Easy 3-Ingredient Homemade Orange Cream Soda: Your Refreshing Taste of Summer, Anytime!

Light and Refreshing Orange Cream Soda only takes 3 ingredients and is made in minutes. It’s light, tangy, and wonderfully creamy – a delightful citrusy taste of summer-in-a-glass you can make at any time of the year. Transport yourself to sunnier days with every bubbly sip! (Skip to recipe.)

This simple Orange Cream Soda immediately transports me back to my childhood. I can almost feel the warm sun on my face, imagine the taste of a creamsicle melting on a hot summer day, as I used to lie in the soft grass, watching the fluffy clouds drift lazily across an endless blue sky. It’s a flavor that’s deeply woven into my memories of carefree days, and recreating it at home brings such a profound sense of comfort and joy.

The Unexpected Joy of Summer Flavors in Winter

While the taste of this soda sings of summer, its creation often happens during the harshest winter days. Right now, the only thing drifting outside our window is icy trails of snow swirling across the highways here in northern Alberta. As the winter winds rage outside, forcing us to snuggle up indoors, dreaming of summer warmth becomes a vital coping mechanism to get us through these miserable weather spells. We’ve experienced temperatures plummeting near the -40°Celsius mark, with wind chills pushing it as low as -52°C on our home thermometer. Yikes! It’s undeniably the kind of weather that makes you want to stay bundled inside, if only you could.

These extreme conditions have meant school buses have been canceled for the past three days, resulting in my classroom only seeing a fraction of its usual students. Keeping schools open on bus-cancellation days is mandatory, ensuring that no student is ever left without a safe place to go if parents can’t arrange alternative childcare. This commitment means teachers, like myself, must find a way to get to school, regardless of the treacherous road conditions or brutal weather. We don our heaviest snow boots and winter parkas, wrap ourselves in thick, if slightly dorky, scarves and mittens, and coax our reluctant vehicles into starting. Once we reach the safety and warmth of the school, these days often feel like a mini-holiday. With fewer students, we get to engage in more focused and creative activities. Just today, my little grade one students, the classroom aide, and I had a blast building a monumental line of blocks that stretched from one end of the classroom all the way into the hallway, utilizing every single block from our classroom tubs. We even measured the line by having students lie head-to-foot, concluding it was thirteen students long. Yes, snow day activities can be incredibly fun, with just a touch of delightful craziness!

This week, Meredith and I also had our share of fun, whipping up these wonderfully refreshing orange cream sodas. They were the perfect vibrant accompaniment to our cheesy Turkey Parmesan Patties, adding a bright contrast to the savory meal.

Rescue Those Lingering Christmas Oranges!

Every year, it seems I find myself with a lingering box of Christmas oranges sitting patiently on the basement staircase, casting reproachful glances my way each time I pass. When my children were younger, I could barely keep enough of those juicy little fruits in the house; they’d disappear almost as quickly as I bought them. But nowadays, those poor Christmas oranges never seem to get the love and attention they deserve, and by the end of January, they’re still hanging around, looking pretty darn sad and neglected.

In past years, I’ve transformed those venerable Christmas oranges into delightful creations like a lovely Honey Mandarin Vinaigrette and a tasty Orange and Grapefruit Syrup. However, this year, a touch of laziness prevailed. Instead of embarking on a complex project, I enlisted Meredith to do the “heavy work” of juicing so we could quickly whip up a light and lovely drink while we were cooking dinner. Thankfully, my idea of “laziness” often aligns perfectly with her idea of fun – and rest assured, I don’t truly make her my cooking slave!

Why You’ll Love This 3-Ingredient Orange Cream Soda

These wonderfully sweet and tangy, light, and creamy Orange Cream Sodas are an absolute breeze to make, making them perfect for any day of the week, or for entertaining. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and versatility. You can use any oranges you have on hand – whether they’re old and nearing their last days or freshly bought and vibrant. Mandarins, tangerines, clementines, blood oranges, cara caras, or even plain navel oranges will all yield fantastic results. Simply juice ’em up, add a generous glug of sweetened condensed milk for that signature creamy texture and subtle sweetness, and then top up the glass with sparkling carbonated water for a fizzy, delicious, and undeniably celebratory ode to the orange. It’s particularly fortunate for us that the height of citrus season perfectly coincides with the depths of our northern winter. Right now, you’ll find the most abundant variety of these refreshing fruits, all bursting with essential Vitamin C – precisely what we need to boost our spirits and immunity to get us through the long, cold winter months.

So Let’s Whip Up This Orange Cream Soda – It’s as Easy as 1, 2, 3!

The batch we made using the “old” Christmas mandarins yielded a lovely, deep orange-coloured juice, rich and intense in flavor. In contrast, the batch crafted from fresh navel oranges was lighter in color, offering a vibrant, clear hue, though it was certainly no less flavorful. Each variety brings its own unique character to the drink. I’m already eager to try a batch of Orange Cream Sodas made from blood oranges next – imagining the stunning ruby red color and distinct tangy sweetness they would impart. The possibilities are endless when it comes to customizing this simple yet satisfying beverage.

So, whether you’re battling the howling winds of a harsh winter or basking in the gentle breezes of a glorious summer, a tall, frosty glass of homemade Orange Cream Soda will always bring a moment of joy and put a bright smile on your face. It’s a versatile drink that truly transcends seasons, offering a burst of sunshine and nostalgia whenever you need it most. Give it a try, and let this simple, creamy treat brighten your day!

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Expert Tips for Your Perfect Orange Cream Soda

• Sweetened Condensed Milk Storage: Don’t worry about leftover sweetened condensed milk! It freezes beautifully, so you can easily portion it out for future batches or other recipes without waste.
• Kid-Friendly Fun: This delightful orange cream soda is an absolute hit at kids’ birthday parties. It’s a sweet, fizzy treat that’s a whole lot healthier than conventional sugary sodas, offering fresh fruit goodness and Vitamin C. Plus, it’s so easy, kids can even help make it!
• Juicing Made Easy: You don’t need fancy equipment to extract juice from your oranges. Use whatever method you have available: a simple citrus reamer, an electric citrus juicer for speed, a handheld squeezer, or even just two forks for a quick and effective manual method. The goal is fresh juice, any way you can get it!
• Choosing Your Carbonated Water: For the fizz, you can use plain carbonated water, club soda, or seltzer. Choose a low-sodium option if preferred. The key is cold, fresh carbonation for the best bubbly experience.
• Garnish for Flair: Elevate your drink with simple garnishes. A fresh orange slice, a twist of orange peel, or even a sprig of mint can add visual appeal and an extra hint of aroma.
• Add a Hint of Vanilla: For an even more authentic “creamsicle” flavor, consider adding a tiny splash (about ¼ teaspoon per serving) of pure vanilla extract to the orange juice and condensed milk mixture before adding the carbonated water. It deepens the creamy notes beautifully.

Orange Cream Soda Recipe

serves 1

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (120ml) freshly squeezed orange, tangerine, or clementine juice
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup (120ml) carbonated water or low sodium club soda, chilled
• 2 or 3 ice cubes
• Optional: Orange slice or wedge for garnish

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Juice: Strain the freshly squeezed orange juice through a fine-meshed sieve to remove any pulp or seeds. This ensures a smooth, delightful drink.
2. Combine Base Ingredients: Pour the strained orange juice and the sweetened condensed milk into a serving glass.
3. Stir Until Creamy: Stir the mixture gently but thoroughly until the condensed milk is fully dissolved and blended into the orange juice, creating a creamy base.
4. Add Carbonation: Slowly add the chilled carbonated water. Stir very gently once more to combine without losing too many of the refreshing bubbles.
5. Serve Chilled: Plop in a few ice cubes. Garnish with an orange slice or wedge if desired. Enjoy immediately for the best fizz and flavor!

To make Orange Cream Soda in larger amounts: The ratio is simple and easily scalable. For every ¼ cup (60ml) of orange juice, add 1 tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk, and then an equal amount of carbonated water (i.e., ¼ cup / 60ml) to the amount of orange juice you used. Mix the juice and condensed milk first, then gently stir in the carbonated water.

Guten Appetit!

For more fun cooking projects to make with kids, be sure to see the ‘Cooking With Kids’ series here – a collection of recipes designed for little hands and big appetites!

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You might also like these refreshing citrus-inspired recipes:

• Orange and Grapefruit Syrup with a Little Hit of Cardamom
• Cantaloupe Creamsicle Smoothie
• Bright and Sprightly Blood Orange and Elderflower Sodas
• Chicken Breasts in Orange Sauce – A Culinary Journey from a Cooking Class in Rome