Old-Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream Soda

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream Soda

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 2 servings

There are different versions about the invention of the ice cream soda. Robert McCay Green invented it during the semi-centennial celebration of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, but whether he simply ran out of ice cream, or he wanted to outdo a competing vendor at the event is not clear. One thing is for sure—an old-fashioned ice cream soda is a fabulous summertime treat.

The chocolate syrup and the chocolate ice cream already give this drink an intense chocolate flavor but if you are one of those people who can never get enough chocolate, use chocolate milk instead of plain milk. Or, for a less intense chocolate flavor, use vanilla ice cream. 

For the bubbly water component of this American classic, you can use club soda, seltzer water, or sparkling mineral water. Club soda and seltzer water are carbonated with carbon dioxide to make them fizzy. Club soda also has potassium bicarbonate and potassium sulfate added and these mineral salts give it a slightly saltier taste whereas seltzer water is straight carbonated water. Sparkling mineral water comes from spring or well water and naturally contains mineral salts, sometimes it is naturally fizzy and sometimes carbon dioxide is added for extra fizz. When you combine the soda with the ice cream, it looks like a spider web is forming, which is normal and the reason why in Australia and New Zealand, the drink is also known as a spider. 

The recipe makes two servings, but it can be halved, doubled, tripled, or even more. It is a very easy but special drink to serve at a summer party. All you need to do is have the ingredients and tall glasses ready, and the milk and club soda well chilled (and also chill the glasses). This keeps the drink nice and cool and prevents the ice cream from melting too quickly, especially on hot days. Assemble the drink on demand and your guests will feel like they are at a soda fountain.

"This ice cream soda couldn’t be easier to make and the recipe yields a delicious and rich, yet refreshing treat. I loved the more pronounced chocolate flavor from flavoring the milk with chocolate syrup, but this recipe can easily be tweaked to your liking." —Kayla Hoang

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream Soda/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Old-Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream Soda ingredients

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. Divide the milk between 2 tall 16-ounce glasses.

    milk in glasses

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Add 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup to each glass. Stir to blend thoroughly.

    milk and chocolate syrup blended together in glasses

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  4. Add 2 scoops of ice cream to each glass and fill with club soda or carbonated water about three-quarters of the way up the glass. 

    add club soda to the mixture in the glasses

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  5. Top with whipped cream, cherry, or chocolate shavings, if desired.

    Old-Fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream Soda

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Recipe Variation

  • Use vanilla ice cream instead of the chocolate if you prefer.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
500 Calories
17g Fat
82g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 500
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 22%
Saturated Fat 11g 53%
Cholesterol 52mg 17%
Sodium 182mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 82g 30%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 68g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 2mg 8%
Calcium 255mg 20%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 564mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)