Electrolyte Powder that doesn't break the bank?

February 14, 2025 11:41 AM

I like powdered electrolyte drinks that you pour into your water to basically turn it into gatorade (like Liquid IV), but they cost what seems to me to be an absurd amount of money for what is basically a few kinds of salt with fancy marketing. Is there a generic bulk version of these that any of you can recommend?

Note- that "Calm" magnesium drink is delicious but gives me tummy troubles.

posted by BuddhaInABucket to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

LMNT posts its recipe for those who want to mix it themselves. That’s probably the cheapest option.
posted by moosetracks at 11:45 AM on February 14 [9 favorites]

Powdered Gatorade is pretty cheap. I mix it about half suggested strength getting ~12 gallons (~45 liters) for ~$14.
posted by gregr at 11:59 AM on February 14 [8 favorites]

I don't know what you're looking at or what price point equals an "absurd amount of money", but Vitalyte is what I use and goes $22.99 for a pretty big pouch of stuff.
posted by LionIndex at 12:06 PM on February 14

If you have access to a Costco, they have Liquid IV packets in quantities that bring the per-packet cost down to a little more than $1/packet, which is considerably less than what the packets are retailing for if you buy them one- or three-at-a-time in, like, a drugstore.
posted by spamloaf at 12:27 PM on February 14 [5 favorites]

I also use Vitalyte.
posted by adamrice at 12:39 PM on February 14

Morton lite salt has 50/50 sodium and potassium: 1/4 tsp contains the same 8% DV of Potassium that is in the packet of Liquid IV I just looked at. That is only 290mg of sodium so you would actually want another 1/8tsp of table salt to match Liquid IV. My Liquid IV packet didn’t list magnesium, but my go-to for bulk anything is bulksupplements.com and I’m sure they have Mg by the kg.
posted by xueexueg at 12:51 PM on February 14 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I too buy the Gatorade tubs: I get mine from Target - the orange flavor is totally fine (and yeah, I don't mix it full strength either).
posted by 7 Minutes of Madness at 1:25 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]

Seconding powdered Gatorade, the approx 5 pound cannister is currently $16 on amazon, which makes 9 gallons at full strength. i prefer half strength so it lasts forever. The powdered variant has much better mouthfeel for me vs the syrupy bottled version.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 1:29 PM on February 14 [3 favorites]

I started making my own in the summer using the recipe here: https://www.alextran.org/diy-sports-drink/. I was buying the Gatorade powder before but thought it would be fun to make my own. It doesn't taste as good as Gatorade but when I'm biking and need something more than water it tastes good enough. I use a combination of maltodextrin, fructose, sodium citrate, and either citric acid or tang powder for some flavouring.

The sodium citrate I already had from using it to make cheese sauce but the rest I had to source from some online supplement stores. They're on Amazon too but I trust Amazon less than a random retailer for white powders I'm going to ingest.

I think to go even simpler/cheaper you could replace the maltodextrin and fructose with just sugar but then you'd want to make it into a simple syrup first so that it doesn't just sink to the bottom of your bottle.

Also, as far as energy gels are concerned, I've heard good things about just using plain maple syrup instead of a GU or Maurten. I still use the gels though because of the convenient but wasteful form factor.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:34 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]

This doesn't help if you need the powder to get enough water down. But I use these capsules along with plain water because I don't like sweet drinks. https://nutricost.com/products/nutricost-electrolyte-8-hydrating-electrolytes-vitamins-120-cap
posted by metasarah at 1:56 PM on February 14

I'm also a Gatorade powder person (lemon-lime is my flavor) and I also recommend it at half-strength or lower strength. I know it lasts forever but I don't think I've ever made it through an entire tub before it started clumping and/or expired.

If you're looking for portable packs to put into water when you're on the go, I've been known to put it in those "snack" size Ziploc bags (or sure, your eco-friendly reusable version) when I've been out and about.
posted by edencosmic at 2:54 PM on February 14

I use a liquid called Lyteshow. IF my husband and I both empty our big water bottles every day we just about finish a $20 bottle in a month. And that bottle comes with a tiny portable bottle as well.

It has no real flavor, just a vague citric acid sensation like someone floated a lemon in it for a minute. I end up using cheap drink powder to give it a little flavor.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:06 PM on February 14

I just saw at Costco some powdered electrolytes for $30 CAD a bag didn’t see the serving amount though.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:52 PM on February 14

Trioral unflavored packets are the cheapest I have found that have the appropriate levels of electrolytes. Each packet makes a liter. You can use cheap Crystal Light knockoffs, juice, or if you're wild drink it straight. Theoretically you can mix it with food but it is disgusting that route.
posted by shesaysgo at 9:05 AM on February 15

Lately I've been using a half serving of Vitalyte (1 scoop) plus 1g of table salt, to get a sugar:salt ratio close to that of Liquid IV. This tastes very slightly salty, which I prefer to the overly sweet approach of L-IV et al. The cost is roughly 30 cents per serving, provided you already have a scale.
posted by Standard Orange at 10:46 PM on February 15