Getting on a diet doesn’t mean you have to boycott your favorite cafes and restaurants. You just have to be smart about your orders there. But I get the panic you might feel at first. I felt it too. But then I got to know the ways around the situation so I could keep enjoying what I enjoyed in my pre-Keto life. And I’m here today to share that with you. The focus today is your favorite coffee shop, Starbucks.
Basic Principles To Know About Ordering At Starbucks
What You Should Avoid In Your Starbucks Drinks
1- These Milks
- Soy Milk
- Two percent milk
- Nonfat milk
- Whole milk
- Half and a half (Breve)
| Milk | Net Carbs |
| Soy Milk | 15g |
| Two-percent milk | 13g |
| Nonfat milk | 12g |
| Whole milk | 12g |
| Half & half (Breve) | 10.5g |
2- Skinny Drinks
You’re probably excited to read “skinny” on the menu and you’re wondering now why you should be avoiding it. Well, the thing about “skinny” at Starbucks is that it is skinny in calories, not carbs. Don’t be surprised to read 15g of carbs in a “skinny drink”.
A skinny drink may fit in other diets, but not on Keto.
3- Whipping Cream
At first glance, you might be tempted to think that whipped cream has a high amount of fat, which is good for Keto. However, it also has too much sugar. It needs to be avoided.
What You Can Add To Your Drinks
1-These Milks
- Unsweetened Almond Milk
- Heavy Whipping Cream
| Milk | Net Carbs |
| Unsweetened Almond Milk | 1g |
| Heavy Whipping Cream | 6.5g |
2- Sugar-Free Syrups
Unfortunately, while all these syrups are sugar-free, they still have carbs. But don’t fret, each following pump has only 1g of net carbs.
- Sugar-free vanilla syrup
- Sugar-free caramel syrup
- Sugar-free cinnamon dolce syrup
- Sugar-free hazelnut syrup
- Skinny mocha sauce
- Sugar-free peppermint
Other Tips
- Steamed milk should be avoided on Keto. If you really want a drink with steamed milk, ask for steamed heavy cream instead.
- Study what you should and shouldn’t add to your drinks for the lists and tables above, and tweak the drinks that I, or other people, recommend you. If you know your way around Starbucks, you should know by know your favorite flavors of what they offer. So, you can probably tweak some details in the drinks to make them even more satisfying for you.
- Take stevia with a pinch of salt. I recommend here in the article a lot of the drinks with stevia. But that’s me. You can order it unsweetened, or double the packets I recommend. Again, I’m recommending based on my tastes. Feel free to adjust as you go.
- What you might also want to adjust, are the sizes of the drinks. I love ventis. In the morning, I’m always asking for the largest drink available. That’s why, the price, nutritional facts, sweeteners and other detail and additions are all based on venti-sized drinks.
- While we’re talking about sizes and prices, they are subject to change. And the data you find here is based on the last time I checked. If you’re a data-nerd and want to get it right down to the gram and cent, take the numbers provided on the internet with a grain of salt.
Best Cold Keto-Friendly Starbucks Drinks
I’ll be dividing these into two sections, caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages. The non-caffeinated beverages will be divided into teas, pink drinks
Note that some “non-caffeinated” drinks might actually have some caffeine in them. And I’ll highlight that again in the nutritional facts of each drink. What I basically mean, is that these are not coffee-based drinks.
Caffeinated Beverages
1-Iced Light Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso with Almond milk
How to Order:
- Unsweetened, Iced Shaken Espresso
- No Classic Syrup
- Add Almond Milk
- Add 1 pump of Brown Sugar Syrup
- Add 2 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Add 2 packets of Stevia in the Raw
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
70 Calories
2g Fat
3g Protein
13g Total Carbs
12.5g Net Carbs
255mg Caffeine
Price (For a Venti)
5.15$
2-Keto Iced Americano with Cold Foam
How to Order
- Iced Caffe Americano
- Add Sugar-Free Vanilla in the Cold Foam
- 2 pumps of Sugar-Free Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- 2 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Light Splash of Heavy Cream
- 2 packets of Stevia (to taste)
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
125 Calories
10g Fat
1g Protein
7g Total Carbs
6g Net Carbs
300mg Caffeine
Price: (For a Venti)
5.15$
3-Keto Cold Brew Coffee
How to Order:
- Cold Brew Coffee
- Add 4 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Add Light Splash of Heavy Cream
- Add 2 packets of Stevia
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
105 Calories
10g Fat
0.2g Protein
4g Total Carbs
4g Net Carbs
310mg Caffeine
Price (For a Venti)
4.25$
4-Keto Quad Shot On Ice
How to Order:
- Unsweetened Iced Shaken Espresso
- No Classic Syrup
- No 2% Milk
- Add a Light Splash of Heavy Cream
- Add 2 pumps of Sugar-Free Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- Add 2 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Add 2 packets of Stevia
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
70 Calories
3g Fat
1g Protein
9.5g Total Carbs
9g Net Carbs
300mg Caffeine
Price (For a Venti)
4.45$
5-Keto Caramel Frappuccino
How to order:
- Unsweetened, Iced Coffee
- No Classic Syrup
- Go Extra on the Ice
- 4 pumps of Sugar-Free Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- 3 packets of Stevia
- Light Splash of Heavy Cream
- Ask for a Double Blended
- Add Light Caramel Drizzle Topping
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
65 Calories
4.5g Fat
0.3g Protein
7g Total Carbs
6g Net Carbs
90 mg Caffeine
Price:
4.95$
| Drink | Calories | Fat | Protein | Total Carbs | Net Carbs | Price |
| 1-Iced Light Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso with Almond milk | 70 | 2g | 3g | 13g | 12.5g | 5.15$ |
| 2-Keto Iced Americano with Cold Foam | 150 | 10g | 1g | 7g | 6g | 5.15$ |
| 3-Keto Cold Brew Coffee | 105 | 10g | 0.2g | 4g | 4g | 4.25$ |
| 4-Keto Quad Shot On Ice | 70 | 3g | 1g | 9.5g | 9g | 4.45$ |
| 5-Keto Caramel Frappuccino | 65 | 4.5g | 0.3g | 7g | 6g | 4.95$ |
Teas
6-Keto Unsweetened Black Tea
How to Order:
- Iced Black Tea, Unsweetened
- No Liquid Cane Sugar
- Add Heavy Cream
- No Water
- Add 2 pumps of Sugar-Free Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- Add 2 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Add 2 packets of Stevia (to taste)
- Add Extra Ice
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
135 Calories
13g Fat
1g Protein
4g Total Carbs
4g Net Carbs
Price (For a Venti)
3.95$
Violet Drinks
7-Keto Strawberry Passion Tea
How to order:
- Unsweetened, Passion Tango Iced Tea
- No Liquid Cane Sugar
- Add Almond Milk
- Add 1 scoop of Strawberries
- Add 3 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Add 2 packets of Stevia
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
75 Calories
4g Fat
2g Protein
8g Total Carbs
7.5g Net Carbs
Price (For a Venti)
3.95$
8-Blackberry Low-Carb Purple Drink
- Unsweetened, Passion Tango Iced Tea
- Add Water
- Add Heavy Whipping Cream
- Add 3 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Add 1 scoop of Blackberries:
- Add 2 packets of Stevia
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
85 Calories
3g Fat
3g Protein
13g Total Carbs
12g Net Carbs
Price (For a Venti)
3.95$
Pink Drinks
9-Pink Drink with Strawberry Purée
How to order:
- Unsweetened, Iced Passion Tea
- Add Heavy Cream
- No Water
- Add 1 scoop of Strawberry Purée
- No Liquid Cane Sugar
- Add 4 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Add 2 packets of Stevia
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
145 Calories
14g Fat
0.3g Protein
7g Total Carbs
6g Net Carbs
Price (For a Venti)
3.95$
10-Keto Blended Blackberry Drink
How to order:
- Unsweetened, Iced Passion Tea
- No Liquid Cane Sugar
- No Water
- 2 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Half & Half (Breve)
- 1 scoop of Blackberries
- Ask for a Double Blended
- 2 packets of Stevia (to taste)
( You’re probably wondering how is breve off the table at the start of the article, and now I’m recommending it to you in one of the drinks. The truth is, I make some exceptions sometimes when the end result is worth it. Plus, take a look at the nutrition facts below, you’ll understand)
Nutritional Facts (For a Venti)
140 Calories
10g Fat
3g Protein
6g Total Carbs
5g Net Carbs
Price (For a Venti)
4.35$
| Drink | Calories | Fat | Protein | Total Carbs | Net Carbs | Price |
| 6-Keto Unsweetened Black Tea | 135 | 13g | 1g | 4g | 4g | 3.95$ |
| 7-Keto Strawberry Passion Tea | 75 | 4g | 2g | 8g | 7.5g | 3.95$ |
| 8-Blackberry Low-Carb Purple Drink | 85 | 3g | 3g | 13g | 12.5g | 3.95$ |
| 9-Pink Drink with Strawberry Purée | 145 | 14g | 0.3g | 7g | 6g | 3.95$ |
| 10-Keto Blended Blackberry Drink | 140 | 10g | 3g | 6g | 5g | 4.35$ |
References:
- Starbucks.com
- FoodData Central. (n.d.). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/.
- Masood W, Annamaraju P, Uppaluri K. Ketogenic Diet. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/. Published 2021.
- Ketosis, ketogenic diet and food intake control: a complex relationship. PubMed Central (PMC). (n.d.).
Lamsal, S. P., Adkins, M., Sultan, S., & Ramirez, M. N. (2020, August 10). Advantages and Disadvantages of the Ketogenic Diet: A Review Article. Cureus. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7480775/. - Sumithran, P., Prendergast, L. A., Delbridge, E., Purcell, K., Shulkes, A., Kriketos, A., & Proietto, J. (2013, July). Ketosis and appetite-mediating nutrients and hormones after weight loss. European journal of clinical nutrition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23632752.
- Henderson, S. T. (2008, July). Ketone bodies as a therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease. Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18625458.