Yesterday, it hit 80 degrees here and I was beyond miserable (the heat really exacerbates my allergies and asthma). After watching the Sodastream commercial for the millionth time, I figured it might be fun to make root beer from scratch since I was stuck inside.

Making soda is very simple. You only need 3 ingredients: sparkling water, root beer extract, and sweetener.

Start with a clean pitcher. Add 2 pint bottles of sparkling water and 1/2 TBS of extract. Dissolve 8 TBS of sweetener in a little water. Add that to the pitcher and mix well. Done!

If you’re drinking this at home, leave it in the pitcher. If you want to take it on-the-go, pour it back into the water bottles.

I made 2 batches, one with Splenda for me and another with sugar for Hungry Bear (my guy). The taste of homemade root beer is similar to commercial soda, but definitely not the same. It’s no where near as carbonated, so if you drink soda for the bubbles, skip this. The smell was identical.

I enjoyed the ease of this recipe, but it doesn’t save much time or money. I doubt I’d make soda on a regular basis. If I do make this again, I’d cut down on the sweetener for sure.

Homemade root beer gets 2.5 out of 5 stars from me!

Have you ever made soda?