The Best Sports Drinks of 2025
Sports drinks are an important part of hydration during athletic performance. Most sports drinks have marketing labels that can make it difficult to know which is a good electrolyte drink that will provide you with proper hydration, recovery and fluid balance, and which are just sugary sports drinks. When you use sugary drinks, your body won’t feel as refreshed as other health-focused sports drinks, especially after intense physical activity. If you are doing vigorous exercise, you should make sure you have a drink ready.
To help you choose the best sports drink, I’ve combined my own knowledge with the input of other fitness professionals. I analyzed over 50 ingredient lists to determine which sports drinks are best for specific purposes and types of training. I’ve combined all of this research into this guide to help identify the best sports drinks for quick hydration, endurance training, CrossFit, weight loss, and all natural diet.
Sports drinks can be a healthy hydrating alternative to water if you know what you’re looking for.
In recent years, smaller beverage companies and start-ups have gained traction with their sports drinks, which are often aimed at niche activities and different types of exercisers, such as runners or CrossFit enthusiasts. Commercial sports drinks like Gatorade are still a popular choice, but there are many other options these days. Whether you’ve just had an intense workout at the gym or need to hydrate after breaking a sweat on the trail, we’ve found the best sports drinks that come in all flavors and forms to replenish your electrolytes.
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Personal trainer and fitness studio owner Holly Roser says Noon is the ideal sports drink for hydration and energy. “Made with just electrolytes and caffeine, these little tablets are easy to put in your water and turn into a fizzy drink,” she says, adding that they’re great for a morning run because caffeine content.
Nuun’s entire range of products promises to help you get through grueling workouts, but Nuun Endurance is specially formulated to sustain you during a sweat session of 90 minutes or more. Widely used by marathon runnerstriathletes and other long-distance runners, professionally and recreationally.
Each tablet contains 15 grams of sugar, 380 milligrams of sodium, and 200 milligrams of potassium, as well as chloride, magnesium, and calcium. Together, these ingredients prevent cramps and keep your muscles moving for long workouts.
I’ve been using Nuun Endurance while training for long distance races and it hasn’t let me down yet. I’ve usually only used it for runs of 8 miles or more, but I’ve also pulled out a tablet when I felt like I needed an energy boost for a shorter run.
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Let’s do some math here: What do you get when you have a warehouse gym, take out the air conditioning, add the summer temperatures, and multiply by one of the most intense fitness regimens around? The answer is sweat. A lot of sweat.
A lot of sweat means a lot of lost electrolytes, and Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier says it can help replace what you lose through sweat. According to Liquid IV, one packet of Hydration Multiplier powder is equivalent to drinking three bottles of water because of something called Cell Transport Technology — I don’t necessarily doubt the statement, but take it with a grain of salt.
Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier’s formula is rooted in a medical therapy developed by the World Health Organization called oral rehydration salts.
Hydration Booster is not a medical therapy, but because it is closely based on a hydration solution used by major health agencies for decades, I am confident that it can restore even the sweatiest CrossFitters.
According to Liquid IV, salt, sugar, potassium, vitamin C, multiple B vitamins and water come together in just the right amounts to deliver nutrients into your bloodstream faster than water alone. It is also gluten freedairy free, without GMOs and vegan.
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Miss Shahcertified personal trainer and yoga teacher, recommends Ultima Replenisher as a sports drink for those who want to lose weight because it is sugar-free and zero calories.
“I turn to Ultima when I have a long day of teaching hot yoga in a 100+ degree room and personal training,” says Shah. “Electrolytes are essential for muscle function and keeping you at your best, and (Ultima) gives you that without the calories.”
Ultima Replenisher contains no sugar or artificial sweeteners — it’s sweetened with stevia — and the first ingredient listed on powder packets is magnesium citrate, which is a good indicator that this product is high quality. Magnesium is one of the electrolytes that is lost through sweat; the fact that it’s the first ingredient listed means it’s the most common ingredient by volume in Ultima Replenisher.
Ultima powder also contains calcium, zinc, manganese, chloride, potassium, sodium and phosphorus – all essential nutrients that need recovery after a good sweat.
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We’re going super natural here. No, it’s not supernatural… great naturally, as in the most natural drink you could drink while exercising and on the same level as water.
Finding an all-natural sports drink is difficult because most are full of artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors. Even sports drinks that have none of this are still manufactured in factories or laboratories and loaded with minerals that may not be as bioavailable as those found in natural products.
Shah recommends Harmless Harvest Coconut Water to those looking for a truly natural alternative. Although not specifically advertised as a sports drink, Harmless vintage coconut water contains the ingredients you should look for in a sports drink: sugar, sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. However, the only actual ingredient on the bottle is organic coconut water. Coconut contains all these minerals without the need for fortification.
“It has all the electrolytes your body needs without any artificial ingredients,” says Shah, who tries to stay away from processed foods and drinks as much as possible. “Coconut water not only hydrates, but also helps your muscles and reduces soreness, and coconut water is better than most energy drinks I’ve tried in the past.”
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