Want to try a fruity and creamy dirty soda? Then you need to make this blueberry yuzu dirty soda. It’s healthier than regular soda, made with real fruit syrup, yuzu juice, and sparkling water! Blueberry and yuzu are such an amazing combination, and this drink is wildly refreshing yet creamy. It’s gourmet in the best way!

Here’s how to make a blueberry yuzu dirty soda at home!

Blueberry Yuzu Dirty Soda Takeaways:

• Use yuzu juice for convenience; yuzu fruit is hard to find.
• Make homemade blueberry syrup for the freshest, natural flavor.
• Make a soft whipped cream for easy mixing.

Why Make This Soda:

• It’s a less-sweet, gourmet version of a typical dirty soda.
• Make a fancy cafe-quality drink at home for less than half the price it costs to buy it out.
• Learn how to make a dirty soda and create your own unique concoctions.
• It’s creamy, refreshing, fizzy, and addictive.

What is Dirty Soda?

You may have heard of SWIG, which is an iconic soda shop in Utah, mixing up all kinds of soda combinations. From the Dirty Little Secret (Diet Coke with coconut, lime, and vanilla) to the Shark Attack (Sprite with blue raspberry and lemonade), there’s a dirty soda flavor for everyone. Dirty soda is soda flavored with syrups and creamers. You can iterate upon any soda and add endless flavorings.

It’s been around for a while, but popularized in Utah thanks to Mormonism and the lack of drinking caffeine. Everyone needs a vice, and flavored soda just happens to be Utah’s.

Cream Soda vs. Dirty Soda

Although cream soda has the word cream in it, it actually means a vanilla-flavored soda. The cream actually comes from the word ice cream, since adding vanilla to soda was meant to mimic vanilla ice cream.

Now, Italian cream soda is different, as it’s made with carbonated water, flavored syrup, and a splash of half-and-half, cream, or whipped cream. This actually has cream in it, unlike the American cream soda.

Dirty soda is kind of a spin on Italian cream soda, but more experimental. It also uses preexisting sodas as a base, versus individual ingredients, making Italian cream sodas. You can have some gnarly flavor combinations, but most flavors are a combination of fruity, creamy, citrusy, and sweet.

Can You Add Cream to Soda?

You sure can! Although it might sound unique to add cream to a carbonated beverage, it’s a common practice in all sorts of cultures. For example, melon cream sodas in Japan, root beer floats in America, doodh soda in India, Milkis in Korea, and so on. There’s something addictive about a creamy, fizzy drink that traverses cuisine, and it’s a great combination to try!

Cream also curdles in soda from the citric soda, but it’s not that noticeable and doesn’t affect the flavor. Especially once you mix it, you can’t tell unless you let it sit out for a while. And it’s totally safe to drink.

What is Blueberry Yuzu Dirty Soda?

Blueberry yuzu dirty soda is a refreshing yuzu soda made with blueberry syrup topped with soft whipped cream. It’s super refreshing, bright, and reminiscent of the classic blueberry lemon combination everyone loves in muffins, cakes, yogurt, and more.

I like making a homemade blueberry syrup and yuzu juice to get the brightest flavor. Plus, it’s easy to adjust the sweetness, unlike using a premade soda.

What Does Blueberry Yuzu Dirty Soda Taste Like?

It tastes like a blueberry lemon creamsicle! It’s sweet, creamy, and tart, similar to a blueberry lemon cheesecake. If you like fruit yogurt or fruit creamsicles, then you’ll love this blueberry yuzu dirty soda.

The cream balances out the tartness and makes for a great flavor contrast.

Do Blueberry and Yuzu Go Together?

You bet! Blueberry lemon is the classic fruit and citrus combination, and yuzu is just a variation of lemon in this scenario. Yuzu is less sour than lemons and more aromatic, so it adds more aroma to blueberries than lemons. I like that it’s a little more floral, so it doesn’t add a lot of acidity to an already tart fruit.

Blueberry Yuzu Dirty Soda Recipe: Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make a blueberry yuzu dirty soda at home:

• Blueberry Syrup — Follow my easy blueberry syrup recipe for a fresh and tart syrup perfect for this soda! All you need is blueberries, sugar, and water. However, you can also use a store-bought syrup.
• Yuzu Juice — Juice yuzu citrus fruits, or use a premade yuzu juice. The juice is easier to find; yuzu citrus is difficult to find unless you grow it yourself.
• Sparkling Water — Sparkling water or club soda works well here. Tonic water will have a slightly bitter flavor that isn’t ideal for dirty soda. You can also make your own fizzy water with a SodaStream or carbonation machine.
• Ice — Crushed ice is ideal for dirty soda! Use pebble ice or crush larger ice into smaller pieces.
• Heavy Cream — Heavy whipping cream with 35% milkfat or more is ideal for whipped cream. Half and half won’t whip as nicely, but can be used as a lower-calorie replacement.
• Sugar — White granulated sugar or simple syrup is ideal for sweetening cream. You can also use agave or another neutral sweetener.

How to Make Blueberry Yuzu Dirty Soda

1. Whip Cream. Add heavy cream and sugar to a cup or bowl. Whip for 10 – 15 seconds using a handheld frother until soft and fluffy but still pourable.
2. Assemble Drink. Add ice, blueberry syrup, yuzu juice, and sparkling water to a separate glass. Stir to combine using a spoon.
3. Top with your soft whipped cream. Garnish with a citrus peel, blueberry, or leave plain.
4. Mix and Enjoy! Stir with a straw until well combined and enjoy! Best consumed within an hour.

Tips for the Best Dirty Soda

• Use Non-Dairy Cream: If you’re worried about heavy cream curdling in soda, you can use non-dairy cream or creamer instead. Coconut cream is a popular vegan alternative that won’t curdle and still gives you a creamy texture.
• Make it Sugar Free: Use a sugar-free simple syrup and blueberry syrup to make a zero-sugar dirty soda. It’s best to buy the premade, as making them can be tricky without the right sugar substitute.

FAQ’s

Can I substitute yuzu?

You can substitute yuzu for any citrus fruit, like lemon, lime, grapefruit, sudachi, or calamansi. Yuzu isn’t as sour as most citrus fruits, so you’ll likely need a mix of a lemon and a sweeter citrus to mimic the flavor. Yuzu is such a unique flavor, so nothing is quite a dupe just yet.

Is dirty soda a Mormon thing?

While it did not originate in Mormonism, it’s a heavy result of the religion’s abstention from alcohol and caffeine. It’s interesting how people need a vice of some sort, and dirty soda happens to be the most popular vice among Mormons.

How unhealthy is dirty soda?

Dirty soda is quiteeeeee unhealthy… Vices are rarely healthy, haha. Soda is already loaded with sugar, and with flavored syrups, it’s even more sugary. Plus, the added fats from creamer or cream, and you have yourself a high-calorie bomb with extra carbohydrates. While it is delicious, it’s also a once-in-a-while treat for me.

Other Soda Recipes to Try

Dirty sodas are so easy to make at home, and you can make them healthy by using fresh syrups and unsweetened sparkling water. For more amazing soda drinks, here are some other soda recipes to try next:

• Strawberry Milkis
• Healthy Kiwi Soda
• Matcha Cream Soda
• Blackberry Vanilla Cream Soda
• Matcha Soda