Making soda using yeast is probably the most rewarding way that you can make soda at home. Yeast is what carbonates your soda, so instead of using pre-carbonated drinks or dry ice for your soda, you’ll really get to do the whole carbonation process yourself. 

All store-bought sodas are made with the Yeast Method, so when making sodas with yeast, you can feel proud knowing that you are making your sodas the ‘professional’ way. 

So what is the Yeast Method? Basically, yeast eats up sugars, then excretes carbon dioxide, which is what carbonates liquids. When you put a pinch of yeast into a sweetened liquid, they will react with each other and create soda! 

How to Make a Mint and Pear Soda with the Yeast Method

Since fruit sodas can be a perfect addition to a fancy party or barbecue, and because they are a tasty way to add more fruits to your diet, let’s start by talking about how to make a simple and easy pear and mint soda. If you don’t love pear and would rather use another fruit, just substitute pear for something else (raspberries, peaches, melon, etc.).

You Will Need…

Step 1 – Prepare the pears and mint leaves. Peel your pears and chop them into ½ inch pieces. You do not have to be exact. In a mortar and pestle, or food processor/blender, turn your mint leaves into a sort of paste.

Step 2 – Boil your water in a saucepan. Place the pears into the water and let sit for a few seconds before stirring. Add in your sugar and stir continuously until sugar is completely dissolved. Then, add in your mint, turn off the flame, and let sit. 

Step 3 – Pour into a food processor/blender and blend until texture is consistent. 

Step 4 – Push through a strainer. With a fine strainer, strain out any chunks from your mixture. This will make it a thin juice that is easy to carbonate. 

Step 5 – Fill your bottle. Pour the juice into your 1 liter bottle and fill the rest of the bottle with tap water. 

Step 6 – Add in the yeast. Sprinkle in some yeast into the bottle and twist the cap on. You do not need much yeast to carbonate 1 liter of liquid. Just a pinch will do fine. 

Step 7 – Let the bottle sit at room temperature in a shady part of the house. Wait until the bottle gets firm and can no longer be squeezed. (The yeast will have carbonated your soda, so the bottle will have expanded and stretched out, making it impossible for you to squeeze it.) This means that the carbonation process is done. This usually takes about 1-2 full days.  

Step 8 – Refrigerate. Keep it in the refrigerator overnight or until it is as cold as you want it. Then, it is ready to serve. Since the bottle is very, very, very carbonated, open it slowly outside or over your sink. Keep paper towels handy! 

Step 9 – Serve and enjoy! Pour the drink into your serving cups and add a few mint leaves for garnish. If you want to give your soda a fun color, add in a few drops of food coloring before pouring it into the individual glasses. A few drops of food coloring go a long way!

A fruity soda is a fun, refreshing way to watch your diet and stay healthy. You can use this recipe for all kinds of fruit sodas to please all kinds of taste buds. Since making soda with yeast takes 2-3 days, it might not be such an exciting activity for kids, however, besides the waiting parts, making soda can be a lot of fun and can be a great creative outlet. 

How to make Homemade Cream Soda with the Yeast Method 

Cream soda is my all-time favorite soda. I buy cream soda whenever I can and would drink it every day if I could. Sadly, cream soda is not a very healthy addition to anyone’s diet. The Mug Cream Soda that I love is full of artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup, so, learning to make it myself in a more healthy and natural way could be beneficial to me.

Making your own cream soda is a great way to watch the amount of sugar that you’re putting into your body, and it can be a fun demonstration of how your favorite soda is made (on a much smaller scale). 

What You’ll Need…

Step 1 – Dissolve your sugar in water. Boil 1 cup of tap water in a saucepan, then add in your sugar. Stir until fully dissolved. 

Step 2 – Add in your vanilla extract. Take your water and sugar off of the heat and add in your vanilla extract. Taste your mixture and keep adding in vanilla until you like the flavor. You can also add in any other flavorings at this stage, such as essential oils, herbs, or citrus juice, but this is not necessary. (Mug cream soda contains a small amount of citric acid FYI)

Step 3 – Fill your bottle. Pour the soda mixture into your bottle, then fill the rest of the bottle with tap water. 

Step 4 – Add in your yeast. Take a pinch of yeast and sprinkle it into the top of your bottle. Then, twist on the cap tightly and let your soda sit at room temperature for 1-2 days until you can’t squeeze the bottle anymore.

Step 5 – Refrigerate your soda. Put your soda into the refrigerator without opening it! Leave it in there overnight so that it is nice and cold. Then, over your sink (so you don’t make a huge mess), very slowly, open your bottle and let out the excess carbonation. 

Step 6 – Enjoy! 

Making soda with the Yeast Method is very simple once you get involved with it. Yeast can be found at any supermarket, so it shouldn’t be very hard for you to find. All the ingredients for making soda with yeast are somewhat easy to find and are not very expensive. You don’t need to go out of your way to find a store that sells dry ice (like you do for the Dry Ice Method) or invest in an expensive seltzer maker (like you do for the Seltzer Method). The only downside to the Yeast Method is that it takes time. 

There are thousands of flavors of soda to create, and even more to discover. So, have fun and get creative with your soda making! 

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