8 Best Recovery Drinks for Runners – 2024 Buying Guide

First, timing is everything. Studies suggest that the golden window of opportunity to get the most out of your post-exercise recovery drink or snack is within 20 to 30 minutes after completing your workout<. The longer you wait to properly nourish yourself, the more your body’s ability to refuel and repair itself diminishes. Secondly, it is all about what is going into your recovery drink, which in turn, goes into you! You might have heard of the 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein, and were just never sure what exactly that meant.

This ratio of 4:1 (though some studies suggest 3:1 works equally as effectively) is what allows for the most efficient recovery of the muscles and body after a hard workout, and refers to the totals (in grams) of each in your recovery meal.

So, for instance, a post-workout drink that contains 40 grams of carbs and 10 grams of protein fits well into the 4:1 ratio. But why this ratio? Well, both carbohydrates and protein help restore your energy levels. Energy is stored in the form of glycogen (“glucose”) which is part of the reason why more carbohydrates are necessary.

Studies also show that protein, aside from directly growing and repairing the muscle fibers, actually assists in helping the body more efficiently absorb the energy from carbohydrate. One benefit of purchasing recovery drinks and protein powders is that they come conveniently pre-made with the proper ratio of carbs to protein – giving you the most effective post-workout recovery fuel you can have. But it is also important to not settle for a recovery drink of subpar quality. Specifically, the drinks on our list use high-quality protein and carbs.

The best, most effective type of carbohydrates in a recovery drink is simple carbs (as opposed to complex) because they can be effectively digested in the short window of time after a workout that you should drink them. Check and see which type of protein is in your recovery drink as well.

There are two types of protein that are most commonly consumed as post-workout protein supplements, and both are natural dairy byproducts, derived from milk. (It is important to note that you can also consume other types of protein from other animal or plant sources in your recovery snack or drink and still reap the benefits of muscle recovery, healing, and repair. Milk proteins just happen to be the most commonly used in recovery drinks on the market today).

Casein

The first, casein, is a slow digesting protein. Upon entering the acidic environment of the stomach, casein peptides become denatured and form a kind of gelatinous ball of casein. For that reason, many athletes choose to consume casein just before bed so that their bodies might have a slow digesting protein source to tap into to refuel and recover throughout the night while sleeping.

Whey

The second, whey protein, is more commonly consumed as a post-workout recovery supplement because it is emptied from the stomach faster and the body more readily absorbs it. Therefore, it works to recover and rebuild muscles more quickly because it has higher levels of leucine (a critical amino acid in building muscle).

Whey also tends to be cheaper than casein. You also might see recovery drinks and protein powders that are marketed as containing “whey protein isolate.” This is just a “purer” form of whey protein, in that more fats, sugars, vitamins, and minerals, and lactose is stripped out of the whey.

So what if you want to reap the fast-acting recovery benefits of whey and the slow digesting recovery benefits of casein, without having to remember to take multiple forms of protein and recovery drinks every day? Simply mix your whey protein powder with milk (in which casein is the most abundant protein) after a workout and speed up the refueling and healing process all day!

In this way, you don’t have to worry about having a blender or remembering to bring a blender bottle, dealing with the ickiness of the smell, or the hassle of cleaning it. But these pre-mixed drinks are generally more expensive.

On the other hand, recovery powders allow for more versatility for use in different recipes and can be easily added to other meals. But the texture of powders also tends to be less palatable, especially if not mixed thoroughly or correctly.

Lactose Intolerance

If you are lactose intolerant or typically have an aversion to lactose in dairy products, be wary before committing to a recovery drink. Typically, the common recovery proteins of casein and whey are derived from dairy products and may contain lactose.

However, the good news is that products containing whey protein isolate (as opposed to whey concentrate) are typically free of lactose, and safe for individuals with a lactose allergy to consume. Read the labels on your product and know what type of protein it contains. Other types of animal proteins found in meat, poultry, and plant products will be proteins like collagen and myosin.

The Right Equipment

Recovery drink protein powders don’t necessarily require a fancy blender or mixer (though they do guarantee a smoother consistency) but you will definitely need a Blender or Spider bottle to mix up your recovery drink to avoid clumps or chalkiness.

These can be purchased fairly cheaply online, at sporting goods stores, and even at some grocery stores.

Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) are specifically helpful in the recovery process, and many recovery drinks and powders are fortified with BCAAs. Having an efficient amount of amino acids in your diet (the building blocks of protein) ensures that your cells deliver these amino acids where they need to go during protein synthesis: to recovery muscle fibers to stimulate growth and repair after a workout.

BCAAs are especially helpful amino acids in protein synthesis, as long as you have at least three grams present in your recovery drink.

Aside from BCAAs, two other critical ingredients to look for in a recovery drink are antioxidants and creatine. Antioxidants block free radicals, which cause a cellular breakdown. Therefore, protecting against free radicals means protecting against muscle cell breakdown.

The fewer muscle cells that are broken down, the less damage that is done to your muscles, and so will result in a faster recovery period.

As for specifically helpful antioxidants, vitamin C is specifically beneficial in reducing inflammation and fatigue, and may even help reduce muscle pain brought on in subsequent hard workouts.

Creatine provides quick digesting energy, and thus makes sense as a pre-workout supplement. But consider your muscles right after you just had a tough run – they are tired (which is why you need a recovery drink in the first place).

But just like you need a cup of coffee in the morning to get going to perform at your best, your muscles need a source of energy in order to most effectively carry out the protein synthesis process and be able to most efficiently use the carbohydrates, protein, and BCAAs to recover and repair.

Aside from the ingredients that are good for you and that you definitely want to see listed on your label, there are some ingredients that you probably DON’T want to be added to your recovery drink.

Added sugars, while they do provide a carbohydrate source, oftentimes will just end up adding unwanted calories (that might just negate all the calories burned from your workout) and potentially have an overly sweet taste.

You might also be trying to avoid sugar substitutes like sucralose and aspartame; even though they are calorie-free, many people have a strong aversion to the taste, and some have experienced unwanted bloating, gas, and stomach cramping from sugar substitutes.

Getting creative in the kitchen can be fun, and with the right tools and ingredients, you can whip up a delicious meal, snack, or dessert with your recovery drink that can satisfy your refueling needs in a new, exciting, and delicious way!

Most of the recovery drinks on our list can be used as the base of or added into smoothies and shakes, can be incorporated into desserts to give your sweets a boost of nutrients, or spooned into your morning bowl of oatmeal or other breakfast.

A great snack hack is to make a spread out of your protein powder. Level out a scoop or two into a bowl and then slowly add milk or water until it begins to slightly thicken, but not so much that the powder gets dissolved (usually about 2 or 3 tablespoons of water to a big heaping scoop of powder).

Then spread onto your favorite bread, toast, or English muffins, or serve atop yogurt or oatmeal. And with so much protein, recovery drinks typically have “staying power” so they can be consumed themselves as snacks or small meals if you are on the go.

While price is certainly important, (hey, we know how expensive being a runner can become once you start investing in high-quality gear, attire, nutrition, and supplements) we also consider how much of the product you will get out of a one time purchase, the quality of the product, the convenience of each product (saving time adds a ton of value!) and in this case of recovery drinks, the amount of protein, carbohydrates, and other important ingredients that are contained in each.

The price range of the recovery drinks on our list range from just over $20 to nearly $60. This is the total price you will pay for one unit of the recovery drink (i.e. one container or a case of individual bottles). However, this overall cost does not tell the full story. It is important to pay attention to per serving or per unit cost as well.

Knowing the per serving cost of your recovery drinks can really help you find the one that gets you the most for your money. For instance, the cheapest container of recovery powder on our list is about $22. However, there are only 12 servings in the whole case, so you are looking at a per serving cost of $1.78.

Compare this with another brand on our list that retails for $55 per container, but has a whopping 74 servings, and comes in at under 75 cents per serving! That can mean a huge difference in cost to you in the long run, especially if you are a daily (or even twice daily) runner and want to consume a recovery drink after each workout.

And for recovery drinks, choosing ones with as close to a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein is key, and definitely adds to the overall value of the product.