Hydration · Buyer's guide
Best Electrolyte Drink (2026)
The best electrolyte drink depends on your sweat and your budget. A homemade mix is the best value by far, a few cents per serving versus about $1.50 for a stick, with full control over sodium. Among store-bought options, LMNT leads on zero-sugar high sodium, Liquid IV on sugar-assisted rehydration, and Nuun on low-sugar everyday sipping.
EB says
$0.04
per serving, vs $1.50 for LMNT
Side-by-side comparison
Per-serving label values, 2026. Sugar and cost matter as much as the electrolyte numbers.
| Drink | Sodium | Potassium | Magnesium | Sugar | Cost / serving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY (this calculator)Best value500ml bottle, training preset | 700 mg | 200 mg | 100 mg | 2 g | $0.04 |
| LMNTHighest sodium1 stick (per ~500ml) | 1000 mg | 200 mg | 60 mg | 0 g | $1.50 |
| Liquid IV1 stick (per ~500ml) | 500 mg | 370 mg | 0 mg | 11 g | $1.30 |
| Nuun SportLowest sugar tablet1 tablet (per ~500ml) | 300 mg | 150 mg | 25 mg | 1 g | $0.75 |
| Gatorade12oz (355ml) | 160 mg | 45 mg | 0 mg | 21 g | $1.20 |
Sodium per serving
Cost per serving
The homemade bar is barely visible on purpose. At a few cents a serving it is roughly 30 to 40 times cheaper than the sticks.
Every option, in one line
DIY (this calculator)
Best valueBulk salt, lite salt, and magnesium citrate mixed to your own sweat profile. Full control over every number, for pennies a bottle.
- Cheapest by far (a few cents)
- Sodium tuned to your sweat
- No fillers, dyes, or set sugar
- You measure and mix it yourself
- Need to buy ingredients once
LMNT
Highest sodiumZero-sugar, very high sodium. Popular with low-carb and keto athletes and heavy salty sweaters.
- No sugar
- Very high sodium for salty sweaters
- Convenient single-serve sticks
- About $1.50 a serving
- Sodium too high for some everyday use
Liquid IV
Sugar-based hydration multiplier with high potassium. The added glucose aids fluid absorption (the ORS principle).
- High potassium
- Sugar aids water uptake
- Widely available
- 11g sugar per serving
- No magnesium
- Pricey per serving
Nuun Sport
Lowest sugar tabletLow-sugar effervescent tablet. Light sodium, good for everyday sipping rather than heavy sweat replacement.
- Only 1g sugar
- Cheaper than sticks
- Easy to carry tablets
- Low sodium for hard sweating
- Light on magnesium
Gatorade
The classic sports drink. Carb-forward, low electrolyte density. Built for carbohydrate and taste more than sweat replacement.
- Carbs for fuel
- Familiar taste
- Everywhere
- 21g sugar
- Low sodium density
- No magnesium
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Which should you pick?
You want the best value and control
Homemade mix. Use the calculator to match your sweat, then batch a month of dry powder.
You are low-carb or keto, or a heavy salty sweater
LMNT, or a homemade mix at 1000mg+ sodium with zero sugar.
You are rehydrating after illness or heavy fluid loss
Liquid IV, or a homemade ORS-style mix with added glucose for sodium co-transport.
You want low sugar for everyday sipping
Nuun, or a homemade mix at 300 to 500mg sodium.
You need carbohydrate fuel during a long effort
Gatorade or a homemade sports-drink hybrid (electrolytes plus carbs in one bottle).
Free download
Get your DIY electrolyte drink recipe
An exact sodium, potassium, and magnesium recipe with kitchen teaspoon amounts.
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Make your own and stop paying $1.50 a stick
The Homemade Electrolyte Drink Calculator builds a sweat-matched recipe with exact teaspoon amounts and shows you the cost versus LMNT. Same numbers, a fraction of the price.
Build my electrolyte drinkGear up
Ingredients athletes actually buy
Source these once and you have months of electrolyte mix. Test any new recipe in training first.
- Potassium chloride / lite saltCheapest potassium source. Half potassium, half sodium.View on Amazon →
- Magnesium citrate powderDissolves clean, ~160mg elemental Mg per gram.View on Amazon →
- Citric acid powder (food grade)The tart citrus kick in every store-bought mix.View on Amazon →
- Fine sea saltYour sodium base. Pennies per bottle.View on Amazon →
- 0.1g kitchen scaleWorth it for precise dosing without measuring spoons.View on Amazon →
- Reusable drink bottlesPre-batch and carry your mix.View on Amazon →
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Best electrolyte drink FAQ
What is the best electrolyte drink?
There is no single best electrolyte drink for everyone. For value and control, a homemade mix wins by a wide margin (a few cents versus about $1.50 a serving). For zero-sugar high sodium, LMNT leads. For sugar-assisted rehydration, Liquid IV. For low-sugar everyday sipping, Nuun. Match the sodium to how much you sweat, not to the brand.
What is the healthiest electrolyte drink?
The healthiest electrolyte drink is one with enough sodium for your sweat losses and little or no added sugar unless you need the carbohydrate for fuel. A homemade mix or a zero-sugar option like LMNT or Nuun fits most athletes. Sugar-heavy options like Gatorade are better treated as fuel plus electrolytes during long efforts, not as everyday hydration.
Is homemade electrolyte drink as good as LMNT?
Yes, and you control the numbers. A homemade mix can match the LMNT ratio (about 1000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, 60mg magnesium) for a few cents per serving, or be dialed lower for everyday use. The only trade-off is mixing it yourself.
How much sodium should an electrolyte drink have?
For training, 500 to 800mg of sodium per 500ml is a balanced target. Salty sweaters and hot-weather racing want 1000mg or more per bottle. Everyday sipping can sit lower, around 300 to 500mg. Potassium around 200mg and magnesium around 60 to 100mg round out a full mix.