The 8 Best Sports Drinks for Athletes, Travel, and More for 2023

If you leave a puddle of sweat on the floor after a workout (great job, by the way), the odds are you need a drink. But you’re losing more than just water when you soak your shirt, and sometimes, a bottle of water just isn’t enough. That’s where sports drinks can be useful. 

Sports drinks are formulated to replace the fluids, glucose, and electrolytes that we lose when we sweat during a hard workout. Obviously, we need water to live, but glucose and electrolytes are essential for maintaining your body’s basic functions, which is why sports drinks contain specific amounts of sugar and electrolytes to replenish those essentials. (1) With so many options on the market, it can be hard to settle on just one, so we dove in to help find the best sports drinks for a variety of needs. 

The Best Sports Drinks

• Best Sports Drink Overall: Transparent Labs Hydrate
• Best Sports Drink for Athletes: Swolverine INTRA
• Best Greens Sports Drink: Athletic Greens AG1
• Best Sports Drink with Caffeine: Tailwind Endurance Fuel
• Best Value Sports Drink: Transparent Labs Hydrate
• Best All-Natural Sports Drink: Harmless Harvest Coconut Water
• Best Sports Drink for Travel: Onnit HYDRATech Instant
• Best Electrolyte Sports Drink: Liquid I.V.

How We Tested

The BarBend team is made up of competitive athletes, certified personal trainers, and lifelong fitness enthusiasts, and we’ve put down countless bottles of sports drinks for both fitness and testing purposes. For this article, we tried different formulas, researched their potential benefits, and consulted user reviews to find the best ones. 

Best Sports Drink Overall: Transparent Labs Hydrate

Specs

• Calories: Not Disclosed
• Sugar: Not Disclosed
• Electrolytes: 84mg calcium, 50mg magnesium, 500mg sodium, 250mg potassium
• Flavors: Tropical Punch, Peach Mango
• Price Per Serving: $0.75

Pros

• It includes essential electrolytes, including a 500mg dose of sodium. 
• The Tropical Punch flavor tastes like Hawaiian Punch. 
• At $0.75 per serving, this is on the lower end of the price range. 

Cons

• A lot of the ingredients are in proprietary blends, so you can’t be sure of the specific amounts of some of the ingredients included. 
• The calories and macros aren’t listed, which may make this a no-go for macro counters. 
• It contains tree nuts, so those with tree nut allergies should avoid this mix.

The main basic function of a sports drink is to replenish what you lose when you sweat. Transparent Labs Hydrate does this in spades thanks to its blend of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. The 500mg dose of sodium here is a standout, especially since having an inadequate amount of sodium in the system can lead to cramping. (2) “As an athlete who’s prone to cramping, I’m a fan of the dosage,” our tester says. “I lose a lot of sodium when I sweat, so the high amount of sodium here is great.” 

In addition to the electrolytes, it also includes other ingredients like taurine, an essential amino acid that can improve exercise performance and recovery. (3) Of the two flavors available (Tropical Punch and Peach Mango), we tried the Tropical Punch. “It tastes like very concentrated Hawaiian Punch,” our tester says. This is great news if you have a sweet tooth (raises hand), but you can always add more water to dilute the flavor a bit.

Best Sports Drink for Athletes: Swolverine INTRA

Specs

• Calories: 5
• Sugar: 2g
• Electrolytes: 105mg calcium, 37mg magnesium, 135mg sodium, 87mg potassium
• Flavors: Tropical Blast, Cherry Frost
• Price Per Serving: $1.50

Pros

• The 4,300mg of essential amino acids can help athletes with recovery and performance. 
• There’s 800mg of ginseng as well as vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 for an extra boost during workouts. 
• User reviews universally praised both flavors. 

Cons

• At $1.50 per serving, it’s pricey for a powdered sports drink. 
• If you’re only looking for electrolytes, the extra ingredients here might be unnecessary.

Electrolytes are the foundation of a good sports drink, and Swolverine INTRA delivers with its doses of calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium. But athletes may want more of a boost, which is where INTRA stands out. Studies have suggested that the 800mg of ginseng in this mix may contribute to muscle activation and muscle recovery, and the vitamins B6 and B12 included in this formulation can help increase and maintain energy levels. (4)(5)

It’s also loaded with 4,300mg of essential amino acids, including leucine, which is a key factor in stimulating protein synthesis, making it ideal for an athlete in the recovery phase. (6) It also doesn’t hurt that the flavors seem to be a hit with reviewers, as most of the user reviews we’ve seen can be summed up with this user’s quote: “Both flavors are INSANELY good!”

Best Greens Sports Drink: Athletic Greens AG1

Specs

• Calories: 50
• Sugar: <1g>
• Electrolytes: 118mg calcium, 26mg magnesium, 45mg sodium, 300mg potassium
• Flavors: Pineapple Vanilla
• Price Per Serving: $3.30

Pros

• In addition to supplying electrolytes, this greens powder also acts as a multivitamin and probiotics supplement.
• It delivers high doses of micronutrients like vitamin B7 and zinc. 
• This powder fits a range of diets, from vegan to keto. 

Cons

• At $3.30 per serving, this is one of the more expensive options. 
• If all you want are electrolytes, this is definitely overkill. 
• The digestive blend and probiotics may cause some gas and bloating. 

If you’re not into stacking a bunch of supplements together, an all-in-one greens powder like Athletic Greens AG1 might be the perfect option. It has the essentials (calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium), but it also delivers huge doses of B vitamins, zinc, niacin, and vitamin E, just to name a few of the vitamins and minerals included. AG1 also delivers an antioxidant blend and a digestive enzyme blend, as well as 7.2 billion CFU of probiotics. 

While you may not be getting the highest dose of electrolytes with AG1, you’re getting a supplement that acts as a sports drink, multivitamin, and digestive supplement. At $3.30 per serving, this is one of the more expensive supplements on this list. But considering the sheer number of nutrients it delivers (and the convenience of taking them all in one go), it could be worth the price. 

Read our full Athletic Greens Review. 

Best Sports Drink with Caffeine: Tailwind Endurance Fuel

Specs

• Calories: 100
• Sugar: 25g
• Electrolytes: 27mg calcium, 12mg magnesium, 310mg sodium, 90mg potassium
• Flavors: Raspberry Buzz, Tropical Buzz, Colorado Cola
• Price Per Serving: $0.97 (30-serving bag), $0.80 (50-serving bag)

Pros

• The high 310mg dose of sodium can help stave off cramps.
• There are 35mg of caffeine in this mix, enough for a light energy boost without jitters.
• This mix is gluten-, soy-, and dairy-free, as well as vegan and non-GMO. 

Cons

• This is designed for endurance workouts of two hours or more, so you’ll have to cut the dose for shorter workouts. 
• The 25g of sugar in this mix won’t work for keto or low-carb athletes. 
• The high sodium count makes it taste pretty salty. 

If you’re going out on a long run or ride (or you just want to bang out a few hours of cardio), a little caffeine goes a long way. The 35mg of organic caffeine in Tailwind Endurance Fuel is just enough to provide a gentle energy boost but not enough to cause the jitters, which can throw off your pacing on a long run. Each serving also has 25 grams of carbs and 100 calories, as well as a whopping 310mg of sodium to help prevent cramping. 

One of our testers found Tailwind to be the best option during 20-mile training runs, thanks in part to how light and easy to digest it was. “A lot of other drinks can feel heavy in your stomach, which feels awful on long runs,” he says. “Tailwind was perfect — it was easy on the stomach, and the high sugar count and caffeine gave me steady energy.”

Best Value Sports Drink: Transparent Labs Hydrate

Specs

• Calories: Not Disclosed
• Sugar: Not Disclosed
• Electrolytes: 84mg calcium, 50mg magnesium, 500mg sodium, 250mg potassium
• Flavors: Tropical Punch, Peach Mango
• Price Per Serving: $0.75

Pros

• At $0.75 per serving, this costs less than a quarter of some of the options on this list. 
• In addition to essential electrolytes, this formula also has taurine to help with energy and post-workout recovery. 
• The huge 500mg dose of sodium is ideal for athletes who have problems with cramping. 

Cons

• If you want more added ingredients, like vitamins or caffeine, you’ll need to find a different sports drink.
• The flavors come on strong; some people add extra water to tone the flavor down. 

With some options hovering at or above the $3 per serving mark, sports drinks can be pretty spendy. If you’re looking for one that won’t break the bank, Transparent Labs Hydrate is a great option. At just $0.75 per serving, it costs a fraction of what some other brands charge but still delivers four essential electrolytes, including a huge 500mg dose of sodium. It also contains taurine, which can help exercise performance and post-workout recovery. (3)

Just like all of Transparent Lab’s products, all of the ingredients are 100 percent natural, with no artificial sweeteners, colors, or flavors. Speaking of flavors, our tester was a fan of the Tropical Punch flavor but noted that it’s a bit on the strong side. “I tend to add more water than recommended,” our tester says. 

Best All-Natural Sports Drink: Harmless Harvest Coconut Water

Specs

• Calories: 90
• Sugar: 20g
• Electrolytes: 69mg calcium, 29mg magnesium, 55mg sodium, 812mg potassium
• Flavors: Original, Watermelon
• Price Per Serving: $4.17 (12-pack), $3.75 (24-pack)

Pros

• This drink packs a whopping 812mg of potassium, one of the electrolytes lost in sweat during hard workouts. 
• The coconut water in this is USDA-certified organic with no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. 
• There’s a watermelon flavor for those who aren’t fans of coconut water. 

Cons

• At around $4 per serving, this is one of the most expensive electrolyte replacements you’ll find. 
• Even with the watermelon flavoring, this may not be palatable for people who hate coconut water.
• The 20 grams of sugar make this less than ideal for keto or low-carbohydrate athletes.

If you’re looking for an all-natural sports drink, it doesn’t get more natural than a bottle of coconut water. Nature’s OG of sports drinks, this coconut water contains 69mg of calcium, 29mg of magnesium, 55mg of sodium, and a huge 812mg dose of potassium, which is a key component in many bodily functions, including muscle contraction. (7)

In addition to the electrolytes, Harmless Harvest Coconut Water contains 20 grams of naturally occurring sugar in addition to the electrolytes. This can be ideal for keeping energy levels up during workouts but may turn off people who are trying to keep their carbs low. Plus, this coconut water has been USDA-certified organic, with no artificial flavors or sweeteners, so this is about as natural as you’re going to find. This is an extremely pricey drink at $3 to $4 a pop, but if you want an all-natural sports drink, it could be worth the price of admission. 

Best Sports Drink for Travel: Onnit HYDRATech Instant

Specs

• Calories: 35
• Sugar: 7g
• Electrolytes: 130mg calcium, 25mg magnesium, 260mg sodium, 260mg potassium
• Flavors: Tangerine, Fresh Lime
• Price Per Serving: $2

Pros

• This powder comes in individual serving packets, making it easy to take on the go. 
• The 7 grams of sugar in this drink is ideal for low-carb athletes. 
• It dissolves quickly in water with zero clumps or residue.

Cons

• Even though the sugar count is low, keto athletes can easily find an option with zero carbs. 
• There are only two flavors, so if you’re looking for more variety, look elsewhere. 

Powdered sports drinks allow for customized dosing, but it can be a pain to haul around a bag of powder wherever you go. ONNIT solves this problem by doling out its HYRDATech Instant sports drink in easy-to-carry single-serving packets. Each packet contains a moderate dose of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, with only seven grams of sugar per packet. 

The powder lives up to the “instant” in its name by dissolving quickly in water, leaving zero clumps or residue. And while there are only two flavors (Tangerine and Fresh Lime), user reviews are nearly unanimous on how great they taste. 

Best Electrolyte Sports Drink: Liquid I.V.

Specs

• Calories: 45
• Sugar: 11g
• Electrolytes: 500mg sodium, 380mg potassium
• Flavors: Lemon Lime, Strawberry Lemonade, Seaberry, Tropical Punch, Pina Colada, Concord Grape, Golden Cherry, Acai Berry, Guava, Passion Fruit, Strawberry, Watermelon
• Price Per Serving: $1.56

Pros

• The ratio of sodium, potassium, and glucose helps this drink absorb faster in your body than water. 
• In addition to electrolytes, this delivers various vitamins, including vitamin C and B vitamins. 
• There are 12 different flavors to choose from. 

Cons

• Some people find the taste too sweet. 
• The stevia used in this can cause gastric distress in some people. 

Liquid I.V. stands out in a crowded field of sports drinks not for the electrolytes that it has but for how it uses them. The mix of 500mg of sodium and 250mg of potassium is designed to allow your body to absorb the liquid sooner than it would absorb water alone, quenching your thirst more effectively. It’s a lofty claim, but one that our tester has verified. “I drink water constantly but still feel thirsty,” she says. “But one of these and I’m good.”

Plus, each single-serving packet delivers five times the amount of sodium and over six times the amount of potassium that you’ll find in sports drinks like Gatorade. It also offers five essential vitamins — B3, B5, B6, B12, and vitamin C. If you’ve got finicky taste buds, you’re in luck because Liquid I.V. comes in 12 different flavors, as well as a variety pack for you indecisive folks. 

Read our full Liquid I.V. Review. 

Benefits of Sports Drinks

At their most basic, sports drinks serve the same function as water — they’re meant to hydrate you. But where water just replenishes…water, sports drinks are formulated to replace everything you lose when you sweat. In addition to restoring your fluid balance, sports drinks also replace essential electrolytes that you lose during a sweat session, and some even provide an energy boost in the form of sugar or caffeine.

Replacing Electrolytes

The main selling point of a sports drink is its electrolyte content. When you sweat, you lose essential electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Not replacing these electrolytes can result in cramping, dizziness, and a drop in athletic performance. (1) Sports drinks prevent this by replacing those electrolytes. 

Rehydrating

When you sweat, you lose a lot of fluid. (8) The water and electrolytes in sports drinks help you absorb and retain water better than water alone. 

Boosting Energy 

Many sports drinks also provide an energy boost in the form of sugar or caffeine.

This can come in particularly handy if you take them during a long workout, as both sugar and caffeine can provide a quick boost of energy to help you finish your run or bang out a few more reps. 

How We Chose the Best Sports Drinks

There are a lot of sports drinks on the market, so picking the best ones took some consideration. We looked at several different factors when choosing the right drinks, including the electrolyte content, additional ingredients, taste, and price.

Electrolyte Blend

A good sports drink needs to replace the essential electrolytes that athletes lose when they sweat, so we searched out selections that contained at least moderate amounts of sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Any selections that we chose that didn’t have all four or contained smaller doses had to stand out in some other way. 

Additional Ingredients

Electrolytes are the star of the show here, but some drinks have additional ingredients that an athlete may find useful. Caffeine and sugar can provide a boost of energy to get you through your workout, for instance. Others contain vitamins or amino acids like taurine, which can help reduce recovery time after a hard workout. (3)

Taste

If a sports drink tastes gross, you’re not going to drink it. And if you don’t drink it, even the best sports drink won’t do you any good. So we made sure that the drinks we chose for this list tasted good and gave special preference to ones that offered multiple flavor options. 

Price

Sports drinks vary in price, often depending on the formula and ingredients. While there are some expensive options on this list, we also made sure to include ones that would fit tighter budgets. 

How Much Do Sports Drinks Cost? 

Sports drinks can vary in price per serving quite a bit, with prices starting at well under a dollar and ending around the three- to four-dollar range. Often, the price will vary based on the electrolyte dosage, any additional ingredients, and what form it takes. Often, you’ll find powders cheaper than premixed sports drinks. 

What to Consider Before Buying a Sports Drink

There’s no shortage of sports drinks on the market, making finding the right one for your needs challenging. When you’re thinking about picking up a sports drink, you should consider factors like a drink’s electrolyte content, its calorie count, how much sugar is in it, and how much it costs. 

Electrolyte Content

Replenishing your electrolytes is the key factor in choosing a sports drink. Keep an eye out for drinks that have sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. 

Calorie Count

The calorie count you need can vary depending on your fitness goals. If you’re trying to lose weight, consider a sports drink with little to no calories.

If you participate in an endurance sport or you’re doing a competition with multiple events in a day, you may want something with a calorie count of around a hundred or so. 

Sugar Content

Again, your goals and needs will determine how much sugar you want in a sports drink. If you want to lose weight, look for a sports drink with low or no sugar content. If you have long training sessions or it’s competition day, look for a drink that can replenish your glucose levels. 

Price

If you exercise hard and often, you’re likely going to be drinking a sports drink regularly. So it’s worth looking for one that you can buy in fairly large quantities. While some of the sports drinks on this list cost a few dollars per serving, some great ones are a lot easier on the budget. Make sure whichever sports drink you go with is one that you can afford to take regularly. 

Final Word

The right sports drink is perfect for rehydrating after a sweaty workout. The electrolytes in sports drinks replace the ones you lose in sweat and help your body absorb and maintain fluids. These drinks can be helpful after long workouts, in hot environments, and even for fighting through a nasty hangover. If you’ve lost fluids, a good sports drink can help.

If you’re looking at a sports drink, consider your goals, how you work out, and how much you’re willing to spend. When you have an idea of what you’re looking for, you can use this list to help you pick the right one. 

FAQs

Resources

1. Shrimanker I, Bhattarai S. Electrolytes. [Updated 2023 Jul 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-.
2. Veniamakis E, Kaplanis G, Voulgaris P, Nikolaidis PT. Effects of Sodium Intake on Health and Performance in Endurance and Ultra-Endurance Sports. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 19;19(6):3651. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19063651. PMID: 35329337; PMCID: PMC8955583.
3. Kurtz, J.A., VanDusseldorp, T.A., Doyle, J.A. et al. Taurine in sports and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18, 39 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00438-0
4. Cristina-Souza G, Santos-Mariano AC, Lima-Silva AE, Costa PL, Domingos PR, Silva SF, Abreu WC, De-Oliveira FR, Osiecki R. Panax ginseng Supplementation Increases Muscle Recruitment, Attenuates Perceived Effort, and Accelerates Muscle Force Recovery After an Eccentric-Based Exercise in Athletes. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Apr 1;36(4):991-997. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003555. PMID: 32379240.
5. Kim YN, Hwang JH, Cho YO. The effects of exercise training and acute exercise duration on plasma folate and vitamin B12. Nutr Res Pract. 2016 Apr;10(2):161-6. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2016.10.2.161. Epub 2016 Feb 26. PMID: 27087899; PMCID: PMC4819126.
6. Mero A. Leucine supplementation and intensive training. Sports Med. 1999 Jun;27(6):347-58. doi: 10.2165/00007256-199927060-00001. PMID: 10418071.
7. Lindinger MI. Potassium regulation during exercise and recovery in humans: implications for skeletal and cardiac muscle. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 1995 Apr;27(4):1011-22. doi: 10.1016/0022-2828(95)90070-5. PMID: 7563098.
8. Baker LB. Sweating Rate and Sweat Sodium Concentration in Athletes: A Review of Methodology and Intra/Interindividual Variability. Sports Med. 2017 Mar;47(Suppl 1):111-128. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0691-5. PMID: 28332116; PMCID: PMC5371639.

The post The 8 Best Sports Drinks for Athletes, Travel, and More for 2023 appeared first on BarBend.