Before there were electrolyte powders, there were the classic electrolyte drinks: Gatorade, Powerade, and Pedialyte. But in recent years, the category has exploded. In line with other health and wellness-related food and beverage products like protein powders and collagen supplements, there are now enough electrolyte powders, tablets, drops, and ready-to-drink bevs to make anyone’s head spin—including mine.
Though I’m someone who likes to start her mornings off with a good sweat, I never thought much about what all these products marketing themselves as “hydrating,” “energy-boosting,” or “replenishing” actually did for my body, or whether whichever option I’d selected that day would taste good.
That’s why I went looking for answers to three questions:
- What do electrolytes do?
- Who should be drinking them?
- Which ones taste the best?
Our top picks
- The best electrolyte powder overall: DripDrop
- Another overall favorite electrolyte powder: Cure
- The best unflavored electrolyte powder: Moon Juice
- For the person who’s a stickler for ingredient labels: Nectar Essential Daily Hydration
- For the person who likes it salty: LMNT
- The best magnesium-rich electrolyte powder: Magna
- The best electrolyte powder for kids: Hiya
- The best electrolyte powder with probiotics: Blume SuperBelly
- The best electrolyte powder with caffeine: Factor Form
I spoke with a registered dietitian about the science behind these beverages before taste-testing 17 popular brands to find the best electrolyte powders for lots of different active lifestyles, whether you’re crushing HIIT classes on the daily or you’re more of a weekend pickleball person.
But first, what are electrolytes?
“Electrolytes essentially help with the fluid balance in our bodies,” says Taylor Grasso, MPPD, RD, a registered dietitian and host of the podcast Simply Balanced. Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride are some of the most common electrolytes. They play a key role in many of our bodies’ functions, including maintaining the balance between the fluid outside and inside of our cells.
“When we have a balance of [electrolytes] in cohesion with proper hydration, then our body is going to actually be able to absorb that water,” says Grasso. That absorption happens through the process of osmosis: When a cell is concentrated with electrolyte ions, water will move into the cell towards that more concentrated solution.
Now that we have a better understanding of what electrolytes are and why they matter, let’s get into the fun part: which electrolyte powders and drinks taste good?
Best electrolyte powder overall: DripDrop
DripDrop Hydration Juicy Variety Pack
Type: Packet
Price: $1.13/serving
Sodium: 330mg
Sugar: 7g
Sweetener: Sugar, fructose, dextrose, and sucralose
If you’re a longtime Gatorade devotee looking for an alternative that may be better suited to the average active person, the doctor-developed electrolyte packets from DripDrop are the choice for you.