A Simple Low Carb Life


Butter in Coffee: Benefits, Uses, and Recipes

Authored by Ryan Rodal (original article)  • November 12, 2019


Butter in coffee may seem weird at first. But people everywhere have been praising the benefits of butter coffee. A drink combining the quick boost of caffeine with the sustained slow release of energy from butter—who could possibly resist this tandem?


Many struggle with drinking black coffee due to its bitter aftertaste. So you might add creamer or sugar. But for someone on a keto diet, those are both a no-no. Finally, for those practicing a ketogenic diet, a solution has emerged.


In recent years butter coffee has become a popular drink choice among both keto dieters and the general population. Instead of consuming traditional creamers high in sugar and carbohydrates, coffee drinkers can now enjoy flavorful coffee while staying in ketosis.


Combining butter and coffee sounds simple enough, right? Just throw a stick of butter into a piping hot cup of coffee, and there you go. But there’s actually much more to it. There are several different methods to create your own butter coffee.


Somewhat oddly for a drink dripping with fat, butter coffee has been touted as a tool for weight loss. That said, don’t think simply throwing oil in your cup of joe will make the pounds melt away.


Butter coffee (sometimes called keto coffee) is not a miracle solution to induce weight loss, but rather an effective dieting tool to use when incorporated as part of a total nutritional strategy.


Want a keto-friendly coffee alternative without sugar-based creamers? Then butter coffee is a great option. First up we will demystify what’s in the cup, then we will take a look at the various ways to create butter coffee and all its benefits.


Bulletproof Coffee vs. Butter Coffee

Some people may confuse or mislabel the terms "butter coffee" and "Bulletproof coffee." While the two have some overlapping characteristics, they are not one in the same.


Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof coffee is a trademarked beverage originally created by American entrepreneur Dave Asprey. The beverage is the cornerstone of his Bulletproof diet, which recommends consumption of fatty foods along with low carbohydrate intake. It’s a type of ketogenic diet, but with more of an emphasis on vegetables. All fine, but Asprey has taken some criticism with people labelling his diet as unscientific due to his lack of medical or nutritional education.


While traveling through Tibet, Asprey was inspired to make Bulletproof coffee after consuming various teas made with yak butter. He claims Bulletproof coffee boosted his IQ score by 20 points and has enhanced his focus and weight loss.


The recommended way to make Bulletproof coffee is to brew hot coffee and blend in 1 - 2 tablespoons of unsalted, grass-fed butter and 1 - 2 tablespoons of MCT oil.


Butter Coffee


While Bulletproof coffee is a specific brand name, butter coffee is a more general term. Think Coca Cola vs. soda.


You can make butter coffee by blending or mixing different butters and/or oils into coffee.


Some of the most common butters or oils to add to coffee are :

Coconut oil

Pure MCT oil

Grass-fed butter


There are no strict rules for making butter coffee. Try various butters and oils to see which you enjoy the most.


Benefits of Butter Coffee

Drinking butter coffee is promoted as having a wide range of health benefits, from improved cognitive function to increased weight loss. For the most part, the scientific evidence is too early to say for sure how much of an effect there is, but there are enough positive results that you should check it out and assess your individual response.


Is Butter in Coffee Healthy?

Butter coffee has become a popular way of preparing morning brew; but are there any downsides?


The Bulletproof method of preparing coffee may not be the correct choice for every individual.


If you want to lose weight, you should aim to stay on top of your calorie intake. It’s easy to rack up calories adding fat into your coffee. If you are trying to stay within certain macronutrient ranges, be sure to measure the caloric values of all oils or butters added to the coffee.


Simply placing butter into coffee will not result in rapid weight loss alone. Make sure that you incorporate butter coffee as part of a holistic nutrition strategy in order to get the best results.


Benefits of Coffee Alone

Before we deep dive into butter coffee, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of drinking coffee by itself.


One of the main reasons people drink coffee is the boost from caffeine. Let’s face it—would your morning cup of coffee have quite the same allure if it was decaffeinated? Because of our worldwide love affair with caffeine, regular full-strength coffee is brewed around the clock.


For most people the beneficial range of caffeine consumption is 38mg - 400mg per day.1 This provides optimal energy levels with few downsides.


Another benefit of caffeine is increased fat loss capabilities. Studies have shown caffeine improves weight maintenance through thermogenesis and fat oxidation.2 This is one of the reasons many fat loss supplements contain caffeine.


When you combine coffee with other powerful ingredients, the benefits can increase exponentially.


Improves Satiety

For people following a keto diet, consuming sufficient slow-release energy from fat is one of the most crucial elements of feeling full. Adding oil and butter to your coffee can ensure fat intake stays high.


If you’re like most people, morning hunger pangs are a common distractor as you try and focus and be productive. Butter coffee may be just the tool to help. Adding butter and oil to your coffee may aid in satiety compared to coffee alone. Studies have shown increased dietary fat can improve satiety through the regulation of appetite with the release of appetite hormones.


If you’re struggling with feelings of hunger during a diet, swapping out the spikes of energy from sugar for steady energy from fat is one way to keep you feeling full.


Helps Improve Weight Loss on Keto

Butter coffee fits perfectly within a keto diet strategy.


Consuming MCT oils in the morning may help stabilize blood sugar and enhance the production of ketones.


Because these beverages are often free of net carbs and contain a high amount of fat, consuming MCT oils or powders may help switch the body into fat-burning mode. If you make butter coffee at home, you can ensure no carbs sneak in. Double check any pre-made fat-infused coffee products to ensure no additional carbs have been added.


Studies have shown the quality of fat intake can play a role in fat loss.5 Not all sources of fat are equal when it comes to weight loss. MCTs have been shown to be a superior fat source when it comes to overall fat loss due to their ability to be processed directly by the liver, placing little to no strain on the digestive system.


Improves Cognitive Function

We already know drinking coffee alone can improve brain function and assist with focus, thanks to the caffeine. Butter coffee may be able to further increase cognitive benefits.


One of the main ingredients in butter coffee is medium-chain triglyceride oil, better known as MCT oil. In studies performed on people taking MCTs, cognition improved along with brain function.


To learn more about the benefits of increasing healthy fats in your diet, check https://hvmn.com/blog/nutrition/butter-in-coffee-benefits-uses-and-recipesouthttps://hvmn.com/blog/nutrition/butter-in-coffee-benefits-uses-and-recipes the original article on HVMN!