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Honey-Sweetened Ginger Ale Recipe {GUEST POST}

February 20, 2014 (UPDATED: January 18, 2021) by Guest Writer 28 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

This is a guest post from the fabulously talented Shaina Olmanson of Food for my Family.

Do you love pop but want a better alternative? This healthy ginger ale recipe with honey satisfies a crowd! All natural ginger ale is simple to make without the unhealthy additives.

natural ginger ale recipe, healthy ginger ale with honey in glass with straw

Papers are sprawled across the dining room table as my kids crunch numbers with pencils. In the kitchen I field questions ranging from algebraic equations to division to which side the “stick” goes on the number nine as I load lunchbox containers into the dishwasher and start preparing the family dinner.

As homework is finished and put away, the kids come to join me in prepping our next meal. There are vegetables to wash and chop, often pots that need stirring, and the table, once cleared, needs to be set.

One of my favorite surprises to play on my children right under their noses is to change up what’s in their dinner glass. In the commotion of six people all doing something different, a simple pitcher switch in my husband’s hand will fill dinner glasses with something other than water or milk, and it won’t be until after grace is said and forks are raised that one of them will take a sip of surprise.

We generally offer the same two beverages for meals and in between with a few exceptions. Tea and tisane make an appearance – especially in the middle of winter – with herbal, fruit, and ginger tisanes being offered to soothe sore throats or warm cold fingers and bellies before bed. Coffee and wine are left to the adults, clearly, and that leaves my kids without much access to sweetened beverages of any kind.

While we may not stock up on soda, I know it’s important to teach my children how to appreciate a special drink every once in a while and also how to drink them responsibly so they can manage themselves when it is an option outside the home. I hope to avoid the forbidden fruit mentality that can be a result of overly zealous dietary restrictions and keep our food options open and positive.

Plus, there are certain times when a bubbling glass of soda hits the spot: It’s refreshing after a workout or on hot summer days. It helps soothe an upset stomach when you’re sick. It also helps calm cravings for something sweet. Soda can also serve to make a meal extra special and be a way to celebrate.

Healthy Ginger Ale

Homemade ginger ale with honey happens to be a family favorite when it comes to any type of soda, and so it’s the one we make most often.

An abundance of spicy ginger that infuses itself into this syrup makes for a bubbly soda with a bit of a spicy kick. Because we control how it comes together, we have the added health benefits of fresh ginger in a special drink our whole family enjoys. If you are a ginger aficionado and like your ginger ale extra spicy, finely mince a bit of the cooked ginger after straining, and then add it right back into the syrup.

This recipe is adapted from my sucanat version of the same ginger soda. If you are so inclined, you may reduce the sucanat a bit and add a few stevia drops to up the sweetness for a lower glycemic index beverage. Or maybe try using sorghum syrup or maple syrup for a unique spin. If you’re looking for another wonderful honey-sweetened soda, try this lemongrass version.

Honey Ginger Ale Recipe

homemade ginger ale with honey, healthy ginger ale

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Honey-Sweetened Ginger Ale

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Shaina Olmanson
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Ingredients

  • 1 c. fresh ginger root
  • 2 c. water
  • 1/2 c. raw honey
  • 1 Tbs. fresh lime peel
  • Sparkling water (examples on Amazon)
  • Lime wedges


ship kroger


Instructions

  1. Peel the ginger root and thinly slice.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the ginger root, water, honey, and lime peel. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.
  4. Strain the ginger pieces and lime peel, and pour the cooled syrup into an airtight container.
  5. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  6. To prepare the ginger ale, mix together about 2 tablespoons of syrup with 6 ounces of sparkling water over ice. Stir gently to combine.
  7. Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy.

Notes

Regarding the bubbles: You can use any type of sparkling water or club soda for these recipes. Keep in mind that your final product will mirror what you’re mixing in, so a sparkling water with small bubbles and lower carbonation will result in a soda of similar mouth feel. For us, we carbonate our still water using a Sodastream (on Amazon, aff. link).

Did you make this recipe?

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Need a little help getting healthy food on the table every day? Real Plans takes the stress out of meal planning and puts the nourishing food BACK on your table. There’s a plan for every diet type, including GAPS, Paleo, AIP, Whole30, vegetarian and more! You remain totally in control: use your own recipes, accept theirs, and teach the system what your family likes…Check out how powerful it is here!

Note from Katie: I’m so grateful to Shaina for sharing this recipe, which I made from her blog last summer (the sucanat version), as part of The Ginger Challenge Series. It’s so. much. fun. And her philosophy on avoiding the “forbidden fruit mentality” is speaking to me hard core! Do visit her blog and take special note not only of her superb from-scratch recipes and photography, but also her One Deal, Five Meals category that will help you be a frugal real food master!

Have you tried homemade ginger ale with honey yet? Did you like this healthy ginger ale?

Shaina Olmanson of Food for My FamilyShaina Olmanson is a work-at-home mom of four, feeding both family and friends one plate at a time. She shares recipes, tips, opinions and her philosophy on food at Food for my Family as she strives to teach her children how to eat well: seasonally, locally, organically, deliciously and balanced. Follow Shaina on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter or G+.


Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post to Amazon from which Kitchen Stewardship® will earn some commission if you make a purchase. See my full disclosure statement here.

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Filed Under: Real Food Recipes Tagged With: beverages, ginger, guest post, honey, Real Food Recipes, The Ginger Challenge

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28 Bites of Conversation So Far

  1. LouAnn says

    August 28, 2016 at 12:04 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been looking for a good healthy recipe for ginger ale & this one sounds just right. I’m trying to get away from the plastic world & almost all sodas are in plastic. I can put this in a glass container & be happy about it!
    I love mint ginger ale & I’m going to add mint from my garden to this.
    Thank you again Katie!!! I’ll be trying it this week.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Donna says

    August 2, 2016 at 1:28 am

    Have you ever tried to preserve the syrup? I’m wondering if it would can.

    Reply
    • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

      August 9, 2016 at 1:29 pm

      Good question, Donna, I’m not a canner, so I’m really not sure!

      Reply
  3. Lia Trocano says

    May 3, 2015 at 3:34 pm

    No need to mess with peeling the ginger. It hurts nothing and adds no negative flavor.

    Reply
  4. sarah says

    June 22, 2014 at 11:19 pm

    Hi! I was wondering about the lime peel. Is it supposed to be the whole peel or just the zest? Bc I just made it w the whole peel and I think the pithy part of the peel is giving it a slightly bitter flavor. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  5. via Facebook says

    June 11, 2014 at 10:22 pm

    Yes, if you cook it over 116F Rachel Mitchell, you’re right. Still likely better for your health than white sugar. I’ve made it with sucanat too, simple, plus cutting the sucanat and adding liquid stevia to the final cup, to taste. Whatever is least expensive for you! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Tonya via Facebook says

    June 11, 2014 at 10:17 pm

    This is our go to drink for upset tummies now that we don’t buy pop.

    Reply
  7. Steven via Facebook says

    June 11, 2014 at 11:57 am

    If you think of it, get two.

    Reply
  8. Barbara via Facebook says

    June 11, 2014 at 9:25 am

    Great “after yoga” thirst quencher! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Katie via Facebook says

    June 11, 2014 at 8:43 am

    Sounds great!!!

    Reply
  10. Rachel via Facebook says

    June 11, 2014 at 12:17 am

    Looks great, though I’m pretty sure cooking raw honey destroys the good stuff (enzymes, etc) in it.

    Reply
  11. Katie via Facebook says

    June 11, 2014 at 12:04 am

    Can’t wait to make this☺️

    Reply
  12. Katie via Facebook says

    June 11, 2014 at 12:01 am

    Thanks, Sara!!!

    Reply
  13. Sara via Facebook says

    June 10, 2014 at 11:49 pm

    Katie Hanson

    Reply
  14. Tania via Facebook says

    June 10, 2014 at 11:03 pm

    Karina Peoples

    Reply
  15. Lenetta says

    February 21, 2014 at 9:23 pm

    Yum! I do love ginger ale. I think I’ll save my raw honey and use regular stuff, though, since this is heated.

    Reply
    • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

      February 22, 2014 at 12:04 am

      Good call on that one! 🙂 Katie

      Reply
  16. Alison @ Ingredients, INc. says

    February 20, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    absolutely love this and Shaina

    Reply
  17. Krystal Wight Armstrong says

    February 20, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    Shaina or Katie, would you say there’s a big difference in flavor from the sucanat/sugar recipe? If so, is it possible to describe, or share which you prefer?

    They all look delicious! I’ve had tummy trouble the last day or two and actually bought some ‘fancy’ ginger ale from my natural foods store last night, and some fresh ginger for tea brewing…so this was a super timely recipe post! (I’m sure it’ll be much cheaper and tastier than the 4 bottles I bought at the store…hopefully even a bit less spicey.)

    Reply
    • Shaina says

      February 20, 2014 at 5:55 pm

      Hi, Krystal. I think they’re both equally good and satisfying if you’re craving ginger ale. Depending on what type of honey you use, the honey can be rather prominent. I’d recommend a nice, neutral honey or one that has a lime- or citrus-like flavoring (Basswood honey in my neck of the woods has a hint of lime) if you’re worried about flavor playing an issue. Really, though, the ginger shines through in this recipe, and I like both sucanat and honey equally.

      Reply
      • Krystal Wight Armstrong says

        February 20, 2014 at 6:16 pm

        Thanks for that helpful reply : )

        Reply
  18. Laila says

    February 20, 2014 at 3:10 pm

    I love ginger ale! Is there a way to do this with organic dried ginger? I have some from Mountain Rose Herbs and this looks to be very simple, and not taking up too much room or time to make. Thanks ever so much for this guest post!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Shaina says

      February 20, 2014 at 7:21 pm

      Hi, Laila. I assume you’re talking about the large dried pieces of ginger root and not the powdered variety? If so, I think you could probably make this recipe with them, but it won’t have quite the same potency that fresh ginger has. I’ve never done this myself, so you would need to do a bit of trial and error here, but I would use about the same amount of dried pieces as I would the fresh, and I’d probably let it simmer a good 10 minutes longer to pull out a bit more of the flavor and then let it steep until it is completely cool.

      Reply
      • Laila says

        February 21, 2014 at 11:50 am

        They’re actually small chopped pieces of ginger. I’d have to wait until payday to get some fresh organic ginger.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

          February 21, 2014 at 3:17 pm

          Laila,
          I think they would still work – I think Shaina mostly meant that you’re not thinking about using powdered ginger. I wish I had some on hand to try! 🙂 Katie

          Reply
    • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

      February 20, 2014 at 8:51 pm

      Laila,
      I was totally wondering the same thing, since I’ve recommended MRH’s big ginger pieces for other recipes – I know not everyone even has access to fresh ginger! If you try it, I hope you’ll let us know how it goes. Thanks! 🙂 Katie

      Reply
  19. Carmen says

    February 20, 2014 at 9:10 am

    I’m thinking water kefir might be good with this too.

    Reply
    • Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says

      February 20, 2014 at 8:50 pm

      Good call, Carmen, I agree!! 🙂 Katie

      Reply

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