Last Updated on 5th August 2022 by
When you want a quick boost of electrolytes during a sports match, you chug down some Gatorade. When you don’t want to pay the high cost of Gatorade prices in stores, you make it yourself. If you have seen our guide on making your on coca cola at home then you will love this.
Like just about any name brand drink you can think of, Gatorade has been broken down into its respective ingredients and a method of making it at home has been figured out. Yes, you could read the ingredients off the back of a bottle of Gatorade and try to whip some up yourself, but if you notice the ingredient list, there are some man made chemicals in there.
Do you really want to be mixing that up in your kitchen? Can you even find all of those?
I have a recipe for homemade Gatorade that tastes a lot like the real deal and yet forgoes all of the man made stuff to be much healthier for you. I used no artificial ingredients, no harmful chemicals, and nothing that involves the name of something you cannot pronounce. Gatorade isn’t the healthiest drink anyway, but this homemade version has a very similar it and is much better for you. It’s win-win all around.
Gatorade is really expensive, and if you buy it regularly, then you already noticed that, I’m sure. It can be as much as £2 a bottle, and that’s for the small ones. It’s one of the more expensive drinks you can buy outside of a Starbucks, so you may be curious about how you can save some money and still enjoy a similar taste and all of the same energy benefits.
The recipe for homemade Gatorade I have for you has electrolytes in it, so it will energise you or your young ones and keep them going with plenty of fuel for whatever is going on.
I know some of the parents who have kids involved in sports at school will provide Gatorade and similar drinks to keep the kids energised and active in sports. That can be a great way to boost their energy levels and hydrate them with the added benefits of electrolytes, but it gets expensive.
Plus, the kids are ingesting a lot of chemicals that might not be very good for them, and you can control all of that when you make your own. You’ll keep your costs down and ensure that your kids are drinking something that is reasonably healthy for them.
Homemade Gatorade Recipe
Homemade Gatorade Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup fruit juice
- 3 cups coconut water
- 3 tsp lemon juice (or lime)
- ¼ tbsp sea salt
Instructions
- Using a large picture, mix in fruit juice and coconut water.
- Add in honey and sea salt and mix until they are fully dissolved.
- Add in water and lemon juice.
- Serve cold.
It’s a really simple recipe, and you can spruce it up in a few ways to make it more interesting. You will probably notice that this isn’t as fruity or as sweet as the Gatorade you buy in the store. It’s up to you how flavourful you want to make it. You can add more juice or more citrus zest to it. You can also increase the sugar content.
One really healthy way to make this sweeter without adding a bunch of sugar is to add more honey. That natural sweetener isn’t as bad for you as sugar, and it’s definitely better than the manmade additives in the authentic Gatorade. I like to increase the honey intake by adding in more fruit juice with it. Add in one tablespoon of honey for every extra cup of fruit juice you put in this.
If you are addicted to the store bought Gatorade and its level of sweetness, you can increase the sugar content in this one and then slowly decrease the amount of sugar or sweetener you use each time you make the recipe.
A neat trick that helps you save some space in the fridge is to combine all of the ingredients except for water and store your mixture in the fridge. This is like a concentrated version of the drink. Then, when you are ready to have some homemade Gatorade, just add some water to a cup and some of your drink mix.
I find a good ratio is half a cup of concentrate to half a cup of water, but you may want to adjust the ratio for yourself and find what works best for you.
Alternative Recipe for Homemade Gatorade
If you want a slightly different twist on this recipe, I have one for you that uses some slightly different ingredients.
You’ll mix half a cup of orange juice with half a cup of water. Add in a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt and a quarter cup of sugar. Add in a tablespoon of lemon juice as well and mix it all together. Once it dissolves, you can chill it and serve.
If you aren’t a fan of sea salt, then kosher salt makes a good substitute. Consider using different flavourings to give your Gatorade a different taste. I like lime juice, grape juice, strawberry juice, and blueberry concentrate. This is the kind of drink you can play around with the flavourings and it will still taste good. As long as your other ingredients stay the same, it really just come down to your preference.
The level of sugar to use and how much lemon juice or other tart juice you use are really important ratios. You want to get that balance right so that you don’t have a bitter, unpleasant-tasting concoction. Gatorade should be sweet, but it doesn’t have to be so sweet that it is really unhealthy for you.
What Gives Gatorade its Electrolytes?
The sugar in Gatorade gives it the energy boost it is supposed to have. Sugar makes for a great short term energy source, and if you burn it all off before it sits in your body for too long, less of it will turn into fat. Your body is used to using up sugar as a source of energy.
But what about the electrolytes? Where do they come from? That’s the sodium or salt in the drink. Sodium and potassium are great electrolytes for the human body, helping to stimulate the body by replenishing what it loses.
As you sweat, your body gets rid of electrolytes, and those little components are important. Your body needs those to function well. Electrolytes empower the body to contract muscles and to produce energy.
So, the salt that provides electrolytes for your body are not giving you energy. Instead, they are enabling your body to produce and use energy. They are like the motor that the fuel runs through, and when that motor doesn’t work, your body starts to break down. Your energy systems fail and your body becomes overtired and weak.
So, Gatorade is a good source of sodium, but it can contain unhealthy amounts of sodium. You need to be careful about how much salt you use in your homemade recipe, as that can be unhealthy for you as well.
Gatorade Jell-O Recipe
If you like Gatorade but think it would be even better in dessert form, then we have a recipe for you. Here is how you can make Gatorade Jell-O on your own. Be sure to use our own homemade Gatorade for a healthier dessert.
How to Make Homemade Gatorade
Ingredients
- Gatorade
- Jell-O mix
Instructions
- Pour your Gatorade into a large pot and cook on medium heat. When it starts to boil, you can turn off the heat.
- Pour in the Jell-O mix packet into the Gatorade. Stir until the Jell-O powder dissolves completely.
- Let the Jell-O cool in the fridge for a few hours (about six). Once it is solid, it is ready to eat. You can cut the Jell-O into squares, if you like, and serve it that way.
I love how much control I have over my beverages when I make them at home. I prefer to make my juices at home as well, since I can control what goes into them and whether they have natural or manmade ingredients in them.
The sugar content is a big factor for how I feel about my drinks as well, and with this homemade Gatorade recipe, I have complete control over the sugar content. I can decide how much or how little sugar is involved and if I use sugar at all or some sort of substitute.
You have to watch your proportions very carefully when making Gatorade at home. You want everything to be just right, so measure precisely. Otherwise, it will end up tasting too bland or too sweet, and it can be tough to fix it. Once you get it right, though, and your Gatorade is finished, I think you will agree that it makes for a decent substitute for the store bought version.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!