Homemade Crisp Apple Soda

We've made homemade Sprite, grape soda, even cherry lime soda, but this homemade crisp apple soda is absolutely perfect for fall! It's slightly sweet, tart, crisp, super refreshing, and packed with fresh apple flavor.

Fresh, Crisp, and Delicious

There's apple juice, apple cider, apple brandy, and so on, but as far as soda flavors go, apple isn't really that popular. We think that's a shame. Our homemade apple soda combines the sweetness of a honeycrisp and the tartness of a granny smith so you end up getting a well-rounded apple-forward flavor.

It all starts by grating the apples, then adding a touch of lemon juice and some sugar. We let everything sit for about a half hour, then cook it just until the sugar dissolves. Then it's just cool, strain, and enjoy!

The best part is that you can keep the syrup in your fridge for weeks, so whenever the craving strikes, just add a few pumps to some ice and top it off with sparkling water. It's extra refreshing for this weird time of year between summer and fall when the mornings are crisp but the afternoons are pretty warm!

If you're looking for some more soda recipes, you'll have to check out our fan-favorite homemade orange soda.

Key Ingredients Needed for Homemade Apple Soda

• Apples: We used honeycrisp and granny smith apples to create a well-balanced and fully-rounded apple flavor. You can also use your favorite apples or whatever you have on hand!
• Sugar: We have not tested this recipe with a sugar free alternative, but it should work fine. It may make the shelf-life a bit shorter.
• Lemon: This adds extra tartness that we don't recommend skipping, but if you have an allergy, it's totally fine to leave it out.

How to Make This Homemade Crisp Apple Soda Recipe

1. Grate your apples or dice them very finely, almost to a pulp. You can use a box grater or a ceramic ginger grater.
2. To a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the grated apples, the juice of ½ a lemon, and the granulated sugar.

1. Let the mixture sit for 30 to 60 minutes, so the sugar can draw out the moisture from the apples.

1. Move the mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Let cool in the saucepan for 20 or so minutes, then strain out the apple solids using a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.

1. Move to a storage container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
2. To make your soda, add anywhere from 2 tablespoon to ¼ cup of the syrup to an ice-filled glass, top with sparkling water, stir and enjoy!

Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!

• You can use a box grater, a ceramic ginger style grater, a food processor, or even a knife to break down your apples into a pulp.
• We've found that about ¼ cup of syrup in a regular-sized ice-filled drinking glass is the right concentration of syrup. If you like your drinks a little less sweet, start with 2 tbsp.
• If you want to really lean into fall flavors, you can add a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg to the apple mash.
• The soda syrup will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, but it's best used within the first week or two.

More Homemade Sodas to Try

We can't wait for you to make this homemade apple soda in your own home! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

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