I’ve started my day with keto coffee almost every day since 2018. Starting the keto diet was a life-changing moment for me and the one thing that cemented my success with the diet was the daily habit of my morning keto coffee.
What Is Keto Coffee?
Keto coffee is coffee mixed with fat, usually butter. It’s called keto coffee because it’s a valuable part of the ketogenic diet. It allows you to start the day with a significant amount of fat, making it much more likely that you can hit your macros for the day.
Where Did Keto Coffee Come From?
Tibetans drink butter tea and have done it for generations. In high mountain regions where few fruits and vegetables grow, milk and butter from yaks were a reliable source of calories.
Tibetan butter tea is supposedly where Dave Asprey got the idea to make bulletproof coffee. It then spread across the keto community.
You don’t need to use Asprey’s Bullet Coffee brand products to enjoy keto coffee. In fact, his recipe is available online so you can replicate it at home, it’s just three ingredients blended together.
- Coffee
- Butter
- MCT Oil
How I make Keto Coffee
I’ve made my keto coffee a few different ways over the years, but I now have the best recipe which takes the least amount of time to make and almost no clean-up.
- 1 Shot espresso
- 250ml hot water
- 1 Pinch of salt
- Splash of cream
- 20g Grass-fed butter
This recipe is an americano with salt, butter, and cream. Rather than using a blender to mix it which I would then need to clean, I use a cheap milk frother which incorporates the butter almost as well. Not needing to clean my blender every morning is well worth the compromise of using the mixing wand or frother.
Other Great Keto Coffee Ideas
There’s no need to drink the same thing every morning, there are so many ways you can change up your daily brew if you get bored. Or if you just don’t like the taste of regular fat coffee, you could use keto-friendly sweeteners or other flavors to make it something you look forward to each day.
- MCT oil
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Coconut Oil
- Zero Sugar Sweeteners
- Cocoa Powder
Easy Keto Coffee Alternatives
On days when you either don’t want to make bulletproof/keto coffee or don’t have all the ingredients, there are other coffees you can enjoy without taking yourself out of ketosis. I use these when I want a lazy keto breakfast. Here are a few options:
Coffee and Cream
On the days when you’ve run out of butter or just want a change, pour some cream into a cup of coffee and voila, keto coffee, enjoy
Espresso with Cream
This is the keto coffee I chose when I need a quick pick-me-up, usually, around 11 am. It’s still keto-friendly and loaded with fats and it’s easy to add some pink Himalayan salt for some extra electrolytes.
Black Coffee
With the choice of a basic black coffee and an iced americano, I chose the americano every time. Either way, the ingredients are the same coffee and water.
Keto Coffee Questions
Can I Make Keto Coffee When I’m Out?
Making yourself a good keto coffee when you’re out and don’t have access to a blender can be challenging, I have used a trick that gets me the perfect cup every time. It requires a little preparation before you leave.
- Put 15-20g of butter into a bottle or cup with a lid
- Add salt and any other ingredients you want
- When you’re out, buy a coffee at a store or cafe and pour it into your bottle or cup
- Shake and enjoy!
What Kind of Coffee can I use for Keto Coffee?
If you’re out and ordering coffee at a cafe like Starbucks, you can’t just choose any coffee drink from the menu. Most of the coffees will have added sugar or milk, you need to avoid those. Here’s a list of coffees you shouldn’t order:
- Cappuccino
- Latte
- Flat White
- Frappuccino
- Mocha
- Macchiato
So what coffee should you order to make a keto coffee?
Any black coffee with no added sugar, milk, or syrup is best. There are many options available
- Americano
- Instant Coffee
- Espresso
- Ristretto
- Drip Coffee
- Pour Over
Should I Use Hot or Cold Coffee?
If you want to make a regular keto coffee with butter, you will need to use hot coffee, the butter won’t melt or mix well with the coffee if you use cold coffee. There aren’t many cold options that won’t ruin your diet. An iced americano or cold brew with no added sugar or cream is a safe option.
Is Starbucks Cream OK for Keto?
While cream in your coffee is a great idea for adding some extra fat to your diet, unfortunately, the cream used in Starbucks is also full of sugar – avoid it at all costs.
