Everyone enjoys a good cup of coffee, especially keto dieters who can get away with multiple cups a day.
Caffeine might actually help you stay in ketosis as it increases metabolic rate, promotes body fat loss, and increases ketone levels through its fat burning properties.
Not everyone has the time to prepare their own coffee at home, and that’s ok. But, as we’ve explained before, eating out is quite risky. You should still be prepared to eat clean at restaurants and coffee shops.
Something that would make your life easier is to go to well-known chains as they all have the same menu, making it easier for you to plan ahead and stick to the right products without spending ages looking at the menu trying to figure out what your order will be.
A great option for having coffee, snacks, and even full meals is Starbucks. There are over 14,000 Starbucks all around the United States where you can get drinks and food and still stay keto-friendly.
Today we will show you 7 Starbucks keto hacks to keep up your daily habit.
Table of Contents
1 – Know your sizes
When planning your meals, portion sizes are crucial to achieving your goals. This shouldn’t be an exception when eating out. Especially if you’re planning on doing it on a regular basis.
When ordering a keto drink at Starbucks, you will always be asked for the size of your drink. This is a tricky question as the sizes in Starbucks are a bit different than the regular small, medium, and large we’re all used to. So, next time you go to Starbucks, make sure you know how much coffee you’re drinking. These are the sizes of all the keto drinks at Starbucks so you can plan accordingly:
- Demi: 3Oz.
- Short: 8 Oz.
- Tall: 12 Oz.
- Grande: 16 Oz.
- Venti: 20 Oz.
- Trenta: 31 Oz.
2- ALWAYS “No classic”
Starbucks puts their signature “Classic Syrup” (liquid cane sugar) in pretty much all of their drinks. If you don’t specifically request an unsweetened beverage, it will come with it.
Starbucks classic syrup has 20 calories per pump and 5g of sugar. There are 15g of sugar in any tall beverage. If you are not careful as a keto dieter, a simple drink can absolutely ruin your day. Don’t forget to ask the barista not to add the classic syrup or replace it with their sugar-free vanilla syrup.
Starbucks has the following sugar-free syrups that are keto friendly:
- a sugar free vanilla syrup
- a sugar free cinnamon dolce syrup
Note: Starbuck’s sugar free syrups are sweetened with Splenda (sucralose) which contains trace amounts of dextrose and maltodextrin – a sugar. So strict keto-ers should opt out.
Having unsweetened keto Starbucks coffee or any keto Starbucks drink is not always very pleasant. Thankfully, Starbucks offers a sugar-free vanilla syrup which is the perfect option to add a little sweetness. 2 tablespoons of it contains no fat, no protein, and only 1 gram of carbs.
If you want it, you just need to tell the barista when ordering your drink; it doesn’t cost extra.
Also, you can buy small 360 ml bottles of Starbucks Naturally Flavored Syrups at the coffee shop. It’s an excellent keto-friendly sweetener you can use not only with your beverages, but when cooking as well.
3 – If you want to keep it simple, go for the Blonde Roast
Blonde Roast is simply black coffee from lightly roasted coffee beans. A grande blonde roast contains 360 mg of caffeine, 0 carbs, 0 fat and 1g of protein. It’s a perfect snack that won’t ruin your diet, but also a great option to turn into a keto coffee by adding a tablespoon of coconut oil and one or two tablespoons of unsalted butter (you’ll have to BYOB – bring your own butter).
Similarly, you can always order a classic Café Americano, which is pretty much the same but made by adding hot coffee to espresso.
4 – Ask for heavy whipping cream* with your coffee
If you get a plain black coffee and want to turn it into keto coffee, ask for heavy whipping cream. There are 60 calories in 1 serving of Starbucks heavy whipping cream (Tall Beverage), of which 87% is fat and 13% carbs – it adds only 1-2 carbs to your drink.
While in the UK, Starbucks tend to charge extra for whipped cream, it is usually free in the US.
5- Almond milk is available in most Starbucks!
Unsweetened almond milk is the best keto milk you can get, and it’s been available in Starbucks since 2016. Of course, no milk is always better for keto dieters, but when cravings call, go for almond milk.
Even though it’s not the best for the ketogenic diet, coconut milk is also available in most branches.
Watch out for soy milk! While it’s also available in Starbucks, it’s promoted as a healthy milk substitute as it’s low in carbs, you should avoid all soy products because of its estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects on the body. Plus, most of them are genetically modified.
6 – If you don’t feel like having coffee, go for unsweetened tea!
Starbucks is well known for its delicious coffee, but did you know they have a wide range of tea options?
Just as coffee, unsweetened tea is keto-friendly.
We recommend you to keep it simple with iced black tea. You can add some fruit infusion to get some flavor and ask the barista not to add any sugar. If you’re not into unsweetened tea, you can always bring your own keto-friendly sweetener or ask for their sugar-free vanilla syrup.
7 – Popular keto Starbucks drinks
Doing convention keto and want to get creative with your keto Starbucks order? Thanks to social media, there are plenty of keto-friendly Starbucks drinks making the rounds. Here are the most popular keto starbucks drinks on social media:
- Keto white drink – unsweetened peach citrus white tea with a splash of heavy cream*, 2-4 pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup, no water and light ice
- Keto pink drink – unsweetened passionfruit tea with 2-4 pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup and heavy whipping cream*. Freeze dried strawberry adds a couple carbs, so this is optional depending on how strict you want to be.
- Ketofied flat white – flat white, replace the milk with 1/2 heavy whipping cream*, 1/2 water. It’s smooth and insanely delicious! ⠀⠀
- Cold foam cold brew – substitute heavy cream* for nonfat milk and sugar free vanilla for vanilla syrup.
Quick note about heavy whipping cream*
Heavy whipping cream is popular with conventional keto-ers due to its much lower carb content vs milk or half-and-half. However, the fat it contains is saturated fat, which is less heart-healthy than monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat. We recommend consuming heavy whipping cream in moderation and limiting your intake to 1-2 Tbsps per day (plenty to flavor your drink!). Learn more about the heart-healthy keto program here.
Sticking with keto in Starbucks
The key to not ruining your state of ketosis in Starbucks is to plan in advance.
If you understand the sizes, the impact of the sweeteners, and the different options available to keto dieters, you don’t have to miss out on your trip to the coffee shop.
