28 Secret Soft Drink Uses

July 26, 2016
Surprisingly, soft drinks become the star ingredient in a number of recipes. Whether you're seasoning meat or baking a cake, soft drinks add a special flavor. 
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1 of 28

Cola- Marinated Flank Steak

Cola- Marinated Flank Steak Recipe
Have cola with dinner, but on your steak. Cola lends a sweetness to flank steak, mixed with savory flavors.
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Coca-Cola Cake

Coca-Cola Cake

Fun yet decadent, this Coca-Cola Cake is simply the best. The magical brew of carbonated cola is the secret to this dessert’s fluffy texture.

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Cola Baked Beans

Cola Baked Beans Recipe
Adding cola to the brown sugar and molasses is the secret to the complex sweetness of these bacon-accented beans.
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Lemon-Lime Pound Cake

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Lemon-Lime Pound Cake Recipe
This recipe is based on a classic Southern favorite called 7UP Pound Cake, which was created in the 1950s when the soda company suggested using its soft drink instead of other liquid in pound cake recipes. The result: one of the best, and simplest, cakes you'll ever make.

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Cola Shredded Beef Tacos

Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Randy Mon
Cola Shredded Beef Tacos Recipe
This recipe features shredded beef chuck roast flavored with cola, tomatoes, chiles, and cumin.

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Club Soda Waffles

Lee Harrelson
Club Soda Waffles Recipe
This homemade waffle recipe requires just four ingredients, including one special ingredient: a bottle of club soda.
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Grilled Beef Ribs with Smoky-Sweet Barbecue Sauce

Photo: John Kernick
Grilled Beef Ribs with Smoky-Sweet Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Before grilling, these beef back ribs are braised in Coca-Cola and brushed in homemade barbecue sauce.

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Coconut-Pineapple Cake

Photo: Charles Walton; Styling: Gage Trinda
Coconut-Pineapple Cake Recipe
This coconut pineapple cake recipe is sure to please family and friends, with its surprising blend of flavors and a "secret" ingredient: lemon-lime soft drink. 

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Root Beer Baked Beans

Root Beer Baked Beans Recipe
Transform canned pork and beans into superb baked beans by stirring in peppery-sweet root beer, dry mustard, and hot sauce. The 5-minute prep time might make this dish one of your summertime favorites.
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Grilled Chicken with Cola Sauce

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Lindsey Lower
Grilled Chicken with Cola Sauce Recipe
The secret ingredient to this deliciously tangy grilled chicken is 3/4 cup of cola. You'll love the unique flavor that the cola gives it, mixed with warm spices like cumin, paprika, and chili powder.

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Brined Maple Turkey with Cream Gravy

Becky Luigart-Stayner; Jan Gautro
Brined Maple Turkey with Cream Gravy Recipe
Before baking, top this turkey with a flavorful cola and syrup mixture.

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Sloppy Cola Joe Dogs

Photo: Melina Hammer; Styling: Buffy Hargett
Sloppy Cola Joe Dogs Recipe
These sloppy joes are enlivened with a splash of cola, which gives the ground beef a sweet boost that plays well off the filling's spices. Try these with traditional or split-top hot dog buns or hoagie rolls. Garnish with your favorite coleslaw for crunch and color.
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Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes Recipe
Use a classic cocktail combo to flavor a chocolate cake by adding bourbon and cola to the cake batter and topping the mini Bundt cakes with a sweet bourbon and cola glaze.

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Sweet and Tangy Short Ribs

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Cindy Barr
Sweet and Tangy Short Ribs Recipe
This saucy dish is worthy of a dinner party; just serve with a side of brown rice or rice noodles. Cola is the secret ingredient, yielding a luscious sauce with great body.

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Grilled Vidalia Onion and Steak Sandwiches

Becky Luigart-Stayner
Grilled Vidalia Onion and Steak Sandwiches Recipe
Cola in the marinade tenderizes the meat. A simple homemade sandwich spread, made with mayonnaise and minced arugula, completes the sandwich. Serve with chips or fresh veggie slices.
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Peanut-Cola Cake

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Annette Joseph
Peanut-Cola Cake Recipe
The South's favorite drink is a key ingredient in this moist Peanut-Cola Cake.

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Root Beer-Can Chicken

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Root Beer-Can Chicken Recipe
This is a family-friendly take on beer-can chicken in which we use an opened root beer can to support a whole bird on the grill. The liquid inside the can adds moisture, resulting in succulent, tender meat. Complete the meal with roasted red potatoes and a sweet-tart broccoli slaw.

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Country Ham with Redeye Gravy

Jennifer Davick
Country Ham with Redeye Gravy Recipe
A mixture of cola and water balance the salt and add sweetness and caffeine to this ham and gravy recipe.
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Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake

Howard L. Puckett
Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake Recipe
Warm chocolate cake topped with chocolate coca-cola icing is a delicious combination.

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Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia Pursell
Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork Recipe
This simple-to-fix pork recipe includes a surprisingly delicious mixture of barbecue sauce and cola.

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Root Beer Float Cake

Photo: Gooseberry Patch
Root Beer Float Cake Recipe
This 5 ingredient cake will become your fast favorite for dessert. Root beer is the secret ingredient that keeps this cake sweet, moist and flavorful.
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Slow-cooked Barbecued Chicken

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl
Slow-cooked Barbecued Chicken Recipe
Start with a whole chicken, cut up, and simmer in a homemade barbecue sauce of ketchup, cola, cider vinegar and a splash of bourbon for a Southern barbecue flavor.

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Slow-cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Mary Clayton Carl
Slow-cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches Recipe
The slow-cooked barbecued chicken made with cola is delicious served over Sweet Potato Cornbread and topped with Pickled Peppers and Onions and Simple Slaw.

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Cola-Braised Brisket

Photo: Antonis Achilleos
Cola-Braised Brisket Recipe
Hands-off cooking is ideal for busy weekenights. Try Cola-Braised Brisket that's cooked in the slow-cooker. Enjoy any leftovers of this tender brisket by shredding the meat, and stirring it into the gravy. Serve brisket and gravy over cooked egg noodles.
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Tempura Green Beans with Mild Cayenne Sour Cream

Photo: Oxmoor House
Tempura Green Beans with Mild Cayenne Sour Cream Recipe

Batters like this one that use carbonated beverages such as club soda produce gas bubbles that discourage oil absorption, yielding a lighter fried food.

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Soy and Cola-Braised Pork Shoulder

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Soy and Cola-Braised Pork Shoulder Recipe
Serve this cola-braised pulled pork on hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls with shaved cucumber and carrot ribbons tossed with rice vinegar. Or stuff it into tortillas for Asian-style tacos with matchstick-cut cucumber and carrot.

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Jen's Pulled Pork

Oxmoor House
Jen's Pulled Pork Recipe
Diet cola is used in this recipe because it is less sweet in flavor. There's no right or wrong amount of sauce to use...simply stir in as much as you'd like. You can also add sliced jalapenos, minced garlic or sautéed onions and green peppers.
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Chocolate Cola Cake with Cola Frosting

Chocolate Cola Cake with Cola Frosting Recipe
Cola plays a part in the cake batter and the chocolate icing in this decadent dessert.
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