Making electrolyte water at home takes about two minutes and requires ingredients you likely already have: water, salt, sugar, and a squeeze of citrus. The simplest version, based on the World Health Organization’s oral rehydration formula, calls for half a teaspoon (3 grams) of salt and 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of sugar dissolved in just over 4 cups (about 1 liter) of water. From there, you can customize the recipe depending on whether you’re rehydrating after exercise, managing a low-carb diet, or just looking for a lighter alternative to store-bought sports drinks.
The Basic Recipe
Start with this foundation and adjust from there:
- Water: 4 cups (1 liter), filtered or tap
- Salt: ¼ to ½ teaspoon (table salt, sea salt, or Himalayan salt all work)
- Sugar or honey: 1 to 2 tablespoons
- Citrus juice: juice from half a lemon or half an orange
Stir everything until the salt and sugar fully dissolve. That’s it. The salt replenishes sodium, the citrus adds potassium and flavor, and the sugar serves a specific purpose beyond taste: glucose helps your small intestine absorb sodium and water more efficiently. This is the principle behind every commercial rehydration solution, and it’s why plain water alone isn’t ideal when you’re significantly dehydrated.
If you want a version closer to the WHO formula used in clinical settings, use the full half teaspoon of salt and the full 2 tablespoons of sugar. For everyday sipping where you’re just looking to stay hydrated, dial both down to the lower end.
Why Sugar Matters (and When to Skip It)
Sugar in an electrolyte drink isn’t just for flavor. Glucose and sodium travel together across the intestinal wall through the same transport system, so including some sugar speeds up how quickly your body absorbs both the sodium and the water that follows it. This is why the WHO formula includes a specific ratio of sugar to salt, and why flat soda or juice alone doesn’t rehydrate as well as a balanced solution.
That said, you don’t need much. Two tablespoons per liter is the upper end. If you’re using this as a daily hydration drink rather than treating active dehydration, one tablespoon or even a teaspoon of honey is plenty. For a zero-sugar version, skip the sweetener entirely and increase the citrus juice. You’ll still get sodium from the salt and some potassium from the citrus. The absorption boost from glucose won’t be there, but for mild hydration needs, that tradeoff is fine.
A Low-Sugar Version With More Minerals
If you want something closer to what premium electrolyte brands sell, you can build a more complete mineral profile:
- Water: 4 cups (1 liter)
- Salt: ¼ teaspoon
- Cream of tartar: ¼ teaspoon (a kitchen-staple source of potassium)
- Magnesium powder: a small pinch, roughly 100 to 200 mg (look for magnesium citrate powder at supplement stores)
- Citrus juice: juice from one lemon or lime
- Honey or sweetener: 1 teaspoon, optional
This version covers the three electrolytes most people run low on: sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) contains roughly 500 mg of potassium per teaspoon, so a quarter teaspoon gives you about 125 mg per batch, a reasonable supplement without overdoing it.
Adjusting for Exercise
Sweat contains roughly 1 gram of sodium per liter on average, though this varies widely between individuals. If you’re exercising for less than an hour at moderate intensity, plain water is usually enough. Electrolyte replacement becomes more important during prolonged or intense exercise, especially in heat, where you might lose a liter or more of sweat per hour.
For a post-workout drink, lean toward the higher end of salt (½ teaspoon per liter) and include the full sugar amount to speed rehydration. Adding a splash of orange juice instead of lemon gives you more potassium and natural sugars. Coconut water works as a partial base too. It naturally contains potassium and small amounts of sodium, though not enough sodium on its own for serious rehydration, so you’ll still want to add a pinch of salt.
Adjusting for Keto or Low-Carb Diets
Low-carb and ketogenic diets cause your kidneys to excrete more sodium than usual, which is why the first week or two often brings headaches, fatigue, and muscle cramps, commonly called “keto flu.” The electrolyte targets for people on these diets are higher than average: roughly 4 to 6 grams of sodium, 3.5 to 5 grams of potassium, and 400 to 600 mg of magnesium per day from all sources combined, including food.
A single liter of homemade electrolyte water won’t cover all of that, and it shouldn’t. Think of it as one source among several. For a keto-friendly version, skip the sugar entirely and use a quarter teaspoon of salt, a pinch of cream of tartar, a small amount of magnesium powder, and lemon juice with a few drops of liquid stevia or monk fruit if you want sweetness. Sip this throughout the day rather than drinking it all at once. Spreading your sodium and potassium intake across the day helps your body absorb and use them more effectively.
Flavoring Without Extra Sugar
The biggest reason people don’t stick with homemade electrolyte water is that it tastes like slightly salty lemon water, which is exactly what it is. A few ways to make it more appealing:
- Cucumber and mint: Muddle a few slices of cucumber and fresh mint leaves into the water before adding salt. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour.
- Berry infusion: Crush a handful of frozen berries into the water. Strain or leave them in.
- Ginger and lime: Grate fresh ginger into warm water, let it steep for 10 minutes, then strain, cool, and add lime juice and salt.
- Watermelon: Blend a cup of watermelon with the water. Watermelon contains potassium and natural sugars, so you can reduce or skip added sweetener.
Any of these can be combined with the base recipe. The salt and mineral amounts stay the same regardless of flavoring.
Storage and Shelf Life
Homemade electrolyte water has no preservatives, so treat it like fresh juice. Store it in a glass jar or reusable bottle in the refrigerator and use it within 24 to 48 hours. If you’ve added fruit or herbs, the window is closer to 24 hours, since these can introduce bacteria that multiply over time. Making a fresh batch daily is simple enough given the prep time, and it ensures you’re getting the best flavor and safety.
How to Tell If Your Balance Is Off
Two simple indicators tell you whether you’re hydrating well: thirst and urine color. If you’re not thirsty and your urine is pale yellow, you’re in good shape. Dark yellow urine means you need more fluids. Completely clear urine, especially if you feel slightly nauseous or foggy, can signal you’re drinking too much plain water and diluting your sodium levels.
Signs of low sodium from over-hydrating include nausea, headache, confusion, fatigue, and muscle cramps. These can also be symptoms of low potassium or magnesium. If you’re experiencing persistent cramping, fatigue, or heart palpitations despite staying hydrated, those symptoms warrant attention beyond what a DIY drink can address.
A Note on Potassium Safety
Sodium is hard to overdo in a homemade drink because the amounts are small and your body excretes the excess easily. Potassium requires a bit more caution. For people with healthy kidneys, high potassium intake from food and moderate supplementation isn’t dangerous, as the kidneys simply filter out what you don’t need. But if you have kidney disease, take ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics, or have been diagnosed with heart failure or liver disease, even moderate extra potassium can push levels too high. In those situations, stick with the basic salt-and-citrus recipe and skip supplemental potassium sources like cream of tartar or potassium chloride powder.