Best Cortisol Mocktail Recipe To Lower Stress

Stress hormones running high? This cortisol mocktail recipe combines functional ingredients that may help regulate cortisol levels and support your body’s natural stress response. It’s more than just a drink—it’s a simple, daily ritual to promote calm and balance.

As a registered dietitian who specializes in PCOS and women’s health, I’m going to walk you through the pros and cons of a cortisol mocktail, whether it really works, and then give you a cortisol mocktail recipe if you’re interested in trying it out!

What Is A Cortisol Mocktail & What Does It Do?

A cortisol mocktail is a homemade drink that helps calm stress, support balanced cortisol levels, and promote relaxation. While you may have also heard it referred to as a cortisol cocktail or an adrenal cocktail, there is no alcohol in it. 

To really understand what a cortisol mocktail does, we must first understand what cortisol is, where it’s made, and what it does.

What is Cortisol?

Cortisol is commonly referred to as our stress hormone. It’s produced by our body’s adrenal glands, which are two small glands that sit on top of your kidneys. The adrenals are part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a complex system of neuroendocrine pathways that help to maintain homeostasis. The HPA axis helps your body respond to stress and also regulates your metabolism, immune system, energy levels and mood (1). 

Cortisol levels naturally ebb and flow during the day. They are typically the highest in the morning, giving us energy to get out of bed. Then, our cortisol levels gradually taper off during the daytime hours and are at their lowest closer to bedtime, allowing us to feel sleepy. 

Most people’s bodies can navigate normal cortisol fluctuations without issue, but some people may need some extra adrenal support. Stress is seemingly inevitable in today’s fast paced world. Unfortunately though, chronic stress can lead to chronically high cortisol levels, which can wreak havoc on our health. High cortisol can increase blood sugar levels and impair insulin secretion, which can worsen insulin resistance and contribute to weight gain—a common issue for those with PCOS (2).

Stress also can disrupt the HPA axis and lead to HPA axis dysregulation (3). You may have heard of something called adrenal fatigue before. Adrenal fatigue is a popular term in naturopathic medicine, but it’s not actually a recognized medical condition. Instead, HPA axis dysfunction is the proper terminology. 

A cortisol mocktail is said to provide key nutrients that support your adrenal glands and the HPA axis. So in theory, a cortisol mocktail can improve your body’s stress response and promote hormone balance.

What’s In A Cortisol Mocktail?

The original adrenal cocktail (aka cortisol mocktail) recipe was created by Susan Blackard, NP, ND, Ph.D. The original cortisol cocktail recipe contained orange juice, cream of tartar, and sea salt. 

Over the years, people have deviated from the original recipe to create new renditions of this popular drink. You can find endless variations of cortisol mocktail recipes that include a variety of different flavors to suit your taste buds. 

One thing that should remain true is that the main ingredients of any cortisol mocktail recipe will provide the following nutrients:

• Vitamin C. The adrenal glands have one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C in the body (4). Research has shown that getting adequate amounts of vitamin C can help to reduce cortisol levels (5). High vitamin C foods include oranges, pineapple, lemon, lime, kiwi, strawberries, guava, or grapefruit. 

• Potassium. Stress can often impact our micronutrient concentrations, causing them to deplete more rapidly. Potassium levels can be negatively affected by stress. Foods and drinks high in potassium include oranges, bananas, coconut water, aloe vera juice, cream of tartar, tomato juice, milk, and prune juice.

• Sodium. Sodium, or salt, is an electrolyte that plays a role in fluid balance. Stress can increase sodium losses through urine. The combination of sodium and potassium together play a big role in nerve and muscle contraction and blood pressure regulation. Most people tend to add various types of salt to their adrenal cocktail recipes to get more sodium.

Who Should Drink Cortisol Mocktails?

While there haven’t been research studies that show cortisol mocktails definitely work, for most healthy adults there’s little harm in trying it. If you feel like you need a little more stress relief support in your life, a cortisol mocktail may be an affordable way to help you achieve that!

If you have medical conditions that require dietary restrictions, such as chronic kidney disease or congestive heart failure, you may want to be wary and talk to your healthcare provider before trying this drink.

It’s important to note that a cortisol mocktail, or any drink or food for that matter, is not a magic bullet. It’s not going to solve your hormone imbalance or symptoms, but it may supplement your efforts in addition to a healthy diet and lifestyle changes. 

Other self-care practices that you should be including in your daily routine:  

• A healthy diet. Check out A Dietitian’s 7 Day PCOS Diet Plan PDF for some insight into a healthy, balanced diet that also supports your hormone health. 
• Movement. Incorporating movement that you enjoy into your routine will help to improve your mood and decrease cortisol levels. 
• Sleep. Getting enough sleep is vital for hormone regulation. 
• Stress management. Including some stress management techniques into your daily routine is so beneficial. Yoga, meditation, and journaling are some popular options.

Ok, now let’s get into my favorite cortisol mocktail recipe and why you’re going to absolutely love it!

Why You’ll Love This Pineapple Cortisol Mocktail Recipe

This refreshing drink uses all natural ingredients. And, with pineapple and coconut water being the main ingredients in this cortisol mocktail, it will make you feel like you’re getting ready for a tropical vacation. Honestly, this delicious concoction gives me serious margarita vibes! 

This cortisol mocktail is a little different than the traditional recipe since it incorporates whole pineapple chunks that are then pureed in the blender. Blending pineapple chunks, rather than using just the juice, gives you more fiber. Fiber is necessary for optimal blood sugar balance and gut health—both vital for supporting healthy hormone levels!

Plus, this adrenal mocktail delivers a punch of essential nutrients, including vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and sodium. In addition to nourishing your adrenal glands, these nutrients can also improve insulin resistance, blood pressure, inflammation levels, and egg quality. 

Pineapple Cortisol Mocktail Ingredients You’ll Need

• Pineapple chunks – This is the main source of anti-inflammatory vitamin C in this recipe. I used fresh pineapple, but you could also use frozen pineapple too since it’s going to be blended in the blender. If you don’t want to deal with the blender, you could substitute pineapple juice for the pineapple chunks but you will lose a little fiber. If you’re not a fan of pineapple, you could easily substitute mango, strawberries, or kiwi instead.

• Coconut water – this light and refreshing liquid is packed with potassium. It makes for the perfect base for a cortisol mocktail! This can easily be substituted for aloe vera juice instead if you prefer.

• Lime – this citrus fruit provides a little bit of a sour taste to balance out the sweetness of the pineapple. Lemon juice can provide a similar effect if you wanted to substitute. 

• Salt – an adrenal cocktail wouldn’t be complete without salt! Any salt you have on hand is fine – I used traditional sea salt. The salt is what gives this drink those margarita vibes!

• Monkfruit – I love the mild sweetness of monkfruit sweeteners. This could easily be substituted for whichever sweetener you prefer, such as maple syrup or honey. This one is my favorite monkfruit sweetener if you’re interested in trying it out though.

How To Serve It

If it’s possible, the best way to enjoy this drink is to have it alongside a meal, or at least a protein and fat source, to keep your blood sugar levels stable. 

How To Store It

If you have any leftovers, store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.  

Substitutions and Variations

• Make it a sleepy girl mocktail by adding magnesium powder and tart cherry juice. 
• Make it more balanced by adding collagen powder for protein and either a little coconut milk or coconut cream for some healthy fats
• Omit monk fruit entirely or substitute honey, maple syrup, agave, or your favorite sweetener.
• No limes? Use lemons or lemon juice instead.
• Substitute aloe vera juice for coconut water instead.
• For a frosty treat, freeze them into popsicle molds to make popsicles.

Other Cortisol-Lowering Drinks 

There are other drinks or supplements that may help to lower cortisol levels. Drinks that contain certain nutrients, such as vitamin C, ashwagandha, or L-theanine, can help lower cortisol levels. 

Here’s a few options that are on the market that I’ve reviewed:

• Nello Super Calm is one option that supports relaxation and lower cortisol levels. I have a full review of Nello here that you can read. 
• Alani Nu Energy Drinks: read the review.
• Bloom Energy Drinks: read the review.
• Cortisol Calm: read the review.
• Moon Juice Magnesi-Om: read the review.

Other Cortisol Mocktail Recipes You’ll Love

Skinny Cortisol Mocktail Recipe

Blackberry Lemonade Cortisol Cocktail

Sleepy Girl Mocktail Recipe

5 Delicious Adrenal Cocktail Recipes To Try

If you make this Pineapple Cortisol Mocktail recipe, please leave me a rating and review on this blog post. This helps other readers know what to expect and that the recipe is worth trying!