This post contains links through which we may earn a small commission should you make a purchase from a brand. This in no way affects our ability to objectively critique the products and brands we review.
Dr. Jennifer Hughes, MD
Medical Reviewer
Evidence Based Research To fulfill our commitment to bringing our audience accurate and insightful content, our expert writers and medical reviewers rely on carefully curated research.
Read Our Editorial Policy
In the 2020s and beyond, if you’re still swilling down that red-40-and-sugar cocktail of a “sports drink” for the electrolytes, it’s high time for an upgrade.
Thankfully, the best electrolyte supplements on the market today are taking things to a much more nutritionally sound place, offering clean, effective options formulated to restore your natural electrolyte balance.
Leading our top pick for the best electrolyte supplement in the game is Trace Minerals 40,000 Volts Electrolyte Concentrate, which (literally) infuses the naturally occurring minimal content of Utah’s Great Salt Lake into each drop.
In this breakdown of our best hydration powders and electrolyte supplements, we’ll show you which ingredients to look for, which to avoid, and more.
Made with gently processed Great Salt Lake minerals, Trace Minerals 40,000 Volts Electrolyte Concentrate delivers a pristinely preserved serving of naturally balanced minerals in each drop.
Powered by a proprietary delivery system using research-proven ratios of key electrolytes for enhanced hydration, Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier takes our spot for the best electrolyte powder on the market today.
| Product | Key Facts | Price* |
| Trace Minerals 40,000 Volts Electrolyte Concentrate | Liquid form; vegan and non-GMO; 8 major electrolytes; ConcenTrace blend with minerals harvested from Great Salt Lake; highly potent and gently processed | $0.48/serving |
| Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier | Powder form; single-use sticks; dissolves in water easily; wide variety of flavors; C and B vitamins; proprietary formula speeds up hydration | $1.50/serving |
| Nuun Sport | Effervescent tablets; three-tiered potency; other targeted formulations (immunity, energy, etc.); five major electrolytes (sport); non-GMO ingredients | $0.75/serving |
| Zhou Nutrition Hydro-Fuel | Powder form; six major electrolytes; 72-ingredient trace mineral complex; vitamin D3, coconut water, matcha green tea, fermented organic cordyceps; optimized for workout performance and recovery | $0.53/serving |
| Dr. Berg’s Original Keto Electrolytes Powder | Powder form; sugar and maltodextrin free; sweetened with stevia; much higher than average potassium content (1,000 mcg); GMP-certified manufacturing | $0.70/serving |
Best for: Anyone looking for a well-rounded and gently manufactured electrolyte supplement from a trustworthy brand.
Featuring sodium from Utah sea minerals and a complete selection of highly soluble electrolytes, Trace Minerals 40,000 Volts is a clean, potent supplement made to replenish lost electrolytes.
Here’s a breakdown of the major ingredients, complete with quantities (and DV percentages where applicable):
Like many Trace Minerals products, this electrolyte concentrate is powered by their proprietary ConcenTrace blend, which contains minerals harvested from Utah’s Great Salt Lake using solar evaporation ponds.
The naturally derived blend is concentrated using no chemicals or dyes; solar evaporation only requires sunshine. The result is a completely natural mineral blend that is more than two dozen times as concentrated as colloidal trace minerals.
It may not come infused into candy or in a variety of fun flavors, but thanks to these gentle harvesting and manufacturing processes, Trace Minerals 40,000 Volts is non-GMO and vegan.
Best for: Staying hydrated with a convenient and research-supported electrolyte powder.
They’re certainly not alone in the bustling electrolyte powder stick game, but Liquid I.V. and their single-use Hydration Multiplier mixes are doing a couple key things differently.
First, giving their products a more pragmatic feel is the use of a proprietary delivery system that uses research-tested ratios of potassium, sodium, and glucose to enhance nutrient absorption into the bloodstream, which speeds up the hydration process.
Next, Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier contains vitamins B3/B5/B6/B12 and vitamin C, providing a bump up in supporting nutrients as compared to many electrolyte products.
They may not cover as broad a spread of electrolytes as Trace Minerals, but each stevia-sweetened stick of Liquid I.V. promises faster and more complete hydration than the vast majority of competitors.
And speaking of sweet, they’re going a little bit crazy with the flavors (in a good way), with more than a dozen options, including watermelon, guava, acai berry, yuzu pineapple, green apple kombucha, and more.
Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier is a bit on the pricier side, but the taste, micronutrient content, and convenience keep them on top of the electrolyte powder category.
Best for: Active people looking for a grab-and-go hydration product and/or anyone who wants to fortify their water with immune-boosting nutrients.
Offering hydration, immunity, and general wellness electrolyte tablets across a three-tiered hydration scale, Nuun is one of the most accommodating electrolyte brands we know of.
As we were informed by Regional Manager Katie Flad at Natural Health Products Expo East 2022, Nuun has multiple product types that vary by function and potency, including (but not limited to) Nuun Daily, Nuun Vitamins, Nuun Immunity, and our favorite, Nuun Sport.
Each effervescent Nuun Sport tablet contains the following electrolytes:
As for the supplement facts, each serving has fifteen calories, four grams of carbs, one gram of added sugars, and 300 mg of sodium.
Other than orange, this vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO hydration tablet comes in citrus fruit, fruit punch, grape, lemon lime, and seven flavors.
Best for: Active folks who want pre- or post-workout electrolyte support for improved exercise performance or recovery.
In the case of Zhou Nutrition Hydro-Fuel, you’ve got a lot more than electrolytes—in this case, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and chloride—to work with.
This workout-optimized electrolyte supplement (powder form) also includes a 72-ingredient trace mineral complex, vitamin D3, coconut water, matcha green tea, and fermented organic cordyceps.
That’s a bit of a mouthful, so here’s a snapshot of the additional benefits you can expect from Zhou Nutrition Hydro-Fuel in lightning-round format:
Vitamin D3 is a big one for weightlifters especially, as it plays key roles in muscle growth and development.
Matcha green tea contains more antioxidants than other types of green tea, aiding tissue recovery amongst several other benefits.
Coconut water plays perfectly into the post-workout-electrolytes theme (or mid-workout, really), delivering generous amounts of potassium and magnesium—both of which are depleted to some extent during exercise—along with B and C vitamins.
Finally, cordyceps has been having a bit of a moment for its continually uncovered benefits in many camps, including immunity, energy boosting, antioxidant power, and more.
Clearly set apart from the rest of the herd when it comes to exercise-specific formulation, Zhou Nutrition Hydro-Fuel is definitely one of the best hydration supplements for gym rats.
Best for: Sugar-free folks (keto, diabetes, or just because).
It may not be loaded with antioxidant-rich botanicals or other enhancers, but Dr. Berg’s Original Keto Electrolyte Powder still differentiates itself from the basic electrolyte formula in a few major ways.
First, the obvious—this stevia-sweetened supplement contains zero artificial sweeteners or sugar of any kind.
Also, the potassium content (1,000mcg/serving) is at least three to four times higher than the vast majority of competing electrolyte supplements.
Paired with the decent, albeit not as impressive magnesium content (120mg), Dr. Berg’s Original Keto Electrolytes Powder at least approaches the “sportiness” of Zhou’s Hydro-Fuel, and without any sugar.
Finally, the additional ingredients selection is very clean, featuring non-GMO citric acid, lemon and raspberry flavors, malic acid, and stevia.
If you’re in the market for a not-gross-tasting, yet sugar-free electrolyte powder well-suited for an active lifestyle, Dr. Berg’s Original Keto Electrolyte Powder is our recommendation.
It’s impossible to tell which electrolyte powder is the most potent, given the size of the electrolyte powder market and the fact that many brands use proprietary blends.
Though it isn’t the strongest we know of, Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier is a good example of a fairly potent electrolyte powder; this can be used as a dividing line between less and more potent electrolyte powders.
Keep in mind that there is such a thing as too much.
Electrolyte imbalance works both ways, and an excess of sodium, magnesium, etc., can cause serious medical issues.
As long as they are delivered in an ideal format (appropriate amounts/ratios of key electrolytes, clean ingredients, no artificial ingredients, etc.) by a reputable brand, and as long as you use the product appropriately, powdered electrolytes can promote various health benefits with very minimal drawbacks.
This is highly dependent on the person and the circumstances.
In some scenarios—let’s say, an athlete beginning an intense training regimen and sweating a lot—it may make sense to take electrolytes every day for as long as the body needs more than just water to recover these nutrients.
In other cases, taking an electrolyte supplement every day and/or over a long-term basis without intense activity has the potential (however unlikely) to cause a positive electrolyte imbalance, which can cause a variety of health issues.
One exception is Nuun daily, which provides a low, but still significant amount of electrolytes (and no sugar), lowering the risk of developing positive electrolyte imbalances.
The safest electrolyte drink is that which is provided by a highly reputable, research-minded brand that uses high-quality, absorbable ingredients in safe and effective quantities (see above examples), and no harmful preservatives.
Consult with your physician if you suspect your electrolyte levels are low.
Considering the vast number of reactions and mechanisms that electrolytes are involved in throughout the body, imbalances can produce a fairly broad spectrum of signs and symptoms.
Some of the most common issues include severe fatigue, heart rate and/or blood pressure irregularities, and muscle cramps.
This Cleveland Clinic article succinctly covers electrolyte imbalance symptomatology.
Most electrolyte supplements cover at least 3-5 of the major electrolytes, but absorption enhancers, supporting vitamins and minerals, and clean ingredients (sugar free?) set these and other leading products apart.
If you follow a balanced diet and hydrate adequately, electrolyte supplementation may best be followed on an as-needed basis (a heavier than normal workout, etc.), though personal medical history and many other factors may raise or lower your need for a supplement.
Make sure your electrolyte supplement comes from a reputable brand that uses high-quality, clean ingredients with no questionable preservatives.
Energy drinks and sugary snacks may be louder, sweeter, and faster-acting than natural sources of sugar, but rarely are those benefits conferred without some form of reckoning down the road.
Read More
Sure, gravity wins in the end, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use everything at our disposal to keep our weight-bearing joints from breaking down prematurely.
Read More
Subscribe now and never miss anything about the topics important to you and your health.
