When you’re on a keto diet, there are several familiar foods that you have to avoid. That’s even a single sugar-laden “cheat” can propel you out of ketosis and slow your progress.
While coffee itself is keto-friendly, many coffee creamers are not, as they can be high in sugar and carbs. This explains why it is vital to replace those sugar-filled coffee additions. This includes creamers, milk, and table sugar.
But what if you do not like black coffee?
Luckily, there are many keto-friendly coffee creamer options that you can buy or make at home. The key is choosing a healthy alternative that’s made with mostly whole ingredients.
This guide will show what ingredients to avoid and what keto coffee creamer options to look for when making a nice cup of keto coffee.
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What to Avoid
When you change to a ketogenic diet, you want to pay careful attention to what goes into your drinks, especially coffee. Though black coffee is keto-friendly, the ingredients that are usually added to it are not.
Even a teaspoon of sugar with a dash of milk will add roughly 5 grams of net carbs to your morning beverage. Popular coffee creamers aren’t any better, holding an average of 5 grams of added sugars per serving.
Though it is possible to follow the keto diet with these additives, five grams of net carbs could hinder you from adopting a new diet and lifestyle.
This is why it is so important to pay attention to what goes into your coffee, especially the following ingredients:
- All regular varieties of milk will add carbs to your coffee. The lowest net carb option is whole milk, which adds ~1 gram of net carbs per tablespoon. Most keto dieters opt for heavy cream instead.
- Added sugars. It is most suitable to avoid using table sugar or any products with sugar as an ingredient. Even small amounts of simple sugars can decrease ketone production.
- Conventional coffee creamer products. This involves Coffee-mate creamer and other flavored creamer products that have added sugars.
- Artificial sweeteners. Some people may encounter an upset stomach and mild headaches after consuming common artificial sweeteners.
- Single-serving packets of sugar-free sweeteners. Single-serving sweetener packets tend to contain carb-ridden fillers like maltodextrin and dextrose.
- Chemical thickeners, stabilizers, and preservatives. In small doses, these traditional coffee creamer additives are typically safe. For some individuals, however, these can cause digestive discomfort.
Best Keto Coffee Creamers Money Can Buy
We’re not sure what we’d do if the coffee weren’t keto-approved. But what about the creamer?
Plain half-and-half has fat, low carbs, and no sugar, so it’s keto-friendly as is. But if you don’t consume dairy or prefer your coffee sweet, it could be tough to find a compromise.
Keto Creamer is here to save the day, and we ranked the worth trying based on value, functionality, quality and taste, aesthetics, and price.
Here are the best store-bought and homemade keto coffee creamers that your money can buy.
Left Coast Keto Coffee Creamer – $24.97
This popular keto-friendly creamer is made with MCT oil, ghee, coconut oil, cacao butter, and sunflower lecithin to create a creamy, high fat creamer to help promote ketosis.
MCTs, or medium-chain triglycerides, are a type of saturated fat that promotes ketone production.
Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body breaks down fat into molecules called ketones. These are then used for energy when your glucose or sugar supply is limited.
Plus, while more research is needed, MCT oil may be beneficial for fat loss and exercise performance.
One tablespoon (15 mL) of this creamer provides 120 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 0 grams of carbs, sugar, and protein.
As there aren’t any emulsifiers in this product, you’ll want to use a blender to combine it with your coffee. The company recommends mixing one tablespoon (15 mL) of the creamer with your brewed coffee in a blender or hand-held immersion blender.
Caramel Super Creamer by Super Coffee – $37.99
Those of you who will never yield on your daily light-and-sweet—even on keto—are in luck. A three-tablespoon serving boasts two grams of protein and healthy fats.
It’s free of sugar, gluten, and artificial ingredients, using monk fruit to give it its silky-sweet caramel flavor.
Super Creamer is lactose-free despite having dairy cream and milk in the base. So it’s not vegan, but an excellent option for anyone who’s sensitive to dairy but loves the mouthfeel of regular milk and cream.
It’s a bit intense on its own but brings pleasant sweetness and caramel flavor to bitter, acidic black coffee that echoes standard caramel syrup. If you love the creamer, give Super Coffee and Super Espresso a try.
Coffee Booster Organic High Fat Coffee Creamer – $19.99
Available in four flavors, this keto-friendly coffee creamer is made with just three ingredients:
- Virgin coconut oil
- Grass-fed ghee
- Raw cacao powder
Raw cacao powder is made from unroasted cacao beans. It’s a rich source of magnesium and flavonols, which are plant compounds with antioxidant properties.
Magnesium has many essential functions in the body and brain. This includes aiding muscle contractions, bone formation, and blood pressure regulation. On the other hand, flavonols have been linked to improvements in brain and heart health.
One tablespoon (15 mL) of the original flavor has 120 calories, 12 grams of fat, 3 grams of protein, just 1 gram of carbs, and 0 grams of sugar.
Omega French Vanilla Powercreamer – $21.95
Bring on the butter. It’s super decadent thanks to milk-fat ghee, coconut oil, and MCT oil. These ingredients account for the product’s high calories and fat content (we’re talking 14 grams of fat and half your daily saturated fat in each tablespoon).
While it may sound like a lot, it fits into low-carb, high-fat diets like keto seamlessly. It’s also paleo and sweetened with stevia, so it has 0 grams of sugar. Because this product is all-natural, it needs to be blended either with a frother or a blender.
No matter how you combine them, don’t expect the frother to magically turn the creamer into steamed milk. This creamer is literally like melted butter. The French vanilla flavor smells like sweet butter and tastes like it too on its own, almost like the aftertaste of thin, crisp cookies.
The creamer turns coffee mildly sweet, and we love the silky, sensual mouthfeel from its fattiness.
Any creamer that needs to be blended or frothed has, of course, higher maintenance than liquid creamer. But it could be worth it if you’re dedicated to the high-fat, low-carb lifestyle.
If you’re a salted caramel diehard, go that route instead.
Califia Farms Unsweetened Better Half Coffee Creamer – $19.68
Soy-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free, this plant-based coffee creamer is a good option for individuals with allergies or those who prefer to avoid dairy products.
Califia Farms’ creamer is also vegan-friendly, as it’s made from a base of unsweetened almond milk and coconut cream. Overall, the ingredient list is relatively short and free of any added or artificial sweeteners.
While low in fat with just 1.5 grams per 2 tablespoons (30 mL), it’s also one of the lowest-calorie options with only 15 calories per serving. This creamer doesn’t contain any sugar or carbs, so you don’t have to worry about it kicking you out of ketosis.
Milkdamia Unsweetened Vanilla Creamer – $9.99
If you’re over almond milk and haven’t branched out to other nuts, you’re in for a real treat.
This creamer is made from macadamia milk, sunflower oil, and coconut cream. It is delicious, creamy, silky, and less chalky on the tongue than regular almond milk.
Depending on your morning joe’s bitterness, it may drown out the subtle vanilla notes that come through when you sip it plain. But even so, it’s still an excellent substitute for dairy milk.
If you want to let the creamer’s mellow flavor notes shine through, try it sans-coffee in a smoothie, oatmeal, or bowl of cereal.
Laird Superfood Unsweetened Original Coffee Creamer – $24.99
This powdered keto-friendly creamer doesn’t have to be refrigerated. Plus, it’s vegan-friendly, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free.
Ingredient-wise, it’s free of sugar additives, artificial ingredients, sweeteners, and artificial colors. Instead, the creamer is made from just three ingredients — coconut milk powder, Aquamin, and extra virgin coconut oil.
Aquamin is a multimineral supplement derived from sea algae. As the supplement is rich in calcium and magnesium, it may have benefits for bone health.
While research is limited, test-tube and animal studies suggest that Aquamin may help promote bone formation.
One tablespoon (6 grams) of the powder provides 40 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbs, 1 gram of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.
Picnik Vegan Creamer – $11.99
She’s plant-based, paleo, keto, and shockingly creamy. Cashew milk, coconut cream, and MCT oil give the creamer lots of buttery, nutty notes that will hold up beautifully in smoothies or baked goods.
It’s got four grams of fat—three of which are saturated—and some fiber, so it can aid in holding you over between meals. While it isn’t sweet, it cuts through black coffee’s bitterness without any extra sweeteners.
But if your usual café order calls for flavor syrup, you may want to add a keto-friendly, zero-calorie sweetener. The sugar-free syrup will also work.
Don’t worry if the creamer separates in your coffee. If you try it and fall in love, save 10 percent on every future order by subscribing instead of making a one-time purchase.
You can also incorporate this as a substitute for milk in lots of recipes, excellent for vegan cooks and those with dairy sensitivities.
Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream – $15.64
While not technically a coffee creamer, heavy whipping cream is high fat and low carb and can add a delicious richness to your morning cup of coffee.
Additionally, heavy whipping cream is a good source of many essential nutrients. It’s incredibly high in vitamin A, which is necessary for eye health and a robust immune system.
However, some whipping cream brands contain a stabilizer. An example is a carrageenan that is used as a thickener, and polysorbate 80 is used as an emulsifier.
Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream is made from just two ingredients: Organic cream from pasture-raised cows and gellan gum, a natural stabilizer. As a result, it’s free of artificial colors, preservatives, antibiotics, and synthetic hormones.
Just keep in mind that heavy whipping cream is relatively high in calories. One tablespoon (15 mL) provides 50 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 0 grams of carbs and sugar.
Rapid Fire Keto Creamer – $22.99
This packaging alone makes us want to break a sweat on the elliptical. Each bottle of powder has 20 servings chock-full of coconut MCTs, grass-fed butter, and Himalayan salt.
It’s nutrient-dense and has lots of fat that will help keep you on track. Have it before your morning workout for metabolism, energy, and brain boost.
The package instructions say to incorporate two tablespoons of creamer into prepared coffee, tea, or cocoa.
You’ll notice that the creamer has a similar texture and appearance to protein powder. But it separates into tiny clumps in your coffee, and there may be some flecks of powder at the bottom.
In terms of taste, it’s pretty straightforward, similar to having skim milk in coffee. But the real benefits here are healthy fats and MCTs. So if you’re dedicated to your keto bod-to-be, it may be the right pick for you.
Add a keto-friendly sweetener if you need to, and voila. Be sure to put the creamer in first and pour the hot coffee over it; the heat will dissolve the creamer powder.
Volupta Coconut Creamer with Collagen and MCT – $21.12
Not only will coconut MCTs keep you in ketosis, but the all-natural collagen (six grams per serving) will work magic for your hair, skin, and nails.
Just know that collagen is a protein source that often comes from animals, so this may not be a vegan-friendly option.
Add a spoonful of powder to everything from yogurt and smoothies to oatmeal and baked goods (this coconut chia pudding is on our to-make list).
It contains six grams of protein and five grams of fat per tablespoon so that it can offer a hearty boost in a pinch, like less-filling protein powder.
The bag is a little bulky, and we found it tough to reseal, so we suggest transferring it to an airtight container. It’s also the most expensive creamer per serving on our list, costing about $1.10 per tablespoon.
Once you open it, the first thing you need to do is take a whiff. The smell is excellent, like coconut cotton candy. But in coffee, it doesn’t taste almost as sweet.
It’s buttery, nutty, and has only a slight vanilla flavor once mixed into your mug. It dissolves decently with just a few stirs of a spoon, but expect some grains or clumps floating in or at the bottom of your cup.
Try using a frother to combine the creamer and your drink better if the grains bother you.
Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer in Vanilla – $28.99
Each scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer has five grams of collagen. Thanks to its bovine hide, collagen peptides that work wonders for your skin, hair, nails, and joints.
The dairy-free, coconut milk powder is also packed with 16 amino acids, half of which are essential. Its high fat and protein content (nine and ten grams respectively) will hold you over before lunch in coffee or a smoothie. And your ketosis is safe, as there’s only one gram of sugar in each serving.
The canister says to mix the powder into a hot liquid thoroughly. We found that the powder clumped up in the coffee, so we recommend frothing it to break it up better.
If you lean on color to determine when you’ve added enough creamer, know that this protein powder-like product won’t turn your coffee as light as you’re used to.
Its vanilla taste is quite subtle, so buy this for the beauty and health benefits rather than flavor alone.
Choosing a Keto-friendly Coffee Creamer
When choosing a keto-friendly coffee creamer, it’s important to look for products that meet your macronutrient requirements.
There are several ways to follow a keto diet, but it generally calls for limiting carbs to no more than 50 grams per day.
Fats should make up the bulk of the diet and provide around 70–80% of calories. Proteins should account for approximately 20% of calories, while carbs are restricted to 5–10%.
Ideally, this would mean looking for high fat, low carb coffee creamers. For example, if one serving contains 50 calories, you also want it to provide approximately 4 grams of fat and 1 gram or fewer carbs.
However, lower-fat options can also work, as long as they’re deficient in carbs and won’t knock you out of ketosis.
Keep in mind that macronutrients are just one piece of the puzzle. You also want to look for coffee creamers with a short ingredient list that consists of mostly whole ingredients.
Long ingredient lists can be a sign that the product is more highly processed. While fine in small amounts, processed foods have been linked to an increased risk of chronic conditions, such as obesity, heart disease, and cancer.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to give up coffee creamer just because you’re on the keto diet.
There are several healthy keto-friendly options. Just be sure to pick an option that’s high in fat, nearly carb-free, and mostly made from whole ingredients.
Of course, if you want full control over what you’re putting in your coffee, you can make your creamer at home.