Best Soda Makers: Seltzer has become more than just a drink—it has become a way of life. We love bubbly drinks like La Croix and Sanzo. Which was started by a Filipino-American entrepreneur. And has Asian flavours like calamansi. If seltzer is taking up a lot of your money and fridge space. You might want to buy a soda maker.
To find the best soda maker, we tested six of them based on how easy they were to use, how consistent they were, and how bubbly they were compared to store-bought seltzer. We also talked to Imbibe, Inc.’s beverage scientist Adam Johnson. Below is a section called “Frequently Asked Questions” that goes over the basics of carbonation and how to best replace and recycle your empty CO2 canisters. Find out how Insider Reviews tests and recommends products for the kitchen here.
1. SodaStream Fizzi One Touch
- Electricity and CO2 canisters are used for power.
- 17.32 inches tall
- One litre fits in the bottle.
- BPA-free plastic makes up the bottle.
Pros:
You can choose from three levels of carbonation, and the beer will automatically be carbonated to the right level.
Cons:
Only carbonates water, needs to be plugged in, and the bottles can’t go in the dishwasher.
With many soda makers on the market, you have to control how much carbonation goes into your soda by hand. Some will buzz when they’re done carbonating to tell you to stop, but others leave it up to you how long you dare to push it. This can make the amount of fizz in each batch different, and in the worst cases, it can cause the drink to overflow and make a mess.
Nothing is left to chance with the SodaStream Fizzi One Touch. Once you hook the bottle up to the machine, you just put the top in and push it back to lock it in. Then you choose one of three levels of carbonation, and in a few seconds you have soda that is properly carbonated. The highest setting made a fizz that was even stronger than store-bought Vintage brand seltzer.
The only bad thing about the One Touch is that it needs to be near an outlet because it runs on electricity. Other soda makers inject CO2 into the water with analogue mechanisms, but the One Touch uses electricity to start and stop the process at set times. You may also get more use out of your CO2 tank because you won’t be wasting gas by letting out more than you need.
2. Drinkmate Soda Maker
- CO2 gas is the power source.
- Height: 16 inches
- One litre fits in the bottle.
- BPA-free plastic makes up the bottle.
Pros:
Can carbonate different liquids, a single charge makes great fizz, and it doesn’t need electricity.
Cons:
Bottles can’t go in the dishwasher and may overflow when carbonating drinks other than water.
Many soda makers say that you shouldn’t carbonate anything other than water. If you do, you may even void the warranty. Some parts of your soda maker can get clogged up easily, which can make it less effective or even cause it to break. But the Drinkmate not only lets you carbonate things other than water, it encourages you to do so.
During my tests, I found it to be a very effective and efficient water and juice carbonator. The Drinkmate only needed one charge to make seltzer as fizzy as store-bought soda, while other soda makers needed two or three. It buzzes when it’s time to stop carbonating, and it’s one of the only machines with a valve on the carbonator lid that lets you release some of the pressure. This helps keep messy overflow from happening.
I also carbonated apple juice in the Drinkmate. With the same single charge, I got the same amount of carbonation as I did with water. Since apple juice was thicker than water, it foamed up quite a bit when it carbonated. This caused some of the juice to leak out of the top of the bottle. During the second round of tests, I was able to fix it by filling the bottle slightly less and keeping a closer eye on how much foam was building up. You should be fine as long as you are ready to take your finger off the button before things get messy.
If something does go wrong, it’s easy to clean up with dish soap and water. But remember that you can’t put the parts in the dishwasher.
3. Aarke Carbonator III
- CO2 canisters are a source of power.
- 16.34 inches tall
- One litre fits in the bottle.
- The bottle is made of BPA-free PET plastic and stainless steel.
Pros:
It looks nice, has a simple mechanism for carbonation, doesn’t need electricity, and doesn’t take up much space.
Cons:
No CO2 canister comes with the purchase, high levels of carbonation require multiple charges, it only carbonates water, and the bottles can’t go in the dishwasher.
Just like with any other small kitchen appliance, if your soda maker is easy to reach, you’re more likely to use it often, so you might want to focus on how it looks so you can keep it on your counter. The Aarke Carbonator III is the most stylish soda maker I looked at, and it works just as well.
To carbonate, you twist the bottle into the Aarke and pull down the handle until you hear a buzz. Slowly letting go of the handle will make a hissing sound, like when you twist the top off a bottle of soda. One charge will make the water lightly fizzy, but I usually use three full charges to get the high level of fizz I’m used to.
Yes, you’re paying for style here, and keep in mind that a CO2 canister is not included with your purchase, but the performance is not lacking. It takes a little more work than the One-Touch, but the sound that goes off when your soda is ready is a nice safety feature that takes away a lot of the guesswork.
4. Sparkel Beverage System
- Source of power: Electric
- Height: 15 inches
- The size of the bottle is 750 millilitres.
- BPA-free plastic makes up the bottle.
Pros:
There’s no need for a CO2 canister, and the bottle can go in the dishwasher. You can add solid ingredients to sodas and carbonate any liquid.
Cons:
The process is much more complicated than with other soda makers, and the bottle is smaller than with other soda makers. It also takes much longer than with other soda makers to carbonate.
Most soda machines work by putting CO2 gas. Directly into the liquid from a metal canister inside the machine. When the canister is empty, you need to get a new one. And most companies let you order new ones and send back the empty ones. But if you don’t want to deal with pressurised gas canisters. Or don’t want to go through this process, the Sparkel gives you an alternative.
The way it works is a little more complicated than other soda makers. For each charge, you have to put baking soda and citric acid powder into the machine. CO2 is made when these chemicals are mixed with water from a tank in the back of the machine. The gas is then taken out of the water in the reservoir and put into the liquid you want to carbonate. Then, the waste water goes into a separate tank, which you will throw away.
The whole thing takes a lot longer than a typical soda maker: 90 seconds for a level one fizz that isn’t too strong. And up to four minutes for a level five fizz that is stronger than what you can buy at the store.
A big benefit of the Sparkel is that you don’t have to deal with CO2 canisters. Another benefit is that you can add solid ingredients like fruit and herbs to your sodas. The Sparkel not only puts CO2 into the bottle, but it also puts pressure on the bottle at the same time. This lets the flavours of the things you add to the soda mix in with the soda.
I put the carbonator on the highest setting and carbonated both water and apple juice. I was very happy with the amount of fizz and consistency of the carbonation. Still, it takes a lot more work than other soda makers.
