If you are familiar with the Bulletproof Coffee obsession that has grown over the last few years, you’ll soon understand why I had to add the “ish” on there. I like the concept… but the execution needed tweaking for my own real food standards. This is now the only way we take our coffee at home, every morning!
Oh, coffee. You are the wind beneath my wings. You inspire me to stay awake. You are the reason I’m vertical. You’re a good friend.
Indeed, I have a big fat crush on a hot cup of joe (still not sure why they call it that), but I don’t love pasteurized cream and white sugar. Sadly, I am incapable of enjoying black coffee like the hipsters, so I needed to find an alternative. And find it, I did! Wowza.
This is now the only way we take our coffee at home, every morning. And guess what? This is a healthier way to enjoy coffee than taking it black. Take THAT, cool hipsters.
If you are familiar with the Bulletproof Coffee cult-like obsession that has grown over the last few years, you’ll soon understand why I had to add the “ish” on there. I like the concept… but the execution needed tweaking for my own real food standards.
The official Bulletproof cup of coffee includes high quality, low-toxin brewed coffee (there are mold toxins in most cheap coffees that add burden to your body’s already-overloaded detoxification system), as well as grass-fed butter, and a shot of MCT oil. Blend it together in a high-powered blender until it’s emulsified, with a nice thick foamy layer on top, like a latté. Brilliant, right? Totally.
Or almost, anyway.
What I Love/Don’t Love About Bulletproof Coffee
I definitely cannot deny the motivations for choosing a low-toxin coffee bean. Our bodies are already way over-burdened in today’s age with all of the toxic chemical uses in everything from our food (eat clean!) to our furniture (detox your home) to our medicine (try natural remedies).
If I have an opportunity to invite fewer toxins into my home and my diet I’ll take it.
Right now we buy this brand of coffee. It’s fair-trade and certified organic. I’m currently doing some more research in to the coffee industry and the potential health ramifications of the various methods of roasting and such (like mycotoxins, as mentioned above). We may choose a different brand in the future, but for now this is working well for us. We use a Chemex to brew it.
I also fully agree with the great health benefits of grass-fed butter (or, more accurately, butter from grass-fed cows). Butter is a health food, and grass-fed butter is even better.
MCT oil vs. Coconut Oil
MCT oil is the last ingredient in the official Bulletproof concoction, and that’s the one that I skip altogether. MCT stands for medium chain triglycerides (or medium chain fatty acids), which is the type of fat in coconut oil.
Of course, coconut oil is a super health food, right? So I guess they figured, “If coconut oil is so healthy, then how ’bout we make a pimped out, SUPER POWERFUL version of that oil?!”
Unfortunately, all they did was to artificially break it down and separate the components. The lauric acid is removed (one of the best and healthiest components of coconut oil) and we’re left with a potent liquid of fatty acids (source). But is that better? In almost every case, I believe that the way nature intended it is the best way*, which means no MCT oil for us.
Instead, I add a dollop of virgin coconut oil in with my butter and coffee, as well as a splash of real maple syrup. You could get creative, too, and try things like cinnamon, cocoa, and more. I’ve used just coconut oil when cutting back on all dairy, and I’ve used dates instead of the maple syrup, and all versions are great.
I blend it on high using my Vitamix for about one minute, then pour and enjoy! It’s an amazingly frothy, creamy, flavourful concoction with a hint of sweet.
(*Of course, cooking, preparing, and preserving are not what I’m talking about here. I’m referring specifically to artificially altering foods from their original state with non-traditional methods. But you’re smart and probably already knew that.)
Breakfast Replacement? No Thanks.
The last argument that I have with the official Bulletproof coffee is that the creator actually recommends that it be used as a breakfast replacement. From his website:
“Try this just once, with at least 2 Tbs of butter, and have nothing else for breakfast. You will experience one of the best mornings of your life, with boundless energy and focus. It’s amazing.”
I definitely agree that this would be a better option than breakfast cereal with low-fat milk (blech). However, I can tell you with absolute certainty that having just a cup of coffee (bulletproof as it may be) for breakfast is not going to work for a lot of people like myself, with adrenal fatigue, who need a big breakfast with some solid protein, fat, and vegetables (see this morning’s on instagram here).
When I give up caffeine (I confess: I’ve been avoiding that step) in order to heal from adrenal fatigue, I’m going to have to find a new way to get a daily dose of coconut oil, but for now – this is sheer perfection.
It tastes great, it’s the healthiest way to enjoy a cup of coffee, and it’s easy!
Here’s my adapted recipe:
Bulletproof-ish Coffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup brewed fair-trade organic coffee
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat your high-powered blender with hot water for a minute, then dump out.
- Combine ingredients and blend on high power for a minute.
- Pour and enjoy.
- Serve with a real-food friendly breakfast!
Notes
Nutrition
Serve it up alongside a big ol’ healthy breakfast with a recipe from my breakfast ebook, The Breakfast Revolution!
Head here to grab your copy.
(Use the code “redbreakfast” to get 10% off.)
Laura
I make a coffee “creamer” myself with coconut oil — soften/partially melt 1/2 cup coconut oil, add in T cocoa powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a few drops of liquid stevia (optional). Then mix it all together. After I make my coffee I add about 2 tsp and blend together. Very yummy with no additional sugar needed. But I’ve never tried with butter — maybe I’ll do that next time
Mary
Just no
Joseph
I think it’s clear to see you’re the hipster Beth.
Miriam
Thanks for this. I didn’t want to buy the expensive Bulletproof ingredients, and was looking to make a similar concoction in a down-to-earth, affordable and doable fashion.
This sounds like it for me.
I will probably use coffee for therapeutic and medicinal purposes (when I feel like my brain needs a boost), but will stick to the dandelion/chicory alternative for regular use, and cocoa as well.
I love your suggestion of adding cinnamon too. It’s by far my favourite spice and I haven’t had it in quite a while.
Winter is coming here, so I’m going to stock up on some.
Will probably add ginger too, and a whole string of other spices :).
PS I had adrenal fatigue for years, it was so annoying, I’m currently still fatigued, but it is due to illness in my case
My biggest problem now is my brain (I contracted Lyme Disease a couple of years ago, along with other co-infections and it did a serious number on my brain)
A lot of foods make me ill (i.e. veggies and fruit), so I’m very challenged as to what I can eat due to struggling with inflammation and serious brain fog.
Anyhow, I noticed how somehow mentioned a green tea BP’is concoction, I’d love to try that too as I would need one I can add rosemary too without tasting odd (rosemary is known to increase brain function in many ways – i.e. focus, storing new information and recalling it as well)
Thank you ladies for sharing your experiences, I’m very grateful to you.
Joy
I had to give up coffee as well 🙁 But honestly now I don’t even miss it. I’ve been drinking my replacement concoction every day for 8 months now, and it’s been a fantastic substitute! Ingredients:
-Raw cacao powder
-Sweetener (I use an organic stevia/erythritol blend)
-Coconut Oil
-Ghee/Butter
-Collagen Peptides (for protein and gut healing)
-pinch of mineral salt
Blend on high for a few seconds and voila, a perfect coffee replacement. I promise you won’t even miss it!
Justin
add an egg if you have adrenal fatigue. Or chia, or anything. make it into a smoothie. But it will negate most of the affects.
Jordan
I am not a fan of the cultish and marketing-laden dogma that is the Bulletproof brand and I can also definitely appreciate a tendency toward naturopathy / not tampering too much with nature’s readymade provisions, but I will always favor arguments backed by research over intuition alone. Dosing of extracted C10 and especially C8 has been demonstrably proven to be absorbed faster and in turn set the body into ketosis with more than twice (!!!) the efficacy of coconut oil, which only contains trace amounts of these acids. Still not a bad idea to use what you have in the kitchen!
More importantly, given that the major motivation for supplementing coffee in this way is to sustain a state of ketosis and arguably to extend the limits of intermittent fasting, I would also strongly caution against adding maple syrup to this concoction. Consuming that much sugar (unless you are omitting carbs almost completely for the rest of your day for a total of 20-40g overall) will undoubtedly take you out of your relatively fragile ketogenic state, thus changing how fats are metabolized and defeating the purpose of this entire practice.
All for homegrown solutions to jumpstarting your day, just stressing that the principles of a ketogenic diet are exactly what make this otherwise unhealthy practice a good idea.
Derek
Sugar is like kerosine, you burn through it quickly and just keep wanting more. Fat is like coal, it burns slower and gives you sustained energy. Sugar will make you age faster, make you run back to the kitchen for more carbs faster, give you more inflammation and leads to a whole host of problems (cancer for instance) for you health-wise down the road. That being said, maple syrup is possibly the worst idea for BP coffee. If you need sweet just add stevia or the other additives Asprey has recommended.
mary
Yeah the point of fatty coffee is an alternative to sugar. Makes no sense to add sugar
Viveca
I agree about not adding sugar. I use a couple shakes of Cinnamon since it not only makes it taste sweeter, but it also helps with blood sugar.
I only searched for bullet proof coffee recipes since I wanted to get other ideas to make it healthier or have something different.
I use butter, coconut cream, maca, raw cocao powder and some mushroom extract powder that has 6 types of mushrooms in it (it comes with a tiny scoop that can’t be more than 1/8 teaspoon). Once every few days, I may also add MCT oil.
I only drink one cup of this in the morning AND it is my substitute for breakfast. It’s after 1:00 now and I’m getting ready to break my fast.
I guess I will continue with my own recipe until I can find other healthful ingredients for it.
Mila
I love this article!! Thank you so much for your input… This is one of the few articles I’ve read that makes sense/lines up with actual facts re: MCT vs. Coconut Oil & the whole bulletproof coffee craze.
I want to incorporate your bulletproofish coffee into my morning routine but I was wondering…
How terrible is it to add 2 packets of raw brown sugar to the mix? I find that my morning coffee w/ 2 sugars + cinnamon + nutmeg usually keeps me from craving any sugar or desserts throught the day, however, between all the science and chemistry of MCT oil for weight loss etc., I’m not sure if I’m doing any harm to my metabolism or speeding up weight GAIN by combining these two things…
Would you have any advice on this?
Thank you sooooo much for your help!
I’m so excited that I found your blog ?
Hollie
This sounds delicious. But adding maple syrup would then break the intermittent fast early. Bullet proof coffee has no carbs. One of the benefits of it is that you use it to help you get through the morning if following an IF protocol.
I am one of those that drink my coffee black lol, putting in butter and coconut oil in hot coffee is very hard for me to do. I can handle it in iced coffee though so if anyone else has trouble with the texture like I do try it that way.
Costco has pastured cow butter finally in Canada so not as bad a price anymore. With our short grass season we will never have year round grass fed.
Terry Martin
You are technically breaking your fast consuming the bulletproof coffee, because of calories. And if you add syrup you totally negate the purpose of going bulletproof all together, if ketosis is your main goal. If ketosis and or fasting is your goal don’t add it. I have bulletproof everyday (cinnamon, tumeric, and collagen powder). I don’t worry about fasting right now. But I don’t believe you should fast everyday any way. If you want to use this recipe as a treat, by all means. You need that every now and then.
Edward Smith
I don’t necessarily agree but want to say “THANK YOU!”. So many Bulletproof coffee reviews fail to accurately represent the recipe. In addition, they skew the logic and make inappropriate analogies, none of which you have done. And even though you have challenged the MCT oil, you did it in an academic and well thought manner. Thanks!
Ryan
Have you tried a vegan option to the butter?
Beth
I’m not vegan (and never will be) but I’ve needed to be dairy-free on occasion, and coconut oil works well in this recipe. It’ll taste a little different, but it still froths up nicely.
zee
if you blend it doesnt the coffee cool down? is there any tip to drink this piping hot? Im guess heating after blending with break it up again
NANCY
I really like the flavor of the Bulletproof coffee, but I’ll take your recommendation and give Kicking Horse a try. It’s a little less expensive and I can get it on Amazon. They also seem to pay attention to the mycotoxin issue.
Mac
This recipe looks rather tasty!
However, the maple syrup would be counterproductive if you were trying to maintain a ketogenic diet.
I’ll have to give it a try on my next cheat day!
LisaZ
If you have adrenal fatigue, you should check out Teeccino as a coffee substitute at Teeccino.com. It’s referred to as “herbal coffee” and comes in many designer flavors. (It includes chicory, which was recommended by another commenter.) You can also google “Teeccino coupon” for a coupon code to enter at checkout.
The regular formulation contains barley, but they say it is gluten free when brewed. They also have a dandelion formulation that does not include barley or any other gluten-containing ingredients, so it’s gluten free from the beginning.
Also, if you want to give up dairy try using ghee instead. It’s clarified butter, which is butter cooked until the milk solids become crispy and are removed. So it’s essentially dairy-free, real butter–used in Indian cooking. I get mine at Sprouts or a local health-food store chain called Good Earth.
Olivia
Disagree. Bulletproof MCT and Brain octane are AMAZING! Coconut oil has its place too but if you want the most benefits from your BP coffee you should check out the brain octane. See this article about medium chain triglycerides:
https://www.bulletproofexec.com/what-is-mct-oil-vs-coconut-oil/
Beth
I’m glad that you found what works for you, Olivia. As far as your link goes – it’s highly biased, being from the Bulletproof coffee website. I just prefer my coconut oil straight up, instead of separated. I’m sure we can agree to disagree on this one. 🙂
Vivian Montilla
Dear..
Please can you help me?
Wich coffe, for example at costco can i find a good one?
Or at whole food, what i have to look?
What is WCT or XCT, is very expense):
Wich one is the best coonut oil,can you send me a pic?
The Ghed from walmart is good?or same can you send me a pic wich one you use?
Time is very value for me, we live a very busy life, for that reason is you can respod me, i will appreciated soo much¡¡
God bless you love vivi
Suzette
I’ve done this before but only with coconut oil. I didn’t find out about adding the butter until a couple of months ago but haven’t tried it yet. I love the other variations you mentioned, too…..can’t wait to try them. I’ve found that other than Costco, Trader Joe’s has the best deal on Kerrygold grass-fed butter. If you have a Fresh Market close by, they carry a grass-fed butter from New Zealand and often have them on sale. When you do give up caffeine, try making bulletproof hot cocoa. I’ve also seen a recipe for green tea latte made the same way as the bulletproof coffee. 🙂
Beth
I’ll definitely have to try bulletproof hot cocoa or the green tea latte! Thanks for the ideas.
Chantal
Dear Beth,
I quit drinking coffee a few months ago, because I felt so tired after drinking it. I now make my “coffee” with pure chicory and coconutmilk and I find it delicious. Perhaps it is something for you too, so you can heal from the adrenal fatigue…??
I wish you all the best from the Netherlands and please keep blogging, it’s nice to read.
Kind regards,
Chantal
Beth
Interesting idea, Chantal! Thank you.
Emily McClements
I definitely need to try this! I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get in daily coconut oil and this sounds like a great way!
Beth
Hope you enjoy it!
MamaV
This is just about how we make ours… Even the 3 year old drinks some! We also throw in some collagen powder for protein, and I put raw honey in mine. Adding cocoa powder is pretty yum, too
Beth
I like the sound of adding cocoa powder!