginger ale recipe on here some where already? any thing from your grand mother’s basement sounds rather intriguing 🙂
better yet, i would love to make tonic water!!!! Any successful trials on your end???
you guessed it, i am not a fan of soda, ice cream floats or any of that, how ever tonic water i like a lot – just don’t want the HFCS kinds and the natural ones, well i simply can’t afford on a regular basis 🙂
thanks much!
I can put it on my list of things to try! 🙂
OK, I’m looking at this recipe and it looks like you’re using a 32oz bottle to make 16oz soda. Is that correct? If that is the case would you just increase all the ingredients except the yeast to make a gallon?
I am so glad to find this recipe! I already make Ginger Beer and Homemade Wine. Why not? This looks easy and delicious! Thanks so much!