A SodaStream is a great investment for anyone who loves soda or sparkling water but hates the amount of plastic bottles they end up purchasing and throwing in the recycling—not to mention the hassle of carrying all that liquid home from the nearest grocery store.
One of the greatest things about the SodaStream is the number of different ways you can experiment with it. It really does allow your creativity to flourish in the kitchen.
Whether you’re eager to learn how you can break away from the SodaStream mixes, make yourself more “adult” drinks or just make it a little bit cheaper to use your SodaStream, you can find a great way to hack your SodaStream and enjoy it even more.
Here are five great hacks you can use for your SodaStream:
1. Switch to Paintball Tanks
One of the biggest costs associated with the SodaStream is the cost of having to get CO2 refills. Purchasing a refill costs $15 and getting a spare can cost you up to $30—not to mention shipping if there isn’t a retailer near you.
With a simple adaptor, you can switch your SodaStream tank out for a paintball CO2 tank. You can then get it refilled at any paintball range and most sporting goods stores, usually for around $5-7. The adapter will cost you some extra money up front, but if you’re using the SodaStream avidly for a long time, you will more than make that money back.
Part of the reason your SodaStream is such a great investment is because it allows you to explore the world of homemade soda and try new things. You can create spiked sodas, enjoy some champagne or make the fruitiest soda you’ve ever tasted
2. Try Snow Cone Syrup
The great thing about snow cone syrup is that it comes in dozens of flavors. You can get pretty much any fruit flavoring you want and even several commercial soda flavors. The syrup has a 1:6 dilution ratio instead of the 1:24 you’re used to with SodaStream drink mixes, but you can also purchase concentrate instead and sweeten it to the point where you can use the same dilution ratio. If you buy it in bulk you’ll also greatly reduce your cost.
If you decide to purchase citrus flavors, you’ll probably want to pick up some citric acid as well. Many of the citrus flavored snow cone syrups result in something closer to citrus candy than citrus soda. A little bit of citric acid added to your drink will give it the citrus kick you’re looking for.
3. Make Champagne
Have you ever wondered what your favorite white wine would taste like with a little bit of fizz? Well now you can find out. You should be very careful when you do this—and be prepared to clean up any mess you make—but it’s worth the risk. Do it slowly and pay careful attention to how much carbonation you’re using. At the end you’ll end up with something that might even taste better than the champagne you usually buy.
4. Enjoy Some Adult Drinks
It turns out that making champagne isn’t the only way to use your SodaStream to create a little bit of adult entertainment. You can also put some other alcoholic beverages in your SodaStream, including hard lemonade. Like with the wine, you want to be careful and pay attention to how much carbonation you add. If you’re using the SodaStream Revolution, you might not want to use setting 4 the first time you put booze in.
Of course, having an unlimited supply of sparkling water also opens you up to the option of creating numerous summer cocktails.
5. Use Frozen Concentrates from the Grocery Store
Want some fruity soda without paying full price for a SodaStream drink mix? One way you can mix some up is to add a little bit of frozen concentrate. You can find cans of frozen concentrate for pretty cheap in any grocery store. While this won’t taste the same as fruit juice you’re used to, it has an interesting flavor you just might love.
For best effect, put a tablespoon—or two, depending on how sweet you like it—of the frozen concentrate in your carbonated water. You want to make sure you don’t put it in the machine, as the extreme amount of sugar can damage it. You also don’t want to actually make the juice first, because you’ll end up with something severely watered down and not too tasty.
With these hacks, you’ll be saving money for years to come—not to mention having fun.
And if you don’t have a SodaStream machine yet, check out our comparison guide!
Can you use the syrup to make frozen cokes in a blender and if so any recipes for that?
Absolutely! Substitute some of the water for ice, but make sure the water to syrup to ratio the same. If you have a high speed blender like a Blendtec you can use a lot of ice, while a lower speed blender will need a good portion of water to work.
Another flavor alternative is extracts. Vanilla, coconut, mint, caramel you name it
Nice one, now we just have to find a replacement plastic bottle that don’t cost $100 each.
They only cost $10, and only need to be replaced about once per year, so calm down.
Will the 24 ounce paintball cylinder fit in the Sodastream? Mine is the Sodastream Splash Play model. It will take up to the 130 liter carbonator. I don’t know the sizes on any of these.
Also, since the Sodastream carbonators are listed according to the number of liters they can make instead of the amount of gas they hold, what does that equate to in terms of ounces? i.e. How many liters can I make with a 24 ounce cylinder?
Is there a non alcoholic beer flavour???
You could make a beer concentrated beer syrup and cook off all the booze ?
Best hack for co2 i found is to refill co2 with dry ice thats only $1.50 per pound. it can be extremely dangerous is not done with a scale to weigh out the dry ice. I put 14oz of dry ice in my co2 to refill for less than the cost of buying a soda. It takes a little bit of work but all that is really needed is a large cresent wrench to open the relief valve nut releasing the left over pressure. then open the co2 tank by hitting the wench on a hard surface with the wench around the main fitting. I use a rolling pin to smash the dry ice in a bag to almost a powder then funnel it into the tank. Leave the relief valve open when replacing the main fitting use gloves to prevent frostbitten fingers thats no fun. Once again hit the wench on a hard surface to secure the fitting. then close the relief valve and set the tank in warm water to turn the dry ice into liquid co2 and thats about it really easy just be safe.
I tried the dry ice trick by smashing up 1 lbs blocks. I found it didn’t last very long, like by 1/2 or 1/3 the amount. Could of been my procedure as I think it took me about 10 minutes to smash up the ice and pour it in the hole. Any good tips to make this better?