These are the best electrolyte drinks to stay hydrated, according to our expert nutritionist

If you’ve resolved to up your fitness game in 2025, replace the salts and minerals lost through sweat with my pick of the best electrolyte drinks.

Electrolyte drinks help replenish the naturally occurring salts and minerals that help balance our bodies’ fluids. Our electrolytes get depleted through exercise, most notably through sweating. The best electrolyte drinks often also contain carbohydrates and other nutrients to help you stay hydrated and to improve recovery.

But not all electrolyte drinks are created equal. It pays to consider the amount of the electrolytes potassium, chloride and particularly sodium in each drink, which help with preventing cramping, aiding muscle contraction and supporting hydration respectively.

If you’re not a heavy sweater, or need to reduce your intake of sodium for health reasons, you might want an electrolyte drink with lower sodium levels (say, less than 250mg per serving).

What’s the best electrolyte drink?

After my extensive tests, I’d recommend the Nuun Hydration Sport as the best electrolyte drink. That’s down to a number of factors, including its reasonable price, how well it dissolves in water, its natural ingredients list – and, of course, its taste. Plus those mini tubes make it really easy to stick in a bag or pocket for electrolyte-boosted hydration on the go. Of course, the well-established SiS Go Hydro and High 5 Zero tablets aren’t far behind.

Other electrolyte drink recommendations

1. Nuun Hydration Sport

With a good range of flavors, and available with or without caffeine, these mini tubes from Nuun are ideal for hydrating on the go. I found they dissolved well in water and didn’t require any shaking. I also liked how they have the most natural ingredients list of any product I tested, including natural sweeteners and coloring.

2. SIS Go Hydro

We all know Science In Sport is a brand driven by scientific data, so it knows a thing or two about optimal hydration. Its Go Hydro range has the highest sodium content per serving of any electrolyte drink I tested and it’s also one of the most reasonably priced. I tried the strawberry and lime flavor, which was light and refreshing with a slight tang. The tablets also dissolved quickly in water without the need for any additional shaking.

3. High5 Zero

Another trusted player in the sports nutrition market, High 5 is the go-to brand for many endurance runners, including many members of the Men’s Fitness team. It’s a good choice if you’re training for extended periods as one tablet is enough for a 750ml water bottle. They may be free of sugar, but these tabs are full of flavor – I tried the citrus flavor, which offered a nice balance of sweetness and tanginess.

4. Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix

One of the best-tasting electrolyte drinks I had the pleasure of testing. Each serving contains a hefty 800mg of sodium, so it’s perfect for heavy, salty sweaters. I found this drink to not only be refreshing but also effective at increasing energy, making it beneficial as both an intra-workout and recovery drink. There are also an impressive eight flavors available, with each one providing a nice, hydrating option at the end of a tough workout.

5. GU Hydration Tablets

Ideal for larger bottles and longer sessions, GU tablets will see you through intense or prolonged training. I found the tablet combined well in water and didn’t require any additional shaking to combine. There’s a good amount of electrolytes in the mix, especially sodium, and I enjoyed the punchy flavors, but they may be a bit too intense for some people.

6. Punchy Hydration

Punchy Hydration cans are lightly carbonated drinks made from natural ingredients with essential electrolytes, vitamins and minerals to boost hydration, aid muscle function and support your immune system. Available in mango and blueberry flavor, and in boxes of from 4 to 48 cans, they are deliciously refreshing with flavors that are indeed ‘punchy’, without being overpowering.

Buying in larger boxes will drop the price a bit – and subscribing to a regular deliver will give you a further 15% discount. Caffeine-free and low calories, they’re a tasty alternative to electrolyte tabs and with their balanced favors are enjoyable as part of a regular hydration regime, with meals or as a perfect pick-me-up for the morning after the night before

7. Cadence Electrolyte Drink

They’re not cheap, but for those who are serious about their rehydration Cadence drinks are a sensible choice. These carbonated beverages are only beaten by SIS Go Hydro and Skratch Labs for sodium quantity, so are a great choice for heavy sweaters. There’s key amounts of potassium and magnesium, too, and not a sniff of sugar or calories anywhere. They’re also vegan-friendly and caffeine-free, with a pleasant, understated citrus flavor.

8. Hux Hydration Tablets

Hux tablets are a good low-sodium option and are more suited to general hydration and wellness than intense workout sessions. They have a good mix of electrolytes as well as a pleasantly sweet and tangy flavor. The tablets also dissolved quickly in water. I reckon you could dilute them further if you needed more fluid and they would still retain the flavor.

9. Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Powder

In powder rather than tablet form, this vitamin C-rich drink is ideal for everyday hydration and wellness. There’s a good mix of electrolytes and a range of nine moreish flavors to choose from (I loved the raspberry and pink lemonade flavors). However, as they are sugar-free, I found the flavors to be milder than other options I tested, so these may not be popular with those who prefer a stronger, more flavorsome electrolyte.

10. ESN Pro Series Electrolyte Powder

The ESM Pro Series Electrolyte drink has a carbohydrate-electrolyte mix to both fuel and rehydrate you as you work out. Each 22.5g sachet contains 17g or carbs (of which only 1.1g is sugars), as well as a decent dose and mix of electrolytes – with 660mg sodium, 150mg potassium, 59mg calcium and 28mg magnesium.

The high level of sodium is ideal for rehydration but does leave a slightly salty aftertaste. However, the four flavors are quite pleasant and mild and each sachet will give you 625ml of electrolyte-rich fluid. The sachets are ideal for storing in running vests or belts for keeping on top of your hydration strategy in the middle of endurance events. An expensive but effective choice.

11. MyEndurance Hydr8

Hydr8 tablets are packed with vitamins and minerals with good sodium levels to suit endurance athletes. They’re fortified with B vitamins too and work out to be the cheapest electrolyte drink per serving on test. The orange flavor is nice and tangy but a little on the sweet side. Also, I found the tablets didn’t mix quite as well as others I tested, meaning I had to shake to get the end residues to combine.

12. Powerbar 5 Electrolytes

Powerbar’s hydration tabs have an intense yet refreshing flavor (I tested the pink grapefruit flavor) and a caffeine kick for a pre-workout pick-me-up. They’re sugar-free, too, and come in tiny tubes that we could just slip into a pocket – perfect for hydrating on the go. I also found that the tablets dissolved quickly, with no need for shaking.

13. Humantra Hack #1

Humanatra is a new player in the electrolyte drinks game, and it’s ticking all the right boxes. Its sachets contain all six essential electrolytes as well as antioxidants and are made from entirely natural ingredients. Electrolyte amounts are greater than many of the big name brands too.

Its three sugar-free flavors are punchy without being overwhelming and there’s your daily dose of vitamins C and B12 in each sachet too. If you can stomach the price, you can’t certainly stomach these pleasant flavored and exercise-supporting hydration hits.

How we test the best electrolyte drinks

Nutritionist Rob Hobson has tested the best electrolyte drinks to support your hydration and recovery needs. An award-winning, registered nutritionist and sports nutritionist with over 15 years of experience, Rob is a distinguished expert in the fields of nutrition, health and sports. During the testing process, Rob tested each electrolyte drink for taste, solubility and effectiveness in terms of their hydration and nutritional benefits.

What are electrolyte drinks?

Put simply, electrolyte drinks are specifically designed to help replenish the body’s electrolytes – naturally occurring salts and minerals that help balance our bodies’ fluids. The best electrolyte drinks typically contain a blend of electrolytes, carbohydrates and other nutrients that work together to help support hydration and recovery. These drinks generally come as a powder or tablet that you dissolve in water.

Electrolytes are minerals that have an electrical charge when dissolved in water, meaning they can conduct an electrical current. The role of electrolytes is to help regulate the body’s fluid balance, nerve function and muscle contraction while also assisting with the passage of nutrients in and out of cells.

The electrolytes sodium, potassium and chloride are found in the highest concentrations in bodily fluids such as sweat, blood and urine. The most important one concerning exercise performance is sodium.

What is the role of electrolytes?

Sodium: The most vital electrolyte that helps to maintain body fluid volume. Sodium is often added to sports drinks alongside glucose; glucose increases sodium absorption, in turn facilitating water absorption.

Potassium: This mineral helps to keep your body in a steady state of equilibrium and helps to prevent muscle cramping and weakness.

Chloride: During exercise, we require chloride for proper muscle contraction and transmission of nerve impulses.

When should you take electrolyte drinks?

Hydration is paramount during exercise, and fluid losses of more than 2% body weight can impair coordination, decision-making and overall athletic performance, and even more so in hot climates. The rate at which you sweat can influence how dehydrated you get during exercise, and with this comes the loss of sodium, which is even more significant in ‘salty sweaters’.

Straight after a workout is the time that electrolyte drinks are most helpful. After an intense, lengthy training session or event, most people will undoubtedly finish with a fluid deficit. They will need to rehydrate during the recovery period.

If you are competing, having a good hydration strategy in place is advisable, and this includes rehydration during recovery. Consuming fluids alongside sodium in the form of electrolytes and foods can help with fluid retention. Electrolytes during this period can also help replace losses during exercise and are especially useful when you need rapid rehydration due to short periods between competing or training.

Benefits of electrolyte drinks

The role of electrolyte drinks during and after exercise is not to replace electrolytes lost through sweat but for several other purposes:

• Increasing the palatability of drinks
• Promoting drinking by maintaining thirst
• Preventing hyponatremia (low sodium levels resulting from excessive fluid consumption)
• Increasing the update of water in the body
• Increasing fluid retention

Should I take electrolytes before working out?

Starting intense exercise in a state of optimal total body water is important. In some cases, adding electrolytes (sodium) to fluids to promote fluid retention can achieve this. This is especially relevant if you’re about to start a long race, competition or hardcore training session.

Should I take electrolytes while exercising?

There is only a benefit to taking electrolyte drinks (sodium) if you lose significant amounts of sweat or are training/competing for an extended period. The rate you sweat can vary and many factors can influence it such as exercise duration and intensity, fitness levels and climate. A sweat rate above 2L/hr would be considered high.

According to the Academy of Sports Nutrition and Medicine, circumstances requiring electrolytes (sodium) during exercise may include a sweat rate greater than 1.2L/h, exercise lasting more than 2 hours or having very salty sweat (your sweat may leave white marks on your kit). Experts suggest that electrolyte (sodium) consumption during exercise is 500-700mg per hour, which is highly variable and dependent on the individual. If someone is unconditioned, training in the heat and humidity, a salty sweater or exercising for several hours, they may need more.

Getting adequate sodium during an endurance or ultra-endurance event can also help prevent hyponatremia, when sodium levels in the blood are abnormally low. The symptoms of hyponatremia include fatigue, dehydration, confusion, slurred speech and vomiting, and if not treated can be life-threatening.

Is it OK to drink electrolytes every day?

If you don’t need an electrolyte, then there is no point in taking one. It is also worth remembering that these drinks are high in sodium. While athletes may need more in their diet during training and competition, people generally consume too much sodium, which can harm your health and increase your risk of high blood pressure.

You can get all the necessary electrolytes from your food, and most people get more than enough sodium. Eating plenty of plant-based foods such as vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds will ensure a good intake of other minerals from your diet.

Can electrolyte drinks help hangovers?

Some people swear by electrolyte drinks to help with the electrolyte imbalances caused by fluid losses during a drinking session. However, there is a lack of research to prove that the severity of a hangover is correlated with a disruption in electrolyte balance or that adding electrolytes to your diet will help lessen the severity of a hangover. In most cases, your body will quickly restore the balance of electrolytes once the effect of alcohol wears off.

Electrolytes are most effective in helping with rehydration during recovery from intense, lengthy exercise, heavy or salty sweaters and those involved in endurance sports. For everyone else, you should be able to get what you need from the food you eat.

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