Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Coffee

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Have you been searching for The Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Coffee? Have you been wondering how many carbs are in your coffee?

Do you want to know which coffee is the best to order, and which coffees you should avoid?

Then read on and look at the full infographic at the end of this post.

In this article you will learn:

Carbs in coffee – why you need to pay attention to the milk
How to choose the right coffee – to keep you in ketosis
Ordering keto coffees at coffee shops
My favorite coffee order – how to save carbs AND money
Best sweeteners for keto coffee
The best alternatives to dairy milk in coffee
How much coffee should you drink?
Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Coffee – infographic

Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Coffee – why you need to pay attention to the milk

While coffee in itself does not have a negative or positive impact on a keto diet, it’s the high volume of milk added to the coffee shop favorites such as lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites that can potentially compromise progress towards attaining and maintaining the desired state of ketosis.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…coffee is life!

For many of us, it’s one of the few things that can wake us up in the morning and set the right tone for the day! So while it may be advisable to ditch the milky lattes and cappuccinos at the local coffee shop, I’m definitely not advocating avoiding coffee on keto.

The Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Coffee. Which is the best coffee to order? Low-carb coffee? Keto coffee? Dairy-free coffee?

How To Choose The Right Coffee To Keep You In Ketosis

Where there is a will, there is a way which is why I present to you my ultimate guide to carbs in coffee.

If you are noticing you are knocked out of ketosis mid-morning but can’t understand why when you have been fasting … well, chances are it was your milky coffee in the morning that carb-loaded you out of ketosis.

Being better informed about the carb count in different varieties of coffee means that you can make a healthier decision when ordering a coffee or making one at home.

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Ordering Keto Coffee at Coffee Shops

I’ve created this handy comparison chart (see below) to help you better understand the carb count in various coffees that are typically sold by most local coffee shops.

The nutritional values for this chart have been sourced from Starbucks, one of the most frequented coffee franchises in the U.S. But you will find similar nutritional values at your local coffee shop.

A safe option is to order a freshly brewed black coffee. If black coffee isn’t your preference though, there is always the option of requesting 1-2 tablespoons of cream to be added which then totals 1g carbs per cup of coffee. Not bad, right?!

My Favorite Coffee Order – how to save carbs AND money

My go-to coffee order is always an Americano (long black) with a side jug of hot water and a side jug of full-fat cream.

What’s the hot water for? Well as I add the cream to my coffee, I also add hot water. The hot water does two things, it keeps my coffee hot after the addition of the cream PLUS I manage to get 2 cups of coffee for the price of 1 and the carbs in those two cups = 1g-2g total. How genius is that?

Almond milk is also a great option to liven up your black coffee as it contains the least amount of carbs which will then free up your macros for the rest of the day!

Making Keto Coffee at Home

If you prefer making coffee at home before getting your day started, then it’s worth taking note of a few hidden carbs such as unnecessary excess milk, some artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols that still raise blood sugars.

Even some sugar-free coffee flavoured syrups still contain sweeteners that raise blood sugars (hint hint, it’s maltitol), then run to your pantry and throw them in the garbage. You’ll thank me for it.

Step AWAY from the syrups!

You may be adding to your coffee without perhaps you even realizing the carb escalation!

The Best Sweeteners for Keto Coffee

A lot of store-bought sweeteners that claim to be low-carb are in fact not appropriate for keto and will most likely throw you out of ketosis so be very careful when reading the back of packing for ingredients. In particular, anything with the terms “dextrose” or “maltodextrin” should be avoided as they act as fillers which spike insulin levels.

The two best sweeteners that you should add to your coffee are stevia and erythritol. They are keto-friendly and lack that horrible aftertaste that most other sweeteners are responsible for.

Further reading: My Ultimate Guide To Sweeteners – which sweetener to use and which to avoid.

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The Best Alternatives to Dairy Milk in Coffee

While many of us enjoy some milk in our coffee, it’s not always the best option when trying to ensure that macro counts do go over the daily threshold.

Now, while there are only 4g total carbs in a 100ml serving of milk, if you like to enjoy having a few coffees throughout the day and are also including sweeteners, you can see how this can quickly add up which means that you’ll have to really reduce your carb intake in your meals for the day.

This can be quite a challenge and is potentially unnecessary to have to battle with since there are great alternatives to milk that tastes great without the added guilt or stress.

Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Coffee -great non-dairy milk alternatives

#1. Almond Milk

The first option that immediately comes to mind is almond milk which has already been mentioned at the beginning of this post.

Always check to confirm you are buying unsweetened almond milk, many are loaded with sugars to give it flavor.

#2. Coconut Cream or Milk

Coconut milk or cream is also a great option. Again, check for sugars such as coconut sugar, it’s still sugar!

For a delicious dairy-free coconut keto coffee, be sure to check out my recipe. It’s not only dairy-free but also gluten-free, paleo-appropriate with no added sugar and comes to a total of 4g carbs per serving.

#3. Keto Coffee Creamers with MCT Oils

Keto creamers that contain MCT (Medium-Chain Triglycerides) oils are also well known to avid keto dieters and for good reason. It is one of the ingredients used in the famous “bulletproof coffee” which is typically extracted from coconut oil and is more easily digested within our bodies.

The difference in the way the body processes the MCTs contributes to calories being burnt and enables the body to use the MCTs as a source of energy instead of fat storage as a source of energy.

If you are unfamiliar with bulletproof coffee, it is essentially a combination of freshly brewed coffee with unsalted butter and MCT coconut oil which have associated links to higher energy levels and performance throughout the day for those drinking it.

There are many keto creamers out there that include MCT oil powder and oil that can be added to your coffee, shakes and even salads!

#4. Unsalted Butter or Coconut Butter

Butter has been introduced in the bulletproof coffee movement but it can also be a great substitute for dairy milk in other coffee varieties such as a latte. My Keto Pumpkin Pie Latte is a great example of this.

How Much Coffee Should You Drink?

While The Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Coffee has established that coffee alone doesn’t have any negative or positive impact on the keto diet, it’s clear that all the added ingredients such as creamers or milk and sweeteners can all quickly add up, especially if you are in the habit of drinking 3 or more cups per day.

At the end of the day, being aware and educated to what you are consuming, is key to any successful diet.

As long as you are keeping check of your daily macros and the threshold to keep you in nutritional ketosis then there really is no prescribed amount of coffee that one can or cannot consume. Monitor how YOU respond. Everyone reacts differently.

Some readers manage to stay in ketosis easily no matter how much coffee they consume, whilst others can be knocked out with just 1 or 2 cups.

Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Coffee

Reference: Starbucks Global Assets – Coffee Nutrition Information

Why do some black coffees have carbs?

You can view a similar discussion on carbs in black coffee in our Facebook group.

So you will notice that a filter black coffee has 0g carbs, espresso shot has 1g and an Americano has 2g. What gives?

It all comes down to the brewing methods.

Coffee beans have fat, protein, carbs and fibre. How much ends up in your morning cuppa will depend on how your coffee has been made. Spoiler alert, in reality, the carb value for all black coffees are pretty negligible.

Filter coffee is made with hot water dripping through the coffee grinds, so negligible carbs come through from the beans. Whereas an espresso is made with boiling water forced under pressure through the coffee grinds, extracting more of the bean than a filter coffee would. An Americano is 2 espresso shots.

So now you understand why some black coffee is zero and some are 2g, the good news is, that most of these teeny weeny coffee grinds will end up at the bottom of your cup and so very little will be ingested.

Confused? But wait … there’s more.

Some carb values are calculated and some are from nutritional databases. So if you look at 10 apps, you’ll get 10 answers for black coffee.

Takehome message: In reality, black coffee has negligible carbs. Phew.

How Are Carbs Calculated By Food Manufacturers?

Did you know that carbohydrate values in a nutrition label are not actually measured … but calculated?

First, a portion of food will be tested for how much fat, protein, ash, water and alcohol it contains. Then the remainder is calculated to be the carbohydrate value. It looks a little like this.

100g – (weight in grams of [protein + fat + water + ash + alcohol] in 100 g of food) = Total Amount of grams of carbohydrates

Hence there can often be a discrepancy between what the label calculates a food to have, and how much it actually has? PLUS the nutrition label does not take into consideration how much is absorbed by our gut, how much passes through, and what settles to the bottom of our coffee cup.

Pretty confusing right? Then, of course, there are nutrition labels that are calculated from nutrition databases.