Dirty Sodas: What They Are & The Best Dirty Diet Coke Recipe

dirty diet coke can be as simple as adding flavored creamer to a glass of diet coke and ice, then enjoy

Dirty Sodas Are A Utah Tradition Turned Nationwide Trend

I’ll begin today’s post about how to make a Dirty Diet Coke with a disclaimer: there will be a lot of soda talk throughout this post, mainly about my personal favorite variety, Diet Coke. I say this because the last time I had the audacity to mention Diet Coke on my blog, the comments got a little out of control.

One of the many valuable lessons I took away from my experience with addiction and recovery was that most things are best enjoyed in moderation. I’m a happier, more well-adjusted person when I operate that way (within reason, of course), and that includes allowing myself to enjoy my favorite diet soda from time to time.

So now that we’ve covered that, let’s take a look at the specific soda-related topic we’ll be discussing in this post: “dirty” sodas.

A dirty soda is simply a soda-based concoction with additional flavorings or ingredients: here a lime wedge is squeezed into a glass, then flavored creamer is added to the soda.

What Are Dirty Sodas?

A dirty soda is simply a soda-based concoction with additional flavorings or ingredients, which could include other sodas, milk or cream, simple syrup, fruit purees, etc. It’s rather like an Italian soda or ice cream float.

Dirty sodas have long been a phenomenon where I live, beginning with a small soda stand called Swig in St. George, Utah. Swig has become so popular that other soda shops have emerged all over Utah, and now the trend is spreading across the country.

There are now several drive-thru soda shacks throughout Utah and beyond, including Swig, Quench It, Sodalicious, and FiiZ. But if you’re looking for savings over convenience, dirty sodas are equally delicious when made at home, and they’re easy to make too!

As many of the soda shacks here in Utah sell frosted sugars in addition to dirty sodas, it only makes sense to enjoy one with a homemade sour cream cookie — it could make a great Super Bowl party treat! There are a million different flavor and soda combinations out there, but this dirty Diet Coke recipe is my personal favorite!

The Best Dirty Diet Coke Recipe

My favorite dirty diet coke has lime and coconut cream coffee mate added

Ingredients:

Ice
1 (12-ounce) can Diet Coke
Lime wedge
2 Tbsp coconut coffee creamer (or 1 Tbsp coconut syrup + 2 Tbsp heavy cream)

Directions:

Fill a large glass with ice, then slowly pour the Diet Coke over the ice. Squeeze the lime wedge into the cup, add the creamer (or syrup and cream), then stir. Add more lime or creamer to taste, if desired.

A finished dirty diet coke in a pretty glass with a matching lid and straw.

Sometimes I’ll double the amounts above if I’m making it in my 40-ounce Stanley tumbler, but other times the standard recipe is just the right size.

Adding one more squeeze of lime to my dirty diet coke

More Delicious Dirty Soda Combos To Try

Half the fun of making dirty sodas at home is mixing and matching different sodas and add-ins. Try mixing different sodas with your choice of syrups, citrus, and cream. Here are some ideas to get you started, but feel free to dream up new ideas of your own!