The 10-Cent Electrolyte Experiment

I ran out of LMNT last week.

That is not dramatic, but it did feel like a small problem in my house. For a long stretch, I had boxes of it around because I was sponsored by LMNT. I used it constantly. One packet a day was normal. Two or three was not unusual when training was hard, the weather was hot, or the day was long.

That sponsorship ended earlier this year.

And eventually, the supply ran out.

So I did what most people would do. I went to the LMNT website to buy more.

That is when I noticed something I had forgotten.

LMNT publishes a DIY electrolyte recipe on its own website.

Not a vague version. Not a "close enough" suggestion. They share the basic formula for making an electrolyte mix with the same sodium, potassium, and magnesium targets.

So I ordered the ingredients, pulled out the kitchen scale, made a 30-serving batch, flavored it, tasted it, and did the math.

The full video is here:

Watch the experiment: https://youtu.be/TFNpuSLtmAo

What Is Actually In It

Most electrolyte drinks are not mysterious.

The basic mineral target in LMNT is:

• 1,000 mg sodium
• 200 mg potassium
• 60 mg magnesium

The official LMNT home recipe explains how to reach those numbers with sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and magnesium malate or di-magnesium malate.

You can read their original article here:

https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/best-homemade-electrolyte-drink-for-dehydration

The simple version is this:

You make an unflavored mineral base. Then you flavor it yourself.

That is where the whole experiment gets interesting.

The electrolyte part is straightforward. Salt. Potassium. Magnesium. Measure carefully. Mix thoroughly.

The flavoring is where it becomes trial and error.

The 30-Serving Batch

Measuring one tiny serving at a time is a good way to make your kitchen annoying.

The bulk version makes more sense.

For 30 servings, LMNT lists:

• 75 g sodium chloride
• 11.5 g potassium chloride
• 11.7 g magnesium malate, or 8 g di-magnesium malate

That is the recipe I built the batch around.

Here is what I bought for the experiment:

• Morton Canning & Pickling Salt
• NOW Foods Potassium Chloride Powder
• Nutricost Magnesium Malate Powder
• True Lime packets
• SweetLeaf Raspberry Lemonade drops
• AWS Gemini-20 milligram scale

I also used a glass jar and a couple food-safe silica packets to help keep the mix dry.

The reusable stuff makes the first order look more expensive than the actual batch.

That part matters.

The first Amazon order was not one batch of electrolytes. It was ingredients, tools, storage, flavoring options, and a few extras.

Once the ingredients are on hand, the actual mix is cheap.

In my batch, the core ingredients worked out to roughly 10 cents per serving.

That was the number that surprised me.

The Process

The process is simple, but it is not something I would eyeball.

Use a clean, dry jar. Put it on the scale. Tare it to zero.

Add the sodium chloride first. That is most of the mix, so it looks like a lot.

Then add the potassium chloride. This is where precision matters. Potassium is not something I want to guess on.

Then add the magnesium.

After that, shake the jar longer than you think you need to. The goal is even distribution, not a jar with layers of different powders.

When you are ready to make a drink, add about 3.2 grams of the dry mix to 16 to 32 ounces of water.

Then flavor it.

I tried lime, True Lime packets, SweetLeaf drops, and a few other ideas. Lime made the most sense right away. It cuts the salt and gives the drink that sharp, clean edge.

Unflavored, it is basically salty mineral water.

Effective? Sure.

Luxury beverage? No.

The base is easy. Making it taste like something you actually want to drink takes a little work.

Is It Exactly LMNT?

No.

This is not a perfect copy of an LMNT packet.

LMNT has the flavoring dialed in. Their watermelon, citrus, raspberry, and other flavors are consistent and easy. That is part of what you are paying for.

You are paying for flavor, convenience, packaging, and not making a salty science project on your kitchen counter.

That still has value.

I would still buy packets for travel. I would still use them when I want something convenient. And I still respect LMNT more for putting the recipe out there in the first place.

Most companies would hide that.

They did the opposite.

But for home use, especially if you go through electrolytes regularly, this is hard to ignore.

A Few Important Notes

Measure carefully.

Especially the potassium.

This is not something I would casually throw together by feel. If you have high blood pressure, kidney issues, heart issues, or take medication that affects fluid balance, sodium, potassium, or magnesium, talk to your doctor before doing something like this.

This is not medical advice.

This is me making a salty kitchen experiment because I ran out of LMNT and found their recipe online.

There is a difference.

My Takeaway

I expected this to work.

I did not expect it to be this cheap.

The ingredients are simple:

• salt
• potassium
• magnesium
• flavor

That is basically it.

The real question is convenience versus cost.

If you want the best flavor and the easiest option, buy the packets.

If you are at home, you like experimenting, and you use electrolytes often, the DIY version makes a lot of sense.

I will probably do both.

Packets for travel.

A jar of homemade mix at home.

That feels like the right balance.

The full breakdown is on YouTube now. I show the shopping list, measurements, mixing process, cost breakdown, and taste test.

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/TFNpuSLtmAo

And if you have a way to get close to the watermelon LMNT flavor, send it my way.

That is the part I have not cracked yet.