Simple Green Apple Soda With Homemade Juice Recipe

I created a Green Apple Italian Soda using homemade green apple juice with no added sugar, a simple recipe that doubles as a classy mocktail option.

I always keep Granny Smith apples around because their sharp bite turns plain juice into something electric. This Simple Green Apple Soda with Homemade Juice tastes light, fizzy and oddly addictive, the kind of drink that belongs in lists like Drinks That Are Green and Best Sugar Free Drinks.

It somehow hits soda cravings without feeling like a diet option. Sparkling water adds a bright, clean lift, and a mint sprig or thin apple slice makes it look like you spent hours on it even if you didnt.

It’s one of those drinks you think is simple until you taste it.

Ingredients

• Tart, crunchy apples give fiber, vitamin C, pectin and natural sweetness with low sugar.
• Thins the juice for blending, keeps it light and helps extract subtle flavors.
• Adds bright sour note, boosts vitamin C, balances sweetness and keeps it zippy.
• Gives lively fizz and volume without extra calories, making the soda airy.
• Chills the drink fast, mutes intense flavors, and makes it extra crisp.
• Herbal aroma lift the soda, adds freshness, and a cooling note.
• Tiny salt pinch heightens sweetness, rounds flavors and reduces bitterness slightly.
• Pretty garnish, adds texture and extra apple flavor, makes the drink party-ready.

Ingredient Quantities

• 4 to 5 medium green apples (Granny Smith), about 1 to 1.25 pounds total
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 liter chilled sparkling water or club soda
• Ice cubes, as needed
• Fresh mint sprigs for garnish, optional but nice
• Thin apple slices for garnish, optional
• Pinch of salt, optional

How to Make this

1. Wash 4 to 5 medium Granny Smith apples, core and quarter them, keep the skin on and roughly chop into blender sized pieces.

2. Put the chopped apples in a blender with 1/2 cup cold water and blend until smooth. If you have a juicer you can use that instead and skip blending.

3. Strain the blended apple through a fine mesh sieve, nut milk bag, or cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing or squeezing the pulp to get as much juice out as you can.

4. Stir 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and a pinch of salt into the apple juice, taste and adjust the lemon to your liking. This is also where you remember we are not adding any sugar.

5. Chill the juice in the fridge if it isnt cold, or use right away if your sparkling water is ice cold.

6. To serve, fill glasses with ice cubes and add a few mint sprigs if you are using them.

7. Pour about 1 part apple juice to 3 parts chilled sparkling water or club soda into each glass (you can do 1 to 2 parts juice for a stronger apple flavor), using the 1 liter bottle across several glasses.

8. Gently stir once or twice to combine so you dont lose all the fizz, then taste and tweak with a little more lemon or a tiny extra pinch of salt if needed.

9. Garnish with thin apple slices and a mint sprig for a fancy look, or drop a slice into the glass for fun.

10. Make ahead tips and hacks: store the fresh apple juice covered in the fridge up to 48 hours, add a little extra lemon to slow browning, use a second strain for a clearer soda, and save the leftover pulp for muffins, oatmeal, or compost.

Equipment Needed

1. Cutting board (sturdy, for washing and chopping apples)
2. Chef’s knife or paring knife (for coring and rough chopping)
3. Blender or juicer (blender if you want to puree, juicer if you have one)
4. Fine mesh sieve, nut milk bag, or cheesecloth (for straining the juice)
5. Large bowl (to catch strained juice and press the pulp)
6. Measuring cup and measuring spoon (for the 1/2 cup water and lemon)
7. Pitcher or 1 liter bottle (to chill and serve the juice)
8. Glasses, long spoon and ice scoop or tongs (for serving, stirring gently and adding ice)

FAQ

Simple Green Apple Soda With Homemade Juice Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Green apples (Granny Smith): you can use Honeycrisp or Pink Lady if you want it sweeter and less tart, or Braeburn/Fuji for a milder apple flavor — same weight works fine.
• Fresh lemon juice: swap with lime juice 1:1 for the same bright acidity, or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar diluted in the 1/2 cup water if you’re out of citrus.
• Sparkling water / club soda: plain seltzer or flavored sparkling water work great, or try ginger ale for a sweeter, spicier fizz (cut back on other sweeteners if you do).
• Fresh mint sprigs: basil or lemon balm give a lovely herbal twist, or use thin cucumber slices instead for cool, fresh notes.

Pro Tips

– Chill everything ahead of time and even freeze a little of the apple juice into ice cubes. It keeps the drink fizzy longer and wont water it down as normal ice would.

– Double strain if you want a clear soda. Push the pulp through a nut milk bag or a second finer sieve but dont press so hard you squeeze bitter bits from the skin.

– Use a tiny pinch of salt and trust the lemon. Salt makes the apple flavor pop without making it taste salty, and an extra splash of lemon will slow browning and brighten the whole thing.

– Save the leftover pulp. Fold it into muffins, stir it into oatmeal, mix into pancake batter, or freeze portions for smoothies so nothing goes to waste.

– Be gentle when you combine juice and sparkling water. Pour slowly and stir only once or twice so you keep as much fizz as possible.