Banana water vs coconut water
I sell one of these, so here's the version where I tell you the things coconut water does better.
Banana water is denser in potassium. Coconut water is far better on sodium. Raw banana carries 358 mg of potassium per 100 g against coconut water's 165 mg, so a minimally diluted banana water wins on potassium. But coconut water has roughly 105 mg of sodium per 100 ml and banana water has almost none, and sodium is the electrolyte you actually lose when you sweat.
Pick coconut water for rehydration after real exertion. Pick banana water if you want potassium, a fuller flavour, and less of the thin saline note coconut water has. For sitting at a desk, the difference is small enough not to matter.
The numbers
Coconut water figures come from USDA data and are reasonably consistent across brands. Banana water is a young category and brands dilute differently, so it's a range rather than a number.
| Per 100 ml | Banana water | Coconut water | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium | 150–350 mg | 165 mg | Banana water |
| Sodium | Trace | ~105 mg | Coconut water |
| Magnesium | 10–25 mg | 25 mg | Coconut water, narrowly |
| Sugars | 8–14 g | ~2.6 g | Coconut water |
| Calories | 40–60 | ~19 | Coconut water |
| Added sugar | None, if made properly | None, if made properly | Tie |
Read that table honestly and coconut water takes four of the six rows. That's the real state of things, and any banana water brand telling you otherwise is counting only the row it wins.
Where coconut water is genuinely better
Rehydration after hard exercise
Sweat is mostly sodium. A drink with 105 mg of sodium per 100 ml replaces something you've actually lost; a drink with a trace amount doesn't. If you're coming off a long run in the heat, coconut water is the better of the two, and an oral rehydration solution is better than both.
Calories and sugar
Coconut water is a much lighter drink — roughly a third of the calories and a fraction of the sugar. If you're drinking a litre a day, that difference compounds. Banana water is closer to a juice in that respect, even without added sugar, because bananas are a dense fruit.
Availability and price
Coconut water has a mature global supply chain. It's in every shop and it's cheap. Banana water is new, made by a handful of brands, and priced accordingly — a case of Banagua runs around $40 for twelve. Ours isn't on sale yet at all. That's a real disadvantage and it will stay one until the category grows.
Where banana water is better
Potassium density
A banana water that hasn't been heavily diluted delivers meaningfully more potassium per glass than coconut water. If potassium is the reason you're drinking either, that's the one row that matters and banana takes it.
Taste, if you don't like coconut water
Coconut water is divisive. The faint salinity that makes it good for rehydration is exactly what a lot of people can't get past. Banana water is rounder and sweeter, closer to a mild pear, with no saline edge. Taste isn't a nutrition argument, but it decides what people actually drink.
What it's made from
This is the part I care about. Coconut water is a primary crop harvested to be sold. Banana water, at least the way we make it, is made from fruit that was already grown and already rejected — spotted, curved, undersized, perfectly edible and unsellable. Americans throw away around five billion bananas a year, and cosmetic rejection is much of it.
That doesn't make it more nutritious. It makes it a better use of something that already exists, which is a different kind of argument and the reason we started.
Shelf life. Both can be made shelf-stable. Ours keeps over a year at room temperature without a preservative, which for a drink with one ingredient is the part I'm proudest of.
Which should you drink?
- Post-workout, heavy sweat: coconut water, or a proper electrolyte mix.
- Watching calories or sugar: coconut water.
- Trying to raise potassium intake: banana water.
- You've tried coconut water and disliked it: banana water, and you'll probably be surprised.
- Replacing a soda habit: either. Both are an improvement and the one you'll keep drinking is the right answer.
- Care where your food comes from: banana water made from rejected fruit, which is a small category within a small category.
Common questions
Is banana water better than coconut water?
Neither is better across the board. Banana water carries more potassium; coconut water has far more sodium, fewer calories and less sugar, and it's cheaper and easier to find. For rehydration after real exertion coconut water is the stronger choice. For potassium, or if you dislike coconut water's taste, banana water is.
Does banana water have more potassium than coconut water?
Usually yes. Raw banana has 358 mg of potassium per 100 g against coconut water's 165 mg per 100 ml, so a lightly diluted banana water comes out ahead. Heavily diluted brands land closer to coconut water.
Which is better for hydration?
Coconut water, for anything strenuous. Hydration after sweating depends heavily on replacing sodium, and coconut water has roughly 105 mg per 100 ml while banana water has almost none. For ordinary daily drinking both are fine and plain water is fine too.
Which has more sugar?
Banana water, by some distance — around 8 to 14 g per 100 ml against roughly 2.6 g for coconut water. In both cases it's fruit sugar rather than added sugar, but bananas are a much denser fruit.
Can you drink them together?
Yes, and it's a sensible combination. Coconut water brings sodium, banana water brings potassium, and between them you get closer to a balanced electrolyte profile than either manages alone.
Which is better for weight loss?
Coconut water, on calories alone — roughly 19 per 100 ml against 40 to 60. Neither causes weight loss. Substituting either for a sweetened drink reduces your intake; adding either on top does not.
When ours exists, you'll be the first to know.
Ba's Nanas is 100% banana water from my dad's farm, made from the fruit nobody would buy. Presale opens later this year.
One short update a week, at most.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, raw banana and coconut water nutrient profiles.
- ReFED, 5 billion bananas get thrown away each year.
- Banagua pricing observed at banagua.com, September 2026.