There’s something about a cream soda float that takes you straight back to being a kid. The vanilla ice cream, the fizzy soda, and the way it all comes together in one cold glass on a warm day. Whether it was a summer barbecue, a drive-in movie, or just a random Tuesday afternoon when someone decided to pull out the ice cream; a cream soda float has always had a way of making any day feel a little more fun.
As we get older and start being a little more intentional about what we’re eating and drinking, some of those nostalgic favorites are worth giving a little refresh. Not because you can’t enjoy them, but because why not make something you already love even better for you in the process. Too much added sugar and heavily processed ingredients are two of the more common things people start paying closer attention to as they get more mindful about their health, and traditional cream soda floats have both in pretty generous amounts. That doesn’t mean they’re off the table, it just means there’s room to do something a little smarter with the recipe without losing any of the magic that made it a favorite in the first place.
This month we’re putting a gut friendly spin on the classic cream soda float, keeping everything you love about it while swapping in a few ingredients that are actually good for your digestive system. We promise it still tastes exactly like the one you grew up with!
The Simple Swaps That Make This Cream Soda Float Gut Friendly
Before we dive into the actual recipe, we want to walk through a couple of things that make this version worth making over the classic.
And you might be asking yourself… “how do you even make a cream soda float healthier without it tasting completely different?”, and the answer is actually pretty simple. A traditional cream soda float comes down to two main ingredients: cream soda and vanilla ice cream. Swapping those two things out is really all it takes to turn this into a low sugar dessert drink that still delivers on everything you love about the original; except we also have another secret ingredient we’re adding in this to make it even better for you!
The Soda
Instead of a traditional sugar based cream soda, we’re using a cream soda flavored sparkling water or a gut health soda, the kind loaded with prebiotics and probiotics that have been everywhere lately. There are a ton of great healthier soda alternatives on the market right now that give you that same fizzy, slightly sweet experience without the heavy sugar content of a traditional soda, and they work perfectly as the base for this recipe.
The Ice Cream
For the ice cream, we’re swapping in a low calorie vanilla ice cream or a yogurt based ice cream in place of the traditional full sugar version. Yogurt based ice creams in particular are a great option here because they bring a natural creaminess along with some probiotic benefits that complement the gut friendly angle of the whole recipe really well.
How Aloe Vera Fits Into a Cream Soda Float
Here’s the part that might surprise you. Aloe vera isn’t anywhere near a traditional cream soda float recipe, but adding it to this version is what really takes the gut friendly factor to the next level. A serving of Lily of the Desert aloe vera added into this drink gives your digestive system the natural support it needs to process everything comfortably, soothing the gut lining and helping your body absorb the ingredients more efficiently. It sounds unexpected, but the flavor is neutral enough that it blends right in without changing the taste of the float at all, and your gut will absolutely notice the difference!
The Gut Friendly Cream Soda Float Recipe You’ve Been Waiting For
This healthy cream soda float recipe is about as simple as it gets, and the result is a low sugar dessert drink that tastes indulgent without making your gut pay for it later. Here’s everything you need:
Cream Soda Float Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 scoops of vanilla flavored Greek yogurt ice cream
- Half a can of cream soda (we used Olipop—totally unbiased, but a great pick for a healthier soda alternative)
- 2 oz Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera, completely unbiased, but absolutely the best aloe on the market
Aloe Float Instructions:
Scoop your yogurt ice cream into a cold glass, pour in your 2 oz of Lily of the Desert aloe vera, and then slowly pour your cream soda over the top until you hit that perfect float ratio. We kept ours half and half on the soda to ice cream balance, but if you like yours a little more fizzy and a little less creamy, feel free to use the whole can. There’s no wrong way to build this one!
Your Gut Friendly Dessert Awaits
We hope this recipe becomes a regular in your summer rotation because honestly it deserves to be! The fact that you’re out here looking for healthier versions of the things you love says a lot, and this gut friendly dessert is proof that you really don’t have to choose between enjoying what you eat and being mindful about it.
The real star of this recipe, as always, is the aloe vera. Drinking Lily of the Desert aloe vera supports your digestive system, soothing your gut lining, and helping your body process and absorb what you’re putting into it more efficiently. Drinking it consistently is what actually makes a difference and 2 to 8 ounces a day is all it takes, and as you’ve now seen, it fits into a lot more than just a morning wellness routine. Your gut is something worth taking care of year round, and aloe vera is one of the simplest and most natural ways to do that!
