HOMEMADE GATORADE
on May 13, 2025, Updated May 23, 2025
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Ah, the sweet blue nectar that we all know and love – Gatorade 💙. The MVP of sports drinks, even though most of us consume it without breaking a single bead of sweat 😅. Does it taste amazing? Yes. Does it cure hangovers? So they say 🙃. But why do we all simp over Gatorade so much? Well, Gatorade was one of the first drinks ever marketed to replenish electrolytes (sodium and potassium), which are typically lost through sweat. Hence it was dubbed the ultimate sports drink. But no-one told us that Gatorade is also packed with artificial sweeteners, synthetic dyes (including red 40, yellow 5, and blue 1) and sodium levels suited for an NFL line backer, but not necessarily suited for your long day at the mall 😆. And that’s why, you should consider trying my homemade Gatorade STAT.
Enter: Coconut Water 🥥, aka Nature’s Gatorade. It naturally possesses electrolytes, without a list of ingredients longer than your last breakup text. Since summer is upon us, I thought it would be the perfect time to whip up my version of Homemade Blue Gatorade (the BEST flavor, don’t @ me 😌), that’s actually good for you! Made with nutritious, REAL ingredients like coconut water, spirulina, honey and sea salt, it has all the Gatorade benefits without the sketchy ingredient list. Try it once, and you’ll be hydrating the natural way for life!
Why You’ll Love Homemade Gatorade
Not only is this Homemade Gatorade ridiculously easy to make, but it tastes better than the OG version. It’s got that slight sweetness from the honey 🍯, zest from the lime, and that tropical, smooth vibe from coconut water that makes it next-level refreshing 🥥💦.
If you’re worried about the flavour of the spirulina, don’t be. The taste is so subtle, it’s practically undetectable, but gives the drink that signature blue hue you thought only came from a lab 🧪.
But the most fascinating part are the nutritional stats. Store-bought Gatorade contains 11 ingredients (most of them sus), and 75 mg of potassium (key electrolyte). My Homemade Gatorade contains only 7 wholesome ingredients, and an astounding 1036 mg of potassium 🤯. I meannnn, if you need any more convincing, I’m pretty sure you’ve got stock in Gatorade 🤣.
The Magic Of Coconut Water
Dubbed “Nature’s Gatorade,” this slightly sweet, vaguely nutty magic juice is tapped straight from young, green coconuts 🥥 and comes naturally loaded with electrolytes like potassium, sodium, and magnesium. It’s been used for centuries as a natural thirst quencher in tropical regions 🌴 and has more recently become a super popular healthy alternative to sugary drinks. No added sugars, no neon dyes, no ingredient list that reads like a chemistry textbook — Coconut water is hydration with benefits, and all straight from nature’s tap. But that’s not it! Not only is Coconut water ultra-hydrating, it supports heart health, is low in calories, rich in antioxidants, helps digestion and promotes healthy skin ✨.
Store-Bought Vs. Homemade Gatorade
Here’s a little visual and side-by-side comparison of homemade vs. store-bought Gatorade 💧👀 — so you can clearly see why homemade wins every time. Fewer ingredients, more electrolytes, and zero toxic vibes.
|
Nutrient |
Store-Bought Gatorade |
Homemade Gatorade |
|---|---|---|
|
Calories |
140 |
105 |
|
Carbs (g) |
34 |
23 |
|
Protein (g) |
0 |
3 |
|
Fat (g) |
0 |
1 |
|
Sodium (mg) |
270 |
460 |
|
Potassium (mg) |
75 |
1036 |
|
Fiber (g) |
0 |
5 |
|
Sugar (g) |
34 |
17 |
|
Vitamin A (iu) |
0 |
5 |
|
Vitamin C (mg) |
0 |
19 |
|
Calcium (mg) |
0 |
100 |
Ingredients
- Organic Coconut Water: The star of the show 🥥💧. Naturally sweet, packed with electrolytes, and basically what hydration dreams are made of.
- Mint: This might seem like an odd addition to a Homemade Gatorade recipe, but these little magic leaves add a burst of freshness and additional health benefits like helping with digestion and soothing inflammation, so, why not!?
- Honey: Nature’s golden nectar 🍯. Bonus points for bringing antioxidant perks to the party.
- Redmond Real Salt: Not your average table salt 🧂. This unrefined sea salt brings trace minerals and flavour.
- Organic Blue Spirulina: The not-so-secret ingredient behind that iconic blue hue 💙. It delivers a load of nutrients — like food colouring’s cooler, healthier cousin.
- Lime: When life gives you limes, make Gatorade! This key ingredient not only packs this drink with Vitamin C, but balances out the sweetness with a little tang.
- Pineapple Juice: Adding Pineapple juice 🍍 is totally optional, but it does add a naturally sweet, tropical flavour that’s hard to pass up. Keep in mind you can get creative with the juice options here. I’ve listed some awesome variations and substitutions below 👀.
Nonna’s Tip 🥥
Look for “100% Coconut Water” with no added sugars, flavors, or preservatives.
Homemade Gatorade Variations and Substitutions
- If you don’t have Redmond Real Salt, try pink Himalayan salt or any good-quality sea salt 🧂.
- Instead of honey as a sweetener, try maple syrup, agave or even stevia (for a sugar-free option). .
- Lemon juice, orange juice or even grapefruit juice work really well instead of lime.
- Additionally, you can add some ginger 🫚 for extra freshness and a hint of spice, as well as anti-inflammatory perks.
- Either skip the added pineapple juice entirely, or switch up the juice by adding mango or passionfruit juice, my Fruit Compote or my Strawberry Watermelon Drink for a slushy refresher version.
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HOMEMADE GATORADE
Ingredients
- 3 mint leaves
- 14 oz organic coconut water, to taste
- ⅛ teaspoons blue spirulina, organic
- 1 lime, juiced, to taste
- 1 pinch Redmond Real Salt
- 2 teaspoons honey, (or agave)
- ice, to preference
- ½ cup pineapple juice , optional
Instructions
- Note: please use the best quality ingredients that you can find. I do read the labels and make sure everything I used are single ingredient products straight from the source without any additives or extra ingredients on the label.
- Take a few leaves and slap them between your hands. This will release the essential oils.
- Next, add the mint leaves to a shaker bottle along with the coconut water, blue spirulina, lime juice, pinch of salt, honey, and optionally, any good quality single ingredient fresh juice.
- Note: I like to juice my own pineapple (or any tropical fruit) and add it in for extra flavour. You can certainly leave it out or use another juice you enjoy instead.
- Shake it well and pour over ice into a nice tall glass. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Juice: feel free to add any additional fruit juice to this recipe. For best results, make sure it’s a single ingredient fruit juice without any additional additives.
- Blue Spirulina: Blue spirulina is a vibrant blue powder that derives from blue-green algae. It’s a powerful antioxidant with various health benefits but don’t worry, it’s completely neutral in taste.
- Sweetener: you can use any sweetener in this recipe such as maple syrup, honey, or agave. Alternatively, you can leave it out if the juice you use is sweet enough.
- Organic Coconut Water: I love to use organic coconut water that is only one ingredient for maximum health benefits and electrolytes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Common Questions
Choose coconut water labeled “100% Coconut Water” with no added sugars, flavours, or preservatives — just the pure, natural stuff. Instead of coconut water, you can also try filtered water + fresh pineapple juice.
Spirulina is a blue-green algae that packs vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and protein in every spoonful. It is a true superfood.
Spirulina does have a naturally earthy taste to it; in fact, some would even say it’s similar to seaweed. It might not taste exciting in plain water, but other ingredients easily mask its flavor.
Absolutely! It’s there for the pretty blue hue and a teeny antioxidant bump. The drink still slaps without it. Alternatively, you can use Açai berry powder instead.
It’s best fresh, but you can make a batch and store it in a sealed jar or bottle for up to 2 days. Give it a good shake before sipping — spirulina tends to settle!
Nope! It’s perfect post-gym, post-sun, post-wine, or just whenever you’re feeling a little extra hydration.
Tried this for my husband and he loved it!
My family loved this! What an amazing substitute for that toxic blue stuff. Need more recipes like this!
What Spirulina brand do you recommend and where to purchase it?
Hi, Linda! I use this Organic Blue Spirulina that I purchased from Amazon.
I had no idea blue spirulina was a thing! The green stuff has a slight after taste, and I love that this one is totally neutral! GENIUS! 🙌
Obsessed with this homemade Gatorade! It’s so refreshing! This is my new go-to for post-workout and the hot days ahead!
I would love love love love love if you posted recipes on making copy cat flavors of each gatorade flavor!
i loved the blue soo much! It tasted so good drinking your juice!
THANK YOU