How to Make Flavored Sparkling Water

Reviewed by Sander Raav

Last Updated: October 2, 2025 References

Bubbly drinks satisfy your cravings and make you go “Ahhhh…” in a way that other drinks can’t. But sugary sodas aren’t great for your health, and buying twelve-packs every few days will hurt your wallet. Making your own flavored sparkling drinks is a great way to protect your health and your bank account, and you get to experiment with new flavor combinations you can’t find on the grocery shelves! In this article, discover multiple ways to flavor your sparkling water and recipes to zest up your drinks like never before.

Section 1 of 3:

Adding Flavor to Sparkling Water

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Add fresh fruit to your sparkling water. Chop, smash, or blend the fruit to release their flavor, and add about a handful of fruit per can of sparkling water, or 3 handfuls for a liter. Once the fruit is added to the water, leave it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to let the flavors infuse the drink.^{[1]
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- Try flavorful fruits like strawberries, lemon, pineapple, and raspberries, or even try vegetables like cucumbers or ginger and fresh herbs like basil or rosemary. Make sure to chop or muddle the herbs, too, before they go into the sparkling water.^{[2]
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- Add fruit zest if you want an extra citrus zing!
- The sparkling water can be from a can or made at home using a water carbonation machine.
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Mix your sparkling water with juice. Use a ratio of 1 part juice to 1 part sparkling water.^{[3]
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- Use your favorite juice, or make a mixture of two, like cranberry and pineapple or limeade and mango.
- Add more or less juice according to your own taste! Juice can be high in sugar and calories, so use a juice to sparkling water ratio of 1:3 for a healthier option.
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Try adding natural sweeteners like syrup or honey. Mix well at room temperature to make sure the sweetener gets evenly distributed.^{[4]
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- Sweeten to taste, but if you’re concerned about your health, keep them limited.
- Use their unique tastes to enhance your flavor combinations, like putting apple and maple syrup together, or lemon and honey.
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Use flavorful syrups to add to your sparkling water. Add the syrups to your sparkling water according to their instructions.^{[5]
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- Keep in mind that syrups are more concentrated than juice, so a little goes a long way.
- Buy flavorings that are imitations of sodas or sparkling water flavors you like, available in many grocery stores and also sold by companies that sell carbonation machines.
- Use pre-made syrups and extracts to explore flavors you wouldn’t be able to make on your own, like coconut extract, pumpkin pie flavoring syrup, or vanilla extract.
- Make your own syrups using recipes that tell you how to combine, blend, and strain ingredients you like.

Section 2 of 3:

Flavored Sparkling Water Recipes

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Add a handful of chopped mango, 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of lime juice (either bottled or freshly squeezed), and a pinch of cayenne pepper to a glass. Pour your sparkling water into the glass (from a can, or from a bottle you carbonated yourself–if you’re making a whole liter, triple the other ingredients). Stir and let sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours, then enjoy your cool drink.^{[6]
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Add ¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of vanilla extract and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of orange extract to a glass. Then, add ¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of orange juice (either freshly squeezed, or store-bought) to the glass. Add an orange slice, too, if you’d like! Pour chilled sparkling water into the glass (from a can, or a bottle you carbonated yourself). Stir well and enjoy!^{[7]
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Chop a handful of pineapple into small pieces, and chop a couple of sprigs of fresh mint coarsely into pieces, then put them in an empty glass. Pour your sparkling water into the glass (from a can, or a bottle you carbonated yourself). Then, pour 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of honey into the sparkling water and stir well to dissolve the honey. Refrigerate for at least two hours, and enjoy!^{[8]
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Section 3 of 3:

Making your Own Flavored Syrups

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Put all ingredients in a saucepan with water. To make a syrup, you will need to include a sweetener (sugar, honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar). Add 1 cup (240 mL) of water, 2 cups (470 mL) of chopped fruits, ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of your sweetener (1 cup (240 mL) if it’s sugar), a small handful of herbs, and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of flavor extracts to the saucepan.^{[9]
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- Some great flavor combinations include strawberry basil, cherry vanilla, blood orange rosemary, mint limeade, and raspberry lemon ginger.
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Use a mesh strainer or sieve to keep fruit chunks and seeds out. As you strain, mash the mixture into the mesh to get all the juices into the container^{[12]
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It should last for at least two weeks in the refrigerator.
Use the syrup to make the flavored carbonated water more than once, adding between 2 to 4 tablespoons (30 to 59 mL) of syrup per glass.^{[13]
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Tips

Serve with ice to make your drink cooler and classier.

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Keep your drink bubbly for days by keeping it in a sealable bottle or container.

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Warnings

If you make sparkling water at home with a carbonation machine, make sure to carbonate the water before you add your flavors or syrup. If you add syrups before carbonating, it can interfere with the carbonation process and damage your machine.

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