I hated drinking water when I was a kid.
It just seemed so tasteless. I could never understand why people chose to drink it when there were so many delicious alternatives!
It’s different these days, of course. Plain old water’s become my drink of choice. But it can still get a bit boring when I’ve been drinking it non-stop.
And it’s never worse than when I’m out and about, on a trail or travelling off the beaten track, where days can go by with nothing but water to drink.
I can’t help but yearn for some flavour after a while.
So, I decided to scratch this particular itch and look into the best water enhancers on the market. After all, these handy drops, tablets, and powders can add some much-needed taste (not to mention extra nutritional value) to the water in your bottle.
Want to see what I came up with?
Keep reading for 8 reviews of the best flavored water enhancers I could find (followed by a few tips on choosing the right healthy water enhancers for your needs).
[Last Updated: February 2021]
Heads up, this post contains affiliate links.
The Best Water Enhancer- Summary Table
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The 8 Best Water Enhancers – Top Water Flavourings Reviews
1. Pure Invention Coconut Water (Healthy Water Flavouring)
KEY FEATURES
Easy mixing
Anybody with a fondness for coconut water’s going to love the Pure Inventions coconut water enhancer. Easy to mix, you can get your drink ready in seconds!
There’s no waiting around for tablets or powder to dissolve. Simply pour a few drops into your water bottle, give it a shake, and you’re good to go. That’s great news when you’re tired, thirsty, and want that flavoured water in a hurry.
I like that you have total control over the intensity of the flavour too.
The bottle/vial comes with a dropper that you use to add the coconut flavouring to your drink. Simply drop as much or as little in as you want to create the taste sensation you’re looking for!
Obviously, the more you add (or the less water you have in the bottle) the more intense it’ll be.
The vial seems well made too, meaning it shouldn’t break/leak when it’s being buffeted around in your backpack! It’s marketed as airport-friendly too, which is good news for any travellers who want to liven up their beverages on the move.
Healthy water enhancers
Anybody on the hunt for an all-natural, healthy water enhancer would love this one from Pure Inventions.
Created by a team of nutritionists, it’s made from coconut juice extract and contains no sugar, artificial sweeteners, or calories. It’s also low glycemic and suitable for diabetics.
As far as the ingredients go, you’ve got purified water, vegetable glycerin, a fruit extract, stevia extract, natural coconut flavouring, and citric acid. That’s it! No random chemicals, unpronounceable additives, or anything artificial.
However, there’s no caffeine in the recipe, so don’t expect it to give you a kick when you’re low on energy! This particular enhancer’s designed more for flavour, health, and hydration as opposed to a pick me up.
Great natural flavouring for water
The Pure Inventions coconut flavouring is said to be great-tasting too.
That makes it the perfect way to consume more water, while benefiting from the natural electrolytes that occur in coconut juice.
It tastes so good that these particular drops are used in swanky spas and resorts as well. If it’s good enough for them, then I’m assuming it’d be good enough for a budget backpacker like me!
FYI, if you don’t fancy coconut, the same brand (Pure Inventions) offers a few alternatives too, including hibiscus flower, and coconut chocolate.
All told, it’s no surprise at all that the Pure Invention coconut water enhancer is so popular online, with hundreds of 5* reviews to its name.
The only downside? It’s quite pricey for 30ml (that’s 30 servings) of fluid!
In all other ways, though, these Pure Inventions water infusion drops look like a great, natural, and healthy product that’s sure to help you stay hydrated on the go.
PROS
- Sugar-free
- Zero calories
- Natural sweeteners
- Gluten-free
- Great coconut flavour
- Airport friendly
CONS
- Quite pricey
-> Click here to read more about it!
2. Crystal Light Water Flavour Drops
KEY FEATURES
Great tasting & highly rated
This Crystal Light energy drink mix is hugely popular online, with thousands of 5* reviews and happy customers. Of its various attributes, though, the Crystal Light water enhancer’s flavour is something almost everybody raves about!
Whether you choose the cherry splash, acai berry bliss, strawberry pineapple, or the tropical paradise punch flavour, you can expect to enjoy a sweet-tasting, flavour-intense drink to keep you hydrated.
A few people point out that the actual taste may not align with the labelled flavour though.
In other words, that cherry splash might sound great, and it’s definitely going to taste good, but it’s up for debate if it’ll taste like real cherries.
Likewise, if you’re not a fan of things being too sweet, then the Crystal Light might not be to your liking. From what I gather, it rates high on the sweetness scale.
Don’t worry too much about that though. You could work around this by simply adding less of the enhancer to your water.
Good caffeine kick
The Crystal Light contains 30mg of caffeine per serving (where one squirt of the bottle counts as one serving and there are roughly 18 servings per bottle).
Equivalent to around one-third of a cup of coffee, that amount of caffeine isn’t going to get you out of bed in the morning!
But it would be a useful kick when you’re lacking energy on a hike, for example.
On the subject of ingredients, the Crystal Light contains a bunch of vitamins too, including B6, B12, and B3. That’s good news if you’re not getting enough of these in your diet.
It’s also zero-calorie and free from artificial flavourings.
However, aside from all that good stuff, there are a fair few e-numbers and chemical preservatives inside as well. That might prove off-putting for some people.
Easy to use/mix
Another noteworthy feature of the Crystal Light water enhancer is how easy it is to use.
You squeeze the bottle to add the flavouring to your water and then mix it all together with a stir/shake. You end up with a delicious, caffeinated beverage in an instant.
I like that the bottle’s super small and transportable too. That’s always good news when you’re on the move with minimal space at your disposal.
PROS
- 30mg Caffeine boost
- Range of flavours
- Contains numerous vitamins
- Zero calories
- Sugar-free
- Natural flavour
- Squeeze bottle for instant mixing
- Good choice of flavours
CONS
- Only 18 servings per bottle
- Less natural/healthy than the Pure Invention Coconut Water above
-> Click here to read more about it!
3. Mio Water Enhancer (flavour drops for water)
KEY FEATURES
Variety of tasty flavours
If you’re tired of the taste of water and want something to compel you to stay hydrated, then the Mio liquid enhancer would be the ideal choice.
It’s one of the most popular products on this list (with well over 3,500 five-star reviews), meaning the Mio’s got to be doing something right! Countless happy customers can’t be wrong.
One of the major plus-points? The flavour.
Almost everybody raves about the Mio’s great taste; the range of options (including strawberry watermelon, blueberry lemonade, cherry blackberry, and a variety pack) means you’re sure to find something to suit your preferences.
The only potential ‘downside’ I can see is that the Mio’s nothing more than a water flavouring.
In other words, it’ll make your water taste way better, but with no caffeine, vitamins, or minerals, it won’t deliver any additional benefits to either your health or energy levels (other than the ones you get from staying hydrated!).
Good value for money
Another thing I like about the Mio flavour enhancer is that it’s cheap and cheerful.
At under $4, you get to enjoy some great-tasting water without breaking the bank. With 24 servings per 1.62 fl. oz. bottle, the cost to serving ratio’s better than most other options on this list.
More easy mixing
The Mio enhancer’s another one that’d be super easy to use on the move. Give the bottle a squeeze to add it to your water, stir/mix it up, and away you go.
Be wary with how hard you squeeze the bottle though.
Longer and/or harder squeezes add more flavour into the water! Now, that’s good news if you enjoy a stronger taste, but it also means you’ll struggle to get the full 24 servings out of each bottle. Shorter/lighter squeezes will make the Mio last longer.
PROS
- Made with natural flavours
- Zero calories per serving
- Good array of different flavours available
- Small size makes it easy to carry and transport
- Easy to use/mix
- Hugely popular product
CONS
- May interact with blood sugar levels
- Not 100% natural (contains chemicals)
- No energy or health benefits
-> Click here to read more about it!
4. Nuun Sport flavor water drops (Best Natural Water Flavouring)
KEY FEATURES
Super clean and healthy water enhancer
If you’re looking for a clean, natural, and hydrating water enhancer that contains nothing artificial, then the Nuun Sport would be a perfect choice.
Soy-free, kosher, gluten-free, vegan, and keto-friendly, it’s also something that basically anybody can consume! Likewise, there are only 15 calories and 1 gram of sugar per serving, which is good news if you’re watching your weight.
I love that it’s all-natural (AKA free from artificial sweeteners/flavourings), non-GMO and that I can pronounce all of the ingredients!
All told, the Nuun Sport makes a nice alternative to some of the chemical-infused options on this list, which is why it’s my pick for the best water enhancer in this post!
Contains essential electrolytes & caffeine
This water enhancer is designed for (and enjoyed by) athletes, travellers, and anybody else who needs to stay hydrated on the go.
Packed with key electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride), these Nuun Sports tablets will help to rehydrate and keep you feeling stronger, energised, and in better shape all-around when exercising.
Throw in the 40mg of organic green tea extract (read: 40mg of caffeine!) and you’ll get a good kick of energy whenever you’re feeling sluggish too.
Multipack includes variety of flavours
Another bonus of buying the Nuun Sport is the fact you get to try different flavours with the same purchase. It comes as a 4 pack, with Fresh Lime, Wild Berry, Cherry Limeade, and Mango Orange coming in each one.
Now, the general taste of the Nuun Sport isn’t meant to be as good as other enhancers. Yet it’s also got none of the nasties that usually enhance the flavour profiles of foods/drinks!
That’s a worthy sacrifice in my opinion.
My only slight gripe is that each tablet takes up to 3 minutes to fully dissolve. It’s hardly the end of the world, but it’d be less than ideal if you were desperate for a drink.
Overall, these Nuun Sport enhancers a high-quality, health-focused sports drink that’ll replenish your electrolytes and keep you hydrated on the move.
PROS
- Contains electrolytes
- No artificial flavours or sweeteners
- Keto-friendly
- Vegan
- Nothing GMO
- Multipack
- You get a caffeine kick
CONS
- Only 10 servings per tube (4 tubes included)
- Quite pricey for 40 servings
- Takes a while to dissolve
-> Click here to read more about it!
5. Concentrace Mineral Drops (Healthy Additives to Water)
KEY FEATURES
Super healthy (remineralisation)
These Concentrace mineral drops are totally different to other water enhancers on this list. Rather than being designed to flavour your water, they’re intended to re-mineralise it.
Okay, so what’s remineralization?
Basically, filtering your water’s great for removing any nasty toxins or contaminants. But the process doesn’t discriminate- it also eradicates many all-important minerals that’d otherwise be inside. Among others, magnesium, chloride, sodium, and potassium are all stripped from the water.
Remineralisation is the act of putting them back in! Your mind and body feel better as a result.
These mineral drops might not give you the flavour and caffeine kick of other enhancers, but they provide an incomparable boost to your health when you’re on the move. You stand to feel more balanced, revitalised, and replenished if you use add them to your water.
Furthermore, there’s nothing stopping you adding them to flavoured beverages. That way, you could get the best of both worlds: an influx of vital trace minerals with a splash of flavour to boot.
They’re suitable for everybody
Concentrace mineral drops are non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, low-sodium, and contain no sugar or caffeine. The only ingredient is literally ‘concentrated seawater from Utah’s Inland sea, USA’.
Anybody and everybody should be able to put them in their water and feel the positive effects! There’s nothing to spike your blood-sugar levels, caffeine to elevate your heart rate, or chemicals to affect your insides. It’s just pure mineral-infused goodness.
You can even give the Concentrace drops to your pets!
That’s right, we’re not the only ones who suffer from a shortage of minerals these days. Pop these mineral drops in your pets’ food or drink and they’ll feel the benefits as well.
Cost-effective
Another thing that I like about the Concentrace water enhancer is that it’d last a long time too.
The drops aren’t cheap to buy upfront, but you get about 96 servings per container (where each serving is roughly half a teaspoon). To put it another way, one container can re-mineralise up to 192 gallons of water.
In other words, they offer good bang for your buck! Your immune system, cell function, and energy-levels all stand to gain for a negligible per serving cost.
PROS
- Contains 70 different trace minerals
- Can be added to foods as well
- Can be given to pets!
- One bottle can re-mineralise 192 gallons of water
- Great for your health
CONS
- Concentrated flavour might not be to everybody’s taste
-> Click here to read more about it!
6. Stur Water Enhancer (healthiest water enhancers)
KEY FEATURES
Natural water enhancers; healthy
The Stur all natural water enhancer looks like another top option for health-conscious people who want to give their water a burst of flavour.
A family-run business, the Stur enhancer was first created by a guy who wanted to help his pregnant wife drink more water. It’s slogan? ‘Made by a father for his family to love water naturally’.
It looks like he succeeded in his mission too!
There’s no sugar, no artificial ingredients, and 100% of your recommended daily vitamin C intake per serving. The flavours are taken from real fruit, and there’s no unnatural colours, sweeteners, or preservatives to worry about either. It’s also vegan and kosher-friendly.
All told, you’re looking at one of the healthiest water flavouring options on this list.
Lots of tasty flavours to choose from
I like that there’s so much variety in terms of flavour as well.
You’ve got ten to choose between, including strawberry, fruit punch, lemonade, peach, orange mango and pomegranate cranberry.
And, with over 3,000 five-star reviews, you know they’re all going to taste amazing.
The only issue I can see is that you have no other choice but to buy a 5-pack of the same flavour each time. That’s bad news if you try the Stur enhancer for the first time and don’t like the flavour you went for.
Satisfaction guarantee
There’s no need to worry though.
If you dislike the flavour (or have any other issue), the satisfaction guarantee that comes with the Stur water enhancer means you can get a 100% refund at any time.
That makes it a risk-free purchase!
However, I can’t imagine many people needing to take advantage of that fact anyway. With natural ingredients, delicious flavours, well over 100 servings per 5 pack, and thousands of 5-star reviews, the Stur enhancer looks like the perfect way to flavour your water and stay hydrated on the go.
PROS
- Natural ingredients
- Great taste; lots of flavours to choose from
- Zero-calories
- Zero-sugar
- 100% daily vitamin C per serving
- Risk-free purchase
- Pack of 5
CONS
- No caffeine kick
- 5 pack of the same flavour- might want different options
-> Click here to read more about it!
7. True Lemon Bulk Sachets (All Natural Water Enhancer)
KEY FEATURES
Natural & healthy enhancer
As a fan of all things lemony, these True Lemon water enhancing sachets look amazing!
Simple, healthy, and all kinds of tasty, they’d be the perfect addition to anybody’s backpack or camp kitchen (or home kitchen, for that matter).
That simplicity is worth re-emphasizing. These sachets have 3 natural ingredients: citric acid, lemon oil, and lemon juice. That’s it! There’s nothing complicated, chemical, or otherwise artificial.
It’s non-GMO, zero-sugar, zero-calorie, and there are no artificial sweeteners, flavours, or colours.
However, there aren’t any added vitamins or minerals, and no caffeine either.
It’s literally just crystallized lemon!
Convenient & versatile
I really like how versatile the True Lemon enhancers are too. The central premise is that you have a wedge of lemon in powdered form.
You can add it to anything and everything that you’d like to give a lemony kick!
Unlike other flavoured enhancers on this list, the lemon flavour would be just as delicious in your water as it would in your tea, or even some meals. To put it another way, you get a general flavouring as opposed to just a water enhancer.
A bulk pack, you get 100 sachets to enjoy as well. That adds up to good bang for your buck.
Even better, the 2-year shelf-life means they won’t go out of date before you get chance to use them (that seems pretty impressive given that there are no added preservatives).
Hugely popular purchase
Another noteworthy feature of these True Lemon sachets is just how popular they are.
The online listing has almost 9,000 customer reviews, and 85% of them (around 7,500 all up) gave the product a five-star rating! This is clearly a high-quality enhancer that doesn’t disappoint.
You can buy in confidence and look forward to a delicious, refreshing, and healthy way to enhance your water.
PROS
- 100% natural
- Non-GMO
- Just 3 natural ingredients
- Can be used in cooking as well
- Wildly popular
- Zero calories per serving
- Zero sugar per serving
- 100 sachets (equals 100 servings) per packet
- 2-year shelf-life
CONS
- Not ideal if you don’t like the taste of lemons!
- No caffeine kick
-> Click here to read more about it!
8. Zippfizz Energy Mix
KEY FEATURES
Full of vitamins and minerals
The Zippfizz energy mix is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support your health on the go.
For instance, the high quantity of vitamin C is good for your immune system and the B12 is great for alertness and focus (and is a crucial supplement if you’re a vegan). All told, consuming two servings of the Zippfizz enhancer equates to an entire multi-vitamin.
The combination of potassium, magnesium, and sodium should support levels of hydration as well.
However, it definitely doesn’t have the same ‘natural’ status of other enhancers on this list!
There’s a huge number of ingredients, many of which are impossible to pronounce. That’s sure to be turn-off for anyone who doesn’t like consuming artificial ingredients.
Full of caffeine
A major selling point to the Zippfizz is the energy kick each serving delivers. With 100mg of caffeine, it has more caffeine than a cup of coffee (as well as popular energy drinks like Red Bull).
This may help explain why 88% of the 1,221 reviews are rated five-star!
You can say goodbye to sluggishness. Pop one of these bad boys and you’ll be raring to go. That’s a big deal when you’re outdoors, on the trail, and in need of a pick me up.
Likewise, with no sugar, there should be less of a ‘crash’ when it eventually wears off.
Easy to use
Another bonus of the Zippfix energy mix is how easy it is to use on the move.
With one serving per tube, all you do is pop the cap, pour it into 16 to 20 fl. oz. of water (or any other non-carbonated drink), and give it a shake.
The one downside I can see to this comes down to transporting these tubes around.
Anyone that wants to take the full 20 servings wherever they’re going would have to carry 20 tubes around with them! That’s unideal when you’ve got limited space and/or don’t enjoy throwing plastic tubes in the trash.
PROS
- Tonnes of caffeine (more than a cup of coffee)
- Contains lots of vitamin C and B12
- 2 tubes per day equal a complete multi-vitamin
- Zero-sugar
- Contains minerals including potassium and magnesium
- Hugely popular
CONS
- One tube per serving means carrying a lot on the move (if you want to take more than one serving with you)
- Limited to 3 servings per day for health reasons
- Can’t mix with carbonated beverages because it gets too fizzy!
-> Click here to read more about it!
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How to Choose the Best Water Flavourings & Enhancers
With the reviews down, let’s turn to the various factors to consider when choosing the best water flavorings for your needs.
Keeping the following things in mind should help you choose the best water enhancer possible.
1. Flavour
First and foremost, you want to find a water enhancer that tastes delicious!
I mean, it’s called an enhancer, right? It’s meant to make your water taste better so you’ll feel compelled to drink more and stay hydrated. Putting something bad-tasting in your bottle is the last thing you want.
Having said that, some options out there are all about the vitamin/mineral content.
They have no flavour whatsoever and are designed purely for their health benefits. These are a great option for health-conscious people who don’t need any encouragement to drink more water on the move!
2. Contents
Flavour isn’t everything though.
The best water enhancers combine their amazing taste with ingredients/contents that align with your personal requirements.
For example, someone who wants a kick of energy would want an enhancer with added caffeine. Someone who’s all about staying hydrated would look for electrolytes. And anyone who’s concerned about their wellbeing might want vitamins and minerals in there.
By contrast, someone who just wants to make their water taste better wouldn’t need anything other than high-quality flavourings.
Have a think about why you want an enhancer and pick an enhancer that aligns with your requirements!
3. Healthiness
There’s a bunch to consider for the health-conscious among us too.
Basically, not all enhancers are made equal when it comes to wellbeing. Everything from artificial contents (such as sweeteners, flavourings, and colourings) and chemical contents to significant sugar levels and caffeine content could be an issue.
In my opinion, it might be worth sacrificing a bit of sweetness/flavour in favour of a healthier, all-natural enhancer that’s packed with vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes!
Oh, and one more thing. The sugar content of some enhancers could spike your blood sugar levels, which could be a cause of concern for anybody with diabetes.
4. Type
There are a few different types of enhancer available for purchase too.
From liquids you squeeze into your water to powders and drops that dissolve in it, make sure you pick one that suits your needs.
As a general rule, you want something that won’t take long to mix up/in, that’d be easy to transport, and that wouldn’t go off or become unusable on the move.
5. Quantity
Pay attention to how many servings come with each enhancer too. After all, quantity equates to cost-effectiveness. The more servings in each packet, the better bang for your buck.
Likewise, you’d want enough servings to keep you going whenever you’re out and about.
Run out of enhancer along the way and you’d be stuck with plain old water! That’s far from ideal if you hate the taste and need to stay hydrated.
Choose the Best Water Flavouring Possible
Whether you love water or hate it, there’s no denying that it’s nice to drink something with flavour every once in a while!
That’s where water enhancers come in handy.
Depending on the product, these delicious additions create a new taste sensation and often provide a helpful boost of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and caffeine at the same time. That’s good news for hikers, campers, travellers (and home owners!), who need to stay hydrated, healthy, and energized throughout the day.
With so many options out there, though, the tricky part is finding the best water flavourings for your needs.
That’s why I put this buying guide together. I hope the 8 awesome water enhancers in this post have provided a good starting point for your search!
Still searching for the best flavoured water enhancers? Click here to see some more top options.