If you’ve ever tried the ginger ale from a can and wondered where the ginger went, homemade ginger ale will surprise you. It tastes of actual root: sharp, warm, a little peppery, with a lemony edge.
This version is the fast way. You make a ginger syrup once, keep it in the fridge, and stir a couple of spoonfuls into sparkling water when you want a glass. It’s a much more honest answer to the question “what can I drink instead of ginger ale or cola?”
Quick answer: Simmer 1 cup of sliced fresh ginger with 1 cup of water and ⅓ cup of sugar for 15 minutes, steep 20 minutes, strain and add lemon juice. Refrigerate. For each glass, stir 2 tablespoons of syrup into ¾ cup of cold sparkling water over ice.
Ingredients
- 1 cup peeled, thinly sliced fresh ginger (about 4 oz)
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Sparkling water, ice, lemon wheels
Makes about 1 cup of syrup, enough for 8 glasses.
How to make ginger ale syrup
- Peel the ginger with the edge of a spoon. Slice it thinly, or grate it if you want it hotter.
- Add ginger, water and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 15 minutes.
- Take it off the heat and steep 20 more minutes. This is where most of the heat comes from.
- Strain into a clean jar and add the lemon juice. Cool, then refrigerate.
- For each glass, put 2 tablespoons of syrup over ice and top with ¾ cup of cold sparkling water.
Why this isn’t “old fashioned” ginger ale
Old-fashioned ginger ale is fermented. You make a ginger bug, a starter of sugar, ginger and water, and add it to a sweetened ginger base, then wait for it to carbonate. It’s a real tradition. It also takes days, needs sealed bottles that can build pressure and gives you results that vary. This recipe skips that and gets the flavor with a syrup.
If you’re curious about a fermented route, read the safety notes on our homemade kombucha page first, because the same food-handling cautions apply.
Tips for stronger, cleaner ginger ale
- Slice thin or grate. More surface area means more flavor in the same simmer time.
- Don’t boil hard. A gentle simmer keeps the ginger bright rather than cooked.
- Taste the syrup. It should be hot and a little too strong on its own. The sparkling water will dilute it about 6 to 1.
- Make small batches. With less sugar the syrup doesn’t last as long as a traditional one.
- Save the ginger slices. They’re good chopped into oatmeal or simmered again for tea.
Swaps and variations
- Spicier: add a few black peppercorns to the simmer.
- Honey ginger: replace the sugar with ¼ cup honey, stirred in after the syrup comes off the heat.
- Lime ginger: use lime juice in the syrup and garnish with a wheel.
- Cloudy and rustic: don’t strain as finely.
- Mocktail base: it’s the ginger in a virgin Moscow mule, or topped with a little grenadine for a lighter Shirley Temple.
How homemade ginger ale replaces your can of soda
Ginger ale has a reputation as a gentle soda, but the cans are very sweet. The CDC says one 12-ounce can of soda has more than 10 teaspoons (about 42 grams) of added sugar. This recipe has about 2 teaspoons in a glass, and a lot more ginger.
It still scratches the same itch: fizz, cold, sweet, a spicy edge you can feel at the back of your throat. For people who liked ginger ale or colas, the heat of the ginger replaces a lot of what the sugar was doing.
It has no caffeine, so it works at any time of day.
The ritual is easy too. A jar of syrup in the fridge and a bottle of seltzer next to it means making a ginger ale takes 20 seconds.
Log it on your Swap Shelf
Ginger ale is a classic swap because the ginger gives it character, but you won’t know it works for you until you try it for a couple of weeks. In FizzFree, add it to your Swap Shelf and tap whether the swap worked.
FizzFree is a habit tracker and not medical advice. If you have a health condition or take medication, talk to your doctor before changing what you drink.
Questions
What are the ingredients for ginger ale?
Real homemade ginger ale needs only fresh ginger, water, sugar, lemon and something to make it fizzy, such as sparkling water. Commercial ginger ale usually adds flavorings and a lot more sugar. Our version is a syrup you mix with seltzer.
Is this a fermented ginger ale?
No. Traditional old-fashioned ginger ale is fermented with a starter, which takes days and needs careful handling. This is a quick syrup version: you simmer, strain and add sparkling water. It's faster, predictable and has no alcohol from fermentation.
How much sugar is in the syrup?
The recipe uses ⅓ cup of sugar for the whole batch, which makes about 8 glasses at 2 tablespoons of syrup each. That's about 2 teaspoons of sugar per glass. You can reduce it further, but the syrup keeps less well with less sugar, so make smaller batches.
How long does ginger syrup keep?
Refrigerated in a clean, covered jar, plan to use it within a week. If it smells off, looks cloudy or fizzes on its own, throw it out. A lower-sugar syrup spoils faster than a very sweet one, so make small amounts.
Can I use a SodaStream or other carbonator?
Yes, for the water. Carbonate plain water, then add the syrup to the glass. Don't put the syrup in the machine, because most makers are designed for plain water only.
FizzFree is a habit tracker and not medical advice. If you have a health condition or take medication, talk to your doctor before changing what you drink.