Icy, fizzy, and creamy, dirty soda is the perfect sweet treat to sip on this summer.
This is no April Fool’s joke. If you’re not from Utah, you’re probably thinking: what the heck is “dirty soda” and why would I ever want to drink it? But, if you’ve ever stoped by a Swig or Sodalicious, you know. Oh, you know. Dirty soda is seeing a surge in popularity thanks to Tiktok and Olivia Rodrigo and I am here for it.
What is dirty soda?
Dirty soda is fountain soda mixed with flavored syrups and cream, all served up over nugget ice. There are literally millions of recipes you can make and you can definitely find a flavor catered to you. The original version is: Diet Coke over ice, with coconut syrup, lime juice, and half and half. It’s creamy and refreshing all at the same time. Think of dirty soda as a customizable non-alcoholic fizzy cocktail.
Where did dirty sodas come from?
Dirty sodas are from Utah, where there’s a large Mormon population. Because Mormons don’t drink alcohol (or coffee!), dirty sodas came about as a fun way to enjoy non-alcoholic mixed drinks.
What makes it “dirty”?
It’s the cream! I am not sure why – if you know, let me know in the comments – but adding the cream is what makes it dirty. Maybe it’s because cream and soda doesn’t go together smoothly until you mix it?
Wait, aren’t these just melted floats?
Remember floats? Soda topped off with a perfect scoop of vanilla ice cream? I LOVE floats, especially root beer floats. Essentially, dirty sodas are a variation of a ice cream float, but with heavy cream instead of ice cream.
Can I make dirty soda at home?
Yes! It’s super easy to make dirty soda and it just takes regular grocery store ingredients. In fact, hold a dirty soda party and have a bunch of sodas and mix ins and customized to your heart’s galore. There are bunch of flavored coffee creamers these days and they work perfectly if you don’t want to buy coffee syrups.
How to make dirty soda
- Ice: First, start off with a large glass of ice. Nugget ice is preferable (more on that below) but obviously most people don’t have $700 nugget ice machines at home so go with whatever ice you have.
- Syrups: To the ice, add your syrups of choice. For the classic dirty soda, we’re going to add 2 pumps of coconut syrup (1 tbsp) and 1 tbsp of fresh lime juice.
- Soda: Next, we’re going to top it off with Diet Coke.
- Cream: The cream is what makes it dirty! Pour on the heavy cream and watch as it swirls in prettily.
- Stir and enjoy. Give everything a stir and sip!
What is nugget ice?
If you’ve ever had the ice at Sonic, you’ve experienced the joy of nugget ice. I am truly obsessed with nugget ice. So much so that Mike seriously thought about buying me a nugget ice maker for me for my birthday. I love that squishy, crunchy, chewable ice. I’m not alone in my love either, nugget ice has a cult following. Sadly, I don’t have a nugget ice maker, (update: I do now! it’s this one and it works great!) but loads of ice is key in dirty sodas: it keeps them ice cold and also helps waters them down to the perfect drinkable sweetness. Nugget ice is definitely superior – the ice is chewable, and it’s somehow light and fluffy with aeration which let’s the soda soak into the ice, equalizing the ratios of the sweetness of soda.
Above: sadly, not true nugget ice.
What else can you use coconut syrup for?
If you’re a coconut lover like me, you probably won’t have an issue using up a bottle of coconut syrup, but if you need some ideas, here’s what you can do:
- coconut lattes: make a regular latte and sweeten to taste with coconut syrup
- cold brew with coconut syrup: sweeten cold brew to taste with coconut syrup
- coconut lemonade: leave the sugar out of your favorite lemonade recipe and sweeten with coconut syrup to taste
- coconut banana smoothies: blend together 1 small frozen banans with 1/2 cup coconut milk and coconut syrup to taste
Dirty soda ideas
- DDD: Dr. Pepper + coconut syrup
- Malibu: Dr. Pepper + coconut syrup + vanilla syrup
- Naughty and Nice: Dr. Pepper + English toffee syrup + half and half
- Buttery Beer: Root beer + butterscotch syrup + vanilla cream
- Riptide: Sprite + cranberry + raspberry + fresh lime
Other fun drinks to try
- Whipped lemonade (pictured above)
- Coconut cloud smoothie
- Mango smoothie
- Blueberry ginger ale spritz
- Lemongrass mint lime spritz
- Mint mojito coffee
Give it a try or let me know your favorite dirty soda recipes!
xoxo steph
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut syrup ~2 pumps, see notes
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 12 oz Diet Coke
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- ice as needed
Instructions
- In a large glass filled with ice, layer on the coconut syrup, lime juice, Coke, and heavy cream. Stir well and enjoy!
UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH UTAH L+ratio
This is basically an ice cream soda – a very old ice cream treat from the 1920’s or earlier. It’s always been my favorite but ice cream places don’t make it much any more. It’s made by mixing a small amount of choc syrup & cream or milk in the bottom of the glass then adding carbonated soda water, stir and add ice cream & more soda water. Using different syrups may be a new thing but ice cream sodas have been around a long time.
This sounds and looks awesome. I cannot wait to try this.
I just tried my first dirty soda at a 4th of July Festival in SW Florida! Then I realized that I make this drink all the time but with Coconut rum instead of coconut syrup. People think I’m crazy! Lol
It’s nice to know that this is actually a drink that people enjoy like I do!
Thanks for the recipe!
I am from Utah and this stuff is so popular. There is a soda shop on every corner! As many as there are Starbucks in Cali.
OK, I use Half and Half and half of my sodas end up with curdled milk in them. Anyone figure out an order, or to only use warm HnH, only use heavy cream, or use Coconut milke or…??
hmm, i’m not sure, but it shouldn’t curdle with half and half – cold liquids mixing together should be fine!
My mom made something similar for me when I was a kid (she grew up in the Midwest — but not Utah). She simply mixed half Coke and half milk. The trick was both had to be super cold. It was delicious and much less likely to lead to coronary failure like true dirty sodas.
Doesn’t sound that different than old fashioned “Cream Soda”, a popular soda since the early 1900s! In Pennsylvania Dutch world, eastern PA Birch beer soda with vanilla ice cream is called a “Black and White Cow”, similar to a root beer float!