Body + Mind is reader-supported. We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through some of the links on our site.
Walk down the hydration aisle or scroll through wellness TikTok long enough, and you’ll find no shortage of electrolyte supplements promising better workouts, faster recovery and all-day hydration. The problem is that not all of them are created equal. Some pack in more sugar than you’d expect, while others rely on caffeine and a long list of additives that may not align with your goals. To help narrow the field, below are some of the best options to try.
Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electric charge and help your body perform a wide range of essential functions. They help regulate the amount of water in your body, support nerve and muscle function, maintain your blood’s pH balance and keep many other processes running smoothly. The main electrolytes include calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.
When you sweat, you lose both electrolytes and water. Sodium is lost in the greatest amounts, along with smaller amounts of potassium and other minerals. The harder and longer you exercise, the more you lose. That’s why many athletes and active people are taking electrolyte supplements.
Available as powders, tablets, drinks and concentrates, they can replenish electrolytes lost through sweating and support hydration during and after exercise. Although they won’t magically transform your performance, maintaining healthy electrolyte levels is important for sustaining muscle function and endurance. When electrolytes aren’t adequately replaced, muscle fatigue and cramping can eventually start to affect how you feel and perform.
Many people assume that drinking more water is always the answer. Water is essential, but you also need to replace the sodium you lose to avoid hyponatremia. This condition causes headaches, nausea, muscle weakness and vomiting. In situations involving prolonged sweating, intense exercise, physically demanding work or significant fluid loss from illness, electrolyte supplements can be helpful.
The best electrolyte supplements deliver key minerals, strike the right balance of ingredients, taste good enough to use consistently and fit the way you train and live. Here are seven of the best electrolyte supplements on the market right now.
Cure Hydration Mix provides a meaningful amount of electrolytes without relying on excessive sweetness, artificial ingredients or an overwhelming salty taste. Each serving contains 240mg of sodium and 300mg of potassium, along with 25 calories and 6g of carbohydrates.
The ingredient list is refreshingly short. You’ll find coconut water powder, fruit juice powders, pink Himalayan salt, citric acid, stevia and monk fruit. That’s why the flavors are fruity and refreshing without tasting artificial. It also doesn’t lean heavily into either sweetness or saltiness, but strikes a comfortable middle ground. Plus, it mixes exceptionally well and dissolves after just a few shakes or stirs.
If you don’t want to carry tubs of powder or tear open packets after every workout, Nuun Vitamins Electrolyte Tablets offer a convenient alternative. The tablets come in portable tubes and simply dissolve in water, creating a lightly flavored, slightly fizzy drink that’s easy to take on the go.
Aside from the five electrolytes included in the formula, you’ll also find vitamins A, B, C, D and E plus folic acid. Nutritionally, the formula is fairly light, with 100mg of sodium, 10 calories and 2g of sugar per serving. The flavor profile is another selling point. Nuun produces a subtle, refreshing drink that’s available in options such as Blueberry Pomegranate, Tangerine Lime, Grapefruit Orange and Strawberry Melon.
Do your workouts regularly leave you drenched in sweat? Opt for Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier, as it has one of the more robust formulas available. Every serving contains around 500mg of sodium and 370mg of potassium. It also has vitamins C, B3, B5, B6 and B12. Depending on the flavor, there are about 50 calories and 11g of added sugar.
Liquid I.V. is known for its flavor selections as much as its formula. With more than 20 options, including Lemon Lime, Mango, Pina Colada, Arctic Raspberry, Passion Fruit and Acai Berry, there’s a good chance you’ll find one that suits your taste. The drinks tend to be sweeter than those of many competitors, but they avoid an overly salty flavor.
If flavor is your top priority, DripDrop deserves a spot on your list. It’s sweet enough to be enjoyable without crossing into dessert territory, but also not overly salty, which can be a difficult line for hydration products to walk. The brand offers 13 flavors, so you have plenty of room to experiment until you find a favorite.
DripDrop’s formula contains 330mg of sodium and 7g of sugar. That means it works just as well for daily hydration products and more aggressive workout-focused options. Potassium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin C round out the formula. The packets are also easy to throw into a gym bag, suitcase or hiking pack.
Not every electrolyte supplement needs to feel like it was created for a marathon. Ultima Replenisher is aimed squarely at hydration, and its playful flavor lineup helps set it apart. Peach Bellini, Pina Colada and Cranberry Cosmo sound more like drinks you’d order at brunch than something you’d stir into a water bottle.
The formula is light. A serving contains 55mg of sodium, 250mg of potassium, 100mg of magnesium, zero calories, zero carbohydrates and no sugar. Its sweetness and distinctive taste come from a combination of stevia and real fruit flavors. Additionally, the powder mixes smoothly without any clumps.
Transparent Labs has built its reputation on transparency, and that philosophy carries over into its Hydrate Electrolyte Formula. If you like knowing exactly what’s in your electrolyte supplements, you’ll appreciate that the company publishes third-party testing results and avoids artificial sweeteners, artificial colors and added sugars.
This is one of the more substantial formulas on the list, providing 500mg of sodium, 250mg of potassium and 50mg of magnesium while keeping calories at just five and carbohydrates at 1g. The powder also earns high marks for mixability. A quick stir is usually enough to fully dissolve it, leaving no gritty texture or residue at the bottom of the glass.
Sometimes you don’t want to stop and mix a drink. SaltStick FastChews offers an alternative in the form of a chewable electrolyte supplement. You simply pop them in your mouth and carry on with your workout, hike, ride or run. The experience is surprisingly enjoyable, as the chews are sweet, salty and a little candy-like. They contain sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and the company recommends chewing two tablets every 30 minutes during exercise.
Convenience is the biggest benefit here. Available in both larger bottles and compact five-serving packets, they’re easy to stash in a pocket, running vest, backpack or gym bag. If the thought of carrying a shaker bottle everywhere sounds exhausting. SaltStick offers one of the simplest ways to stay prepared wherever your workout takes you.
Electrolyte supplements have earned their place in many gym bags, running vests and kitchen cupboards. The right product can help support hydration, maintain performance and make recovery a little easier when workouts get tough. That said, no supplement can replace the fundamentals. Consistent hydration, balanced nutrition and smart training habits will always have the biggest impact on how you feel and perform.
Your email address will only be used to send you our newsletter, and at any time you may unsubscribe. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.
