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This Healthy Sour Green Apple and Lime Soda is refreshing, hydrating, nutritious and perfect for any occasion! Free of added sugars and artificial colours, it's naturally sweet and has a vibrant green hue.
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With just the right amount of sweet and sour, this healthy homemade soda is refreshingly satisfying with uplifting effervescence. Made with just four ingredients, this simple Soda comes together quickly and easily.
It's a healthy and delicious alternative to pop, cocktails, and sugar-laden juices that can satisfy those fizzy cravings. Plus, its beautiful colour makes it perfect for parties, brunches or a little luxurious self-care!
Is Homemade Green Apple Soda Healthy?
This Homemade Green Apple and Lime Soda is a much healthier option for many reasons. It's hydrating, naturally sweet, and made with simple, nutritious, whole-food ingredients. Plus, it doesn't contain any artificial flavours or colours!
Health Benefits
Rich in immune-supporting nutrients. With homemade green apple juice and freshly squeezed lime, this soda is rich in quercetin and vitamin C, two powerful antioxidants that support healthy immune function.
Stimulates digestion and detoxification. Fresh apple and lime juice are full of beneficial enzymes that aid in the breakdown and absorption of nutrients. They are also rich in liver-supporting nutrients, and the sour taste can help stimulate bile production.
No added sugar. Thanks to the fresh green apple and lime juice, this soda is naturally sweet. So, no added sweetener or sugar is necessary.
Seasonal Benefits
Spring and early summer are great times to reap the revitalizing and detoxifying benefits of the sour taste. It's also a delicious and refreshing way to hydrate on hot summer days.
Late summer and fall are great times to use fresh-picked apples while they are in season.
How to Make Green Apple Lime Soda Without Added Sugar
Making this homemade sugar-free soda couldn't be easier! It only takes a few minutes, and as mentioned above, four simple ingredients. Follow the steps below or watch the video!
What You Will Need
Equipment
- Juicer to make homemade fresh green apple juice. You can also use a blender and strain the the juice through a nut milk bag or fine mesh sieve.
- Pitcher or jug for mixing and serving.
- Whisk or wooden spoon to mix the apple and lime juice with the spirulina powder.
Ingredients
- Green apples make a delicious juice that gives this soda its naturally sweet and sour taste. You can also use pure, pre-made green apple juice.
- Sparkling water provides the fizzy effervescence. Make sure it is free of added sugars or flavours. You can also use homemade ginger bug soda, plain kombucha, or water kefir for the fizzy base. The flavour will vary slightly if using these probiotic-rich bubbly bases.
- Lime adds to the sweet and sour flavour while also preventing the apple juice from oxidizing.
- Spirulina powder (optional) gives this soda a brighter, more vibrant green hue while providing a nutritional boost.
Step 1: Make Fresh Green Apple Juice
Chop the apples and feed them into your juicer one by one. I like to chop mine into quarters. However, some juicers may need smaller pieces, while some may be able to handle halves or whole apples. So, it's always best to follow the instructions that come with your juicer.
If you have a bladed juicer, you will need 3 - 5 apples to make 1.5 cups of green apple juice. However, if you have a slow juicer, you may only require 2 - 3 apples.
Slow vs. Fast Juicers
If you're wondering why you may need a different amount of apples depending on your juicer, here's a little breakdown of the two kinds.
Slow juicers (masticating) work exactly as they sound. They slowly press, chew and squeeze fruits and vegetables through a sharp mesh screen. As a result, it's a slower process, but you can get more juice out of less produce. However, the most beneficial thing about this juice extraction process is that it leaves more nutrients and enzymes intact.
Fast juicers (centrifugal) are quick, convenient, and much cheaper. They extract juice by pushing fruits and vegetables through a tube into fast-spinning blades. The juice is then forced through a mesh screen, straining it from the pulp.
How to Make Homemade Juice with a Blender
Even if you don't have a juicer, you can still make homemade juice! However, it does require a blender. The higher the power, the better. But even a good old smoothie blender will still do the trick!
To make juice with a blender, first chop the apples into 1-inch chunks. Then, add them into your blender jug and blend until the juices release and a purée forms. You may need to add a little water to get it all spinning. Adding 1 tablespoon at a time, you can add up to half a cup if needed.
Once it has blended into a watery purée, pour it into a nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain. Keep squeezing or pressing the pulp until all the juice is strained out into a jug or bowl.
Step 2: Add Lime Juice
Once you have your fresh green apple juice made, you'll want to add the lime juice right away to prevent oxidation. This prevents the juice from turning brown (just like apples do when exposed to oxygen).
However, if oxidation does occur, there's no need to worry! It won't affect the taste, and the colour will brighten back up once the spirulina is added.
To mix the apple and lime juice, pour the freshly made green apple juice into a pitcher or jug and stir in the freshly squeezed lime juice.
Step 3: Stir in Spirulina Powder (Optional)
Next, stir in a dash of spirulina powder. I find that mixing it with a whisk works well. However, if it clumps, you can give it a blitz in a smoothie blender for thirty seconds or so.
If using a blender, make sure to do this step before adding the carbonated water!
Step 4: Add Sparkling Water
Now, all that's left to do is add your sparkling water! Pour the carbonated water into the pitcher with the apple and lime juice mixture.
You can adjust the taste by adding more or less water. Add more water for a milder sour green apple flavour and less for a stronger flavour.
You can get extra fancy with this refreshing, fizzy Green Apple Soda by serving it in martini or cocktail glasses and garnishing with lime or apple slices! If garnishing with apple slices, be sure to squeeze a little lime or lemon juice on them to prevent them from oxidizing and turning brown.
Substitutions & Variations
Filtered still water can be used to make a non-fizzy version.
Make it probiotic-rich by using a naturally fermented fizzy base, such as ginger bug soda, plain kombucha, or water kefir. The flavour will slightly vary depending on which fizzy base you use.
Lemon can be used in place of lime.
My Top Tips
Add the sparkling water last. For the fizziest results, mix and stir the apple juice, lime juice, and spirulina together first to prevent the sparkling water from going flat.
Don't skip the spirulina if you want this apple soda to take on a bright and vibrant green colour.
Use organic apples to avoid harmful pesticides and herbicides. The skin is rich in quercetin, so don't peel it off before juicing if you're using organic or naturally grown!
Storing & Saving
This soda will last 1 - 2 days refrigerated and well-sealed in an airtight container.
Due to oxidation, the vibrant green hue does begin to fade into a golden (apple juice) colour after about 4 - 6 hours. So, it is best served fresh, especially for occasions where it's meant to impress.
More Refreshing Recipes
Recipe Highlights
Real Food ingredients. This soda is made with real fruit juice, natural spirulina powder and sparkling water. No added sugars, flavours or colours are needed.
Friendly for many diets. This homemade soda is naturally free of dyes, added sugar, dairy, gluten and nuts.
Revitalizing, refreshing and hydrating. This delicious soda makes a revitalizing sour spring drink and a refreshing way to hydrate on hot summer days.
FAQs
Yes! If you prefer a sweeter Green Apple Soda, you can add a little honey or pure maple syrup. Start by adding a teaspoon at a time until it reaches your desired taste.
You can make this Soda with regular apple juice. However, it will not be as sour, and many store-bought brands are sweetened with high amounts of sugar. So, if you want to keep this recipe on the healthier side, juice your own or look for brands that do not use juice from concentrate and have no added sugar.
Yes, technically speaking, carbonated water and sparkling water are the same thing. However, carbonated water is a broader term that can also include club soda, which may contain additives like salt and can change the flavour of this drink.
I like to use natural sparkling spring water without any additives for the purest and best flavour of this Green Apple Soda.
If you try this Healthy Sour Green Apple and Lime Soda, let me know how it turns out by leaving a comment and rating below. Also, make sure you're following along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Flipboard for more wildly nutritious recipes!
Healthy Sour Green Apple & Lime Soda (No Added Sugar)
Print RecipeEquipment
- Juicer or Blender
- Pitcher / Jug
- Whisk or Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup Fresh Green Apple Juice (3 - 5 whole apples, depending on your juicer)
- 2.5 cups Sparkling Spring Water (Additive-Free)
- 2 tablespoon Lime Juice (Freshly Squeezed)
- 1 dash Spirulina Powder
- 1 Lime or Apple for Garnish (Optional)
Instructions
- Chop the apples and feed them into your juicer one by one. I like to chop mine into quarters. However, some juicers may need smaller pieces, while some may be able to handle halves or whole apples. So, it's always best to follow the instructions that come with your juicer.If you have a bladed juicer, you will need 3 - 5 apples to make 1.5 cups of green apple juice. However, if you have a slow juicer, you may only require 2 - 3 apples.Even if you don't have a juicer, you can still make homemade juice! However, it does require a blender. The higher the power, the better. But even a good old smoothie blender will still do the trick!To make juice with a blender, chop the apples into 1-inch chunks. Then, add them into your blender jug and blend until the juices release and a purée forms. You may need to add a little water to get it all spinning. Adding 1 tablespoon at a time, you can add up to half a cup if needed.Once it has blended into a watery purée, pour it into a nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain. Keep squeezing or pressing the pulp until all the juice is strained out into a jug or bowl.
- Once you have your fresh green apple juice made, you'll want to add the lime juice right away to prevent oxidation. This prevents the juice from turning brown (just like apples do when exposed to oxygen). However, if oxidation does occur, there's no need to worry! It won't affect the taste, and the colour will brighten back up once the spirulina is added.To mix the apple and lime juice, pour the freshly made green apple juice into a pitcher or jug and stir in the freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Next, stir in a dash of spirulina powder. I find that mixing it with a whisk works well. However, if it clumps, you can give it a blitz in a smoothie blender for thirty seconds or so.If using a blender, make sure to do this step before adding the carbonated water!
- Now, all that's left to do is add your sparkling water! Pour the carbonated water into the pitcher with the apple and lime juice mixture.You can adjust the taste by adding more or less water. Add more water for a milder sour green apple flavour and less for a stronger flavour.
- You can get extra fancy with this refreshing, fizzy Green Apple Soda by serving it in martini or cocktail glasses and garnishing with lime or apple slices! If garnishing with apple slices, be sure to squeeze a little lime or lemon juice on them to prevent them from oxidizing and turning brown.
N’Dea says
It turned out sooo good! It did not last everyone drank it right up.
When I blended the apples I put maybe a little more than half of a bottle of water because blending the apples kept getting stuck in the blades. I didn’t have spiralina so I left it out. I also added my own simple syrupy not much though, I feel like it really made the drink come together with fizz.
Michelle McCowan says
I'm so pleased to hear that, N'Dea. That's smart thinking adding the water to help the apples blend, thanks so much for that tip! And that sounds like such a delicious touch adding your own simple syrup! Thank you so much for the comment and I am so happy everyone enjoyed 🙂