Try this Lo-Cal Cream Soda recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (0g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Open 2-liter bottle of seltzer and pour out ½ cup to make room for soda flavor mixture. Add vanilla extract and Stevia In The Raw®.
- Careful! The carbonated water will react "excitedly" with the ingredients in flavor mixture.
- Allow for ingredients to mix with water and for some gas to be released from bottle prior to uncapping – by unscrewing cap just a small amount to hear "hissssss". Pour over ice and enjoy!
Why does pouring powder directly into carbonated water cause an immediate and violent overflow? Nucleation sites are responsible for this sudden release of dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which rapidly clings to the microscopic particles of powdered sweeteners and rushes upward in a fizzy cascade. To prevent a kitchen counter mess, always pour off a small volume of liquid from the bottle before introducing any additives. This crucial headspace allows the gas bubbles to expand safely without pushing the liquid out of the container. Vanilla extract, which relies on alcohol or glycerin as a solvent, disperses evenly through the remaining water without creating secondary nucleation points, though pure extracts provide a cleaner aromatic profile than artificial vanillin compounds. Stevia, a glycoside extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant, delivers intense sweetness without contributing fermentable sugars or extra calories, behaving completely differently in solution than sucrose. While table sugar increases the viscosity of liquids and adds physical body to a beverage, high-intensity sugar substitutes leave the mouthfeel thin and watery. Modifying the recipe by swapping liquid stevia drops for powdered packets changes the dissolution rate, eliminating the initial foaming reaction entirely because the sweetener is already fully dissolved in a carrier liquid. Chill the finished beverage to 38 degrees Fahrenheit before serving to maximize carbon dioxide solubility, as colder liquids retain dissolved gas far more effectively than room-temperature alternatives. Storage time for an opened, rebottled carbonated beverage is short, typically losing its effervescence within twelve hours even when tightly recapped, so mixing small batches immediately before consumption guarantees optimal carbonation retention and sensory crispness.
