Before there were electrolyte powders, there were the classic electrolyte drinks: Gatorade, Powerade, and Pedialyte. But in recent years, the category has exploded. In line with other health and wellness-related food and beverage products like protein powders and collagen supplements, there are now enough electrolyte powders, tablets, drops, and ready-to-drink bevs to make anyone’s head spin—including mine.
Though I’m someone who likes to start her mornings off with a good sweat, I never thought much about what all these products marketing themselves as “hydrating,” “energy-boosting,” or “replenishing” actually did for my body, or whether whichever option I’d selected that day would taste good.
That’s why I went looking for answers to three questions:
What do electrolytes do?Who should be drinking them?Which ones taste the best?
Our top picks
The best electrolyte powder overall: DripDropAnother overall favorite electrolyte powder: CureThe best unflavored electrolyte powder: Moon JuiceFor the person who’s a stickler for ingredient labels: Nectar Essential Daily HydrationFor the person who likes it salty: LMNTThe best magnesium-rich electrolyte powder: MagnaThe best electrolyte powder for kids: HiyaThe best electrolyte powder with probiotics: Blume SuperBellyThe best electrolyte powder with caffeine: Factor Form
I spoke with a registered dietitian about the science behind these beverages before taste-testing 17 popular brands to find the best electrolyte powders for lots of different active lifestyles, whether you’re crushing HIIT classes on the daily or you’re more of a weekend pickleball person.
In this article
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But first, what are electrolytes?
“Electrolytes essentially help with the fluid balance in our bodies,” says Taylor Grasso, MPPD, RD, a registered dietitian and host of the podcast Simply Balanced. Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride are some of the most common electrolytes. They play a key role in many of our bodies’ functions, including maintaining the balance between the fluid outside and inside of our cells.
“When we have a balance of [electrolytes] in cohesion with proper hydration, then our body is going to actually be able to absorb that water,” says Grasso. That absorption happens through the process of osmosis: When a cell is concentrated with electrolyte ions, water will move into the cell towards that more concentrated solution.
Now that we have a better understanding of what electrolytes are and why they matter, let’s get into the fun part: which electrolyte powders and drinks taste good?
Best electrolyte powder overall: DripDrop
DripDrop Hydration Juicy Variety Pack
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Type: Packet
Price: $1.13/serving
Sodium: 330mg
Sugar: 7g
Sweetener: Sugar, fructose, dextrose, and sucralose
If you’re a longtime Gatorade devotee looking for an alternative that may be better suited to the average active person, the doctor-developed electrolyte packets from DripDrop are the choice for you. With seven grams of added sugar and a more modest amount of sodium than some of the other options on this list, they’re an ideal pick for anyone who’s exerting themselves to a decent extent, but not at the intensity level and duration of a pro athlete. Most importantly, DripDrop was one of the tastiest options I tested: sweet but not overly so, incredibly refreshing to down post-workout, and available in 13 different flavors. It’s the option I’ve found myself reaching for after my own workouts since conducting all this testing. They also make a sugar-free version sweetened with sucralose, which I did not try.
Another overall favorite electrolyte powder: Cure
Cure Electrolyte Drink Mix
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Type: Packet
Price: $1.69/serving
Sodium: 240mg
Sugar: 4g
Sweetener: Stevia, monk fruit
Cure’s electrolyte powder packets are a longtime favorite of senior commerce editor Olivia Tarantino’s, and after taste testing them for this story, I can see why. They’ve got a short ingredient list that includes coconut water powder, fruit juice powders, pink Himalayan salt, and citric acid, plus some monk fruit and stevia. They’re sweet without being too sweet, refreshingly tart, and subtly salty without tasting like glorified seawater. And while I’m usually averse to monk fruit for its aftertaste, I don’t mind it here at all. If you’re new to Cure, I’d opt for the brand’s Starter Kit variety pack, which includes nine of their most popular flavors.
The best unflavored electrolyte powder: Moon Juice
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Type: Jar
Price: $1.1/serving
Sodium: 270mg
Sugar: 0g
Sweetener: None
If you want the benefits of an electrolyte powder without the need to down a sweet, fruity drink, Moon Juice’s unflavored Mini Dew is for you. In addition to pink salt electrolytes, Mini Dew has added minerals that are meant to promote energy and help with brain fog and fatigue. The moderate amount of sodium makes it suitable for people engaging in all levels of activity. Prefer something flavored? Moon Juice also makes this powder in watermelon and pomelo varieties, both of which are available in jars or single-serving packet form.
For the person who’s a stickler for ingredient labels: Nectar Essential Daily Hydration
Nectar Hydration Packets, Variety 30 Pack
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Type: Packet
Price: $1/serving
Sodium: 100mg
Sugar: 0g
Sweetener: Stevia
If you glance at the nutrition labels of the options on this list, you’ll notice that these types of products tend to have pretty short ingredient lists. But if you’re looking for a very natural option that also tastes great, Nectar Essential Daily Hydration packets fit the bill. With only seven ingredients (all of which have names you can pronounce), this electrolyte drink mix makes use of organic fruit rather than any sort of artificial flavoring. I liked the slight tartness that comes from an addition of acid (citric or malic, depending on the flavor), and the fact that it’s not super sweet, which makes it especially downable. Note that Nectar uses organic stevia rather than sugar as its sweetener, and it only contains 100 milligrams of sodium, which means it’s best suited for very mild levels of exertion or everyday drinking. For heavy sweating and intense exercise, you might want to consider an option with more sodium and some added sugar to help replenish those glycogen stores.
For the person who likes it salty: LMNT
LMNT Zero Sugar Electrolytes Variety Pack, 12-Count
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Type: Packet
Price: $2/serving
Sodium: 1000mg
Sugar: 0g
Sweetener: Stevia
If you live for the salted rim on a margarita or you find yourself adding a pinch of flaky salt to everything you eat, you’ll love this drink mix. LMNT is one of the big names in today’s hydration game for a reason: It’s got a straightforward ingredient list that separates itself from the rest of the pack with the amount of sodium it contains. At 1000 milligrams per packet, this is the kind of hydration drink you’ll want to save for those extra sweaty sessions, or opt for if you’re prone to heavy sweating in the warmer months. It’s so notably salty that its flavor is quite polarizing, though it has plenty of staunch fans (including Grasso). Note that LMNT is sweetened with stevia and has zero sugar, so if you are using it after intense exercise, you’ll likely need to replenish your glucose in addition.
The best magnesium-rich electrolyte powder: Magna
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Type: Packet
Price: $1.96/serving
Sodium: 300–340mg
Sugar: 0g
Sweetener: Stevia
Magna’s thing is that their electrolyte powders contain three different forms of magnesium: magnesium L-threonate, magnesium malate, and magnesium glycinate. Combined with potassium, sodium, and vitamins D, B6, and B12, the formulation is meant to “promote focus and recovery,” along with the usual hydration you’d expect from an electrolyte supplement. While we can’t really speak to whether this powder made us feel noticeably different than the others on this list, the main reason we’re recommending it is because it tastes great. I’m partial to the watermelon lime flavor, but the powder is also available in lemon lime, iced tea lemonade, mint lemonade, and unflavored.
The best electrolyte powder for kids: Hiya
Hiya Kids Daily Hydration
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Type: Bag/canister or sticks
Price: $1.93/serving
Sodium: 85mg
Sugar: 2g
Sweetener: Fruit, stevia, monk fruit
Hiya’s electrolyte powder is formulated specifically with kids in mind, meant to be a more natural, no-sugar-added alternative to traditional sports drinks or juices. The balance of electrolytes includes a pretty modest amount of sodium at 85 milligrams, which is part of what makes this powder more suitable for young ones than some of the others on this list. That, and the fact that the bright blue canister comes with a sticker pack to decorate with.
The best electrolyte powder with probiotics: Blume SuperBelly
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Type: Packet
Price: $2.13/serving
Sodium: 65mg
Sugar: 0g
Sweetener: Stevia
Blume’s SuperBelly powders are designed to simultaneously promote hydration and gut health by combining trace minerals with prebiotic fiber and clinically studied probiotics. There are a handful of fun flavors to choose from—my favorite is the mango passion fruit—and I like that the amount of sodium is low enough that I can drink multiple packets throughout the day without overdoing it. This is the kind of powder you’ll want to incorporate into your daily routine, rather than using as a post-strenuous workout rehydration aid—for that, opt for something with more sodium and perhaps a few grams of sugar.
The best electrolyte powder with caffeine: Factor Form
Factor Form Hydration Boost
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Type: Packet
Price: $1.66/serving
Sodium: 500mg
Sugar: 0g
Sweetener: Stevia
If you’re trying to wean yourself off your pre-workout energy drink habit, try this electrolyte mix from Factor Form. It includes 50 milligrams of caffeine from green coffee and L-theanine, which is about half the amount in a cup of coffee, and a bit less than what you’d get from a shot of espresso. The caffeine content, plus the 500 milligrams of sodium, makes this a great option for consuming before or during your daily workout. The caffeinated variety only comes in a passionfruit guava flavor (which is, I will say, delicious), but Factor Form also makes an orange yuzu immunity-boosting flavor and a lemon lime flavor that’s solely for hydration.
The best electrolyte tablets, drops, drinks, and gummies
The most portable electrolyte solution: Waterdrop Microlyte
Waterdrop Microlyte, Berry
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Type: Tablet
Price: $1.13/serving
Sodium: 240mg
Sugar: 0g
Sweetener: Stevia
While most of the options on this list come in packet form and are easy enough to take on the go, the tablet-style “Microlyte” cubes from Waterdrop are even more compact and portable—plus you won’t need to worry about spilling powder everywhere when you go to mix up your bev. Just peel open the packaging and drop one into a bottle of water and you’re good to go. The one thing I didn’t love about this option is that the tablets take a fair amount of time to dissolve—but once they do, you’ll be left with a lightly sweet, pleasantly fruity, and ultra refreshing drink that’s ideal for all of you flavored water fans.
For the person who hates flavored water: Buoy Hydration Drops
Buoy Hydration Electrolyte Drops
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Type: Drops
Price: $0.33/serving
Sodium: 50mg per drop
Sugar: 0g
Sweetener: None
Maybe the thing you truly crave after a workout is good old-fashioned water. If that’s the case, Buoy Hydration Drops are a great way to get a tiny electrolyte boost without any added flavor or sweetness whatsoever. Now, when I say “tiny,” I do mean it—these drops only contain 50 milligrams of sodium (and similarly small amounts of other electrolytes). That’s because they’re meant to be added to multiple beverages throughout the day—for a total of four to seven servings, to be exact. They’re a great option to keep by your desk for all-day hydrating, or to bring with you on that next road trip.
For the person who’s obsessed with gummy vitamins: Plant People Wonder Hydrate
Wonder Hydrate Electrolyte Gummies
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Type: Gummy
Price: $1.43/serving
Sodium: 50mg sea salt (exact sodium content not listed)
Sugar: 0g
Sweetener: Maltitol, isomalt
If you’d rather consume your electrolytes in gummy form, allow me to introduce you to Plant People’s Wonder Hydrate. These lychee-flavored gummies have a small amount of electrolytes per two gummy serving, so they’re best used as an everyday boost rather than for post-exercise rehydration. Oh, and they taste really good. So good that we’ve taken to passing the bag around at the office when we’re in need of something sweet in the afternoon.
For the coconut water fiend: Coco5
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Type: Ready-to-drink
Price: $2.50/serving
Sodium: 120mg
Sugar: 14g
Sweetener: Cane sugar and rebiana (a form of stevia)
If you, like me, crave ice cold coconut water the minute you feel parched, you’ll love Coco5. Made up primarily of coconut water concentrate and filtered water, you can essentially think of this as a coconut water-based sports drink. Coco5 makes use of the electrolytes found naturally in coconut water (like potassium, calcium, and magnesium) and adds salt for an extra hydration boost. Available in six flavors, I thoroughly enjoyed the taste of each one I tried. The passion fruit flavor tasted remarkably of passion fruit for something that doesn’t have, well, real passion fruit in it, and I liked the addition of citric acid for the welcome tartness it brings.
For athletes and intense exercisers: Gatorade
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Type: Ready-to-drink
Price: $2.59/serving
Sodium: 270mg
Sugar: 34g
Sweetener: Sugar, dextrose
As Grasso mentions above, there is a time and place for this OG sports drink. It contains more than triple the amount of added sugar as Liquid I.V., with 34 grams per 20-ounce bottle; but for serious athletes, pro football players, and the like—that is, people who are exercising for hours at a time every day—that sugar is absolutely necessary.
A lower-in-sugar alternative to Gatorade: Gatorlyte
Gatorlyte Rapid Rehydration Electrolyte Beverage
Gatorlyte Rapid Rehydration Electrolyte Drink Mix, Variety 18-Pack
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Type: Ready-to-drink or packets
Price: $2.69/bottle or $1.28/packet
Sodium: 490mg (bottle) or 420mg (packet)
Sugar: 12g (bottle) or 10g (packet)
Sweetener: Sugar, stevia
Another option from the Gatorade family is Gatorlyte. With far less sugar than traditional Gatorade (12 grams versus 34) and more sodium (490 milligrams versus 270), it’s a great pick for those looking for a widely available, ready-to-drink hydration solution. Do note that the extra sodium does mean Gatorlyte tastes a bit saltier than normal Gatorade.
How I tested electrolyte powders
To test electrolyte powders, I did what was necessary: tasted a lot of electrolyte drinks. In my taste tests, I took note of how well the powders dissolved in water, how balanced the flavors were, and whether there was any weird aftertaste. I tried to sample multiple flavors from each brand when available, and have other people taste alongside me when possible to get multiple opinions.