How to Make Homemade Soda
We’ve all heard about the side effects of having sugary, carbonated drinks in our diet. They’re unhealthy for you and can even cause obesity and diabetes. Still, with moderation, sodas are a staple part of most of our lives. They’re perfect for parties, barbecues, picnics, movie nights, lunches, dinners… I could go on. But buying soda at the store can be pricey.

So, whether you want to fix your diet, save your money, or do a little bit of both, there is a perfect solution for you. You can learn how to make your own homemade sodas! People have been making homemade sodas for hundreds of years. It gives you full control over the amount of sugar you consume as well as how much money you spend. Making an 8-pack of your own soda is definitely cheaper than buying one at the supermarket, and, when making sodas yourself, you can experiment with fun flavor combinations and colors.
How to Get Started
There are multiple ways of making homemade sodas, ranging from super easy to school-science-project difficulty. So no matter the amount of time you have to spare or the amount of energy and money you’re willing to put into this project, there is a soda-making method for you.
Let’s begin by talking about the different homemade soda making methods. There are three main methods that you can use. I call them the dry ice method, the seltzer method, and the yeast method.
First up is the Dry Ice Method. This is the absolute easiest way to get into making sodas. However, dry ice can be a dangerous ingredient to use. It burns your skin if you touch it, and can irritate your eyes if you stand too close to it. So, if you choose to make soda through this method, make sure to use caution!

If you drop a cube of dry ice into a liquid, the air bubbles that erupt off of the ice will carbonate the liquid. Once you have the carbonated liquid, all you have to do is add your sweeteners, syrups, dyes, and flavors. Or, add them first and carbonate after. This method is very laid back. There aren’t many specific measurements that have to be done, or any strict rules to follow, so it’s a good place to start if making homemade soda sounds interesting to you but you don’t have any experience with it.
For more information, read our article on the Dry Ice Method of Soda Making.
Next is the Seltzer Method. This method is also relatively easy and doesn’t take much time. All you do is create your flavor, your sweetener/syrup, and your carbonated water, a.k.a. seltzer. You’ll need to either purchase seltzer from the store or make it yourself. Making it yourself opens up the opportunity for you to add your own flavors to your seltzer. However, there are plenty of flavored seltzers that can be found at the store.
Once you have all your ingredients gathered, you combine them. That’s it. This method is perfect if you want to make beautiful and healthy fruit sodas.
For more information, read our article on making soda with the seltzer method.
Finally, we have the Yeast Method. The yeast method is definitely the most complicated method of making homemade soda, but it’s not too hard for a beginner soda maker to jump into. The first step is to make your flavor mixture. This includes the sweetener/syrup, your flavor combination, and your coloring (coloring is optional). Next, you add yeast to it and let it sit for 1-2 days before putting it in the refrigerator for another couple of days until ready.

This method certainly takes longer than the other two methods, but it makes the most genuine soda. Using the Yeast Method will help you understand how real soda companies make their products, only you’ll be doing it on a much smaller scale.
And there you have it, three methods to making your own homemade soda. Making soda at home can be a great weekend or summertime activity to do solo or with family. Kids will love getting to come up with the flavors for their own sodas, and parents can feel at ease knowing that homemade soda is a healthy alternative to store-bought sodas.
For more information, check out our article on Making Soda with Yeast method.
Have fun, and get creative!
More articles on this topic coming soon but until then, here is one of our favorite books on the subject.