Orange Cream Soda

Here’s how to make a homemade orange cream soda! This fountain drink is easy to make with orange juice and vanilla ice cream.

Here’s a deliciously fun homemade fountain drink that makes a splash: Orange Cream Soda! Sure, you can buy it in a can. But why not make it homemade? All you need are a few ingredients and it makes a delightfully creamy drink, bubbly with an orange essence on the finish. It’s similar to an Italian cream soda, without the specialty syrups. This is the perfect party drink that works for both adults and kids!

What’s in an orange cream soda?

A cream soda is a sweet soft drink that’s flavored with vanilla, to mimic the flavor of an ice cream soda. So why not make an orange cream soda the classic “ice cream soda” way? It’s a fountain drink made with ice cream and a soft drink or a mixture of soda water and flavored syrup (a la Italian cream soda).

This drink is so simple and deliciously refreshing! It’s creamy from the ice cream, vanilla scented and bubbly, with a hint of citrus on the finish. Here’s what you’ll need for an Italian soda:

• Orange juice
• Simple syrup: of any kind, classic or vegan
• Vanilla ice cream
• Soda water, aka club soda or sparkling water

Types of carbonated water

You can use any type of carbonated water or sparkling water in an orange cream soda. The combination of the soda water, orange juice and simple syrup makes a homemade version of orange soda. These types of carbonated water all work in this drink:

• Sparkling water, aka seltzer, soda water, or carbonated water is water with no additives, carbonated by injecting carbon dioxide (CO2). It’s the base for brands like La Croix, or what comes out of a SodaStream.
• Sparkling mineral water is water from a natural mineral spring that’s been carbonated. Examples of brands are Perrier or Topo Chico.
• Club soda is carbonated water infused with added minerals, which give it a salty or lightly sweet flavor. Club soda is often used for cocktails and soda fountain drinks.

Just don’t use tonic water in an orange cream soda! It’s flavored differently and doesn’t go well with the vanilla in this drink.

Some additional notes on ingredients

Is the simple syrup really needed here, since there’s already sweetness from the vanilla ice cream? In a word: yes. The simple syrup adds just the right balance of sweetness so it’s delicately citrusy. Because you’re using orange juice and not orange soda, you need that extra kick from the simple syrup. It’s needed for enhancing the flavors, just as salt is needed for savory recipes.

Serving orange cream sodas

Making an orange cream soda is really no more than mixing the ingredients together in a glass! You can skip right to the recipe below, or here are a few general ideas to keep in mind when serving this drink:

• Want to make it dairy-free? Use vegan vanilla ice cream: it is now widely available at grocery stores.
• Add a fun straw and cocktail cherry for flair. It’s all about the presentation! We like these striped paper straws.
• Stir before drinking. This is the most important part! The photos here show the ice cream on top, before it’s stirred. Stir it in to get the full rich, creamy bubbly effect.

More soda fountain drinks

Soda fountain drinks are great non-alcoholic sparkling drinks that are fun and festive to serve at parties! Here are some of our favorite ideas:

• Go for a classic Italian Cream Soda in any flavor
• Opt for a homemade Strawberry Soda or Grapefruit Soda
• Try DIY Lemon Lime Soda or Lemon Soda
• Make it caffeinated: try a Coffee Soda

01

Italian Soda

02

Lemon Lime Soda

03

Strawberry Soda

04

Lemon Soda

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