Strawberries and Cream dirty Soda

Look, I love Olipop. The strawberry cream flavor? It’s like drinking a fancy soda fountain dream. It tastes like someone liquified the fantasy of what we all wish regular cream soda could be.

But then I looked at the price tag. I’m also not about to blow 200 calories on a less expensive, far more sugary cream soda. And I thought: “This is insane. I’m not paying $2.50 for a can of soda.” (I’m not judging you if you do—I’m just saying I can’t afford to have opinions that expensive.)

So I did what any reasonable person would do when faced with a luxury I can’t justify: I reverse-engineered it in my kitchen using three ingredients I already had, and it cost approximately $1 and tastes shockingly close. Game-changer energy.

The Ingredients (Yes, Really, Just Three)

• 1 tablespoon sugar-free French vanilla syrup (I use the kind you’d put in coffee)
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar-free French vanilla Coffee Mate creamer
• One 12oz can of strawberry Bubly sparkling water

That’s it. That’s the hack.

How to Make It (Spoiler: You Already Know)

Pour the syrup into a glass filled with ice (LOTS AND LOTS OF ICE). Add the creamer. Pour in your VERY COLD Bubly (seriously, don’t skip this—cold Bubly just hits different). Stir gently. And here’s the thing: don’t stir too much or you’ll lose all that precious carbonation. You want it mixed, not aggressively blended into submission.

Take a sip. Adjust the creamer/syrup amount if you want it more or less vanilla-y. (Pro tip: if you want more vanilla flavor, add more syrup rather than more creamer—it’ll preserve the carbonation and save calories.) If you want to feel fancy, serve it in a glass that isn’t from a gas station convenience store. (I’m not telling you to, I’m just saying it’s an option.)

Why This Actually Works

The magic is in the pairing. The French vanilla syrup and creamer give you that silky, creamy soda vibe—that “fancy fountain drink” texture that makes it feel less like sparkling water and more like an actual beverage that made a decision. The strawberry Bubly brings the fizz and the fruit flavor without tasting artificial (or at least, without tasting more artificial than we’re all already fine with).

Together, it’s like someone took a cream soda, whispered “strawberry,” and then decided not to charge you a fortune for the experience.

The Stats (Because You Probably Want to Know)

Calories: About 10 (the creamer adds 10 calories per tablespoon, and the syrup and Bubly are zero)

Cost per serving: Roughly $1 (maybe less if you bought your syrup and creamer on sale, which is the only reasonable way to live)

Taste comparison: Genuinely close enough that I catch myself wondering why I’d ever go back to the $2.50 version

For comparison, a single can of Olipop Strawberry Vanilla runs you $2-3, clocks in at 40 calories, and tastes great but also tastes like a financial decision you’ll feel weird about later.

That’s the Whole Hack

I’m not saying this is going to change your life. But I’m also not not saying it. It’s a strawberry cream soda for a dollar. It’s one less thing to feel guilty about—one less “should I really spend this much” moment every time you want something that actually tastes good.

Go forth. Make your $1 soda. Pat yourself on the back. You’ve earned it.