Keto Starbucks Hacks To Make Your Drink Low Carb

Staying in ketosis when you’re on the go can feel like an obstacle course, especially at Starbucks. Though many of the menu items sound like they may be keto-friendly, their nutrition labels tend to read more like a candy bar than a low-carb beverage. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to give up on your favorite Starbucks drinks while you are on the keto diet.

Instead, you can be your own at-home barista with the help of our ketoproof coffee options (like our Keto Pumpkin Pie Spice Latte) — or try customizing your Starbucks order to create a tasty drink that you know is keto-approved.

The Drinks

At first, navigating the menu through a low-carb lens can be overwhelming. Many ingredients that you may not associate with net carbs can add a significant amount to your drink, such as milk, half and half, “sauces,” “syrups,” and whipped cream.

To make your trip to Starbucks as easy as possible, we recommend sticking to the following list of delicious keto-friendly Starbucks drinks. Below the graphic, you can find a more in-depth explanation behind each:

1. Skinny Mocha

A short (8 oz.) Caffe Mocha comes with 14 grams of net carbs (which is surprising until you find out that pure sugar comes before cocoa on the ingredient list).

Instead of passing on this incredibly comforting combination of coffee and chocolate, try ordering a skinny mocha with these simple alterations:

• Use the skinny, sugar-free mocha sauce instead of their regular Mocha Sauce.
• Skip the whipped cream and milk.
• Use heavy cream and water if you want to replace the milk or add some extra fat.

Estimated nutrition info for an 8 oz. keto-friendly skinny mocha without heavy cream*:

• Calories: ~13
• Fat: 1 g
• Net carbs: 1 g
• Protein: 0 g

*For each tablespoon of heavy cream, add 50 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of net carbs, and 0.5 grams of protein.

2. Keto-Friendly Frappuccino

An icy cold frap is one of the most refreshing ways to get an energy boost at Starbucks, but the frappuccino syrup makes it more like a milkshake than a coffee drink.

To reduce the carbs in your frap, try this keto combo:

• Start with a tall frappuccino cup
• Fill to the bottom line with undiluted cold brew coffee
• Fill to the middle line with heavy cream
• Add 2 pumps of sugar-free vanilla and sugar-free cinnamon dolce
• Add a tall scoop of ice
• Double blend to get the ideal taste
• Optional: blend in 1-2 scoops of keto-friendly Starbucks protein powder if you want your drink to be more creamy or need help meeting your protein needs

Estimated nutrition info for a 12 oz keto frappuccino:

• Calories: 160
• Fat: 18g
• Net carbs: 2.5 g
• Fiber: 1 g for every scoop of Starbucks protein powder
• Protein: 6 g for every scoop of Starbucks protein powder

3. Pumpkin Spice Latte, Keto Style

If you don’t have the time to make your own pumpkin spice latte at home, you can still go to Starbucks and get your fall flavor fix without kicking yourself out of ketosis.

• Start with a grande iced coffee, no Classic syrup or flavored sauce
• Skip the whipped cream and milk
• Add 3 pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup
• Use half heavy cream and half water for a great creamy texture
• Add pumpkin spice flavoring (you can do this yourself at the flavor bar)

It won’t come out tasting exactly like the traditional, sugar-filled pumpkin spice latte, but it will give you a lower-carb, keto-friendly option for when you are craving those comforting fall flavors.

Nutrition info for a 16 oz.  Keto-friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte (before the heavy cream)*:

• Calories: 5
• Fat: <0.5 g
• Net carbs: <0.5 g
• Protein: 0

*For each tablespoon of heavy cream, add 50 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of net carbs, and 0.5 grams of protein.