Yes, coffee is a low carb beverage. Not only is coffee low carb, it is no carb. Black coffee typically has 0 g carbs, 0 g fat, and 0 g protein, with some coffee having up to .3 g of protein. Now you might not just want to take your coffee black. You desire flavor or added health benefits in your morning coffee. So let’s explore some options to punch up your morning brew.
In this article we’ll explore:
- Milk Options (dairy and non-dairy options)
- Adding Fats to Your Coffee
- Sweeteners
- Making Coffee at Home
- What to Order at Coffee Shops
Milking It
Adding milk can take a cup of black coffee and add amazing creaminess, flavor, a bit of sweetness, and a lot of enjoyment with each sip. So which milk gives you the best option for your low-carb coffee? To quote comedian Jack Whitehall, “You can have it from a bean, from a pulse, from a nut, from a grain, from an oat, from a flax, from a leaf, from a seed from a tree…For the love of God, we’ve got enough milks now….would everyone stop milking sh*t.” With that said, you’ve got options.
For comparison, let’s look at adding a splash of milk to our daily coffee. The options below are for 30g (about 2 tablespoons or 1 oz)
Dairy Milk Options
Whole Milk
1.4 g carbs, 1 g fat, 1 g protein
Skim Milk
1.6 g carbs, 0 g fat, 1 g protein
Heavy Cream
1-2 g carbs, 10.1 g fat, 0-1 g protein
Half & Half
1.3 g carbs, 3.4 g fat, 1 g protein
So which one is best for a low carb diet? All of them. If you have an extra 1-2 g of carbs allowed in your diet then adding a tablespoon or two of dairy is a great option. For keto dieters I’d recommend Heavy Cream or Half & Half. Not only does this give you higher fat content, but also a great choice for adding flavor and more satisfaction to your morning coffee. I was able to gradually decrease the carbs and now coffee easily tastes sweet to me with just a splash of whole milk and when I want to treat myself I add a bit of heavy cream.
Non- Dairy Milk Options
Coconut Milk
1 g carbs, 0.6 g fat, 0.1 g protein
Oat Milk
2-3.6 g carbs, 0.6 g fat, 0.4 g protein
Unsweetened Almond Milk
0.1-0.4 g carbs, 0.2 g fat, 0.1 g protein
Soy Milk
0.4-1.5 g carbs, 0.4 g fat, 0.8 g protein
Rice Milk
2.8-3.4 g carbs, 0.3 g fat, 0.1 g protein
Coffee Mate Non-dairy creamer
2 g carbs, 2 g fat, 0 g protein
Most of these plant-based milk options will keep you on track with your low-carb diet by just adding a splash to your coffee. For those on a ketogenic diet Almond Milk or some Soy Milk options do have the lowest amount of carbs. These would be the best options overall if you are looking to add more milk to your cup of coffee. Non-dairy artificial creamers are another option, but make sure you read all the nutrition labels carefully for added sugars and unwanted carbs.
Add Healthy Fats to Your Coffee
If you are on a Ketogenic diet, high-fat low-carb diet, or just want an extra burst of energy in the morning consider adding healthy, high-fat foods to your morning coffee. You may have heard of Bulletproof Coffee, if you haven’t tried their coffee I highly recommend it. Bulletproof Coffee has made this trend popular and delivers tasty and healthy coffee. You can find their recipe here which includes MCT Oil and Grass-Fed Ghee.
There are many benefits of adding healthy fats. If you are on a Keto diet or low-carb high-fat diet then this easily adds additional fats to your morning meal especially if you don’t like eating a lot for breakfast. Additionally, these fats will counterbalance the crash that comes with consuming coffee. It not only helps stabilize blood sugar levels, but keeps you fuller for longer so you won’t start to crave foods high in sugar, helping you regulate your carbohydrate intake.
Low-Carb High-Fat Diet Options
The options below are for 30g (about 2 tablespoons or 1 oz).
Coconut oil
0 g carbs, 29 g fat, 0 g protein
MCT oil
0 g carbs, 28.8 g fat, 0 g protein
Grass-fed Butter
0 g carbs, 24 g fat, 0 g protein
Grass-fed Ghee
0 g carbs, 30 g fat, 0 g protein
Now you might be asking yourself, what is MCT oil? This is a supplement that has growing popularity with bodybuilders and athletes. It claims to be a quick energy source that may help with weight loss (by appetite control) and fighting bacteria growth. It’s processed usually from coconut or palm oil. MCT stands for Medium-Chain Triglyceride. Most fatty acids found in foods have long-chain triglycerides, with medium-chain triglycerides your body can digest them faster, which is where the energy boost comes from. As with any supplement, it is good to check with your doctor before adding it to your nutrition regime.
Each of these options above has zero grams of carbohydrates, which makes them an excellent addition to any low-carb high-fat diet. You can easily adjust the amount to fit your fat intake needs for the day.
Add Some Sweetness Into Your Life
Let’s talk sweeteners. Personally, when I cut out added sugars into my diet I first turned to artificial sweeteners. Depending on your dietary needs, these can offer a great sugar substitute. Sugar substitutes tend to taste sweeter than sugar, so you will need less. Over the past several years there has been a lot of research that has come to light about the chemicals used in these artificial sweeteners. This has led to additional options becoming available that are derived from natural sources.
Depending on your diet, you may be able to splurge a little in the morning and add natural sweeteners that have a low number of carbs. Let’s compare natural sweeteners, sweeteners derived from natural sources, and artificial sweeteners.
Coffee Sweeteners
The options below are for 4g (1 average-sized sweetener packet).
Cane Sugar
4 g carbs, 0 g fat, 0 g protein
Maple Syrup
3.6 g carbs, 0 g fat, 0 g protein
Honey
3.3 g carbs, 0 g fat, 0 g protein
Splenda
1 g carbs, 0 g fat, 0 g protein
Stevia
1 g carbs, 0 g fat, 0 g protein
Monk Fruit sweetener
0-4 g carbs, 0 g fat, 0 g protein
Sugar-free syrups
0 g carbs, 0 g fat, 0 g protein
It is possible to add sweeteners to your morning cup of coffee. Choose one that fits into your allotted amount of carbs. Keep in mind that with artificial sweeteners you typically need less. Monk Fruit sweetener claims to be over 100x sweeter, so a little goes a long way. Pay attention to nutrition labels to check out the full list of ingredients. It is very possible to train your pallet and decrease the amount of sugar or sweetener you need in your coffee over time.
Making Low Carb Coffee at Home
In addition to creamers and sweeteners, there are a few additional tips and tricks to make amazing coffee drinks at home. The first one is try different varieties and brands of coffee beans. As you start to explore you will notice different notes, flavors, bitterness levels, and acidity. Sometimes you can adjust the added sweetness level by changing your type of coffee.
Start experimenting with flavors. Many coffee beans come in flavor options, just make sure you choose the unsweetened variations. Similar to coffee shops, you can order different flavored sugar-free syrups. If you are looking for flavor with added health benefits try adding protein powder to your coffee. Personally, I add about 15-25g of Dymatize’s Elite Whey, rich chocolate and it gives me the satisfaction of ordering a mocha at a coffee shop.
Pro Tip: Blend it up! Make your coffee extra creamy and delicious by adding your ingredients and blending it. I add Chocolate protein powder and about 30 g of whole milk to my coffee and then blend it in my Magic Bullet. Any blender or milk frothing apparatus will work for this trick. Enjoy!
Low Carb Coffee – What to Order at Coffee Shops
It can be intimidating to stick to your low-carb diet when you enter a coffee shop. There’s a lot to choose from and not a lot of quick, available information. The best thing to do is to go in with a plan. I like to do my research beforehand and have a few go-to items. Your local coffee shop might not have nutrition information available, but you can easily find similar items for the large chains, like Starbucks, Dunkin, Pete’s, online. Here are the best coffee options to order with low grams of carbs.
Black coffee
0 g carbs, 0 g fat, 0 g protein
Espresso shots
(1 oz per each shot): 0.5 g carbs, 0.1 g fat, 0 g protein
Americano
(with 2 espresso shots): 1 g carbs, 0.2 g fat, 0 g protein
Cold Brew Coffee
(12 oz): 0 g carbs, 0.1 g fat, 0.4 g protein
Espresso con Panna
(solo): 2 g carbs, 2.5 g fat, 0 g protein
Espresso Macchiato
(solo): 1 g carbs, 0.1 g fat, 0.5 g protein
Low carb additions to your beverage: Sugar-free syrups (0 g carbs), sweetened whipped cream (5 g carbs), drizzles (up to 5 g carbs), 1-2 oz of milk or creamer options as mentioned above. When possible it is best for you to add items to your coffee drinks to keep the amount consistent with your diet.
You can easily enjoy hot or iced coffee drinks when you visit coffee shops, just have a plan ahead of time.
What Not to Order at Coffee Shops
Most beverages at coffee shops are packed with added sugar. Beware of seasonal drinks like pumpkin spiced lattes, peppermint mochas, and s’mores lattes. Lattes in general have a high volume of carbs, they combine 12+ oz of milk plus sugar-filled syrups or powders. Ice blended (frappuccino) drinks seem lighter, but they are loaded with carbs.
If you are going to splurge a bit on carbs for the day, it is possible to enjoy these options with fewer carbs that won’t totally throw off your diet. Most coffee shops will customize your drinks. Ask for sugar-free or low-sugar syrups, 1-2 pumps of the flavored syrups instead of the full amount, or enjoy one of the smaller-sized drink options. Another option is to order a drink that just has its carbs coming from the milk option, like a Cappuccino (12 oz, regular milk): 9 g carbs, 3.5 g fat, 5.7 g protein.
In conclusion, the good news is that coffee can easily be no-carb or low-carb. As a coffee lover, I didn’t want to let my morning coffee go. I discovered I didn’t have to, and neither do you. Try out the different options above to find the best way to get in your caffeine fix. Enjoy!