My kids love Homemade Root Beer! It is always a fun recipe to pull out for certain Holidays at our house. Those special occasions are made even more special when we make Homemade Root Beer. We usually make this at Halloween or for the Fourth of July!
It is super easy to make and isn’t as complicated as it may look. This recipe tends to scare some people because it requires the use of dry ice. But dry ice can be fun and easy to use if you know how to handle it properly. Dry ice is extremely cold and needs to be handled with a clean pair of gloves so that you don’t burn yourself while handling it.
Dry ice can be purchased at a lot of grocery stores. So be sure to ask around to see where it is available in your area. Be sure to store your dry ice in an insulated container. The thicker the insulation, the slower it will sublimate. Do not store dry ice in a completely airtight container or it may expand and cause the container to explode.
Homemade Root Beer Recipe
6 cups white sugar
3 1/3 gallons cold water
1 (2 ounce) bottle root beer extract
4 pounds dry ice
Directions:
- Dry ice can be dangerous to handle. Never let children handle dry ice without proper supervision and gloves. Handle the dry ice with gloves so it does not burn your skin.
- In a large cooler, mix together the sugar and water, stirring to dissolve sugar completely. Stir in the root beer extract. Carefully place the dry ice into the cooler, and cover loosely with the lid. Do not secure the lid, as pressure may build up.
- Let the mixture brew for about an hour before serving. Leftover root beer can be stored in one gallon milk jugs.
Want to take the Homemade Root Beer up a notch or two? Use the root beer to make some delicious Root Beer Floats! These Root Beer floats are a great way to celebrate the Fourth of July while you are watching some fireworks!
For best results make your Homemade Root Beer about an hour or so before serving!
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My daughter is turning seventeen soon, and wanted to have a small get-together with her friends. I think this would be a great treat for them to eat while they talk and do whatever teenagers do at a get together. I think I will also try using mason jars, they look really fun and festive. Thank you for the detailed recipe and helpful instructions for buying dry ice.
Sounds like fun. This recipe is really simple to make and so delicious. I hope everyone enjoys it!
I like how you shared such a lovely festive drink for the kids for this upcoming holiday. I do appreciate that you mentioned how airtight seals for dry ice containment would be quite a tragic idea for it would burst due to ever-expanding air inside due to the dry ice. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind when I purchase the ice this coming 24th. Hopefully, my drink would go as well as your recipe. Thanks for I’m sure that my kids would enjoy the smoking drink!
Jeremy- Thank you and enjoy!
Are glass cups required with this? How many glasses does this recipe make? Excited to try this with my son!
No, you can use any cup. Also, it makes around 40 glasses.
This is the recipe I use, and is the best! I don’t ever drink carbonation, but I can’t pass up homemade root beer, especially if it’s in a root beer float. So yummy!
Kara- I agree! We love homemade root beer at our house!
Homemade root beer is the best! It’s the only soda I’ll drink because it’s not fizzy. haha!!
Jennifer- I agree! I am not a fan of the fizz in soda either.
The dry ice makes this PERFECT for Halloween! When I was a little girl, I remember my grandma making homemade root beer for family reunions. It would be fun to restart the tradition with my own family. Thanks for the recipe!
Becca- This recipe brings back lots of memories for me when we make it too!