KETO FRIENDLY STARBUCKS DRINKS
If you follow me on Instagram then you’ve probably noticed quite a few coffee shots making their way onto my feed! I’m a regular at the Starbucks locations near my house and I tend to rotate through the same few drinks, so I figured I would share the details of what I personally like to order. You can of course order whatever size you want, but I’m a Venti kind of girl ;)
HEAVY CREAM VS HALF AND HALF
One thing I love about Starbucks is that they have heavy cream. Some other coffee places only have half and half, which is fine but has a bit more carbs that pure heavy cream. Starbucks uses their heavy cream to make their whipped cream, so they always have it. When they make their whipped cream they add sugar (in the form of syrup), but the just straight heavy cream does not have it add, they just pour it straight from the carton.
I have tested my ketones after drinking drinks made with sugar free syrup and it does not kick me out of ketosis. Understandably not everyone likes consuming a questionable sweetener like sucralose, which is fine. You can always keep your own sweetener in your car and add it yourself, I used to keep stevia drops in my car.
JUST SAY NO TO LATTES
One drink you definitely do not want to order is a latte. Lattes are almost all milk, or in the case of keto-friendly options, cream. So if you ordered a latte with heavy cream you would be consuming a ton of calories, it would also likely destroy your stomach. So stick to the drinks below instead which have a “splash of heavy cream”, which is typically and ounce or two. Heavy cream is about 1 carb per ounce. Half and half is about 1.5 carbs per ounce. If you order a drink “breve” they will give you half and half. So specify heavy cream at Starbucks if that is what you want.
SKIP THE COCONUT MILK & ALMOND MILK
If you’re making coffee at home, then by all means enjoy the unsweetened versions of coconut milk, almond milk or any other milk option. But at Starbucks, skip them because they have sugar added into them. So bring your own if you’re looking for a non-dairy option for your ketogenic lifestyle.
NO CLASSIC
One thing you want to say at Starbucks when you order is “no classic”, which is their sugary sweetener they add to drinks. I usually feel like when you order a drink with sugar-free syrup that the “no classic” is implied, but after asking quite a few Starbucks employees, it is best to just reiterate it when you order to make sure.
HERE ARE MY FAVORITE KETO STARBUCKS DRINKS!
VENTI ICED COFFEE (OR COLD BREW) WITH 1/2 SUGAR FREE VANILLA AND 1/2 SUGAR FREE CINNAMON DOLCE AND A SPLASH OF HEAVY CREAM
This is my favorite summertime drink! A venti typically has 7 pumps of syrup, so you can go all sugar free vanilla, all sugar free cinnamon dolce or you can mix them! I usually go all sf vanilla or a mix. I just ask for a splash of heavy cream. If you want to completely control how much they put in, then ask for the heavy cream on the side and pour it in yourself.
My favorite part is watching the cream make its way down the drink and through the ice, coffee art at its finest:)
HOW I ORDER IT: Can I have a Venti Cold Brew (or iced coffee), no classic, with half sugar free vanilla and half sugar free cinnamon dolce and a splash of heavy cream?
CARB COUNT: Coffee and sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce. Check website for more details.
VENTI MISTO WITH HEAVY CREAM AND SUGAR FREE VANILLA
So I used to order a Venti Pike with steamed heavy cream and sugar free vanilla. For months I ordered this and then finally a Starbucks employee said, “that’s called a Misto except you want it with heavy cream instead of milk”. A misto means the milk (or heavy cream in this case) is steamed instead of just poured in cold. The frothier the better! You can get it with any roast of coffee you want, sometimes they ask, sometimes they assume Pike, which is what I get.
HOW I ORDER IT: Can I have a Venti Misto, no classic, with heavy cream and sugar free vanilla?
CARB COUNT: Coffee and sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce. Check website for more details.
VENTI COLD BREW BLENDED WITH A SPLASH OF HEAVY CREAM AND SUGAR FREE VANILLA, ADD WHIP
This is a fun drink when you’re in the mood for something frap-like, but without the crazy carb count. It’s not exactly the same texture as a frap because they add a sugary base into fraps that help smooth them out, so this version is much icier, but I still like it! What would be even better is if you had a wide boba-like straw to drink this with. I have some of those at home for smoothies, so next time I am going to bring one!
I do add whip on this drink, since it’s a treat. The whip does have sugar in it because they use regular vanilla syrup to sweeten their whip, but one serving is only 2g of carbs. You can skip it if you want.
HOW I ORDER IT: Can I have a Venti cold brew blended, no classic, no base, with heavy cream and sugar free vanilla?
CARB COUNT: Coffee and sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce, Starbucks whipped cream has 2 carbs per serving. Check website for more details.
VENTI AMERICANO WITH 3 PUMPS OF SUGAR FREE VANILLA AND A SPLASH OF HEAVY CREAM
This used to be my favorite drink, an Americano is espresso and water. So it is a stronger flavor and has more caffeine than regular coffee. It also has some inherent sweetness to the espresso so when I used to drink this I would order less sugar free syrup than I do in coffee (a typical venti has 7 pumps).
Eventually I stopped drinking this because the espresso was just too much for me. Too much caffeine and too much on my stomach, so I switched to the Misto. But this drink is delicious and great hot or iced.
HOW I ORDER IT: Can I have a Venti Americano (or iced Americano), no classic, with 3 pumps of sugar free vanilla and a splash of heavy cream?
CARB COUNT: Starbucks Espresso has 2g of carbs, sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce. Check website for more details.
HOT TEA
Sometimes I go super basic and just order tea, whether hot or cold. In the mornings I like my drinks with the added fat of heavy cream added in because I don’t eat breakfast and that fat helps me keep going until lunch without food. But in the afternoon I typically go for tea. In the summer I go iced and in the cooler months, hot tea.
Green Tea: 0 carbs, 0 calories, 0 fat, does have caffeine
You do not want to order the Matcha at Starbucks, it has sugar in the mix.
Peach Tranquility Tea: 0 carbs, 0 calories, 0 fat, does not have caffeine so I like to get this later in the day
Both of these are good iced or hot and you can add sweetener if you want, I typically do not. They also have other teas, these are just the 2 that I like the best.
CARB COUNT: Hot or iced tea unsweetened has 0 carbs
THE WHITE DRINK & THE PINK DRINK
The White Drink and The Pink Drink are fun options, especially if you don’t like coffee or just want a different option. My daughter likes these and they look pretty too:) You might see some different variations online for these drinks. Some of those variations call for coconut milk, the coconut milk at Starbucks has sugar added into it, so stick to heavy cream.
HOW TO ORDER THE WHITE DRINK: Can I have an unsweetened iced Peach Citrus Tea, no classic, splash of heavy cream, sugar free vanilla syrup, no water, light ice
HOW TO ORDER THE PINK DRINK: Can I have an unsweetened iced Passion Tea, no classic, no lemonade (just to be safe), splash of heavy cream, sugar free vanilla syrup, light ice
CARB COUNT: Unsweetened tea has 0 carbs, sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce. Check website for more details.
So those are some great options for Starbucks lovers! When I’m traveling one of my favorite coffee spots to stop at is Dutch Bros, they don’t have them in Los Angeles so it’s always fun to come across one! Dutch Bros has tons of sugar free flavors compared to Starbucks which only has 2 options.
Dutch Bros sugar free flavors include: White Chocolate, Chocolate, Caramel, Vanilla, Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Peppermint, Coconut, Raspberry, and Strawberry
SO MANY! Chocolate macadamia is my fav when I go. I usually mix it with sugar free caramel. They also have Keto Cold Brew as a menu item at Dutch Bros, which is simply Cold Brew and Heavy Cream. So I usually get that and just add the syrup combo I want. They also have a Keto Americano for those days you want something hot.
I hope this helps you the next time you go to Starbucks or any other coffee shop! I rarely go a day without enjoying one of these drinks, it is definitely the best part of my long drives through LA traffic!