A keto coffee bomb is sometimes known as bulletproof coffee, keto coffee or butter coffee.

It is a mixture of black coffee, butter or ghee and coconut oil or MCT oil.

Is Keto Coffee Good For You?

Keto coffee bombs, or bulletproof coffee is intended to be drunk first thing in the morning in place of food for breakfast.

The high fat content of the coffee helps to suppress your appetite and may assist with weight loss.

Keto coffee is good for you, when following a ketogenic diet. If you are following a non-keto diet bulletproof coffee may be too high in calories if you are also eating carbohydrates.

Does Bulletproof Coffee Really Work?

It does. Adding butter and either coconut oil or MCT oil to your coffee it is meant to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

As fat slows digestion, your body absorbs the caffeine in the coffee at a slower rate. This means that you don’t normally get the crash that you feel when you come down from regular coffee.

How Do You Make Keto Coffee?

coffee oil

The standard recipe for a keto coffee, or bulletproof coffee is:

  • One cup of black coffee
  • One tablespoon of unsalted butter or ghee
  • One tablespoon of MCT Oil or Coconut oil

You will need a blender, or a stick blender to mix all the ingredients together well. As water and oil do not mix well, mixing by hand will leave the fats floating on top of your coffee.

What Are the Benefits of Bulletproof Coffee?

The three ingredients above blended well together results in a Keto coffee bomb full of healthy fats and fat-soluble vitamins.

This helps to keep you feeling satisfied without food first thing in the morning and full of energy from the added caffeine and MCT oil.

What is the Best Blender for Bulletproof Coffee?

When blending the butter and oil for a keto coffee, you need a blender that will work well for hot liquids. Most blenders are better suited to making smoothies and crushing ice.

Take a look at the NutriBullet Rx N17-1001 below. It ticks all the boxes for hot liquids, small footprint on your counter top, easy clean up and cost effective.

best blender for bulletproof coffee

We liked the NutriBullet Rx N17-1001 Blender as it does not take up much counter space, is powerful enough to emulsify the oils and coffee and has a heating cycle to keep your bulletproof coffee nice and hot.

You can also use this to whiz up keto friendly soups and sauces. It is also fairly reasonably priced, especially when compared to the Vitamix Blender.

If you are in the market for a top of the line blender to make bulletproof coffee with take a look at the Vitamix A2500. You can use this blender to make hot soups from scratch in 6 minutes flat, grind nuts, rice cauliflower and whip up a keto marinade or sauce in no time.

vitamix a2500

We recommend the Vitamix A2500 over the A2300 as this blender has presets. You can literally set it on the soup function, walk away and come back in 6 minutes when it’s done.

The Vitamix also comes with a full 5 year warranty, which includes wear and tear from normal everyday use. That’s pretty impressive.

How Much Keto Coffee Should I Drink in One Day?

Generally speaking, one cup of keto coffee each morning in place of breakfast should be sufficient.

You need to consider the calorie content of keto coffee, even if following a high fat low carb diet.

It is not recommended to drink a keto coffee with a meal, or immediately following a meal. It should be used as a meal replacement.

Why Should I drink Keto Coffee?

bulletproof coffee fasting

Starting your day with a Keto coffee bomb instead of having breakfast can be very beneficial.

A study has found that when the participants drank coffee at breakfast time their ketone level biomarkers significantly increased (by 88-116%) for up to four hours after drinking it.

The same study also found that caffeine consumption broke down fats in the body and increased free fatty acids in the blood, which the liver converts to more ketones. 

As we already know, more ketones = more fuel to be used as energy.

Also, the healthy fats and fat-soluble vitamins from the butter and MCT or coconut oil are a great meal replacement that will get your energy and focus through the roof and also kill any hunger or cravings you may have in the early part of the day.

Our bodies don’t react to proteins, carbs, and fats in the same way.

Carbs and protein have the ability to kick you out of ketosis, but since consuming fat doesn’t raise insulin levels, a pure fat meal like a Keto coffee won’t affect your hunger hormones at all and will actually further support your state of ketosis.

The fat boosts your energy levels and keeps you satiated, which can be very beneficial for people looking to lose weight because you can go longer periods of time without eating while keeping your insulin (fat-storing hormone) levels in check.

What Can I Put in my Coffee on Keto?

Next, we will show you the most often used ingredients in various Keto coffee recipes and also list their individual benefits and nutrient profile.

First, let us look over the standard ingredients used in a Keto coffee bomb: butter, coconut oil, and MCT oil.

Butter or Ghee

Benefits:

  • Butter is a healthy type of fat! The type we need more of on a Ketogenic diet.
  • Butter is full of fatty acids, antioxidants, and fat-soluble vitamins!
  • More fat = more ketones, more energy, and fat-burning effects
bulletproof coffee recipe ghee

Nutrient profile per 100g:

  • Fat: 81g
  • Carbohydrates: 0.1g
  • Protein: 0.9g
  • 2.499 IU Vitamin A
  • 60 IU Vitamin D
  • 24mg Calcium

For one serving of Keto coffee, 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter is the standard.

Coconut Oil

Benefits:

  • About 55% of it is MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) – a type of fat that doesn’t convert to fat in the body but is instead used as pure energy
  • The fatty acids help ketosis and further enhance it
  • Stabilizes blood sugars and cholesterol
coconut coffee

Nutrient profile per 100g:

  • Fat: 100g
  • Carbohydrates: 0g
  • Protein: 0g

If you choose to use coconut oil instead of MCT oil, the standard dose is 1-2 tbsp coconut oil per 1 serving of Keto coffee.

MCT Oil

Benefits:

  • 100% MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) in contrast to coconut oil which has 55% MCTs, so pure MCTs are a better option from the two
  • MCTs are a type of fat that doesn’t convert to fat in the body but is instead used as pure energy
  • The fatty acids help ketosis and further enhance it
  • Stabilizes blood sugars and cholesterol
how to use mct oil in coffee

Nutrient profile per 100g:

  • Fat: 100g
  • Carbohydrates: 0g
  • Protein: 0g

If you choose to use MCT Oil instead of coconut oil, the standard dose is 1-2 tbsp per 1 serving of Keto coffee.

Cinnamon Powder

Benefits:

  • Regulates blood sugar and cholesterol levels
  • Great antioxidant
  • Aids digestion
  • Reduces inflammation
  • Improves blood circulation
homemade bulletproof coffee

Nutrient profile per 100g:

  • 431 mg Potassium
  • 60 mg Magnesium
  • 1.002 mg Calcium
  • 8.3 mg Iron

Other than the immense health benefits, cinnamon also gives a great flavor to your Keto coffee! You can experiment with it, but usually, about ½ tsp of cinnamon powder should do the trick.

Vanilla Extract

Benefits:

  • Contains Vanillin: Vanillin has been shown to act as an antimutagenic agent which means it reduces the rate of mutations in cells.
  • Another component of Vanilla, Ethyl Vanillin, shows promise of helping to prevent the spread of cancer
  • Contains small amounts of B-complex vitamins like niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and thiamine.
  • Vanilla extract also has traces of minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc.
coffee oil

Vanilla extract is another great ingredient to include in your Keto coffee! ½-1 tsp of Vanilla extract per 1 cup of Keto Coffee should be just enough, you can try it with half a teaspoon at first and then increase the dose if you feel like it.

Coconut Milk

Benefits:

  • Coconut Milk is loaded with MCTs, same as coconut oil
  • Contains a good amount (varies by brand) of Calcium and Vitamin D – which are a bone-strengthening power duo
  • Same as coconut and MCT oil, it further helps ketosis and balances blood sugar/cholesterol levels

Nutrient profile per 100g (varies by brand because some of them have additives, but this is the case for raw coconut milk):

coconut coffee benefits
  • Fat: 26g
  • Carbohydrates: 6g
    of which sugars: 3.3g
  • Protein: 2.3g

The standard dose is about 1-2 tbsp of Coconut Milk per 1 cup of Keto coffee.

We like to buy coconut milk powder, as it lasts a long time. If buying liquid coconut milk, make sure it is unsweetened.

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or Cacao Powder

Benefits:

low carb coffee drinks

Nutrient profile per 1 tbsp (5g):

  • Protein: 1g
  • Carbohydrates: 3g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Net Carbs: 1g

Cocoa powder has only 1 gram of carbs per tbsp and a ton of benefits to make up for it! Just note that real raw cocoa powder actually tastes bitter, so you might want to use some keto-friendly sweetener in combination to make up for the bitterness.

Heavy Cream

Benefits:

  • As it is the case with most dairy products, heavy cream is rich in Calcium
  • Heavy cream is a good source of vitamins C and A which help the immune system
  • Heavy cream is rich in the B vitamins, specifically B5, which is responsible for regulating hormones related to anxiety and stress.
keto coffee heavy cream

Nutrient profile per 100g:

  • Fat: 36.7g
  • Carbohydrates: 2.7g
    of which sugars: 2.7g
  • Protein: 2g

In addition to the standard ingredients, heavy cream is a great option to include in your Keto coffee!

With only about 2 grams of carbs per 100g serving, it is very keto-friendly and you don’t need to use a lot of it, about 1 tablespoon per coffee should be enough.

These are some of the most commonly used ingredients that could be a good option to include in your Keto coffee and are generally the ones that I use the most. There are a bunch of other ingredients that could work for you, just use your imagination and make sure they are Keto-friendly!

Keto Coffee Recipes

Keto Mocha

  • 1 cup of black coffee
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp MCT oil
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • dash of pink Himalayan salt (I know it sounds weird, but it doesn’t change the taste and at all and is very beneficial for your electrolyte balance especially in the morning)
  • Optional: a few drops of liquid stevia or another keto-friendly sweetener

Coconut Coffee

  • 1 cup of black coffee
  • 1 tbsp ghee (instead of butter)
  • 1 tbsp coconut cream
  • dash of turmeric (great anti-inflammatory properties)
  • dash of pink Himalayan salt
  • Optional: a few drops of liquid stevia or another keto-friendly sweetener

Collagen Coffee

A lot of people either don’t like having lunch or they just don’t have enough time for it, so this keto collagen coffee recipe is perfect for the occasion.

It contains a good amount of fat from the butter and heavy cream but also good quality protein from the collagen powder.

  • 1 cup of black coffee
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp collagen powder (great source of protein and amino acids)
  • ¼-½ tsp cinnamon powder
  • Optional: a few drops of liquid stevia or another keto-friendly sweetener

Keto Coffee & Heavy Cream

This one is a bit on the high side calorie-wise, so be careful with it!

  • 1 cup of black coffee
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp ghee
  • 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa powder
  • Optional: a few drops of liquid stevia or another keto-friendly sweetener

Recipes Courtesy Of Thomas DeLauer.

Does Bulletproof Coffee Break a Fast?

Yes, since the added butter and coconut/MCT oil have a decent amount of calories, drinking a Keto coffee will break your fast. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you will stop losing weight.

Even though it stops your fast, you will still remain in ketosis. The fat from the Keto coffee will help you push longer throughout the day without having a meal.

This alleviates insulin spikes (which is a hormone that stores fat and is triggered by consuming protein and carbohydrates) and that way it can indirectly help your weight loss.

Can I use Sweeteners in my Keto Coffee?

Yes, you can, but not every sweetener out there is keto-friendly. 

According to research, the only sweeteners that don’t spike insulin are Stevia, Monkfruit, Erythritol, and Sucralose – but only in its pure form.

A Monkfruit and Erythritol blend is much nicer than Stevia with less of a bitter aftertaste. But it is all personal preference.

Avoid Splenda which is actually a mix of Sucralose and Maltodextrin which has 2 times higher glycemic index than table sugar.

Always make sure to read the label on the back of the product.

For more information about sugars, read our post on artificial sweeteners and the keto diet.

All in One Keto Coffee Creamer

If you’re short on time or don’t like to purchase multiple individual products, take a look at the keto coffee creamer.

It is a combination of MCT Oil, Ghee and coconut oil. You will still need to blend this product well and it is a combination of C8 and C10 MCT oils.

Our recommendation is to get the unflavored variety (it is also available in cacao flavor) and then experiment with adding in cocoa or cacao powder, vanilla extract etc.

It won’t make your coffee super creamy (if you’re used to a milk based coffee for instance), but you could always add a dollop of heavy cream for extra creaminess.