Whey Soda Pop

This gut healthy “whey soda pop” is extra fizzy and delicious! Make this whey soda as a summer treat!

Can I make a confession? I used to be a big soda pop addict! I started my day with it and ended my day with it. About 16 years ago, I gave up soda. It was the best decision for me and my health, however, I always missed that fizzy drink.

Several years later, I stumbled upon carbonated water and loved it! The bad news is it was recommended that I not drink it by my health care provider due to my tendency to develop kidney stones.

That led me down a road to find a healthy alternative. Not that I needed it everyday, but, would like to have an option for when I wanted it.

I tried water kefir first and really liked it, but, it never got the fizziness I was hoping for.

The next year, I made kombucha. Same thing. It was delicious but not that fizzy in my experience.

Around that time, I started making homemade yogurt https://therosehomestead.com/?s=yogurt and straining it. The amount of whey left behind had me searching for uses for it. I definitely did not want to waste it.

In my search, I found out that this whey can be used to ferment fruit juice and make soda. The method I found was making a fruit concentrate with sugar and fruit. You then added water to that and the whey.

That got me thinking, “Can I just use a high quality fruit juice for this”? Turns out, it works perfectly!

The juice I use is not from concentrate and has no sugar added.

If you don’t make homemade yogurt and want to try this, buy your favorite unflavored yogurt that has no added ingredients. You want the ingredients to be milk and cultures. Strain the yogurt through a tea towel. The liquid left behind is whey.

The difference between Yogurt Whey and Sweet Whey:

Obviously, yogurt whey is from straining yogurt. Sweet whey is from straining cheese. Yogurt whey has probiotics in it from the culturing process of making yogurt. Sweet whey does not have the same probiotic properties. I use my sweet whey in bread baking.

Whey will last in the fridge for several months.

What you will need to make this whey soda:

1. 1/4 cup yogurt whey.
2. 1 64 ounce container of not from concentrate/no sugar added fruit juice.
3. 1 half gallon jar.
4. Pickle pipe or coffee filter for top of jar.
5. Swing top bottles for second ferment. This adds the fizz!

The process really couldn’t be simpler.

Directions for making whey soda:

1. Add juice to half gallon jar.
2. Add 1/4 cup of whey.
3. Stir well.
4. Top with coffee filter and rubber band to hold it on or a pickle pipe and ring.
5. Sit on counter for 2-4 days until foam develops on top.
6. Transfer to 4 swing top bottles and close cap.
7. Ferment for 12-24 hours then move to the fridge.
8. Drink chilled.

A couple of things to know:

**Never leave the second ferment out for more than 24 hours without burping the bottle. This allows some of the gas to escape. If left for too long, the bottle cap could pop off and make a huge mess in your kitchen**

Always open your swing top bottle over the sink to make sure it doesn’t spill over.

Try Welch’s grape juice! It’s our most favorite. Tastes like grape soda, for sure!

I hope you will give this a try.

See you soon.