New! A Delicious Homemade Electrolyte Drink Recipe (4 simple ingredients)

Let’s talk about how we can make our very own homemade electrolyte drink recipe right in our own kitchens, shall we? It only occurred to me after looking at my recent slew of grocery bills that I am spending way too much on electrolyte drinks, powders and the like. My kids like them, I like them (makes me feel like I’m really doing something great for myself in the same way that taking a vitamin does, I suppose) – we all like them.

But it turns out that you can VERY easily just make your own and it costs less, tastes better, and is easily customized. Read on for more deets about this or just scroll through, look at the pretty pictures, and snag the recipe. It’s a really nice one to have around, I think.

But First, What are Electrolytes?

I’d be doing you a disservice to not at least nerd out for a sec on what, exactly, electrolytes actually are. Not doing so would effectively render this whole post pretty silly and invaluable, right? We need to understand the point of it all before we actually dive into the tasty recipe itself. So, without further ado, let’s take just a sec to go over the basic science behind electrolytes, why replenishing them is a good thing to do, and then how we can go about doing so on our own terms … in our own kitchens. 

Electrolytes are minerals that have an electric charge and are found in blood, tissues, organs and other bodily fluids. Sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate and magnesium are all electrolytes. Electrolytes do a lot of important things in your body. They help keep the amount of water in your body balanced, as well as maintain pH levels and help move nutrients in and out of cells. Electrolytes also help muscles, nerves and organs work properly. – Eating Well

If You’re Interested in This Homemade Electrolyte Drink Recipe, You May Also Like

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Why make this? 

Some of the benefits of homemade electrolyte drinks include:

• Electrolyte drinks are designed to boost your energy levels. The natural carbohydrates in electrolyte drinks provide a release of energy that is sustained over time – you’re not going to crash from these.
• They boost hydration. Electrolyte drinks help replace lost fluids and also (this is key) essential minerals that are lost when we sweat.
• They supports muscle recovery. No really they do. This is especially true if you use potassium-rich things to make yours (like in my recipe here, as we use coconut water). Potassium helps reduce muscle cramps, which is why you’ll often see athletes housing bananas (I used to eat one before going on runs or playing in soccer games).
• It’s more affordable! By making a homemade electrolyte drink recipe – in a big batch – you’re likely giving your budget a nice break as they’re typically less pricey to put together than the store-bought options.
• You can go your own way. They’re customizable! By following your own homemade electrolyte drink recipe, you get to control the amount of EVERYTHING to suit your preferences. This is such a lovable quality, I think.

What You’ll Need and Why You’ll Need It

There are only five easy-as-pie components to my homemade electrolyte drink recipe, and they’re all here for good reasons. Just in case you’re wondering why they’re here, I’ll give a quick explanation below, and if you care to read a little more about the science behind how electrolyte drinks actually work, I suggest taking a gander at this article. For a deeper drive into electrolytes themselves, try this one. 

Coconut Water

Some studies assert that simple coconut water can rehydrate as well as a classic sport drink. I had no idea. Coconut water is kind of the hero ingredient in a homemade electrolyte drink recipe, as it really packs a nutritional punch in a way that basic tap water or mineral cannot. You might be surprised to learn (I was) that coconut water is high in potassium and carries about 11% of our daily value of sodium, 4% DV for calcium, and 14% for magnesium. The fact that it also happens to be low in sugar (only about 6 grams in a cup’s worth) also makes it a perfect base for a high-quality a good performing homemade electrolyte drink recipe.

Lastly and not for nothing, coconut water also contains an antioxidant punch – Gatorade can’t say the same. This is significant and worth noting because these antioxidants could very well help in minimizing the cellular level stress that occurs from intense exercise.

Salt

Sodium, potassium and chloride are the most common minerals lost in the body when we sweat. These minerals are essential for maintaining blood pressure and absorbing nutrients. To replenish them, electrolyte beverages typically contain all three. The sodium and chloride are replenished with simple salt and the potassium can easily be replenished with coconut water (like we’ll do in this homemade electrolyte drink recipe). 

Honey

Sugar helps speed up water absorption which helps us rehydrate faster. This is why you’ll see it in most sports drinks. But also, it’s what typically makes them taste really good (the better something tastes, the more we’ll drink). In my recipe, I like to use raw honey because it also has antioxidants and gives a natural, unrefined sugar component to the mix. Plus? It also blends in nicely and dissolves into the coconut water.

Citrus

Citrus fruits such as orange, lime and lemon are often added to electrolyte drinks because they contain potassium – an essential electrolyte that helps in fluid balance and muscle function. But it also really helps cut the saltiness from the salt that is always added. Here, we’ll use lemon because they contain potassium as well as a great balancing acidity that makes the drinks taste great.

Bonus Ingredients for this Homemade Electrolyte Drink Recipe

This can be whatever whole fruits you want to add for flavor, along with some simple spices or aromatics to boost the deliciousness of it all. I personally like to add blended watermelon (watermelon water) and some slices of fresh ginger. The combo is absolutely divine to me.

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