Keto-Friendly, Low-Carb Starbucks Drinks And Snacks To Make Your Coffee Order *Way* Easier

You might've been sold on the keto diet when you learned you wouldn't have to give up beloved foods like cheese and bacon. But did anyone warn you that, in exchange, you might have to sacrifice your routine Starbucks order?

Okay, fine—you don’t have to give up Starbucks or all coffee-shop orders completely—you may just need to switch up the way you order your usual cup of Joe. And you don’t have to solve an intense math equation to cook up the perfect keto Starbucks drink. Julie Upton and Scott Keatley suggest following these simple rules the next time you’re after your pick-me-up.

How to make your Starbucks order keto-friendly:

1. Stick to the sugar-free options.
Sugar = carbs, so you generally want to avoid this ingredient in your drinks, notes Upton. A lot of Starbucks drinks are full of syrup that’s made of sugar, so let your barista know to skip the caramel drizzle or any other extras that could add sugar.

2. Opt for heavy cream over regular milk.
By eliminating lactose (aka the natural sugar found in milk) from your drinks, you’re minimizing your carb intake, says Upton.

3. If you need to add milk to your drink, go for unsweetened nut milks like almond or coconut.
Unsweetened nut milks are more keto-friendly given that they lack lactose (and therefore, carbs!).

4. Go easy on the sugar substitutes.
It’ll help you avoid a bathroom trip, says Keatley. “Just because you don't absorb sugar substitutes the same as natural sugar doesn't mean the bacteria in your gut will not feast," he says. "Too much and you may have to move your office chair near the bathroom.”

5. Take advantage of technology.
Keatley recommends making your orders on the Starbucks app. “If you've done a keto diet for even a minute, you know that it's all about preparation, and thankfully Starbucks has poured serious attention into their app,” Keatley says. “It's difficult to stand at the front of a huge line and make 300 special orders. The app lets you take your time, compare, customize, and pick up quickly.”

If your Starbucks order checks those boxes, then it’s probably keto-friendly. But if you’re still not sure and want an expert-crafted order ready at your fingertips that requires little brain power on your end, here’s a list of keto Starbucks drinks and snacks, recommended by dietitians. Cheers!

Black coffee, hot or iced

The intensity of black coffee isn’t for everyone, but it’s always a winner in the keto department, Keatley says. “At two to five calories per serving, coffee (brewed, espresso, or instant) simply does not have enough carbohydrates to get someone off track of their keto diet.”

If you’re just not into having it straight up, then go ahead and add some heavy cream, cinnamon, sugar-fee syrup, or a sugar substitute like Stevia. “Sugar subs that have no calories or carbs can fit on the diet,” Upton says.

Again, just be sure to start with only a little until you know how your body reacts to sugar substitutes. Keatley adds, “I usually ask for half the normal pumps of a sugar-free syrup because it is sweeter than regular sugar.”

Black coffee without sweetener:
Per serving: 2.4 cal, 0 g fat (0 g sat), 0 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 4.7 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 0.3 g protein

Americano, hot or iced

An Americano is essentially just espresso and water, but you may want to power this baby up with some heavy cream and Stevia. Heavy cream is almost all fat, so you can’t go wrong if you need some extra fat to fulfill your keto needs. “Keto is about cutting carbs and not limiting fat,” Upton says. “That’s why cream and coconut milk are okay.”

Americano with 1 tbsp heavy cream:
Per serving: 65 cal, 3 g fat (0 g sat), 3 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 10 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 1 g protein

Skinny macchiato, hot or iced

A macchiato is okay, too. Just make sure it’s made with unsweetened almond milk, instead of regular milk. Skip out on the caramel drizzle, too, if you’re not trying to turn your Starbucks visit into a cheat day.

Macchiato made with triple shot of expresso and unsweetened almond milk:
Per serving: 30 cal, 1.1 g fat (0 g sat), 3.6 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 71 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 2.6 g protein

Skinny mocha, hot or iced

To make your mocha skinny, cut the milk and replace it with heavy cream and water, and go for the sugar-free mocha sauce.

Skinny mocha made with unsweetened almond milk and two pumps skinny mocha syrup:
Per serving: 75 cal, 5 g fat (0 g sat), 6 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 2 g protein

Unsweetened tea, hot or iced

There are so many teas to choose from: black, green, white, or passion. “Any of the tea options are 100 percent keto friendly, except the matcha. There is sugar mixed into the matcha,” Keatley cautions.

Unsweetened green tea:
Per serving: 0 cal, 0 g fat (0 g sat), 0 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein

White drink

The white-drink is a keto-friendly option that’s usually made with peach citrus white tea, heavy cream, and a few pumps of vanilla sugar-free syrup. But Keatley suggests substituting the vanilla syrup with sucralose, aka Splenda, or your favorite keto sweetener brand.

White drink made with heavy cream and sweetened with Splenda:
Per serving: 53.7 cal, 5 g fat (0 g sat), 2 g carbs, 1 g sugar, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein

Pink drink

The keto-pink drink is made with unsweetened passion "tango" iced tea, a few pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup and heavy cream.

This version of the Instagrammable drink doesn’t pack on the carbs. “One cup of herbal tea has about 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per 8-ounce serving, the sugar-free vanilla syrup has so little carbohydrate content that it can state zero on any packaging, and heavy whipping cream has about 1 gram of carbohydrate per ounce," Keatley explains.

Pink drink:
Per serving: 50 cal, 5 g fat (0 g sat), 2 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 5 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein

Chai-brewed tea, hot or iced

Make sure to ask for brewed Chai versus the stuff they pour out of a box—the latter has sugar in it. Feel free to add some heavy cream if you’re into that.

Chai tea:
Per serving: 0 cal, 0 g fat (0 g sat), 0 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein

Earl Grey tea latte

Called a London Fog when made with regular milk, this keto-friendly latte can be made with Earl Grey tea, unsweetened almond milk, or heavy cream and some sugar-free vanilla syrup.

Earl Grey tea with heavy cream and sugar-free vanilla syrup:
Per serving: 52 cal, 5 g fat (0 g sat), 2 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein

Bacon gruyere sous vide egg bites

Clearly the bagel, croissant, and banana bread aren’t going to fly if you're on keto, but their bacon and gruyere sous vide egg bites are a solid high-fat, low-carb option, says Beth Warren.

Sous vide egg bites:

Per serving: 300 cal, 20 g fat (12 g sat), 9 g carbs, 2 g sugar, 680 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 19 g protein

Felino Uncured Italian Salami and Manchego box

Starbucks snack packs usually contain fruits and crackers, which aren’t going to work on keto due to their carb content. But you can't go wrong with this tasty cheese and salami pack.

Felino Uncured Italian Salami and Manchego box:

Per serving: 240 cal, 20 g fat (11 g sat), 0 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 680 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 16 g protein

Cheddar Moon Cheese

Chances are your local Starbucks stocks some keto-friendly Moon Cheese. The snack is low-carb and high in protein, making it a decent and fast pick-up-and-go.

Moon Cheese single-serving bag:

Per serving: 70 cal, 5 g fat (3 g sat), 1 g carbs, 0 g sugar, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 5 g protein