Homemade Gatorade

On a sweaty summer day or after a hard workout, nothing beats this homemade gatorade. Each flavor is packed with fresh fruit juice for flavor, coconut water for electrolytes, and a touch of salt for more electrolyte-boosting refreshment.

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Disclaimer: This recipe is a homemade version inspired by the popular sports drink Gatorade. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Gatorade or its parent company. I'm also not a doctor and nothing in this post is intended as health advice!

In high school, my mom was also my cross country coach, and she would always make these homemade "Gatorades" for the team. They're just as tasty as store-bought, but are free from excessive sugar, artificial colors and flavors, and instead get their flavor from fruit juice and their electrolytes from coconut water and a pinch of salt. It's a natural sports drink packed with electrolytes!

This is the eighteenth installment of our popular Better than Store Bought series, and if you want to check out some more homemade versions of popular store-bought snacks, try these Homemade Gummy Peach Rings or these Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts.

Jump to:

• Homemade Gatorade Ingredients
• How to Make this Homemade Gatorade Recipe
• Substitutions and Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tips and FAQ
• Top tip
• More fun homemade recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Homemade Gatorade Ingredients

Each flavor uses:

• Fruit juice: this provides the taste and color for each flavor of drink. We used store bought fruit juices, but use freshly-squeezed lemons and limes since they're natural electrolyte boosters. You can definitely use homemade juices as well! NOTE: All of the fruit juices we use are unsweetened and they are 100% fruit juice. If you are using sweetened fruit juice, you can cut out the agave.
  • Fruit punch flavor: tart cherry, pineapple, cranberry, lemon juice
  • Orange flavor: orange juice, lemon juice
  • Lemon lime flavor: lemon juice, lime juice
  • Blueberry flavor: blueberry juice, lemon juice
• Coconut water: this provides the base for each drink and a dose of electrolytes. 1 cup of coconut water contains roughly 470g of potassium and 30g of sodium. Coconut water has a bit of a polarizing flavor, but even if you don't like it by itself, its flavor isn't super noticeable in these drinks.
• Agave or honey: This helps add some sweetness to balance out the drink. Simple sugar is also an important ingredient for sports recovery or to fuel longer workouts.
• Pinch of salt: This adds a bit of sodium, which helps you absorb and retain more fluid, boosting the volume of your blood, and reducing cardiovascular strain. We used kosher salt in this recipe. If you're using table salt, use an even smaller pinch. More grains = less air = more sodium compared to kosher salt.

How to Make this Homemade Gatorade Recipe

STEP 1: Whisk together all ingredients for each flavor in a large measuring cup or medium sized mixing bowl. Using a vessel with a spout will make transferring to bottles much easier.

STEP 2: Transfer to bottles, let them chill in the fridge, and enjoy!

Substitutions and Variations

We spent a good amount of time trying to get these homemade sports drinks to resemble the look and flavor of the most popular Gatorade flavors, but you can feel free to experiment with:

• Different types of juices or different quantities: You can use whatever flavors of fruit juice you want here, just keep in mind that about 8 oz of fruit juice is a good starting point for most flavors. You could try pomegranate, grape, apple, etc.
• Different electrolyte base: If you don't like the taste of coconut water, you can try watermelon water or maple water.
• No salt: Salt is critical if you're drinking these for sports performance, but if you just like the flavor of Gatorade and want to avoid salt, you can cut this out.
• Unsweetened: You can leave out the added sugar if you like, but the drink may taste a bit unbalanced. You can also use less than the 1 oz we added. We also advise using unsweetened fruit juices to prevent the drinks from being too sweet.

Equipment

We like putting these drinks into reusable glass bottles and stashing them in the refrigerator. Here's a link to get the exact glass bottles we used.

Storage

Stored in the fridge, these will keep for about 5 days. Make sure to give them a good shake before enjoying, as some fruit pulp may settle to the bottom of the bottle.

Tips and FAQ

More tips

• You can freeze leftover juices in ice cube trays so they last longer! You can defrost the frozen juices to make another batch later on (or use in another recipe), or blend them for a frozen version of this homemade gatorade.
• Use a very small pinch of salt (about 1/10th teaspoon) in each drink. This will provide about 200mg of sodium.
• Use freshly squeezed lime and lemon juice if you can.
• I am not a doctor and this post is not intended as to be medical or health advice! There is extra salt in this drink, so consult with a doctor if you're unsure about consuming a drink like this.

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