The best recipe for a homemade electrolyte drink, a natural hydration solution with 3 simple ingredients. Better than store bought with no artificial additives, sugars, and dyes, and perfect for post-workout hydration, and stomach flu or cold recovery.
This homemade electrolyte drink is essential for replenishing minerals lost during intense workouts, illnesses, or dehydration. This homemade pedialyte-inspired recipe is designed to restore your body's electrolyte balance for optimal health.
I changed out the juice to create 5 flavors of this sports hydration drink made with fruit, water, salt and baking soda. You are making a DIY electrolyte solution that will be fresh and delicious, and free of the aftertaste of artificial sugars, dyes and additives found in store-bought sports drinks.
Think of it as a clean energy drink or a wholesome sports drink. My recipe is delicious, effective and structured using the general formula hydration guidance recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO.
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Why Make a Homemade Electrolyte Drink
Electrolyte drinks, also called hydration drinks, are necessary to replace lost electrolytes after heavy workout or illnesses such as food poisoning, stomach virus or flu, medical conditions such as POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), or just going without water for too long. This DIY electrolyte drink is the perfect homemade sports drink, also provides electrolyte recovery for flu, and is POTS-friendly hydration among other benefits.
When you are low on electrolytes - typically essential minerals such as potassium, salt, and bicarbonate and more - your nervous system can be thrown off kilter. So, it's important to keep electrolytes balanced for good health. This homemade hydration drink, a homemade version of pedialyte or gatorade, will restore electrolyte balance with ingredients that will provide a natural electrolyte boost.
Other drinks to help with cold or flu include my blender homemade orange juice and my beet juice.
Ingredients
It's easy to make this clean hydration recipe at home with orange juice, lemon juice, water, salt and baking soda. You can change the flavor by swapping out the orange juice for another flavor.
Orange juice. Orange juice provides essential electrolytes, vitamin C, and brings the drink a fruit flavor and sweetness.
Water. Plain or coconut water which is a natural electrolyte by itself, providing potassium, sodium and manganese. Or use a cup of butterfly pea tea to turn your electrolyte as a blue as Gatorade.
Baking soda. Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, helps support electrolyte balance and also neutralizes acid in the body. As such it can also delay fatigue, and baking soda can help muscles recover quickly.
Lemon juice. Lemon juice supports hydration and provides the important electrolyte, citric acid. Mixed with baking soda, they react to produce sodium citrate, yet another important electrolyte.
Salt. Provides sodium chloride, an important electrolyte. Sea salt and pink Himalayan salt are less processed, but table salt also works.
See the recipe card at the bottom for full information on ingredients and quantities.
4 More Flavors & Substitutions
Make a Grape Juice Flavor. Swap the orange juice for purple grape juice. Grape juice adds vitamin C, manganese and antioxidants.
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Make a Cranberry Juice Flavor. Swap the orange juice for cranberry juice. Cranberry juice has antibacterial properties and adds a refreshing tart flavor, as well as potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Make an Apple Juice Flavor. Swap the orange juice for apple juice to add a sweet apple flavor, as well as potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium.
Make a Blue Hydration Water. Turn your water Gatorade blue with butterfly pea tea. Be sure to leave off lemon juice however, or the color will turn more purple. To make blue hydration water, skip the lemon juice and instead of ½ cup of juice, use ½ cup of plain water with 1 teaspoon of cranberry juice added to it.
Potential water swap. Use coconut water for hydration and additional electrolytes, creating an electrolyte water with a hint of sweetness.
Step by Step Instructions
For more detail, visit the complete and printable recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a measuring cup or jar. Stir or shake well.
Step 2: Drink at room temperature, or chill and drink.
Storage
Store your homemade electrolyte drink in covered bottles and refrigerate for up to a week. Alternatively, freeze in ice cube trays for up to six months and put a few cubes in a glass in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
Recipe Notes
For a sweeter taste, add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup, providing additional electrolytes like calcium, riboflavin, manganese, and zinc.
This recipe makes 4 (5-ounce) electrolyte drinks. Choose a flavor and make a batch - they freeze easily.
Or pour the drinks in popsicle molds to make it easier to consume with a sore throat. Convenient hydration in popsicle form.
For additional cold and flu remedies, check out my 4-ingredient ginger shots, my wellness shots, and my apple cider vinegar and lemon juice.
FAQS
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, helps support electrolyte balance and also neutralizes acid in the body. As such it can also delay fatigue, and help muscles recover quickly.
Coconut water, lemon juice, and several juices such as orange, cranberry and apple all have electrolytes and are excellent drink to hydrate after sports or after an dehydrating illness such as flu or fever.
Salt adds sodium chloride but it if you've lost electrolytes by sweating, fever or vomiting, you'll need more electrolytes so it is healthier to have a more potent electrolyte drink that includes a fruit juice, citrus and baking soda as well.
The best time to replenish electrolytes by drinking an electrolyte drink is before and after a workout or sports; during and after stomach flu or fever; after over-indulging in alcohol, or during a hangover; and
when overheated due to hot weather
Stir together orange juice, lemon juice, water, salt and baking soda. Add a sweetener such as maple syrup if needed.
Important note: As always, you should always consult your doctor if you have questions regarding restoring electrolytes, especially if you have a medical issue.
More Detox Drinks
Try out this clean and wholesome homemade electrolyte drink recipe, and elevate your hydration game without the unwanted additives. Feel free to leave a star rating or share your experience in the comments below. Thanks for joining us on this journey to better health!
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
DIY Homemade Electrolyte Drink (natural hydration)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup orange juice (240 ml)*
- 2 cups water (480 ml)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
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Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a measuring cup.
- Stir and enjoy chilled or at room temperature.
eugene paul says
also is that 113 mg per serving and if so what is a serving amnt
My Himalayen salt container reads
578 mg per 1/4 tsp
Thanks
Dee Dine says
Right, I use very little salt as well in all recipes, only about half a 1/8 tsp (225mg), which is slightly under a pinch. You are welcome to use more or leave out. Salt provides the electrolyte sodium chloride so whatever amount you can add to your electrolyte drink is probably beneficial.
Eugene Paul says
On a low salt diet here (my choice) & sodium is listed as 113mg
Assuming that is for the 1x mix and be increased accordingly for 2x and 3x
Please advise
Thanks
Dee Dine says
Yes, the nutrition stats are for one (5-ounce) serving. So the 113mg of salt is per serving.
Sharon says
Hello, I was looking for a homemade electrolyte drink and found yours. I have been using one I found by Dr. Axe which has the ingredients you suggest, along with coconut water, but no baking soda Should I add the baking soda to the recipe I have been using?
Sharon
Dee Dine says
Adding baking soda is useful in an electrolyte drink because it helps support electrolyte balance and also neutralizes acid in the body. As such it can also delay fatigue, and help muscles recover quickly. Hope that helps!
Cris says
Hi,
I was wondering two things:
1. If we freeze it into ice cubes, could we add them to just plain water (40oz water bottle) and it would still work just as effectively?
2. Do you think that a watermelon and lime juice mix would also work?
Thanks!
Cris
Dee Dine says
Yes! Freezing the electroyte drinks and thawing to use is a great idea. Just add the cubes to a glass the night before and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If you need to add a bit of water the next day, stir it in.
Regarding the watermelon/lime flavor, great idea! I added it to notes in the recipe. Basically, swap the orange juice for fresh watermelon juice (use my fresh watermelon juice recipe here) and swap the lemon juice for lime juice (again here is my fresh lime juice recipe).
Leslie says
So good! I put everything in a shaker bottle and mix. I get the convenience of store bought, but this takes no time at all to make, you know what's in it, and it costs a lot less! Orange and cranberry are our favorite, (I do add a an additional 1/4 juice and extra lemon juice to taste, but thats just our preference). This is a game changer for an active family of five. Thank you!
Dee Dine says
Great idea to add lemon juice! Glad the recipe is useful! No more buying store bought for us. Thanks for your comment and rating!