Following a keto diet doesn't mean you have to give up your favorite Starbucks treats. Recreating popular drinks at home is a great way to save money and control ingredients. This article will guide you through making a keto-friendly Starbucks white drink, along with other keto Starbucks options and tips for ordering low-carb beverages.
Understanding the Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet involves limiting carbohydrate intake by avoiding starchy foods and sugars. Sugar is a sneaky carb and is limited or avoided while on the diet. This forces the body to burn fat for energy instead of glucose. While on the keto plan, you can still enjoy Starbucks with a little know-how.
Copycat Keto Starbucks White Drink
This copycat Starbucks keto drink is low carb, low sugar and totally delicious. This recipe is a simple way to enjoy a sweet and refreshing drink without breaking your diet.
Ingredients
- Tazo Peach Citrus Herbal Tea
- Natural stevia or monk fruit sweetener
- Sugar-free vanilla syrup (Torani is a popular choice)
- Heavy cream
- Ice
You should be able to find the ingredients at your local grocery store. Tazo sells a passion tea that is perfect for this keto drink recipe and Starbucks even uses the Tazo brand in their stores. There is a regular herbal tea kind and an iced tea version. The iced tea version is perfect for making a big batch and the herbal tea bags are best for making a single serving.
Instructions
There are two ways to make this copycat drink - a single serving or as a concentrate that makes multiple servings.
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Single Serving:
- Pour boiling water over a Tazo Peach Citrus tea bag and steep for 3-5 minutes.
- While it is steeping or is still warm, mix in your sweetener. Stevia or monk fruit are suggested to keep this drink keto friendly. Stir to combine the sweetener in the warm tea. Allow to cool.
- Pour tea over ice.
- Stir in sugar-free vanilla syrup.
- Top with heavy cream.
- Enjoy!
Concentrate:
- Pour boiling water over tea bag and allow to steep for 3-5 minutes.
- Mix in the stevia or monk fruit until dissolved.
- Pour in additional ice water.
- If you are making a concentrate, store the passion tea in your fridge until you are ready to make a drink. If you are making a single serve keto pink drink you will add your sugar free vanilla syrup, heavy cream and ice.
There ya go. A super easy keto Starbucks pink drink recipe that you can make at home.
Ordering Keto Drinks at Starbucks: Essential Tips
Navigating the Starbucks menu while on a keto diet requires some strategy. Here are key points to keep in mind:
- "No Classic": One thing you want to say at Starbucks when you order is “no classic”, which is their sugary sweetener they add to drinks. I usually feel like when you order a drink with sugar-free syrup that the “no classic” is implied, but after asking quite a few Starbucks employees, it is best to just reiterate it when you order to make sure. Always specify "no classic syrup" to avoid added sugar.
- Heavy Cream vs. Half and Half: One thing I love about Starbucks is that they have heavy cream. Some other coffee places only have half and half, which is fine but has a bit more carbs that pure heavy cream. Starbucks uses their heavy cream to make their whipped cream, so they always have it. When they make their whipped cream they add sugar (in the form of syrup), but the just straight heavy cream does not have it add, they just pour it straight from the carton. Opt for heavy cream over half-and-half to reduce carbs. Heavy cream is about 1 carb per ounce. Half and half is about 1.5 carbs per ounce. If you order a drink “breve” they will give you half and half. So specify heavy cream at Starbucks if that is what you want.
- Sugar-Free Syrups: I have tested my ketones after drinking drinks made with sugar free syrup and it does not kick me out of ketosis. Understandably not everyone likes consuming a questionable sweetener like sucralose, which is fine. You can always keep your own sweetener in your car and add it yourself, I used to keep stevia drops in my car. Starbucks offers sugar-free vanilla and cinnamon dolce syrups.
- Skip the Milk Alternatives: If you’re making coffee at home, then by all means enjoy the unsweetened versions of coconut milk, almond milk or any other milk option. But at Starbucks, skip them because they have sugar added into them. So bring your own if you’re looking for a non-dairy option for your ketogenic lifestyle. Avoid Starbucks' coconut and almond milk due to added sugar.
Favorite Keto Starbucks Drink Options
Here are a few popular keto-friendly Starbucks drinks and how to order them:
- Venti Iced Coffee (or Cold Brew) with Sugar-Free Vanilla and Cinnamon Dolce: This is my favorite summertime drink! A venti typically has 7 pumps of syrup, so you can go all sugar free vanilla, all sugar free cinnamon dolce or you can mix them! I usually go all sf vanilla or a mix. I just ask for a splash of heavy cream. If you want to completely control how much they put in, then ask for the heavy cream on the side and pour it in yourself. My favorite part is watching the cream make its way down the drink and through the ice, coffee art at its finest:) Order a Venti iced coffee or cold brew, "no classic," with half sugar-free vanilla and half sugar-free cinnamon dolce, and a splash of heavy cream. Carb Count: Coffee and sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce.
- Venti Misto with Heavy Cream and Sugar-Free Vanilla: So I used to order a Venti Pike with steamed heavy cream and sugar free vanilla. For months I ordered this and then finally a Starbucks employee said, “that’s called a Misto except you want it with heavy cream instead of milk”. A misto means the milk (or heavy cream in this case) is steamed instead of just poured in cold. The frothier the better! You can get it with any roast of coffee you want, sometimes they ask, sometimes they assume Pike, which is what I get. Order a Venti Misto, "no classic," with heavy cream and sugar-free vanilla. Carb Count: Coffee and sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce.
- Venti Cold Brew Blended with Heavy Cream and Sugar-Free Vanilla: This is a fun drink when you’re in the mood for something frap-like, but without the crazy carb count. It’s not exactly the same texture as a frap because they add a sugary base into fraps that help smooth them out, so this version is much icier, but I still like it! What would be even better is if you had a wide boba-like straw to drink this with. I have some of those at home for smoothies, so next time I am going to bring one! I do add whip on this drink, since it’s a treat. The whip does have sugar in it because they use regular vanilla syrup to sweeten their whip, but one serving is only 2g of carbs. You can skip it if you want. Order a Venti cold brew blended, "no classic," no base, with heavy cream and sugar-free vanilla, add whip. Carb Count: Coffee and sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce, Starbucks whipped cream has 2 carbs per serving.
- Venti Americano with Sugar-Free Vanilla and Heavy Cream: This used to be my favorite drink, an Americano is espresso and water. So it is a stronger flavor and has more caffeine than regular coffee. It also has some inherent sweetness to the espresso so when I used to drink this I would order less sugar free syrup than I do in coffee (a typical venti has 7 pumps). Eventually I stopped drinking this because the espresso was just too much for me. Too much caffeine and too much on my stomach, so I switched to the Misto. But this drink is delicious and great hot or iced. Order a Venti Americano (or iced Americano), "no classic," with 3 pumps of sugar-free vanilla and a splash of heavy cream. Carb Count: Starbucks Espresso has 2g of carbs, sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce.
- Hot Tea: Sometimes I go super basic and just order tea, whether hot or cold. In the mornings I like my drinks with the added fat of heavy cream added in because I don’t eat breakfast and that fat helps me keep going until lunch without food. But in the afternoon I typically go for tea. In the summer I go iced and in the cooler months, hot tea. Opt for unsweetened green tea or Peach Tranquility tea. Green Tea: 0 carbs, 0 calories, 0 fat, does have caffeine. You do not want to order the Matcha at Starbucks, it has sugar in the mix. Peach Tranquility Tea: 0 carbs, 0 calories, 0 fat, does not have caffeine so I like to get this later in the day. Both of these are good iced or hot and you can add sweetener if you want, I typically do not. They also have other teas, these are just the 2 that I like the best.
- The White Drink: The White Drink and The Pink Drink are fun options, especially if you don’t like coffee or just want a different option. My daughter likes these and they look pretty too:) You might see some different variations online for these drinks. Some of those variations call for coconut milk, the coconut milk at Starbucks has sugar added into it, so stick to heavy cream. Order an unsweetened iced Peach Citrus Tea, "no classic," splash of heavy cream, sugar-free vanilla syrup, no water, light ice. Carb Count: Unsweetened tea has 0 carbs, sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce.
- The Pink Drink: Order an unsweetened iced Passion Tea, "no classic," no lemonade (just to be safe), splash of heavy cream, sugar-free vanilla syrup, light ice. Carb Count: Unsweetened tea has 0 carbs, sugar free sweetener has zero carbs, heavy cream has about 1 carb per ounce.
A Note on Sucralose
Starbucks sugar-free syrups (and many sugar-free products) contain a sugar substitute called sucralose. Sucralose is a common sugar substitute often advertised as low-carb or diabetic-friendly. While technically keto-friendly, some individuals prefer to avoid it.
Exploring Other Coffee Shops: Dutch Bros
When I’m traveling one of my favorite coffee spots to stop at is Dutch Bros, they don’t have them in Los Angeles so it’s always fun to come across one! Dutch Bros has tons of sugar free flavors compared to Starbucks which only has 2 options. Dutch Bros sugar free flavors include: White Chocolate, Chocolate, Caramel, Vanilla, Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Peppermint, Coconut, Raspberry, and StrawberrySO MANY! Chocolate macadamia is my fav when I go. I usually mix it with sugar free caramel. They also have Keto Cold Brew as a menu item at Dutch Bros, which is simply Cold Brew and Heavy Cream. So I usually get that and just add the syrup combo I want. They also have a Keto Americano for those days you want something hot. If you find yourself near a Dutch Bros, they offer a wider variety of sugar-free syrups, including white chocolate, chocolate macadamia nut, and more. They also have a Keto Cold Brew as a menu item at Dutch Bros, which is simply Cold Brew and Heavy Cream.
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