The 10 Best Water Flavorings of 2020

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Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Sakara Beauty Water at sakara.com

"This keto-friendly, vegan, no-sugar and no-artificial sweetener fluid has a natural rose flavor."

Best Budget: True Grapefruit at Amazon

"One packet equates to a slice or wedge of grapefruit, so you get the taste of fresh fruit with zero calories and zero grams of sugar."

Runner Up, Best Budget: MiO Liquid Water Enhancer at Amazon

"It has no sugar, carbs, aspartame, or saccharin: just your choice of fruit flavors."

Best Powder: Hydrasurge at Amazon

"A combination of stevia, coconut water powder, and himalayan salt make this powder a powerhouse."

Best Unsweetened: Monin Concentrated Flavor at Amazon

"Add a bit of this liquid concentrate to your water bottle, and you’ll have a gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free way to spice up your life."

Best Drops: Dasani Drops at Amazon

"The small bottle makes it easy to toss into a handbag and bring with you on the go, so you can add flavor wherever you are."

Best Aspartame Free: Stur at Amazon

"Not only will you get a nice fruit flavor in your water, but you’ll get 100% of your daily vitamin C intake."

Best For Keto: Pure Inventions Enhancers at Amazon

"This all natural, no sugar, calorie free liquid water enhancer isn’t just the best keto option, but one of the best all around."

Best For Dehydration: Liquid IV at Amazon

"Liquid IV delivers potassium, sodium and glucose directly to your bloodstream, making it more efficient than drinking water alone."

Best For Endurance Training: Nuun at Amazon

"Nuun is second to none when it comes to half marathons and strenuous workouts."

Water is an essential nutrient that helps you stay hydrated, maintain optimal health, and reach peak performance. While the list of benefits should be enough to convince you to drink more water, there’s no denying that sometimes we just get bored with the lack of flavor in our H2O.

The good news? Adding a few drops of flavoring to your bottle could be the motivation you need to reach for your water—instead of a sugary drink—when you’re thirsty.

But before you head to the store, check out our top picks for the best water flavorings.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Sakara Beauty Water

The Sakara Beauty Water drops can fit into most diets. This keto-friendly, vegan, no-sugar and no-artificial sweetener fluid has a natural rose flavor that makes your water taste like it came from a five-star spa. With 72 trace minerals (they cover the bases from aluminum through zirconium) that are “naturally occurring and sourced from the Great Salt Lake in their ionic form,” Sakara says these are “primed for absorption into the body” (read: bioavailable). So not only will your water taste better, but you’ll turn run of the mill hydration into a luxurious self-care experience while adding essential micronutrients to your diet.

Best Budget: True Grapefruit

Keep things simple, healthy, and budget-friendly with this tried-and-true, trusted brand. It’s literally just crystallized citrus fruits, making it one of the most natural things you can add to your water. One packet equates to a slice or wedge of grapefruit, so you get the taste of fresh fruit with zero calories and zero grams of sugar. This enhancer has no artificial flavors, no preservatives, and it uses non-GMO fruit. A win all around.

Runner Up, Best Budget: MiO Liquid Water Enhancer

MiO Liquid and MiO Energy. Courtesy of Amazon.com

You can find this popular and delicious water enhancer in most grocery stores. It has no sugar, carbs, aspartame, or saccharin: just your choice of fruit flavors. It also has no sodium, although a little salt isn't a bad thing if you are exercising and sweating. They also have a MiO Energy version that contains caffeine.

Best Powder: Hydrasurge

A combination of stevia, coconut water powder, and Himalayan salt make this powder a powerhouse. Optimized for athletes or anyone who needs hydration replenishment, this blend has no added sugar, making it keto-friendly. The mix of electrolytes provided in this powder doesn’t just add flavor, but helps with water retention too, so you can get your hydration levels back on track.

Best Unsweetened: Monin Concentrated Flavor

If you like La Croix but wish it didn’t have carbonation, then listen here. Monin Concentrated Flavor is just what you need. You get the flavor without sweetness or fake sugar. Add a bit of this liquid concentrate to your water bottle, and you’ll have a gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free way to hydrate. It’s made from natural flavors, so you don’t have to worry about adding anything artificial into the mix while you’re amplifying your water intake.

Best Drops: Dasani Drops

A crowd favorite for enhancing water is Dasani Drops. Calorie-free and packed with flavor, the small bottle makes it easy to toss into a handbag and bring with you on the go, so you can add flavor wherever you are. Of note, it does use a small amount of artificial sweetener, so keep that in mind if you have a sensitivity to sucralose.

Best Aspartame Free: Stur

Stur Liquid Water Enhancer. Courtesy of Amazon.com

With tons of flavors to choose from, Stur has been an exceptionally popular choice for water flavoring. It uses just a touch of sweetness, but In lieu of sucralose or aspartame (both artificial sweeteners that some people have sensitivities to), Stur uses Stevia, a zero-calorie natural sweetener. Not only will you get a nice fruit flavor in your water, but you’ll get 100% of your daily vitamin C intake with these drops; they’re calorie-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, and keto-friendly with absolutely no aspartame.

Best For Keto: Pure Inventions Enhancers

This all-natural, no sugar, calorie-free liquid water enhancer isn’t just the best keto option, but one of the best all-around. Pure Inventions uses the power of natural ingredients not just to add delicious flavoring to your water, but to give some all-natural healing to the body as well. Different flavors have different benefits; for instance, the tranquility flavor is a combination of vanilla and chamomile and harnesses the power of those ingredients to promote a calm, relaxed state. The natural “sleep water” uses melatonin, valerian root, and L-theanine to help you drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Best For Dehydration: Liquid IV

Feeling extra dehydrated? Liquid IV is like hangover penicillin; a packet of this in your water before bed (or first thing in the morning) and you’ll be feeling right as rain. Liquid IV is also excellent for recovering from a strenuous workout, training for an event and pushing yourself athletically, getting better from a bout of the flu, or just adding some more flavor to your water every day.

Liquid IV claims that it is two to three times more effective than just drinking regular water, using Cellular Transport Technology (CTT) with “a specific ratio of potassium, sodium, and glucose that delivers water and other key nutrients directly to your bloodstream, hydrating you faster and more efficiently than water alone.”

Best For Endurance Training: Nuun

When it comes to athletic hydration, Nuun is second to none for half marathons and strenuous workouts. With a combination of vitamins and electrolytes (and sometimes caffeine, if you need an energy boost!), it's like taking your daily vitamin and getting your extra ounces of H2O in all at once. These tablets are vegan and gluten-free and offer dozens of super tasty flavors and combinations of ingredients so you can fine-tune your health regimen.

What to Look for in Flavorings for Your Water Bottle

Formula: In general, you’ll need to choose between powder flavorings and liquid flavorings. These two types of mixtures generally yield similar results in terms of flavor, so think more about how you plan to use the product. If you want something to carry in your gym bag, you might be better off with powder packets, which are compact and make less of a mess if they spill.

Nutrients: Some water flavorings provide just that—flavor. However, others contain vitamins and minerals that will help boost your workout and recovery. You can turn water into more of a sports drink by choosing a flavoring that contains essential nutrients, like vitamin C and electrolytes.

Caffeine content: Do you want to get more energy from your water flavoring? You can give your water an extra kick by using a water flavoring that contains caffeine. Just be sure not to overdo it, as too much caffeine can leave some people feeling jittery.

What the Experts Say

“Many people do not drink the recommended amount of fluids daily. They may even drink less when they’re actively trying to cut back on sugary beverages -- especially if they’re used to drinking fluids with more flavor. Water flavorings can help you drink more water while trying to cut back on sugar-added beverages like soda, tea, lemonade, and energy drinks.”—Rebekah Blakely, RDN, The Vitamin Shoppe