Homemade electrolyte drink: the recipe that works (and what it can't replace)
by AUA Hydrate
A pinch of salt, a splash of orange juice, water: on paper, a homemade electrolyte drink costs almost nothing. And the good news is that it works, as long as you get the dose right. Here are two recipes calculated to the gram, what they really provide, the mistakes that make them useless and, in all honesty, the situations where a stick does better, or doesn't.
⏱ The essentials in 20 seconds
- Basic recipe for 500 ml: 400 ml water, 100 ml orange juice, 1 g salt. About 395 mg sodium and 200 mg potassium.
- For more than an hour of exercise, the isotonic version adds 20 g of white sugar: about 6% sugars.
- Pink salt adds nothing extra: you would need to eat over 30 g a day for its minerals to count.
- Diarrhoea, vomiting, children: no homemade recipe, but an oral rehydration solution from the pharmacy.
What an electrolyte drink needs to contain
It comes down to two minerals. Sodium first: it is what sweat carries away first, 200 to 2,000 mg per litre depending on the person, and it helps the body hold on to the water you drink (see why water alone is not enough). Then potassium, lost in smaller amounts. For sports drinks, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) sets a range of 460 to 1,150 mg of sodium per litre.
Sugar is only useful for long efforts: beyond an hour, it fuels the muscles. For a short session or a hot day, it only adds calories.
Recipe 1: the basic electrolyte drink
For 500 ml, made fresh on the day:
- 💧 400 ml tap water
- 🍊 100 ml orange juice (pure juice, no added sugar)
- 🧂 1 g salt, about 1/6 of a teaspoon
Stir until the salt has fully dissolved. Result: about 395 mg sodium (1 g of salt contains 393 mg), 200 mg potassium and 8 g sugars, for 45 kcal. That is 790 mg of sodium per litre, right in the middle of the EFSA range.
Recipe 2: homemade isotonic drink, for more than an hour of exercise
- 💧 400 ml water
- 🍊 100 ml orange juice
- 🥄 20 g white sugar (about 4 teaspoons)
- 🧂 1 g salt
It is the basic recipe plus sugar. Stir until fully dissolved. You get about 28 g sugars per 500 ml, close to 6%, and a concentration of about 300 mOsm/kg, close to that of blood: a genuinely isotonic drink. About 125 kcal, 395 mg sodium and 200 mg potassium.
Why white sugar rather than honey or more juice? Weight for weight, the glucose and fructose in honey and juice count almost double towards concentration: with 200 ml of juice and honey, you go above 400 mOsm/kg and the drink becomes hypertonic, so slower to absorb (see isotonic, hypotonic or hypertonic drink). What to drink before, during and after: see electrolytes and sport.
💡 AUA tip: weigh your gram of salt once on a kitchen scale, then look at what it amounts to on your spoon. A pinch is not a measurement, and the salt dose is the most common mistake.
The 4 mistakes that make the recipe useless
1. Too much salt
Above about 1.5 g of salt per 500 ml, you leave the EFSA range and the drink becomes distinctly salty. And a drink you don't want to drink hydrates no one. If you are on a low-salt diet (blood pressure, heart, kidneys), ask your doctor first.
2. Believing pink salt provides minerals
An Australian study (Fayet-Moore, 2020) analysed pink salts on sale: they contain slightly more potassium and magnesium than white salt, but 1 g provides only 2 to 3 mg of them. You would need to eat over 30 g a day for it to count, a harmful amount of sodium. Use whatever salt you have.
3. Swapping the juice for squash or soda
The orange juice isn't there for the taste: it is your source of potassium, 200 mg per 100 ml. Squash gives you sugar, not potassium.
4. Improvising a recipe for a stomach bug or a child
With diarrhoea or vomiting, a pharmacy oral rehydration solution is calibrated for those losses; an approximate recipe is not. For children, ask your paediatrician. And leave potassium salt substitutes aside: they are not recommended with kidney disease or certain blood pressure medicines.
Homemade or stick: the honest comparison
| Per 500 ml | Recipe 1 | Recipe 2 | AUA stick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 395 mg | 395 mg | 184 mg |
| Potassium | 200 mg | 200 mg | 192 mg |
| Magnesium | 11 mg | 11 mg | 26 mg |
| Vitamin C | 50 mg | 50 mg | 115 mg |
| Zinc, chromium, B12 | no | no | yes |
| Sugars | 8 g | 28 g | 0 g |
| Calories | 45 kcal | 125 kcal | 2 kcal |
| Cost | ≈ CHF 0.20 | ≈ CHF 0.25 | just over CHF 1 |
| On the go | chilled, same day | chilled, same day | 3.9 g stick, anywhere |
Values calculated from USDA tables for orange juice; 1 g of salt = 393 mg of sodium.
The verdict is clear: the homemade recipe provides more sodium than a stick, and at least as much potassium. If you are setting off from home for a long bike ride, fill your bottles: it does the job very well. What the stick adds is zero sugar, magnesium and trace elements, the same dose every time and, above all, the fact that it fits in a pocket: at the office, in a gym bag, on a hike, with no fridge or scale. Formulated in Switzerland by nutritionists, it dissolves in 500 ml of water.
For the days without a fridge or a scale
Choose from our three flavours: strawberry, peach, lemon.
Frequently asked questions
Can I replace the orange juice with coconut water?
Yes. 100 ml of coconut water provides about 250 mg of potassium for 2.6 g of sugars: more potassium, less sugar, but a higher price.
Can lemon replace orange?
For taste, yes. For potassium, no: lemon juice contains about half as much.
How long does the homemade drink keep?
Keep it in the fridge and drink it the same day.
Should I drink it every day?
No. Day to day, tap water is enough (see Swiss tap water). These recipes are for days when you sweat a lot. To tell whether you need it, see the signs of dehydration.
