14 Delicious Electrolyte Drinks You Can Find at the Grocery Store

Most people have probably heard of Gatorade and Powerade, the two major names in the electrolyte drink business. But these beverages are offered by many other brands. As someone who uses their walking pad like no other, I’m pretty familiar with a lot of the electrolyte drinks that local grocery stores sell. In my experience, they’re usually fruity in flavor, with added salt from the electrolytes to help replace what you’re sweating out.

Despite their name, however, sports drinks can also be used by all — not just athletes. Everyone needs to replenish their electrolytes at some point, including those dehydrated from illness or individuals with conditions like postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) who need to consume more sodium than the average person. However, drinking more than you need to could be dangerous. In fact, consuming an excess of electrolytes can lead to symptoms like nausea and an irregular heartbeat. That being said, as long as you consume them in moderation, as well as when you actually need them, you should be totally fine.

For the purposes of this article, I went with the drinks that I could find at my local grocery stores — in my case, Giant and Safeway — though you can find these drinks almost anywhere. Of course, taste is subjective, but the following drinks were the ones I enjoyed the most, in no particular order.

When discussing electrolyte drinks, it’s only fair that we start with a classic. Pedialyte has made its mark on households around the world, helping everyone from sick kids to hungover adults. Though a little on the pricier end for a single beverage, it gets the job done, and it still tastes delicious. The strawberry lemonade flavor is a great example. While I won’t say it tastes just like candy, it comes about as close as it can while still providing the health benefits of an electrolyte drink.

Although Pedialyte has typically been marketed toward kids, the company has recently introduced a line exclusively for sports recovery. That being said, any of these products can be used as a means to replenish electrolytes. The AdvancedCare formula, which is the only one with the strawberry lemonade flavor, includes zinc and selenium, as well as prebiotics for digestive health. The product also comes in a 1-liter bottle, so there’s more than enough to help you feel refreshed and replenished. While a tad salty (as many electrolyte drinks are), I find the strawberry lemonade flavor still sweet and summery enough to mask the saline taste.

Gatorade’s response to Pedialyte was to release its own drink made exclusively for “rapid rehydration.” Gatorlyte’s bottle even has a similarly square shape as its competitor, but at a much more affordable price. With five electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, and calcium), this 20-ounce drink is the perfect refreshment when you need something light but effective. It’s a slightly smaller bottle than the 1-liter Pedialyte discussed above, but even two of them won’t set you back as much as one Pedialyte, so it’s much more cost-effective.

In my experience, this flavor is a little bit harder to find, but it is so worth the hunt. Similar in taste to watermelon agua frescas (if you don’t already, you should start eating the fruit after a long workout), the watermelon Gatorlyte is arguably the most revitalizing. It tastes like cooling off by the pool on a hot summer day or enjoying an outdoor yoga session in the park. You may have to track down this flavor, but once you do, you won’t want to drink anything else.

One of Gatorade’s classic flavors is Glacier Freeze, or what most people refer to as “blue.” Although they sell several “blue” flavors, Glacier Freeze is the most iconic and well-known. Over the years, many people have tried to describe what flavor blue Gatorade is supposed to be. But according to a Redditor who emailed a representative of the company, Glacier Freeze resembles “sweet, juicy citrus/orange, and candied strawberry … slightly tart cranberry notes with slightly seedy sour berry notes.” Regardless of what “blue” tastes like to you, it’s a popular flavor for a reason.

In the Gatorlyte version of Glacier Freeze, the flavor remains the same, but the benefits far outweigh the original. Although both the classic and the Gatorlyte versions contain electrolytes, the latter contains more than just sodium to balance any of these charged substances lost during fitness activity. Much like the watermelon flavor, Glacier Freeze also contains potassium, magnesium, chloride, and calcium, as well as carbohydrates for energy and rehydration. Its popularity and delicious “blue” flavor carry over well into this drink, which is why I often grab it when I can.

The G Fit variety of the Gatorade brand is one of its more recent developments. The drink is made with zero sugar and plenty of vitamins and minerals to replace the electrolytes that are lost when sweating heavily. The difference between this Gatorade iteration and its counterparts is its focus on vitamins. Unlike the brand’s other offerings, a bottle of G Fit includes your 100% daily value of vitamins A, C, B3, B5, and B6.

My favorite of the G Fit flavors is watermelon strawberry. It’s fruity, refreshing, and reminds me of summertime. Its flavor is quite subtle, and the watermelon is slightly more present than the strawberry. The watermelon also tastes more like what you would experience eating it raw as opposed to the artificial flavor we’ve come to expect in things like candy. Like I’ve found with all Gatorade beverages, they’re quite affordable and delicious. It’s still the electrolyte beverage we’ve come to know and love from the brand but with the added benefits of vitamins.

It wouldn’t be a list of the best electrolyte drinks without including the standard Gatorade formula. Developed in the 1960s with the Florida Gators football team as test subjects, Gatorade was intended to help rehydrate athletes during major sporting events. As a result, we see this classic drink featured heavily during football season. You’ve probably seen the celebratory pour over coaches after winning a game, and some people even bet on which color will be used.

Lemon juice was one of the ingredients used in the original recipe to make it palatable, and it’s only right that the lemon-lime flavor garners some recognition. It was one of the original two flavors introduced with the brand, and through years of trial and error and many discontinued flavors later, it’s no surprise that it remains so popular since. Gatorade Lemon-Lime is tart and citrussy without being overpowering and is a great way to refuel during and after physical activity. While it isn’t the first kind I look for, it’s definitely in my top 3 for its refreshing flavor.

Last but not least in the Gatorade roundup is Arctic Blitz, which is a part of the Gatorade Frost line. A slightly more uncommon flavor, this aquamarine-colored drink is described as tasting like a combination of watermelon and honeydew. The Frost series was introduced in the late ’90s with flavors that were meant to elicit cool and refreshing feelings. Even the name of the flavor, Arctic Blitz, makes you feel cool before even taking a sip.

As a lover of honeydew, this is a bottle I will always reach for if I’m able to find it. I find that honeydew is a more uncommon flavor profile in most drinks, but it’s so pleasant and light and reminds me of cutting into a fresh melon at the start of summer. The addition of the watermelon provides for a fruity, sweet, and summery experience that I personally love in a hydration beverage. I typically only find these being sold as single 28-ounce bottles, but they can occasionally be found in the 12-ounce variety packs as well. Anything from this line is refreshing, but Arctic Blitz is by far the unsung hero of the Gatorade Frost collection.

Also made by the Gatorade brand, Propel sells “fitness water … with Gatorade electrolytes”. I lived off of Propel when I grew up doing ballet, so I would be remiss not to include it in my list. Though my preferred flavor has long since been discontinued (honeydew is greatly missed), a close second for me is kiwi strawberry. It reminds me of a more subdued version of the kiwi strawberry lollipops I enjoyed as a kid. Nostalgia aside, the taste is great and fresh.

In my experience, Propel is a great balance of subtle flavor with the necessary ingredients to recharge me when I need to most. One of the features of Propel is that it contains zero sugar, so you’re just getting what you need without any unnecessary extras. Even without sugar, the kiwi strawberry propel flavor is sweet but balanced, and it’s a great way to replace lost electrolytes.

If kiwi strawberry doesn’t sound like it’s up your alley, Propel offers several other great flavors to choose from. Much like the watermelon Gatorlyte, the lemon Propel is both light and refreshing. The lemon is subtle, much like the lemon water you’d get at a restaurant, but it provides much more sustenance.

The flavor is delicious and relatively neutral compared to Propel’s other fruity options, making it perfect for anyone who wants to rehydrate with something more than just plain aqua. Though it was launched in 2002 with the hopes to “propel” athletes forward, the drink is great for anyone who needs to restore their electrolytes. I think a relatively light flavor is best for those who have some kind of stomach bug and need help rehydrating without consuming anything that would upset their belly further.

Despite growing up in a Gatorade household, Powerade still deserves its moment to shine. Sold by the Coca-Cola brand as an alternative sports drink to Gatorade, Powerade has never quite outperformed its competitor in sales. Still, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have flavors and benefits worth talking about. Much like its rival, Powerade intends to hydrate athletes with 50% more electrolytes than leading competitors.

The Powerade Zero line touts zero calories and zero sugar in each bottle. The flavor, Strawberry Smash, is arguably the best — it tastes just like those strawberry foil candies every grandma seemingly had a stash of when we were kids. The drink is reminiscent of sweet, ripened strawberries but doesn’t include all the sugar you’d expect from a standard beverage or candy. It’s incredibly refreshing and hydrating and tastes great after a long workout. Though there are several flavors to choose from, Strawberry Smash is by far my favorite.

The original Powerade formula comes in eight juicy and refreshing flavors, but Island Burst is the only one that’s tropical. The brand is the official sports drink for organizations like the NCAA, FIFA, and Team USA, so they have a diverse range of options to keep their customers happy. Sports drink brands typically have flavors that cover grape, orange, and various berries, so it’s a pleasant surprise to find something that doesn’t conform to the standard.

While I can’t find a description of “Island Burst” anywhere online, I would say it tastes like a mix of mango and pineapple. It may also contain sweeter berry flavors to balance it out, but the major note I get is mango — a personal favorite of mine. It’s very refreshing and I love to keep it on hand so I can have some when I use my walking pad.

Founded in 2011 and made with coconut water, BODYARMOR is a sports drink that comes in many different varieties and flavors. BODYARMOR Lyte, which was released in 2017, has all the added benefits of the original with no sugar and fewer calories. The brand has many partners, including the NHL, Major League Soccer, Barstool, and several individual athletes. It’s a well-established name in the sports drink industry and has grown more rapidly after being acquired by Coca-Cola in 2021.

In terms of flavors, my favorite of the BODYARMOR Lyte line is peach mango. Though there are many ways to use coconut water, I find that it can add fun and tropical flavors that remind me of a mocktail or mixer. The peach mango flavor is strong without being overpowering, and you can taste the subtle coconut in the aftertaste. Like most of the other drinks listed, it’s relatively affordable at $2-3 a bottle and great for anyone looking to avoid artificial dyes or sweeteners. It’s also easy to find and readily available where most sports drinks are sold. Not to mention it’s one of the few drinks I’ve found that has a more tropical flavor profile as opposed to just a variation of mixed berries.

Much like the peach mango flavor, the strawberry banana BODYARMOR is a great option. I think the taste is delicious and really unique to the brand, which I love. I find that banana-flavored anything is hard to come by when it comes to a sports drink, and that’s why I find myself gravitating toward the strawberry banana BODYARMOR as often as I do. The taste reminds me of a classic smoothie but not thick, so it’s the perfect drink to knock back during a workout. It’s a great way to get that fruity taste without the brain freeze.

As we mentioned, each bottle of BODYARMOR is affordable at $2-3 per bottle. The brand is also a great choice for the gym. The container’s are the perfect size for the cup holders that come on larger pieces of gym equipment like treadmills and ellipticals.

A-Game is one of the newer sports beverages to hit the market, but it’s unique from all the others. Formulated with kids in mind, A-Game includes eight essential vitamins and is made with no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. The drink is also gluten-free, so anyone with a gluten intolerance can still enjoy it. You can purchase it in single servings or in cases from their website in six different flavors, five of which are available in their zero-sugar option.

Although there are several flavor options, my personal favorite is strawberry lemonade. It harkens back to the idea that the drink was developed with young athletes in mind — a strawberry or pink lemonade was a drink I enjoyed often as a child. Because it uses honey as a sweetener, it’s not overly sweet and comes in a reasonable 16.9-ounce bottle. And even though the drink was made with kids in mind, it’s still a delicious way to rehydrate at any age.

Despite its strange origins, I’ll probably love a blue-raspberry flavor regardless of the drink I’m consuming it in, and Hoist is no different. In this brand, it’s sweet, tasty, and reminiscent of my favorite candies without the feeling that I’m developing a mouthful of cavities. The affordability alone is enough to sell me, but the company’s website outlines several perks to drinking the beverage that are unlike any I’ve heard before. It claims that the formulation matches “natural human osmolality” so that your body full absorbs it without moving anything else out first.

On top of replenishing electrolytes when dehydrated, Hoist also claims that it is the chosen electrolyte beverage for the United States military with authorization from the Department of Defense. The brand is dedicated not only to hydration but to giving back to current and retired members of the armed forces. The drink itself tastes great and contains no artificial dyes, and it’s also the only product I’ve found that gives back to the community. That being said, I had difficulty finding it in many retailers near me, but I’m sure it will be more widely available as it becomes more well-known. If you’re able to get your hands on a bottle of blue raspberry, you won’t regret it once you take your first sip of this sweet and tart drink.

Choosing what drinks and why involved a combination of my own personal preferences paired with advice I’ve gotten from friends and family based on what they drink. It also came down to general availability in my area. Since I’m located outside a fairly large city, I thankfully have plenty of options to choose from in terms of brand and flavor availability — though I know there are some I would’ve liked to try but didn’t find. There are also flavors I would’ve liked to include but couldn’t because they’re regional, so someone on the east coast may not be able to find some of the same options as someone on the west coast. Lastly, I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of grape-flavored beverages, but almost all of the brands sampled include grape as a flavor option for those who seek it out.