Cherry Vanilla Soda

This homemade cherry vanilla soda is easy, delicious, refreshing, and contains only 5 ingredients.

Why bother making your own soda? Well… it’s quite fun (if you find cooking fun), something a little bit different, and you know exactly what’s going into it.

I don’t normally make homemade pop (or soda as many people call it), but I was inspired after making the lemon simple syrup in my lemon champagne cocktail.

I get on cooking kicks like this sometimes. Also, cherries are now in season, and I wanted to make another cherry drink after thoroughly enjoying the cherry moscato slushes I recently made. This time, I wanted to use fresh cherries.

I am pretty new to making syrups, and after mulling it over for a while, I thought that vanilla would go well with the cherries. I probably had Vanilla Coke on the brain since up until recently I couldn’t find them easily here in Canada… so I seriously rationed the ones I was able to find, and now I’m seeing them everywhere.

After a quick Google search, it turns out I’m not the first one to come up with this vanilla-cherry combination, but that’s ok. People love it.

When I tried this drink, it actually reminded me a lot of the cream soda flavor of Jones Sodas I used to enjoy back in the day. No idea if they’re still around, but I used to love them.

Anyway, the syrup in here is pretty simple… equal parts sugar and water, 12 cherries, and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. I thought of using vanilla beans, but I decided the vanilla extract would be easier, and that’s what I had in my pantry, so I went with that.

You just mash up the cherries and simmer the mixture over medium heat until it’s infused with cherry flavor and reduced a bit.

I’ll say this generously makes at least 4 large drinks if you go heavy on the syrup. It really depends how much you add to each glass, but this also doesn’t make a ridiculous amount that you won’t use up in the week or so it’ll be good for.

You could even make a big pitcher for a party. If you want to spike this drink, add a little vodka. The possibilities of homemade syrups are endless. 😉

Have you ever made your own soft drinks at home? Enjoy!

3 from 2 votes

Cherry Vanilla Soda

By Natasha Bull

This cherry vanilla soda is an easy homemade fizzy drink that contains only 5 ingredients. 

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 17 minutes mins

Inactive time:: 15 minutes mins

Total: 37 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 12 cherries halved & pitted
• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ Soda water 

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Instructions 

• Cut the cherries in half and remove the pits. Add them to a small saucepan on medium heat along with the water, sugar, and vanilla extract.
• Once the mixture has been bubbling for about 5 minutes, mash the cherries (I actually used a potato masher to do this... use whatever you think will work). 
• Continue simmering them on the same heat for another 10 minutes. 
• Take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes prior to straining it (use a sieve) into a jar. 
• You can let it cool a bit further, or add some to a glass with ice and top it off with soda water. The syrup will keep in the fridge for about a week.

Notes

• Adjust the amount of syrup in your glass based on how sweet/strong you want the drink to be. The drink pictured has 6 teaspoons of syrup.
• This syrup tastes quite like cream soda.

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