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We go through a lot of seltzer in my house. I like to sip it throughout the day — my boyfriend even more so — and in the evening my current drink of choice is a Campari with soda. The number of plastic bottles and tin cans that used to pile up was….not great. But recently, I’ve been testing out soda-makers and incorporating them into our regular routine. The models I’ve tried work the way most do: You insert a 60-liter canister of CO2 into a chamber (as long as they’re the right size with a twist-in nozzle, these are interchangeable on most models, no matter the brand). Then we attach a bottle filled with still water and carbonate it ourselves at the push of a lever. It’s a game-changer.
This is the reason most people invest in a machine: If you drink enough seltzer, adding the appliance to your kitchen is worth it, both to reduce the amount of recycling that piles up and to not spend so much money every time you go to the grocery or corner store. And while some soda makers are more expensive than others, they will all eventually yield a return on your investment. To find the best versions, I chatted with people who love their own (in this case, a mix of chefs, recipe developers, a food stylist, and some Strategist staffers). And if you want to stop outsourcing other beverages, read my guide to the best coffee makers and espresso makers, too.
Update on August 14, 2024: Added testing notes to the Aarke Carbonator 3, and photos of the Aarke and Breville InFizz in use; updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Fizz levels
All but one soda-maker on this list lets you choose from various levels of carbonation. Here, I’ve noted how many levels each machine has.
Fizz mechanism
A couple of soda-makers on this list work with a lever you manually press for about a second and then release. With these, more presses yield more carbonation. A couple of others have buttons that operate in the same fashion or that you simply press down and hold until you reach your desired level of carbonation.
Size
A soda-maker will undoubtedly sit out on your countertop at all times. I’ve noted the dimensions so you can consider the clearance of height, width, and depth you’ll need to fit each one.
Best soda-maker overall
Fizz levels: Three | Fizz mechanism: Lever | Size: 16” x 6” x 10”
The Aarke soda-maker is not cheap. And while there are more affordable models out there that work quite well, too (more on many below), the design of this one is particularly great and comes recommended by more people I spoke to than any other. All the experts stressed that when buying an appliance that will likely live on your countertop, it’s worth the investment to ensure it looks good. At the end of the day, sleekness is the real edge the Aarke offers. It’s made from all stainless steel and comes in a range of sophisticated finishes and colors so you can match it to your kitchen.
But the material is not all about looks; it feels solidly engineered. (Some others on this list have plastic parts to the body.) Still, it’s surprisingly lightweight (more so than the stainless-steel Breville option below), and the lever is smooth to operate. The only plastic part is the bottle, which has an attractive stainless-steel ring around the bottom. Recipe developer and cookbook author Jess Damuck notes the bottle is nice enough to bring straight to the dinner table. “It’s definitely a luxury item, and it feels like it,” she says.
As for function, the carbonator is simple to operate — so much so that Alexandra Wight, owner of Crown Jewel in Portland, Maine, says her 5-year-old uses it with ease. You load the CO2 canister into the body of the machine from the bottom, twist the bottle into the top until it’s tightly secured,, and press down the lever on the side until you hear the release of C02 exhausting, almost like a buzzing (it’s a very audible change in sound). You can do this up to three times, depending on how much fizz you like.
Prop stylist Judy Kim says the distinctions between levels are clear; she likes tighter, harder “Topo Chico-style” bubbles to sip on, but prefers looser, bigger bubbles for photographing. For their part, Strategist writer Erin Schwartz describes one press as mild bubbles, two as closer to seltzer (this is my personal preference), and three as even more intense, like soda water (their favorite and also good if you’re adding other liquid mix-ins after that dilute the intensity a bit).
Best less expensive soda-maker
Fizz levels: Three | Fizz mechanism: Button with light indicators | Size: 17” x 5.5” x 10”
SodaStream is probably the most well-known soda-maker company in the United States. (It has been around in one form or another since the early 1900s.) It currently manufactures four models sold through its site — but those aren’t the ones I’m recommending here. Two experts — chef Camille Becerra and Maya Kaimal, a cookbook author and the founder of a line of Indian pantry goods — told me they love their SodaStream Source, an older version that is still available online. Each has owned the machine for about seven years, uses it regularly, and says it still works great.
Both pros appreciate how easy it is to use and that it doesn’t require a plug. “You can put it literally anywhere in your apartment,” Becerra says. Kaimal likes the light indicators that tell you how fizzy you’re making your water; you simply keep the button pressed until your preferred number is illuminated. She carbonates to level two, which she describes as “lightly effervescent with small, tight bubbles that tickle your tongue.” Becerra says she tends to start with level one when the canister is fuller and more powerful and move up accordingly as it reaches empty. (If she’s adding mix-ins for drinks like cocktails, she’ll pack in more bubbles from the get-go.) She also notes that the bottles keep the bubbles quite intact. “The fizz stays strong,” she says.
The main difference between the older SodaStream model that Becerra and Kaimal use and the current ones is the attachment mechanism and corresponding design for the CO2 tank. The new models lock in instead of twisting, and a bit of Reddit reporting told me quite a few people find that these don’t yield water as bubbly. For now, you can easily buy both types of CO2 tanks, and I’ll keep my eye on whether that remains the case — though if SodaStream ever phases its twist version out, you can use any other compatible one.
Best even less expensive soda-maker
Fizz levels: Three | Fizz mechanism: Button | Size: 16” x 5” x 9.6”
The Mysoda Woody Sparkling Water Maker comes recommended by Sandy Yu, a Strategist contributor who wrote an ode to this machine a couple of years ago. When I checked back in with her recently, she told me it’s still sitting on her kitchen counter and she’s still very much a fan. This one is simple to operate, working with all standard 60-liter CO2 cylinders, including SodaStream canisters. You press a single button to carbonate your water. “You can tell when it’s filled with bubbles as it makes a sound as if air is being leaked out, which usually happens after two or three seconds,” Yu says. She calls the resulting seltzer “delicious with the perfect amount of bubbles.” To her, that means “enough to wake your mouth up but without it feeling violent on your throat,” she says. “And if you deem the water too flat after having a taste, you can always add more.” She’s also a big fan of the build and aesthetic. This soda-maker is composed of wood and other renewable biocomposites residual from the forest industry, and it fits in perfectly with the other retro-looking appliances in her kitchen. It’s “minimal and unassuming,” she says, and it comes in a range of nice muted colors.
Best soda-maker for flavored water
Fizz levels: No official max, but more than four presses at the max-fill line will typically overflow a bit | Fizz mechanism: Lever | Size: 17” x 6” x 10.3”
The InFizz is Breville’s first foray into soda-makers, and I as soon as I heard it was coming out several months ago, I knew I had to get my hands on one: I trust the brand deeply when it comes to kitchen appliances, as they almost always manage to do a stellar job at designing pieces that are long-lasting, well-made, and attractive. (I think it looks just as nice as the Aarke, and it comes in a few color options, too.)
The first feature of note is that it is only one of two soda makers on this list that lets you add flavor before you carbonate your water — which both means more bubbles with less CO2 use if you’re using a flavoring. I’ve done this with meyer lemon juice and lime juice, and it works beautifully. You can also fully carbonate other drinks, like lemonade or wine. (The other machine that lets you do this is the Spärkel, above, because it works via carbonated packets as opposed to a CO2 tank. With the rest, you can add syrups or juices after-the-fact, but doing so pre-bubbles is not advised, as it can ruin the functionality.)
Even when it comes to plain seltzer, the machine excels. The lever requires a bit of a firmer push than the Aarke, but still feels smooth to operate, and I find two to three presses to be perfect for my taste (while there’s no official maximum number, it starts to overflow a bit if I press a fourth time when the water has been filled to the max line). I find three pushes does the trick for perfectly crisp, small bubbles that don’t feel too harsh on my throat. I also appreciate the nozzle for carbonating (different from the cap you use to seal and store the bottle): It has a small red tab to release built-up gas before you twist it open so that it doesn’t expel a volcano of bubbly water. My only caveat is that it took me several sessions to get the hang of attaching the bottle smoothly, but now it’s as easy as can be.
Best soda-maker without a CO2 tank
Fizz levels: Five | Fizz mechanism: Buttons | Size: 14.75” x 5.75” x 12”
Each soda-maker on this list carbonates water with pressure from an attached CO2 tank that you replace — except for this one. The Spärkel System works by adding preportioned packets containing a mixture of baking soda and citric acid to a chamber at the top of the machine, then adding pressure (conducted when you press one of the five level buttons) to create bubbles. For Jenny Park, co-founder and recipe developer of Spoon Fork Bacon, this was the major selling point. “Just in terms of creating waste, I like not having to buy those big carbonator tubes,” she says. “Some people don’t like the idea of using an outlet, but I don’t mind at all. It just lives on the counter.”
There are five levels of fizziness to choose from, taking anywhere from 90 seconds to four minutes to carbonate. (This is a longer fizz time than machines with a CO2 tank.) Park also likes that she can directly fizz flavored liquids like juice, an attribute the Breville InFizz allows too (more on that pick above).
Best multifunctional soda-maker
Fizz levels: One | Fizz mechanism: Button | Size: 16.5” x 13.6” x 20.5”
Strategist writer Lauren Ro was gifted the Kül by the brand to test out — and while she acknowledges that the steep price would be a lot to shell out on her own, she and her family love it. To be fair, this thing is four machines in one. It produces filtered ambient, hot, cold, and sparkling water (like most other carbonators on this list, it works from replaceable C02 canisters). While you can’t choose your level of fizziness, “everyone who’s tried it says it’s the best sparkling water they’ve had,” Ro says. She describes the bubbles as small, tight, sharp, and refreshing, “kind of like Polar,” she says. “And it comes out ice-cold, which is amazing.”
Two notes: Ro says the hot water isn’t quite hot enough for her taste, but her husband thinks it’s totally fine (so just take note if you like yours on the more scalding side). And as you may expect, it takes up a fair amount of counter space. Ro has hers hooked up to the plumbing under the sink, but you can also get one with a well that you manually fill with water.
Some water bottles we love so you can fill up
Our experts
• Camille Becerra, chef
• Jess Damuck, recipe developer and cookbook author
• Maya Kaimal, cookbook author and founder of Maya Kaimal
• Judy Kim, prop stylist
• Jenny Park, co-founder and recipe developer of Spoon Fork Bacon
• Lauren Ro, Strategist writer
• Erin Schwartz, Strategist writer
• Alexandra Wight, owner of Crown Jewel
• Sandy Yu, Strategist contributor
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