Homemade Root Beer Recipe (2024)

I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on my homemade ginger ale recipe, so I also wanted to share another favorite at our house: homemade root beer.

This root beer recipe uses the same beneficial culture as the ginger ale: a homemade ginger bug. Homemade root beer is also simple to make and has all the flavor of conventional root beer without the harmful ingredients.

Herbs for Homemade Root Beer

The herbs used in homemade root beer, mainly sassafras and sarsaparilla (as well as wintergreen), have some controversy surrounding them. These herbs contain safrole, which was once found to cause cancer in mice. I personally do not feel that there is a risk when consuming sassafras root in its whole form, as this article from Nourished Kitchen explains:

Wintergreen leaf, though almost always an ingredient in most traditional root beer recipes, replaced sassafras as the prominent flavor in root beer during the 1960s when a study conducted on lab animals implicated safrole, a naturally occurring polyphenol, in liver cancer. Of course, the lab rats were fed massive quantities of safrole – the human equivalent of consuming about 32 twelve-ounce bottles of root beer a day. After the study was released, the FDA required commercial soft drink makers to remove sassafras from their brews. Of course, cinnamon, nutmeg and basil also contain safrole but this seemed to escape the attention of the FDA.

Interestingly, while massive quantities of safrole caused liver cancer in lab animals, it seems that small doses may actually play a protective role for humans. Some studies indicate that safrole may actually stimulate the death of cancer cells, particularly oral cancers though it may also do so in lung and prostrate cancers.

Wintergreen, already an ingredient in root beer, offered a flavor profile strikingly similar to that of sassafras, and made a ready replacement. Most root beers made today contain neither sassafras nor wintergreen and are instead made with artificial flavors. Even wintergreen extract, the preferred flavoring for many home brewers, is difficult to attain and typically is made with propylene glycol – a petrochemical.

As with all herbs, it is important to consult a doctor, health care practitioner, or herbalist before consuming any herb, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition. I personally stick with homemade ginger ale or homemade Dr. Pepper when pregnant.

How to Make Homemade Root Beer

As I said, I am comfortable using sassafras and wintergreen in this recipe. While a variety of other herbs were sometimes used in traditional recipes (including sarsaparilla, burdock, anise, licorice, astragalus, and others), I’ve found that the same flavor can be accomplished with only a few herbs. This simplified version is much more budget friendly as many of these herbs are hard to source and expensive. The rest of the herbs can be used if desired, and 1 Tablespoon of each could be added. In many places, sassafras can be wild-sourced, but I would recommend checking with a qualified herbalist or horticulture expert before using any plant.

Before beginning, it is important to have the culture ready to go. I use a homemade ginger bug in this recipe as it gives both the flavor and carbonation, though any type of natural culture could be used.

Homemade Root Beer Recipe (1)

Homemade Root Beer Recipe

A simple and nourishing fermented homemade root beer (non-alcoholic) with herbs and beneficial cultures.

Calories 73kcal

Author Katie Wells

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Servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Put the sassafras root bark, wintergreen leaf, and cinnamon, coriander, and allspice if using, in a large pot on the stove.

  • Add the filtered water.

  • Turn the heat on high and bring to a boil.

  • Reduce to medium low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

  • Strain through a fine, mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove herbs.

  • While still warm, add the sugar, molasses, and vanilla and stir until dissolved.

  • Let cool until warm, but not hot.

  • Add the lime juice and then then ginger bug or other culture and stir well.

  • Transfer to grolsch style bottles or jars with tight fitting lids and allow to ferment for several days at room temperature.

  • Check after two days for carbonation. When desired carbonation is reached, transfer to refrigerator and store until use.

  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Homemade Root Beer Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 73

% Daily Value*

Sodium 15mg1%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Fiber 0.1g0%

Sugar 6.4g7%

Protein 0.1g0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

If desired, the following can be added to the original boil but they are not needed: 2 cloves, 1 Tablespoon licorice root, 1 Tablespoon grated ginger root, 1 Tablespoon hops flowers, 1 teaspoon of anise or fennel

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Are you a root beer fan like me? Ever tried to make your own? Share below!
Homemade Root Beer Recipe (2)

Homemade Root Beer Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient in root beer? ›

The main ingredients in root beer are pretty much the same as any other soda: water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring, and flavoring, both natural and artificial. However, root beer's unique flavor comes from sassafras, a tree root native to the United States.

What is homemade root beer made of? ›

One traditional recipe for making root beer involves cooking a syrup from molasses and water, letting the syrup cool for three hours, and combining it with the root ingredients (including sassafras root, sassafras bark, and wintergreen).

How is original root beer made? ›

In 1870, an unknown pharmacist toying with a handful of roots, berries and herbs, came up with a recipe for root beer which consisted of juniper, wintergreen, spikenard, pipsissewa, sarsaparilla, vanilla beans, hops, dog grass, birch bark and licorice.

What's the difference between sarsaparilla and root beer? ›

Sarsaparilla was made from the Sarsaparilla vine, while Root Beer, roots of the sassafras tree. These days, Root Beer recipes do not include sassafras as the plant has been found to cause serious health issues. The vine was banned by the American Food and Drug Administration for commercial food production in 1960.

What two flavors make root beer? ›

Root beer is a complex drink, relying on numerous ingredients to produce that flavor. Depending on the manufacturer, root beer might contain vanilla, wintergreen, cherry tree bark, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, acacia, anise, molasses, cinnamon, sweet birch, and honey.

What does root beer use instead of sassafras? ›

Supposedly, the flavor of sassafras can be approximated by a mixture of citrus fruits, spearmint, and wintergreen. Another website suggests wintergreen, anise, cloves, lemon oil, and orange oil.

Why was sarsaparilla banned? ›

Well, sassafras and sarsaparilla both contain safrole, a compound recently banned by the FDA due to its carcinogenic effects. Safrole was found to contribute to liver cancer in rats when given in high doses, and thus it and sassafras or sarsaparilla-containing products were banned.

How long does homemade root beer last? ›

If you carbonate bottles in 2L bottles, we advise drinking them within 1 week. If the bottles are stored in the fridge longer than that, the risk of over-carbonation increases & alcohol content can increase, making the root beer taste 'off.

What is Dr Pepper made of root beer? ›

Dr Pepper is not a root beer. It's not an apple, it's not an orange, it's not a strawberry, it's not a root beer, it's not even a cola. It is a drink with a unique blend of 23 natural and artificial flavours. What does Dr Pepper taste like?

What did Native Americans use to make root beer? ›

The original root beer recipe called for a combination of 25 roots, barks, berries, and flowers. However, the main flavor profile of the drink comes from the sassafras and wintergreen. It also had sarsaparilla, dandelion, wild cherry bark, prickly ash, cinchona, and juniper berry. These are all native medicines.

How did pioneers make root beer? ›

The colonists did not have barley or other grains for brewing at first, so they used the ingredients that were available: berries, bark and roots. The alcohol was the preservative. The beer was boiled and brewed like tea to blend the flavors and kill the germs. It was then cooled and fermented with yeast.

Is sassafras illegal in the US? ›

People used to drink sassafras tea. However, sassafras tea contains a high concentration of safrole, which was about 4.5 times the permissible dose. Thus, in 1976, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the sales of sassafras tea. Moreover, the FDA prohibited the use of sassafras as food additives.

Is root beer still made with sassafras? ›

Sarsaparilla was made from the Sarsaparilla vine, while Root Beer, roots of the sassafras tree. These days, Root Beer recipes do not include sassafras as the plant has been found to cause serious health issues.

Is A&W root beer or sarsaparilla? ›

A&W Root Beer is an American brand of root beer that was founded in 1919 by Roy W. Allen and primarily available in the United States and Canada.

Is Dr Pepper a sarsaparilla? ›

Dr. pepper is actually a blend of all 23 flavors. Supposedly those flavors are cola, cherry, licorice, amaretto almond, vanilla, blackberry, apricot, blackberry, caramel, pepper, anise, sarsaparilla, ginger, molasses, lemon, plum, orange, nutmeg, cardamon, all spice, coriander juniper, birch and prickly ash.

Is sassafras and sarsaparilla the same thing? ›

Both beverages are named after their distinct differences in ingredients when they were first made. Sarsaparilla was made from the Sarsaparilla vine, while Root Beer, roots of the sassafras tree. These days, Root Beer recipes do not include sassafras as the plant has been found to cause serious health issues.

Is it illegal to grow sassafras? ›

Since the Sassafras Tree is banned for food additives only, you can easily grow the Sassafras Tree in your home without violating the law. Due to the tree's tall structure, beautiful fall foliage, and layered canopy with differently-shaped leaves, it makes a great addition to any garden.

References

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