Refresh and replenish with a simple yet delicious homemade electrolyte drink! Think gatorade, but without all the added sugars, dyes and artificial ingredients.
Want to learn how to make your own hydration drink with simple ingredients you likely already have in your own kitchen?
First Things First: What are electrolytes?
Electrolytes are essential minerals (salt, potassium, bicarbonate, etc) that conduct electrical charges when dissolved into water.
They play an important role in the regulating the nervous system and keeping you hydrated.
Signs of electrolyte loss or depletion include: nausea, headaches, fatigue, low blood pressure and muscle cramping. Do you feel hungover? You probably need more electrolytes in your system!
More Foods that Replenish Electrolytes
In fact, any time you find your self losing a lot of fluid, whether that be a stomach bug or heavy exercise, it’s likely you find yourself low on electrolytes. Certain medical conditions (like PoTS) and poor diets can also lead to an electrolyte imbalance.
While it’s easy to forget – human beings are electrical beings and we’re made up of mostly water. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that electrolytes are essential for good health.
The Original Energy Drink
Despite the high sugar content, I totally understand that traditional sports drinks and general energy drinks do have real benefits.
Gatorade was originally created in 1965 as a means to combat heat exhaustion for the University of Florida football team (the Gators). Between the excessive heat, humidity and strenuous exercise, the Gators were depleted. This translated to excessive weight loss, sluggish performance and sometimes even fainting.
The fix? Basically, a team of researchers worked together to create what was essentially lab-made sweat that footballers would drink for electrolyte replacement.
As you can imagine, sweat-in-a-bottle didn’t exactly taste great. It was however extremely effective. The year following the introduction of Gatorade, the Gators when on to the Orange Bowl for the first time in the schools history.
How to Make Your Own Homemade Electrolyte Drink
Fortunately for us, it’s actually quite easy to make a DIY electrolyte drink that tastes good without the excessive added sugar.
All you need is about 20 minutes, a pot and a few natural ingredients you might even have already.
Ingredients
- Citrus Juice
- Orange juice, lemon juice and lime juice add small amounts of citric acid and Vitamin C to support the immune system.
- Fresh Ginger
- Ginger is an anti inflammatory food that has been shown to reduce nausea and headache pain (both symptoms of electrolyte depletion.
- Water
- You can get fancy here if you want with filtered or mineral water, but I simply use plain water from the tap.
- Coconut water is already basically a natural electrolyte drink because is contains potassium, sodium and manganese. Use this for an even more hydrating experience!
- Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) & Salt (sodium chloride)
- If you’ve ever wondered why sweat tastes salty it’s because it contains quite a lot of sodium (an electrolyte). While lemons do naturally contain electrolytes and other trace minerals, the addition of baking soda and elevates the amount of electrolytes making this an even more hydrating drink.
- Because of how they are processed, sea salt and pink Himalayan salt contain more trace minerals compared to kosher salt and table salt. For the benefit of a drink like this that is meant to nourish and replenish sea salt might be a better option to maximise nutrients, but the difference is so minimal in these amounts that it doesn’t actually matter much here. Use what you have.
- Natural Sweetener
- Use maple syrup for vegan and low fodmap options.
- Raw honey is always great to use when you can (like this honey simple syrup!). Raw honey is less processed meaning it has likely retained more nutrients. It’s also great to support local beekeepers when possible. That being said – use what you can find and afford and don’t sweat it!
Steps
Altogether, this homemade electrolyte drink recipe is super easy to make with only a few steps and little effort. A quick overview of the steps:
- Combine ginger, citrus and water in a sauce pan.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the baking soda and salt.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the sweetener.
- Strain out the pulp and solids.
- Cool and enjoy.
A couple of tips before you begin:
- Don’t worry about fishing out the seeds before you begin because you’re going to strain your drink at the end.
- Before slicing it up, gently smash your ginger with a rolling pin or the side of a large knife (carefully!). This will soften it up making its flavor even more accessible.
Why does it fizz up?
Right after you add the baking soda and salt to the pot you should notice that the contents of the pan start to foam up a bit.
This is because you’re witnessing a chemical change, an acid-base reaction, take place.
When the baking soda (the base) makes contact with the citrus (citric acid), the two react and create carbon dioxide (the bubbles) and sodium citrate.
Sodium citrate, by the way, is another electrolyte that is shown to help your body absorb fluids and others electrolytes when combined with glucose (aka sugar).
- Side Note: This chemical reaction happens often in baking, you’re just not able to see it happen quite so obviously. The reason why muffins and cookies puff up in the oven is because your baking soda (and baking powder) react to an acidic ingredient (cocoa powder, butter milk, etc) to create gas bubbles (carbon dioxide) which adds volume.
Who is the drink good for?
Professional athlete or not – your body needs to maintain a healthy balance of electrolytes in order to thrive.
Times where electrolyte drinks are particularly useful:
- Before and after working out – especially if you experience muscle cramps after working out. Go eat a banana and then make this drink!
- During or after illness – especially one where you struggle to hold down food. This is basically a homemade pedialyte recipe.
- In the summer or whenever it’s particularly hot outside – Dehydration can really sneak up on you in the heat.
- After a night of drinking – Hangover symptoms are essentially symptoms of electrolyte depletion.
- If you struggle with low blood pressure – Low blood pressure symptoms can manifest in a few different ways. Some of the more common symptoms dizziness, fainting, fatigue. If you’re someone who has PoTS you may benefit by increasing or being more mindful about your electrolyte intake. I started making this back in 2015 after my husband Mike was first diagnosed with PoTS. Over time his health and experience with PoTS has improved, but this drink did help when he was really struggling.
- As always, if you have a medical condition you should always consult you doctor before listening to some rando on the internet!
Homemade Electrolyte Drink
Refresh and replenish with a simple yet delicious homemade electrolyte drink! Think gatorade, but without all the added sugars, dyes and artificial ingredients.
Ingredients
- 4 cups of water (960 ml)
- 1-2 inch chunk ginger, smashed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (120ml)
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (60 ml)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (30 ml)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey (see notes for alternatives)
Instructions
- Add the water, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice and ginger to a medium sized sauce pan. Place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Add the baking soda and salt to the pot. Stir to dissolve. The liquids will foam up after you add the baking soda so keep an eye on the pot to watch for over flow. The foaminess will reduce after a minute or so. Turn the heat down to medium-low and gently simmer about 2 minutes.
- Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey until fully dissolved.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large, heat safe bowl. Pour the electrolyte drink into the bowl through the strainer to filter out the solid ginger pieces and citrus seeds. Taste and sweeten with more maple/honey if needed..
- Serve hot or cold. To serve cold, wait for the juice to cool fully before transferring to refrigerator friendly closed containers. Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days and enjoy or pour into ice cube moulds and freeze. Electrolyte ice cubes can be added to water or juice for an extra boost of hydration.
Notes
What Type Of Sweetener?
- Use maple syrup for vegan and low fodmap options.
- You can use a low carb sugar alternative instead, but you will need to add the correct amount at your own discretion. Check the packaging labels for your specific sweetener for guidance. If in doubt, start out with a small amount of sweetener, taste and add more as needed.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size:
about 1 cup (240ml) Calories: 65Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 213mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 0gMore Delicious & Healthy Ways to Hydrate
- Mint Cucumber Lemonade
- Healthy Strawberry Lemonade With Chia Seeds
- Mango Lassi
- Chai Tea Concentrate (Starbucks Copy Cat)
- Healthy Strawberry Shake (With Hidden Veg)
- Golden Milk Frappuccino – Paleo & Vegan
- Healthy Frozen Lemonade
- Ginger Turmeric Tea With Lime (Herbal Tisane)
- Ginger Switchel Recipe (Haymaker’s Punch)
- Brazilian Lemonade (Limonada SuÃça)
Kaida says
Do you think I could add a second orange or lemon instead of lime? I’m allergic to it and it seems to be in every recipe. Are there electrolytes in the lime or is it more for flavor?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Kaida! Absolutely – you can use an orange if you want a sweet taste or another lemon if you like the tang. Hope that helps!
Scott says
Regular intake of baking soda, especially for a period of longer than two weeks, isn’t for everyone.
Per https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3770998/
I do appreciate your publishing this recipe.
As an alternative, might I suggest lowering both the amount of salt and the baking soda by reducing each to no more than 1/4 teaspoon.
By the way, I am 61 year old man who has had POTS (in its various incarnations) since age 13.
Sarah says
Hi Scott! Thanks for the suggestions! This drink isn’t meant to be had every day but I’m glad you pointed that out so that I can make a note in the recipe!
Belle says
Thank you for this recipe! When I first made it, I used sugar instead of honey. Because of this, I was not able to drink it as it increased my nausea. I made it a second time, this time with honey and juice from a grapefruit, and it did not make me sick. I will be using this more often now. Obviously the grapefruit wouldn’t work for people that take medications, but because I haven’t been diagnosed with POTS, I don’t have any. Thanks again!
Sarah says
So glad you liked it! 🙂
Sheila says
Sarah,
Thank you so much for putting this on your blog. I just made a batch and it’s really delicious. I didn’t put any sweetness in it because I’m currently doing the Whole30 and it still turned out like unsweetened lemon lime Gatorade. This is the best one I’ve tried so far.
I had been looking for a recipe that easy and tasty. I live in Texas and it gets pretty hot during the summer and I wanted something that wasn’t full of chemicas.
Again thank you.
Sarah says
I’m so glad you liked it! I’ve never been to Texas but I can imagine how necessary the extra refreshments are! I’m also glad to know that it was still good without the added sweetness. I still don’t have a strong enough will power to complete a whole 30, but I like cutting out extra sugar whenever possible so that’s good to know! Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂
Molly Kumar says
This is such a refreshing energy drink, love the addition of ginger and orange here.
Sarah says
Thanks, Molly!
Anjanette Young says
I can’t wait to make this Electrolyte Drink for my son. He is the most athletic person I know and probably would like a change from his pickle juice. LOL. Thanks for sharing. Off to visit more Sits Girls.
Sarah says
Hi, Anjanette! I applaud your son and his ability to drink pickle juice – I don’t think I’d be able to myself lol. Thanks for stopping by!
Dini @ The Flavor Bender says
Thank you for linking up with us at #SaucySaturdays! This is a great because I have to drink electrolytes regularly and this is a great and natural way!
Sarah says
Thanks, Dini! Glad you like it!
Oana @AdoreFoods says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! My daughter plays tennis and she surely needs a healthy sport drink! All her friends are having gallons of Gatorade but it is so full of yucky things. Just the though of it and puts me off .
Sarah says
Of course! Thank you! I love tennis, I wish I would have thought about making this when I used to play on a team because it would have made such a difference. Hope your daughter likes it!
Cara says
Thanks for this recipe, I was just ill and the Doctor told me to use more salt and I was drinking Gatorade. This is so much better. And thank you for giving the option for maple syrup as a sugar. I have celiac disease and was just also diagnosed with IBS and I find that so many recipes use sugars that are not allowed on the FODMAP diet for IBS. It’s kind of ironic that many of the recipes for gluten free contain sugars that aggravate IBS as my gastroenterologist told me that many patients with celiac disease also have IBS and then wonder why just a gluten free diet isn’t making them feel better. Both problems needs to be addressed with diet. Monash University in Australia did the research for the IBS FODMAP diet and there is a lot of good information on their website.
Sarah says
Hi Cara! I’m glad this recipe is helpful! When Mike was first diagnosed with POTS we got a list of foods with lots of sodium that he should eat from the Doctor and it was filled with all sorts of junk food – it just seemed a bit strange, ya know?
I know what you mean about it being ironic that so many recipes for gluten free foods still contain things that are known to irritate people who actually need to eat gluten free. My husband went on a low FODMAP diet earlier this year for about 6 months and that has made such a difference in the foods he can tolerate. We’re in the reintroduction phase of the FODMAP diet – I’ve been slowly adding things in one at a time, and I’m so excited because he’s actually be tolerating things quite well. He had a bad spell last week, but we’re almost positive that he might have been exposed to cross contamination (sigh). Honey was something he didn’t have for the longest time, but as long as he has it in small doses it doesn’t cause any problem.
Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment! I hope you feel better soon if don’t already!
dixya @ food, pleasure, and health says
this is such a great idea..and love how it can be used for hydration.
Sarah says
Thanks, Dixya!