How to Make Homemade Energy Gels
Stir 1/2 cup honey, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1 tablespoon water. Split the mix into 6 tubes. Each homemade energy gel is about 30 g of carbohydrate and 110 calories. Prep takes 10 minutes, with no cook time.
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Key Takeaways
- Five ingredients, no cook, 10 minutes, 6 gels of about 2 tablespoons each.
- Each gel lists about 30 g of carbohydrate and 110 calories, the low end of the ISSN 2017 range of about 30 to 60 g per hour for extended high-intensity work [1].
- USDA FoodData Central lists about 17 g of carbohydrate and 64 calories in one tablespoon of honey [2].
- About 190 mg of sodium per gel comes from 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt in the whole batch. It supports the drink you take with the gel.
- Take the tube on the sand with water. Store packets, with caffeine and price, are in the best energy gels guide.
How do you make homemade energy gels?
You stir the honey, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt, and water until the salt disappears, then you portion six squeeze servings. Honey is a concentrated glucose and fructose mix that does not need cooking. One tablespoon is about 17 g of carbohydrate [2]. Maple syrup adds volume and keeps the batch from tasting like honey alone. Lemon cuts the sweetness. The steps are below.
DIY energy gel steps
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon water, plus more if needed to thin
Instructions
- Add the honey, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt, and water to a small bowl or jar.
- Stir until the salt dissolves and the mix looks even. Warm the bowl in a larger bowl of hot tap water for 1 to 2 minutes if the honey is too stiff to stir.
- Taste a drop. It should be sweet, a little salty, and thin enough to squeeze. Add another teaspoon of water if it is paste-thick.
- Divide into 6 refillable gel tubes, mini squeeze bottles, or small leakproof jars, about 2 tablespoons each.
- Cap tightly. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or take one tube in a cooler bag for the session.
- On a surf day, take one gel on the sand with water. Leave the tube out of the impact zone.
Maple syrup energy gel
Use 1/2 cup maple syrup in place of the 1/2 cup honey. Keep the 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1 tablespoon water. Divide into 6 gels. The 30 g and 110 calorie figures on this page are for the honey-forward batch. The maple-swap total is not published.
More salt
Add 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt to the batch, for 3/4 teaspoon total, then divide into 6 gels. A new sodium figure for that boost is not published. The listed gel stays at about 190 mg from the original 1/2 teaspoon.
What are the ingredients and calories?
Each serving lists about 110 calories, 30 g of carbohydrate, 0 g protein, 0 g fat, and 0 g fiber. Sodium is about 190 mg. The ingredients are honey, maple syrup, lemon juice, fine sea salt, and water. The ingredient list has no caffeine.
USDA FoodData Central lists about 17 g of carbohydrate and 64 calories in one tablespoon of honey [2]. Maple syrup is in FoodData Central as well [3]. This page does not publish a separate tablespoon figure for maple syrup. On the ingredient table below, the honey share of one gel is 23 g of carbohydrate and 85 calories, and the maple share is 7 g of carbohydrate and 25 calories. Those rows are the typical-value estimates published with this recipe. Lemon juice, salt, and water are the seasoning row.
Nutrition per gel
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 110 kcal |
| Protein | 0g |
| Carbohydrates | 30g |
| Fat | 0g |
| Fiber | 0g |
| Sodium | 190mg |
Ingredients to macros
| Ingredient | Amount | Pro g | Carb g | Fat g | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honey | share of 1/2 cup | 0 | 23 | 0 | 85 |
| Maple syrup | share of 3 tbsp | 0 | 7 | 0 | 25 |
| Lemon juice, salt, water | seasoning | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Typical-value estimate | 0 | 30 | 0 | 110 | |
| Listed on this recipe | 0 | 30 | 0 | 110 | |
How do you use a gel while surfing?
Take one tube on the sand with water, then paddle back out. The impact zone is a poor place to uncap a sticky tube. The cap goes in the wash, and the gel picks up sand. A session under an hour still depends more on the meal before you paddle, which the pre-surf nutrition guide covers.
Make the batch the night before dawn patrol. Put one tube in the cooler bag next to a bottle of water so the first food of the morning is already portioned. Pair it with something you can chew if you have time on the beach. The pre-surf snacks list covers that.
On a long paddle, one gel is about 30 g of carbohydrate. The ISSN 2017 nutrient timing stand puts extended high-intensity work near 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour, especially past about 70 minutes [1]. One gel covers the low end of that hour. A second gel is another serving of the same mix.
Between two sessions, the gel covers time you are still in the water. When you walk up for good, eat a recovery plate from the recovery nutrition guide. The gel is not that plate. It has 0 g of protein.
Each gel lists about 190 mg of sodium. That supports the drink. It does not replace what to drink while surfing. If you want a sealed packet with a published caffeine figure or a list price, use the best running gels comparison.
How do homemade gels compare with store running gels?
This recipe lists about 30 g of carbohydrate and about 190 mg of sodium per gel, and the ingredient list has no caffeine. A kitchen price per gel is not published here. The best energy gels guide lines up eight store packets on carbs, sodium, caffeine, and price per gel. Those list prices run from $2.00 to $7.20, checked October 2026.
Use the kitchen batch when you want six portions from honey and maple syrup. Use a store packet when you want a sealed gel, a caffeine flavor, or a brand sodium figure you can read on the packet. If you want something to chew instead of squeeze, use the trail mix energy bites.
How long do homemade energy gels keep?
Cap each tube and refrigerate the batch for up to 2 weeks. A sealed commercial shelf life is not published for this mix. The recipe has no preservatives. Leave the batch at home if the car will sit in the sun, and carry one tube in a cooler bag. If a cap was left open, portion a new tube from a fresh stir.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make homemade energy gels?
Stir 1/2 cup honey, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1 tablespoon water until the salt dissolves. Thin with another teaspoon of water if the mix is paste-thick. Split into 6 tubes, about 2 tablespoons each. There is no cook time. Cap the tubes and refrigerate them.
Are homemade energy gels good running gels?
This batch works as a running gel when you want about 30 g of carbohydrate in a tube. That 30 g is the low end of the ISSN range of about 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour for extended high-intensity work. Take one with water on a normal run before a race. The mix makes 6 gels.
How long do homemade energy gels last?
Cap the tubes and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. This recipe has no preservatives, and a longer shelf life is not published here. Take one tube in a cooler bag for the session. Make a fresh batch if the mix smells off or a cap was left open.
Can you use honey as an energy gel?
Yes. USDA FoodData Central lists about 17 g of carbohydrate and 64 calories in one tablespoon of honey, so a honey-forward mix reaches a gel-size target without cooking. This recipe uses 1/2 cup honey plus 3 tablespoons maple syrup, split into 6 gels of about 30 g of carbohydrate and 110 calories.
What is a maple syrup energy gel?
Use 1/2 cup maple syrup in place of the 1/2 cup honey. Keep the 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1 tablespoon water, then divide into 6 gels. The 30 g and 110 calorie figures on this page are for the honey-forward batch. The maple-swap total is not published.
Do homemade gels replace a sports drink?
No. Each gel lists about 190 mg of sodium from 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt in the whole batch. That sodium supports the drink you take with the gel. On a hot session or a long paddle, keep water or an electrolyte drink as well. The gel is the carbohydrate serving, not the bottle.
