DIY Electrolyte Drink: Recipe and Cost vs. Packets
A brand-name electrolyte packet runs $1.20–$1.60 a serving. Mixed yourself from bulk salts, the same drink costs pennies. There's no machine to buy and nothing to break even on — the savings start with the very first serving.
The short answer
A single-serving packet from LMNT, Liquid IV, and the like is about $1.20–$1.60 each. Stir the same minerals into water yourself and a serving lands around $0.05–$0.20. Because there's no equipment, that gap is pure savings on day one — the only variable is how many servings a week you drink.
What's actually in a packet
Strip away the branding and an electrolyte packet is mostly sodium and potassium with a little magnesium — ordinary minerals you can buy in bulk for very little. The packet's real cost is packaging, flavor, and marketing, not the salts themselves.
Sodium (the main one)
Plain table salt covers this. About 1/4 tsp is the backbone of most recipes, and a canister costs almost nothing per serving.
Potassium
A potassium-chloride "lite salt" (sold next to regular salt) or a squeeze of citrus supplies this. A little goes a long way.
Magnesium and flavor
A pinch of a magnesium supplement is optional. For taste, add citrus juice or a sugar-free flavoring — this is where you personalize the drink without adding real cost.
A simple recipe
Per ~16 oz of water, stir in:
- ~1/4 tsp salt (sodium)
- a potassium source — ~1/8 tsp lite salt / potassium chloride, or a squeeze of citrus
- a pinch of magnesium, if desired
- citrus juice or a sugar-free flavor, to taste
These are starting amounts — tune the sodium up or down to your own needs and how hard you're sweating.
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A quick health note
Electrolyte needs vary a lot by person, climate, and activity level. If you have kidney or blood-pressure concerns, check with a doctor before loading up on sodium or potassium.
Try it yourself
Run your own numbers
Your savings come down to one number: how many servings a week you drink. The more you sweat, the more packets you'd have bought — and the more you keep by mixing your own. The calculator does the tally per serving, per week, and per year.
This math, with YOUR numbers — takes 60 seconds, no signup.
Is it worth it?
If you drink electrolytes regularly, yes — there's no upfront cost to recoup, so every homemade serving is money kept versus the packet. If you only reach for them occasionally, the bulk salts still last ages and cost pennies a glass. Run the numbers to see your own gap.
Want the exact doses, not just a starting recipe?
See how LMNT, Liquid IV, Nuun, and DripDrop actually compare on sodium, potassium, and magnesium in our brand-by-brand breakdown, or skip the guesswork entirely with the mix builder — pick a goal, get a seeded recipe, and adjust every dose to taste.
Health note: electrolyte doses matter — too much sodium, potassium, or magnesium can be dangerous, especially with kidney, heart, or blood-pressure conditions. Measure with an accurate gram scale and talk to your doctor before changing your intake. Full terms & disclaimers →