You don't have to miss out on the simple and enjoyable experience of brewing your own root beer at home just because you're diabetic. Sucralose, an artificial sweetener that's derived from sugar, can be used in place of sugar in root beer recipes. Once the homemade root beer brewing method is perfected, start adding other flavors to the brew. Vanilla, wintergreen, licorice, cinnamon and clove are common flavoring additions; just mix in 1 tsp. of the extract when the root beer concentrate is added.
Step 1
Funnel 1-1/2 cups of sucralose artificial sweetener into a clean 2-liter plastic bottle.
Step 2
Measure out a 1/4 tsp. dry active baker's yeast. Pour the yeast over the sucralose in the 2-liter bottle. Put the cap on the bottle and shake it to mix the sucralose and yeast.
Step 3
Take off the cap and add 1 tbsp. root beer extract or concentrate. Get all of the extract out of the measuring spoon and into the bottle, or add a little more, to ensure that there's actually 1 tbsp. in there.
Step 4
Fill the bottle with cool, but not cold, water to within 1 inch of the top. Replace the cap and tighten it. Invert the bottle continuously until all the ingredients dissolve together.
Step 5
Keep the bottle at room temperature for three to five days. Give the bottle a forceful squeeze on the third day and every subsequent day until it starts to feel slightly hard, indicating that the homemade root beer is ready.
Step 6
Place the root beer in a refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours before serving. Open the cap slowly so the pressure that's built up inside the bottle dissipates gradually.
Tips and Warnings
- For tasty homemade root beer without the wait, boil 1-1/2 cups water. Add 1 cup sucralose and 1-1/2 tsp. root beer extract. Stir until all of the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until cold, then mix with a 1-liter bottle of cold club soda and serve.
- Homemade root beer kept at room temperature after the bottle starts to feel hard may explode.
Things You'll Need
- Funnel
- 2-liter plastic bottle
- Sucralose
- Baker's yeast
- Root beer extract or concentrate
References
- "Homemade Root Beer, Soda and Pop"; Stephen Edward Cresswell; 1998
- McCormick: Easy Homemade Root Beer
