What Are The Healthiest Energy Drinks?

Top 5 Healthiest Energy Drinks Of 2024

Discover the top 5 healthiest energy drinks on the market today, to boost your mental and physical performance without side effects.

In this guide:

What makes a healthy energy drink?

Energy drink brands are all claiming to be “healthy”. In that context, it can be difficult to know how to trust. The question is: what makes an energy drink “healthy” exactly?

Here are the top things to have in mind when buying a healthy energy drink, according to nutritionists.

Does what it’s supposed to do: gives you energy

They’re called “energy drinks” for a reason: they’re supposed to give you energy! A healthy drink should boost your energy levels for several hours, enabling you to perform at your peak – both mentally and physically.

That said, there are several kinds of energy:

The quick boost of energy, followed by a sudden crash (usually 3-4 hours after consuming the drink)
The strong, sustained boost of energy, which keeps you energized for hours, before declining slowly instead of crashing fast

Ideally, you should look for energy drinks that are fast-acting (you feel the boost within 20 minutes) and that gives you a sustained boost of energy for a long time, without crashes.

What kinds of drinks can give you this strong, sustained boost of energy? Typically, drinks that contain a moderate amount of caffeine (under 80 mg) along with other stimulants like ginseng, green tea, or ginger. Drinks should also be low on sugar (less than 10 grams), to avoid sudden crashes.

Makes you feel good in your body

It’s one thing to give you energy, but if you feel like trash 30 minutes after sipping a Red Bull, you may as well not drink anything!

Many consumers report feeling bad after taking energy drinks, like something is not “right” within their body.

Typically, these bad, unpleasant sensations are due to an excessive dose of caffeine, too much sugar, or unhealthy chemicals contained in these drinks such as aspartame, ace-K, or artificial colors like Yellow No.5.

If you want to feel good and healthy (on top of having a clear boost of energy), you need to choose energy drinks that are low on sugar, without aspartame or acesulfame-K, and which contain ingredients that benefit your body instead of harming it.

Examples of natural ingredients that can make you feel naturally good include: amino acids, saffron, ginger, among others.

Ingredients that make you feel bad:

Ingredients that make you feel good (examples):

Doesn’t destroy your health

Fact: one can of monster contains 63 grams of added sugar, or 16 teaspoons of sugar

According to the World Health Organization, that’s 152% higher than the daily recommended amount, in one single drink.

ONE CAN OF ROCKSTAR = 16 TABLESPOONS OF SUGAR

High consumption of sugar can have serious health consequences. It has been shown to increase your risk of cardiovascular problems, diabetes, dementia, cholesterol, high blood pressure, and several types of cancer.

But sugar is not the only problem here. There is one thing that is just as bad for your health as sugar, if not worse: Acesulfame-K and aspartame.

These sweeteners are highly-processed chemicals that make the drink sweeter to your palate. But numerous clinical studies have found that Ace-K and aspartame can cause long-term health damage.

How Ace-K And Aspartame Are Killing You

Aspartame

Synthetic chemical obtained from genetically modified bacteria
May cause headaches, anxiety, insomnia
May increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain types of cancer
May increase appetite and promote weight gain
In the list of substances to avoid, according to weight loss recommendations from the World Health Organization

Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)

Chemical compound 200 times sweeter than table sugar
May increase risk of obesity and gut chronic inflammation
May worse diabetes
May improve the risk of cognitive dysfunction, due to altering neuro-metabolic activity

8 out of 10 most popular energy drinks on the market contain acesulfame-K and aspartame. In other words, when buying an energy drink, you have an 80% risk of suffering from the damaging long-term effects of these chemicals.

However, we recommend also being careful about drinks that claims to be "free of artificial sweeteners". As we'll explain later in the article, they usually contain chemically modified stevia and erythritol, two sweeteners which have dangerous long-term effects on gut health and can cause heart problems. Despite some bad press, recent studies have shown that sucralose is a safer artificial sweetener that can provide a clean sugar-free sugar addition to energy drinks without any long-term heart health problems.

Tastes good

Last but not least, a good energy drink has to taste great! No one wants to drink something that tastes like “sparkling chemicals”…

To refresh your palate and satisfy your buds, nutritionists recommend looking for drinks that are made with fresh juice, that use safe sweeteners like sucralose, and that use high-quality ingredients free of additives and preservatives.

We’ll share a selection of energy drinks that respect all the criteria above (strong energy boost, makes you feel good, healthy, and great-tasting) in a minute.

Have you ever wondered why you sometimes feel even more tired after drinking a can of Red Bull or Monster?

How come that after taking an energy drink, you end up with LESS energy than before after a few hours?

Many people feel the exact same way. They get their quick boost of energy by sipping a can, and then, the crash comes… and they end up even more exhausted!

Why is it the case?

Simple: when you take a high-sugar energy drink, your blood sugar levels spike immediately, but the boost in energy only lasts for about 30 to 60 minutes (can be longer for some people).

After this, your blood sugar, and energy levels, will crash - leaving you feeling more drowsy and exhausted than before.

The Science Of Energy Crashes: How Sugar Is Destroying Your Energy

But that’s not even the worst part… According to nutritionists, most energy drinks are actually decreasing your baseline energy levels over time.

In other words, the more energy drinks you consume, the more tired you will feel in general. This is due to the damaging effect of sugar on brain neurochemistry.

Here’s why:

Sugar kills your “orexin” hormone, draining your energy day after day

Orexin is a brain neurotransmitter that is responsible for making you feel “awake”, energized, and “peppy”. When you have high levels of orexin, you feel ready to tackle challenges: to get better grades, to work out more, to make more money – to get more out of life in general.

But when your orexin levels are low, you feel fatigue, exhaustion, low motivation, and, if low enough, narcolepsy…

Studies show that large amounts of sugar in the bloodstream are enough to cause a drastic decrease in orexin hormone. The more sugar you take, the less orexin you have, and the more drained of energy you feel.

That’s why it’s important to favor energy drinks that contain low amounts of sugar – so that you can keep high energy levels.

3 Myths About Energy Drinks

Myth #1: Energy drinks are harmless

Not true. Many energy drinks, including the most popular brands, can cause serious long-term health damages. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than 20,000 emergency room visits in the United States in 2011 involved energy drinks (according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). An increase of 106% compared to 2007.

There were also 5,126 poisonings related to energy drinks reported to U.S. poison control centers between 2010 and 2013. More than 40% of these cases were children.

Only a few energy drinks can be considered relatively healthy, or at least not as unhealthy as mainstream drinks. So it’s important to be very careful when choosing a product that we intend to drink frequently.

Myth #2: All energy drinks are unhealthy

Also untrue! While it’s true that many energy drinks are truly bad for you, it doesn’t mean that all of them are unhealthy. There are a few drinks that can be considered relatively healthy – or at least not as unhealthy as mainstream brands – which can be consumed safely.

Typically, these “healthier” energy drinks are low on sugar, contain reasonable amounts of natural caffeine, use quality natural ingredients, and are free of aspartame, acesulfame-K, modified stevia and erythritol.

Myth #3: The more caffeine you take, the more energy you get

This is another big misconception! Some people think that if you take a drink with 300 milligrams of caffeine, you’ll get more energy than a drink with 50 milligrams of caffeine. In truth, the boost of energy that you’d get from both of these drinks may be exactly the same!

Why? Because our metabolism has a limited capacity to absorb and make use of caffeine, as shown by several studies. In fact, anything above 50 mg is enough to give you a very strong energy boost, and you probably won’t see any difference between 50 mg or 300 mg

For an optimal boost, doctors recommend to consume between 60 mg and 100 mg of caffeine. Anything above that is counterproductive and is likely to create unpleasant jitters and energy crashes.

To achieve an optimal energy zone, you generally need to consume between 60 mg and 100 mg of caffeine. Plus, your overall ability to concentrate and perform is more ideal when you can remain in this sweet spot over a steady period of time. To put that into perspective, one cup of coffee generally contains about 100 mg of caffeine, a shot of espresso is 85 mg of caffeine, and a cup of green tea is 40 mg of caffeine.

Marvin Singh, M.D
Integrative Gastroenterologist in San Diego, California, and Member of the Board and Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Medicine

3 Facts About Healthy Energy Drinks

Fact #1 A moderate dose of caffeine can be more effective than a high dose to boost your energy

As explained earlier, taking 60 mg of caffeine can be more effective than taking 300 mg of caffeine to boost your energy - without causing unpleasant side effects. That means that you don’t need to look for drinks containing high doses of caffeine to feel a boost. Anything with more than 50 mg will give you all the energy you need without the crashes - especially if the drink contains other stimulants like ginseng, green tea, or ginger.

Fact #2 Energy drinks "without artificial sweeteners" are not healthier for you

By now, you should know about the devastating effects of sugar on your health. But what about drinks that claim to contain "zero artificial sweeteners"? Since they don’t contain any artificial sweeteners, they must be better for you right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. They usually contain steviol glycosides, a chemically modified form of stevia which is just as bad if not worse than conventional artificial sweeteners. It can cause blood sugar disruption and negatively affect blood circulation. Erythritol is also commonly used in these products, an extremely dangerous sweetener which has been linked to heart problems.

A recent peer-reviewed clinical study from 2023 reviewed 9 sweeteners commonly used in energy drinks. They concluded the safest one was sucralose - it did not present any major side effects compared to aspartame, acesulfame-K, modified stevia and erythritol. As a rule of thumb, nutritionists recommend choosing energy drinks that contain a low amount of sugar from natural sources (fruit juice for example) or safer sweeteners like sucralose.

Fact #3 Some energy drinks may give you some health benefits

It may sound hard to believe, but there are a few energy drinks that can actually give you some health benefits! Since these “healthy” energy drinks are relatively new to the market, you may have not heard of them before. But they do exist.

For example, energy drinks that contain Korean Ginseng may increase the number of “T-Cells” we have in our body - a key type of cells that is responsible for keeping our immune system healthy.

Another ingredient that is present in a few energy drinks and actually good for your health, is folic acid. According to a large clinical review involving over 80,000 participants, folic acid can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 4% and decrease the risk of stroke by 10% By looking for energy drinks with healthy ingredients, you can not only get a strong energy boost to power you through the full day, but also improve your health over time.

What to look for in a healthy energy drink:

Orexin is a brain neurotransmitter that is responsible for making you feel “awake”, energized, and “peppy”. When you have high levels of orexin, you feel ready to tackle challenges: to get better grades, to work out more, to make more money – to get more out of life in general.

To help you choose an energy drink that is genuinely good for you (both effective and healthy), we prepared a list of key “green flags” – following the latest recommendations from leading nutritionists.

Must be low on sugar.
Natural sugar from real fruits is healthier than added sugar. Note that a drink with 5 grams of sugar is better than a sugar-free drink full of aspartame or modified stevia.

No aspartame, ace-K, modified stevia and erythritol
These 4 sweeteners can damage gut health and cause long-term health issues. Nearly all low-sugar energy drinks use sweeteners to make the drink taste good. One of the safer sweeteners is sucralose: a sweetener clinically proven to be safer than others.

Look for pure, natural ingredients.
Just like whole foods are much healthier than processed foods, pure ingredients (ingredients that are close to their natural state) are better for your body. Look for high-purity plant extracts, organic coffee beans, and high-quality water from a pure source (water being one of the most important ingredients, as c.90% of the drink is water).

Rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
Vitamins can not only improve your energy levels, but also boost your metabolism and immune system.

Provides a sustained energy boost, without crashes.
The best energy drinks can give you a strong boost of energy for several hours, without causing jitters or crashes. This can be achieved with moderate amounts of natural caffeine and other plant-based energy boosters such as panax ginseng or ginger root extract.

Moderate to low amounts of caffeine.
Too much caffeine can create jitters and abrupt energy crashes. Anything between 50 and 100 grams is more than enough to give you a perceptible boost of energy, without causing unpleasant crashes. Ideally, the caffeine should come from natural sources (e.g., green coffee beans, black tea leaves)

Low in calories.
To deliver any potential weight loss benefits, drinks should be low on calories. Anything below 20 calories per can is reasonable.

What to avoid:

High in calories

High in sugar

Excessive caffeine dose (over 200 mg)

Contains acesulfame-K, aspartame, modified stevia or erythritol

Presenting The Energy Drinks Excellence Award

The Energy Drinks Excellence Award is a prestigious prize awarded to some of the best and finest energy drink formulas on the market. The Award aims to identify and rank the world’s best energy drinks, according to specific industry criteria that include: taste, ingredients quality, strength and duration of energy boost, health score, and value for money.

The Energy Drinks Excellence Award is presided by an international Judging Panel, an independent committee composed of world-class nutritionists, doctors, chemists and fitness experts, who are all joining forces to blind-test, evaluate, and rank hundreds of product entries in the energy drink space.

The Award is organized twice a year, to ensure that new product entries are considered and potentially integrated into the beverage ranking, based upon the evaluation of our Judging Panel.

2024 PLATINUM

2024 GOLD

2024 SILVER

2024 BRONZE

NUTRITIONISTS

The Energy Drinks Excellence Awards Judging Panel

CHEMISTS

DOCTORS

28 world-class nutritionists, doctors, chemists, and fitness experts from prestigious institutions

FITNESS EXPERTS

authority of the panel

The Energy Drinks Excellence Awards In a Nutshell:

Selecting the world’s best energy drinks among hundreds of product entries

Independent review made by an international Judging Panel composed of 28 world-class nutritionists, doctors, chemists, and fitness experts

Criteria of evaluation: taste, ingredients quality, strength and duration of energy boost, health score, and value for money

All beverages are blind-tested by our panel experts to ensure unbiased evaluation

Organized on a bi-annual basis to ensure that our ranking stays up to date

The Top 5 Healthiest Energy Drinks On The Market Today,
According To Doctors & Nutritionists

To help you choose an energy drink that will give you a strong energy boost without the crash, we’ve compiled a list of the 5 healthiest energy drinks on the market based on the hundreds of product entries reviewed for the Energy Drinks Excellence Award.

#1 Alpine Bliss Cognitive Energy Booster

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Final Grade
9.5 /10

Energy Boost

9.5/10

Taste

9.7/10

Value for Money

9.0/10

Ingredient Quality

9.5/10

Scientific Evidence

9.2/10

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THE BOTTOM LINE

The Alpine Bliss Cognitive Energy Booster is a powerful energy drink from the Swiss brand Alpine Bliss that combines pure alpine water sourced from the European Alps with natural dopamine-boosting ingredients. The drink contains saffron extract, an ingredient with benefits similar to L-Theanine for eliminating the typical energy crashes associated with energy drinks. Saffron extract has been shown to be even more effective than L-Theanine at preventing crashes and jitters from caffeine.

It’s the first energy drink that uses the clinically proven form and dose of each active ingredient in its formula which are all transparently disclosed. It contains a proprietary blend of high-quality plant-based ingredients called DopaBliss™. The blend supports mental and physical performance, with 400mg of N-Acetyl-L-tyrosine, 700mg of L-Phenylalanine, 400mg of panax ginseng with at least 4% Ginsenosides, 30mg of saffron extract with 2% Safranal, 750mg of ginger root extract with a 10:1 Gingerol concentration and 70mg of natural caffeine. This natural blend is also designed to boost dopamine levels – the “happy hormone” responsible for making us feel motivated, focused and happy. 3 clinical studies have shown that their DopaBliss™ blend is more effective than caffeine alone at improving cognitive function, reaction time, power out, processing time and reducing the error rate on demanding tasks.

With the Cognitive Energy Booster, most users report experiencing a strong motivation, focus and energy boost without the typical crash, anxiety and jitters associated with mainstream energy drinks. The formula has been clinically proven to lead to a longer attention span and better performance on most measures of reaction time, reasoning and cognitive ability. Most consumers also report that unlike some energy drinks, it doesn’t negatively impact their sleep quality. Our tests show it does not negatively impact either blood sugar levels or blood pressure.

From a nutrition standpoint, the drink is also scoring very well. The formula contains just 25 calories per can, and only 5 grams of natural sugar from wild berries. It doesn’t contain the harmful artificial sweeteners like aspartame, acesulfame-K, modified stevia or erythritol. It’s sweetened with fruit juice and sucralose, a safer sweetener . The drink also contains significantly more vitamin B6 and B12 than regular energy drinks.

Beyond its functional health benefits, the Alpine Bliss formula also performs well on taste, according to consumers. Users praise its fruity wild berries flavor and refreshing fine bubbles. It strikes a delicate balance of sweetness and freshness, and delivers an enjoyable drinking experience.
On the minus side, we note that the drink is frequently out of stock, because it’s produced in limited batches as of now. It’s also exclusively available online at the moment.

Taking all of this into consideration puts Alpine Bliss Cognitive Energy booster in our #1 spot.

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#2 Zevia Energy Drink

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Final Grade
8.8 /10

Energy Boost

8.5/10

Taste

9.0/10

Value for Money

9.0/10

Ingredient Quality

8.5/10

Scientific Evidence

9.0/10

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THE BOTTOM LINE

Zevia Zero Calorie Energy Drink, with flavours including Raspberry Lime and Pineapple Coconut, is a good option for people looking for a healthier energy boost.

The drink contains no sugar, no carbs, no sodium, no fat, and it is suitable for a variety of diets including vegan, kosher, Paleo, and Keto. Sweetened with stevia leaf extract, this makes it an appropriate option for those who are on a diet but who still want to drink energy beverages for the energy kick they provide.

The primary source of energy is 120 milligrammes of caffeine per can, which comes from green tea leaves.

While this provides a large energy boost, moderation is essential due to the potential negative consequences of excessive caffeine consumption. We note that this dose of caffeine is slightly more than what is needed to provide a sustainable energy boost without side effects.

Such doses of caffeine may cause jitters and crashes for certain people who are sensitive to caffeine.

While most users appear to be satisfied with this drink, the taste of Zevia is not for everyone. The drink obtained mixed reviews on its taste, with some consumers finding it overly sweet and a bit too chemical in taste.

It does remain a strong option in the field of healthier, better-for-you energy drinks.

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#3 Celsius Stevia

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Final Grade
8.5 /10

Energy Boost

8.2/10

Taste

8.5/10

Value for Money

8.8/10

Ingredient Quality

8.6/10

Scientific Evidence

8.4/10

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THE BOTTOM LINE

Celsius Stevia is an energy drink that aims to provide a powerful boost of energy while offering several nutritional benefits.

One of the key features of Celsius is its low-calorie content. This makes it an attractive option for those watching their calorie intake while still seeking an energy boost.

The energy-enhancing effects of Celsius can be attributed to its high dose of caffeine and guarana seed. These ingredients provide a potent and immediate surge of energy. Another positive aspect of Celsius is its inclusion of green tea extracts, which are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are known for their health benefits, supporting overall well-being.

One of the advantages of Celsius is its wide range of tastes and flavors. This allows consumers to choose the option that best suits their preferences and keeps things interesting.

However, there are a couple of considerations to keep in mind. The caffeine dose in Celsius Stevia is relatively high at 200 mg. For individuals sensitive to caffeine or looking to limit their intake, this may be a drawback. Such a high dose of caffeine may cause unpleasant crashes in some people, which would defeat the purpose of drinking healthier energy drinks.

Additionally, while this drink uses Stevia as a sweetener (which is safe), it also contains the artificial sweetener erythritol. While more research is needed, there are some concerns that erythritol may have negative effects on cardiovascular health. Although Celsius is a very good healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks, It’s important to be aware of this potential downside and consider your individual health needs.

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#4 Guayaki Yerba Mate

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Final Grade
8.2 /10

Energy Boost

8.5/10

Taste

7.8/10

Value for Money

8.2/10

Ingredient Quality

8.3/10

Scientific Evidence

8.1/10

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THE BOTTOM LINE

Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate provides a clean energy boost derived from naturally caffeinated yerba mate leaves. The brand has a good reputation and receives strong consumer reviews, based on Amazon reviews.

With a strong dose of 80 mg of caffeine, Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate offers a suitable level of stimulation for an energizing effect, and it’s not excessively high, mitigating the risk of energy crash. It can help you stay alert and focused when needed.

For those conscious of their calorie intake, Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate is low in calories, making it a good choice for individuals seeking an energy boost without excessive caloric content.

Although Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate contains 5 mg of sodium, which may not be ideal for some individuals, it is generally considered acceptable for most consumers.

However, it’s important to note that some studies suggest that yerba mate leaves may contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known carcinogens. Further research is needed to fully understand the potential risks associated with PAHs in yerba mate consumption. Overall, the benefits appear to overpower the drawbacks.

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#5 Zoa Zero Sugar Energy Drink

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Final Grade
7.7 /10

Energy Boost

7.9/10

Taste

7.7/10

Value for Money

7.5/10

Ingredient Quality

7.8/10

Scientific Evidence

7.6/10

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THE BOTTOM LINE

Zoa Zero Sugar Energy Drink provides a strong and energizing boost supported by a potent dose of natural caffeine. The high caffeine content delivers a noticeable surge of energy, which may help you stay alert and focused.

Thanks to the inclusion of vitamin B, Zoa Energy Drink may also enhance mental energy and focus, giving you an extra edge when you need it. Additionally, the presence of vitamin C in the drink may contribute to boosting immunity, supporting overall health and well-being.

Zoa Zero Sugar Energy Drink is also a zero added sugar formula. This makes it a healthier choice for those looking to limit their sugar intake while still enjoying an energy-boosting beverage (although it does contain some sweeteners which may be less healthy).

Users have reported that Zoa Energy Drink has a great taste, making it enjoyable to consume.

However, it’s important to note that Zoa Zero Sugar Energy Drink contains a relatively high amount of sodium, with 200 mg per can. This sodium content may be considered unjustified, as excessive sodium intake can have negative effects on health. It’s advisable to be mindful of your overall sodium intake and consider alternative options if you have specific dietary restrictions.

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