Love trying out fun and funky new recipes? Since we’re huge kitchen enthusiasts, DIY lovers, and, if you ask us, totally fun parents, our answer is nearly always yes! Even if we can’t find an actual recipe to create whatever it is the kids have concocted this time, we try to get experimental and maybe even get them in on the cooking or baking fun so that at least they have a good time in the event that the dish doesn’t turn out.
So, which funny ingredient have our kids fixated on the most lately, you ask? Well, they’ve actually been completely obsessed with the idea of making foods that involve pop! That’s why we’ve been on the lookout for awesome soda pop food recipes that we can try out on the weekend, surprising the kids with a new, cool idea each week.
1. 7-Up cobbler bake
We know that most kids love sugary baked foods topped with mounds of icing, which is why we always marvel at the fact that our kids’ favourite kind of dessert has always been cobbler! Sure, cobbler is sweet and delicious, but it’s not your typical kid-friendly fav… or, at least, it wasn’t until we made it “weird” by adding pop to the mix! Red Sky Food shows you how to add 7-Up to an otherwise classic cobbler recipe to give the crust a perfectly puffy flaked texture. Sure, the pop is there for practical reasons and not taste, but that won’t matter to your kids when they watch you pop the can.
2. Sweet and tender soda pop brisket
Just because pop is there for practical reasons in some recipes doesn’t mean it can’t be there for flavour in others! It’s also something, believe it or not, you can use to make entrees even better than usual, rather than just baked goods. This awesome brisket recipe outlined on Jenny Steffens is the perfect example of what we mean! In fact, in this recipe, the dish has the pop to thank for both great texture and great taste. Check out how they used Coca Cola to get both a sweet after taste and a delicious tenderness with each bite.
3. Berry tea soda
Okay, we know we started this post off talking about baked goods and foods, but that doesn’t mean we can’t sneak a delicious drink or two into the mix if it means your kids get to mix pop with other fun things, right? We recently discovered this berry tea soda featured on Healthful Pursuit and realized that it tastes just like a baked dessert but with a little bit of fizz, so we immediately made it with our kids to enjoy with their lunch. Take a look at their tutorial to see how it’s made from fizzy mineral water (that’s close enough to pop, right?), and strawberry or blueberry brewed tea. We just left out the details of how this is actually a healthier alternative to artificially flavoured and colours pops to our kids and made it sound like it was the best treat ever, and they never knew the difference!
4. Orange soda cake
Did we really catch your attention when we started talking about recipes that use pop for both texture and flavour but you also want to make sure you’re making something your kids will really love so you can help your kids feel like they’re really getting a treat? In that case, if they love the flavour of oranges then we just know they’re going to adore this orange cake recipe made with orange pop featured on Grit!
5. 7-Up bottle cake
Do you actually already know that your kids love cake made with pop because the bubbles give the cake a particularly spongey texture, so you’re planning on making a “pop cake” for the next birthday party but you want to take it to the next level and make it really kitschy? Then we have a feeling you’ll all get a total kick out of the way Ashlee Marie made this cake that not only both includes and tastes like the citrus-y goodness of 7-Up, but is also shaped and decorated like the bottle! We promise it’s actually simpler than it looks.
6. Crockpot soda pop pulled pork sandwich or salad
Did we really catch your attention when we started talking about cola flavoured pulled pork but you know your little family won’t eat all the meat in one sitting, so you’re looking for other serving ideas that you can try out with the leftovers? Well, we’ll do you one better; here’s an awesome recipe from Hello Creative Family that will teach you how to make the perfect sandwich, an awesomely fresh but meat-topped salad, and the perfect cola marinated pulled pork to try it all out with, in the even that you’d rather get all your recipe details in one place instead of referring to the one we showed you above.
7. Soda pop ice cream
Are you still convinced that your kids would rather see or help you make something more treat-like if they’re going to help out in the kitchen? Well, that makes sense to us, since we know our kids would certainly rather eat a dessert than an entree. That’s how we got into the habit of making our very own flavoured ice cream every few weeks! Of course, the flavour comes from flavoured pop, just like in this delicious soda pop ice cream recipe outlined on Your Home Based Mom.
8. Shirley Temple cupcakes
In addition to loving treats that are made with unique ingredients, have your kids always loved things that taste like other delicious things they enjoy? Then we swear our kids could hang out and have a blast, because they have the exact same tastes! One our clan’s favourite ways to incorporate pop recipes and flavour combinations is to make these amazing cupcakes that taste just like Shirley Temple drinks. Check out how The Baking Robot made them happen with 7-Up!
9. Cherry vanilla Coca Cola poke cake
Just in case the pop based cakes are the thing that’s jumping off the list most to you as you scroll but you just haven’t quite found the kind or flavour that appeals to you most, here’s a delicious alternative that we’ve made several times and loved every single one of those times! Take a look at Tidy Mom to see how Coca Cola can be made to use a fragrant and mouth watering cherry vanilla poke cake.
10. Soda pop ribs
Were you quite taken with the idea of making yourself and your family a satisfying entree meat that’s flavoured with Coca Cola but you’ve just never been a fan of the idea of pulled pork, even though you actually do enjoy pork itself? Then maybe you’d prefer to try the whole flavour concept out on a rack of ribs instead! The idea is absolutely similar to what you’ve already seen on our list in in theory, but The Midnight Baker has a fantastic recipe specifically for the ribs just in case you need a bit of guidance anyways.
11. Soda pop slime
Okay, we know that technically this recipe isn’t one that you’d eat, so it’s a little different than the desserts that taste like pop, but it’s still technically made with pop flavoured sugar mixtures and smells just like your favourite flavours too! One Savvy Mom guides you through the process of making your very own DIY pop slime. It might not be something they can east as a deliciously sweet snack after dinner, but it’s certainly something they’ll have a blast helping you make and then also playing with after on a rainy afternoon!
12. Delicious lemon 7-Up cake
We know we’ve already talked a little bit about how delicious sponge cakes made with 7-Up can be, but what if you’re actually interested in them a lot more for their citrus flavour than their nice, bubbly texture? Then we have a feeling you’re going to adore this specifically lemon version of the other ideas outlined in just a few easy steps thanks to My Incredible Recipes! It takes the flavour of the others and amps the lemon content up just a little, in a really scrumptious way.
13. Soda pop chops with smashed potatoes
Are you still looking for the perfect pop flavoured meat entree alternative because you just know your kids will adore the flavour but you also know they will flat out refuse to eat both ribs and pulled pork? Well, on the off chance that it’s not the bone part of the ribs that puts them off, here’s a delicious pork chop version to try out on them instead! Taste of Home shows you how to make it happen step by step, as well as how to pair it with a side of mouth watering smashed potatoes.
14. Lemon lime soda pop truffles
Have your kids been so excited about the idea of pop based recipes that now you’re keeping your eyes open for options that everyone will enjoy, rather than just kid-like recipes made from funny flavours that will only really appeal to ten year olds? Then we’d be willing to bet that these truffles are the perfect middle ground for helping everyone enjoy a novelty little treat! The Spruce shows you how to make a delicious lemon lime truffle that’s almost like making a regular fruit flavoured chocolate truffle… except that it’s actually made with real soda pop!
15. Copycat pineapple Dole whip
Last year, we took our kids to Disney Land for the first time and they came home raving about their experiences with just about everything they saw, touched, and tasted. To our surprise, however, one of the things they loved the most of anything was the Dole whips! Of course, we love to spoil our kids (we know, we admit it) so we just had to find a way to make our own dupes of that great treat at home the moment we realized how much they really loved them. That’s why we were so happy to come across this fantastic (and totally accurate) recipe featured on Cincy Shopper! They show you how to make it with a combination of pineapple juice and- believe it or not- pineapple soda pop.
