Homemade Electrolyte Drink: Sodium Counted

Quick answer

A homemade electrolyte drink can be 1 liter of water with a quarter teaspoon of table salt, which holds about 580 mg of sodium, plus juice for flavor. Typical sports drinks hold about 230 to 690 mg of sodium per liter. Measure the salt: 1 teaspoon holds about 2,300 mg.^1,2,3

Key facts

A quarter teaspoon of table salt (1.5 g) holds about 580 mg of sodium by USDA values, and a full teaspoon holds about 2,300 mg.¹
The citrus and honey drink comes to about 580 mg of sodium, 290 mg of potassium and 125 kcal per liter, counted from USDA values.^1,4,5,6
Typical sports drinks hold about 230 to 690 mg of sodium per liter, and drinks above about 1,000 mg per liter taste very salty.²
The Daily Value for sodium is 2,300 mg a day from all sources, and FDA counts 20% of the Daily Value per serving as high.^7,8,9
MedlinePlus says oral rehydration solutions made for children are sold without a prescription, so this guide gives no kitchen recipe for children.¹⁰

A homemade electrolyte drink recipe with juice and honey

Four ingredients do the work: water, a measured pinch of salt for sodium, citrus juice for potassium and taste, and a little honey. This version makes 1 liter and comes to about 580 mg of sodium, 290 mg of potassium and 125 kcal.^1,4,5,6

About 3 and a half cups of cold water, enough to make 1 liter with the other ingredients
A quarter teaspoon (1.5 g) table salt¹
Half a cup (124 g) orange juice⁴
2 tablespoons (30 g) lemon juice⁵
1 tablespoon (21 g) honey, or leave it out⁶

Stir the salt and honey into a cup of warm water until they dissolve.
Add the juices, then the cold water, and stir.
Taste it. It should be faintly salty, not like seawater. If it is too salty, add water.
Keep it in the refrigerator in a covered bottle, and shake before pouring.

Homemade electrolyte drink with coconut water

Coconut water brings its own sodium and a lot of potassium, so this version uses half the salt. Two cups of unsweetened coconut water, two cups of water, an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a spoonful of lemon juice come to about 420 mg of sodium, 820 mg of potassium and 90 kcal per liter.^1,5,11

2 cups (490 g) unsweetened coconut water¹¹
2 cups cold water
An eighth of a teaspoon (0.75 g) table salt¹
1 tablespoon (15 g) lemon juice⁵

Mix everything and chill. Check the label of the coconut water, because brands differ and some are sweetened.

Homemade electrolyte drink with no coconut water

The citrus and honey recipe above is the one without coconut water. Orange juice supplies the potassium instead, at about 200 mg per 100 g by USDA values, and the lemon juice adds a little more.^4,5

If you have no juice at all, the sugar-free recipe below still carries the sodium from the salt. NIH says only a very small amount of potassium leaves in sweat, and that most leaves in urine.¹²

Homemade electrolyte drink without sugar

Take out the honey and the orange juice and you have salted lemon water: 1 liter of water, a quarter teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. It comes to about 580 mg of sodium, 30 mg of potassium and 7 kcal. Add the juice of one more lemon for a sharper taste.^1,5

Sodium, potassium and calories in one liter, by USDA values^{1,4,5,6,11,13}
Version	Sodium	Potassium	Calories
Citrus and honey	580 mg	290 mg	125 kcal
Coconut water	420 mg	820 mg	90 kcal
Salt and lemon, no sugar	580 mg	30 mg	7 kcal
Salt, sugar and lemon (2 tablespoons sugar)	580 mg	30 mg	105 kcal

How much salt goes in a homemade electrolyte drink?

Less than you might think, and measured with a real measuring spoon. USDA gives table salt as about 38,800 mg of sodium per 100 g, and a level teaspoon weighs about 6 g, so it holds about 2,300 mg. MedlinePlus puts a teaspoon at 2,300 mg, the same figure as the Daily Value limit for a whole day.^1,3,7

Typical sports drinks hold about 230 to 690 mg of sodium per liter. One review advises against drinks above about 1,000 mg per liter because they become unpleasant to drink.²

A quarter teaspoon gives about 580 mg, inside that range and toward its upper end. It is also about a quarter of the Daily Value for sodium, and FDA counts 20% of the Daily Value or more per serving as high, so a liter drunk as one serving is a high-sodium serving by that yardstick.^1,7,8

Do you need a homemade electrolyte drink at all?

The body needs only a small amount of sodium unless it is losing a lot in sweat.⁹

NIH notes that athletes in endurance activities lasting more than an hour, or in very hot conditions or at high altitude, might need to replace lost fluids and electrolytes.¹⁴

A modelling study found that replacing sodium was unnecessary in every realistic scenario for a soccer match or an elite marathon, and mattered mainly in very long events with heavy drinking and salty sweat.¹⁵

NIH's wording is about long efforts, heat and altitude. The sources checked do not describe an ordinary day as one of those cases, and the drink in this guide is aimed at the ones they do.

Homemade electrolyte drink for kids, illness and other cases

We do not give a homemade recipe for children or for anyone who is ill. MedlinePlus lists infants, young children, older adults and people with some long-term illnesses as more likely to become dehydrated, says oral rehydration solutions made for children are sold without a prescription, and says to get medical help right away if there is confusion, fainting, no urination, a rapid heartbeat or rapid breathing. Ask a doctor or pharmacist what to give.¹⁰

Ask your doctor before using salted drinks if you have high blood pressure, heart failure, or kidney or liver disease, or if you have been told to limit salt or potassium. Ask your pharmacist if you take a water pill, lithium, or a medicine that raises potassium.^3,9,12

Too much sodium can cause a serious buildup of fluid in people with heart failure, liver cirrhosis or kidney disease.³

Too much potassium from supplements or salt substitutes can raise blood potassium (hyperkalemia), especially with kidney disease or medicines that keep potassium in the body. It often causes no symptoms, but severe cases can cause dangerous heart rhythms.^12,16

Drinking well beyond thirst during long exercise can dilute blood sodium, a condition called exercise-associated hyponatremia. Overdrinking is its most common cause, and severe cases are an emergency.^17,18

Avoid the combination unless your doctor advises it

Spironolactone keeps potassium in the body. Its label says taking it with potassium supplements can lead to severe high potassium, and that patients should be advised to avoid potassium supplements and foods high in potassium, including salt substitutes.^12,19,20

On the medicine's label

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

Lisinopril and other ACE inhibitors can raise blood potassium. The lisinopril label lists potassium supplements and potassium-containing salt substitutes as risk factors, and tells patients not to use such salt substitutes without asking their physician.^12,21

On the medicine's label

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

Lithium levels depend on salt and fluid balance. The lithium label tells patients not to change the amount of salt in their diet, and says that if heavy sweating occurs, extra salt and fluid should be given only under medical supervision.²²

On the medicine's label

Questions people ask

What is a simple homemade electrolyte drink recipe?

Stir a quarter teaspoon of table salt, half a cup of orange juice, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a tablespoon of honey into enough water to make 1 liter. By USDA values that holds about 580 mg of sodium.^1,4,5,6

Can I make a homemade electrolyte drink with coconut water?

Yes. Two cups of unsweetened coconut water, two cups of water, an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of lemon juice come to about 420 mg of sodium and 820 mg of potassium per liter.^1,5,11

Is there a homemade electrolyte drink with no coconut water?

Yes. The citrus and honey recipe gets its potassium from orange juice instead, and the sugar-free recipe uses only salt, lemon and water.^4,5

How do I make a homemade electrolyte drink without sugar?

Mix 1 liter of water with a quarter teaspoon of table salt and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. That comes to about 580 mg of sodium and almost no calories by USDA values.^1,5

Is there a homemade electrolyte drink for kids?

We do not give one. MedlinePlus says oral rehydration solutions for children are sold without a prescription, so ask your child's doctor or a pharmacist what to use.¹⁰

What about a homemade electrolyte drink for diarrhea?

We do not give a recipe for illness. MedlinePlus lists diarrhea as a cause of dehydration, and signs such as confusion, fainting or no urination need medical help right away. Ask a doctor or pharmacist.¹⁰

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.