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The holidays bring with it all types of classic foods and drinks. For us, the Peppermint Mocha coffee drink is basically an embodiment of the season. It’s the perfectsweet, indulgent treat to help get you through your holiday shopping (and, of course, family gatherings).
However, in its regular form, a Peppermint Mocha is loaded with sugar to the tune of 59 net carbs in the standard Starbucks grande size. That’s just not going to work in any form for keto or low carb dieters. We need a keto peppermint mocha.
So what can we do to make a keto peppermint mocha Starbucks copycat?
Luckily, the beloved keto coffee/butter coffee/Bulletproof coffee that is so beneficial for the keto diet is also a great base for our low carb Peppermint Mocha Bulletproof Coffee.
Plus, what makes this a keto friendly Peppermint Mocha is the fact that you get a great source of MCT oil, which also adds to the richness of the drink.
Let’s break down how to make a Peppermint Mocha keto friendly
We’ll start by looking at each ingredient and seeing if we can use any alternatives, where necessary.
Milk
A Peppermint Mocha is technically a latte, so it requires a milk component. Unfortunately, milk from dairy cows is a big no-no on keto due to its relatively high sugar content.
We can easily address this by swapping in bit of heavy whipping cream, which has 0g net carbs per tablespoon. The heavy whipping cream is diluted by the water in the coffee and gives it a nice milky taste.
Additionally, keto coffee contains butter, so that adds to the dairy taste without adding to the carb count. The butter and heavy cream combine to make this into a keto Peppermint Mocha latte.
Coffee
We are using straight black coffee here, which has negligible amounts of macronutrients. But you can also sub in a couple shots of espresso and enough keto milk alternative to get to total one cup (8 oz). That espresso substitution should only set you back about 2 carbs and will provide a stronger coffee flavor.
Our favorite milk alternative for this coffee is So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk. It adds a ton of richness via awesome coconut-based fat. Plus, there is really no coconut flavor, so it doesn’t inject unwanted flavor into your drink.
Sweetener & Flavoring
The sweetness in a Peppermint Mocha generally comes from added cane syrup and Peppermint syrup flavoring. The sweetener is the worst offender contributing to the high-carb nature of the drink.
To make a sugar free Peppermint Mocha, we need alternatives for sweetness.
For the cane syrup, our favorite substitute is stevia, a natural sweetener with no glycemic impact. If you use the BetterStevia brand from NOW Foods
, they process the good part of the stevia leaf, minimizing any bitterness.
For the Peppermint syrup, we like to sub in Torani’s Sugar Free Peppermint Syrup. This is a zero carb syrup that is sweetened with sucralose.
Chocolate
It wouldn’t be a mocha drink without some sort of chocolate or cocoa. That’s where you have a couple of options.
Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup gives you the classic Hershey’s taste with only 1g net carb. We were surprised to see that this syrup is sweetened with erythritol, a zero glycemic index sweetener. That makes this huge brand name one of the most keto friendly chocolate syrups!
For a more decadent and natural option, try ChocZero 50% dark chocolate squares, sweetened exclusively with monk fruit extract (which has a whole host of benefits).
This adds a ton of richness and flavor compared to Hershey’s at a cost of only one additional net carb. (Plus you can eat these as a treat on the side later!) Just swap in one square of chocolate in place of the chocolate syrup in our recipe.
Some extra richness
MCT oil has a ton of benefitsand in this drink, it adds a nice amount of richness. MCT oil will help you maintain a state of ketosis, burning fat for energy. Combined with all the ingredients, this makes a really delightful, creamy drink that also helps you lose fat and provides extra brain fuel to keep you going.
Putting it together
We’ve found that adding chocolate to your coffee makes it more difficult to get the keto coffee cream. To combat this, we recommend aNutriBullet blender to use with the keto Peppermint Mocha recipe, which is the best way to get your drink nice and frothy.
Trust us, you don’t want to under-mix this stuff as all of the fat will separate. Be sure to blend well… and enjoy!
Alright! Now check out our peppermint keto mocha coffee recipe, below!
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote
Peppermint Mocha: A Keto Butter Coffee Recipe
Only 1g net carb for a classic holiday coffee drink.
Prep Time4 minutes mins
Cook Time1 minute min
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: keto peppermint mocha
Servings: 1
Calories: 220kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp high quality MCT oil
- 1 cup extra-hot coffee
- 1/4 tsp BetterStevia powder
- 1 tbsp Hershey's Sugar Free Syrup
- 2 tbsp 4 pumps of Torani Sugar Free Peppermint Syrup
Instructions
For best results, place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 10 seconds.
Otherwise, place all ingredients in a large cup and use a whisk or immersion blender to mix well.
The drink may be hot! Sip slowly and enjoy!
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