Butter Coffee is all the rage right now. It is a drink made with coffee (duh!), butter (preferably grass-fed), and a thingy called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).
At first, I had my doubts. Putting pure fat in coffee? Wouldn’t that just look and taste like an oil spillage? I imagined a layer of grease floating on top of my precious freshly brewed java.
But I kept reading about it. I was curious.
When even my local hipster coffee shop started to serve the fat-filled beverage, I gave in.
I tried it, and I loved it.
Rich, creamy, and supposedly very healthy. Trying to find out how to make the perfect cup of butter coffee gave me a whole new appreciation of butter along with a way to create a satisfying, healthy cup of something new.
In this article, I will discuss everything you need to know about butter coffee, useful tips on how to brew the perfect cup.
What's Butter Coffee?
As said, butter coffee is a drink made with three ingredients. Brewed coffee, butter, and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT’s).
The coffee in butter coffee is usually filter or brewed coffee. It doesn’t matter whether it comes from your drip machine, French Press, or a pour-over cone like the Hario V60. You can even make it with an Americano or Lungo if you are using an espresso machine.
But before we move on, lets first get some misconceptions out of the way:
Butter Coffee is not the same as Bullet Proof Coffee.
Butter Coffee is not the same as Coconut Oil Coffee.
It is loaded with flavor, keeps you full and satisfied for long, and it has a delicious light foam on top when made the right way.
Coffee infused with butter and MCT oil is very easy to make and, therefore, an excellent recipe for the aspiring barista. When you make this for friends, it will get you a lot of “wow!”-s. And it doesn’t require a lot of specialty coffee gear (like an espresso machine). In fact, my go-to coffee gear for butter coffee is a French Press (when I make more than one cup) or an Aeropress (when I only make one cup for myself). All you need beyond that is a blender. This can be a conventional blender or a simple stick blender and a high walled container.
In terms of ingredients, all you need is:
- A hot cup of coffee
- Grass-fed butter or Ghee (which is nothing more than clarified butter
- MCT Oil or coconut oil
To simplify this recipe even further, you could also get a coffee booster. Coffee booster has all ingredients, except the coffee, pre-mixed, and ready to go. No hassle.
You can get could quality ingredients online. Usually against much lower prices than at your local health store or organic grocery. And you don’t have to punt on your pants.
These are my favorites:
The best quality Ghee
The best quality MCT-oil
The best quality Coconut Oil
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All recomendations we make are made independently. You have our word.
What is the difference between Butter Coffee and Bullet Proof Coffee?
Butter Coffee and BulletProof Coffee are almost the same.
Almost, but not quite…
BulletProof Coffee is a brand of specialty coffee and was developed by an entrepreneur called Dave Asprey.
His particular branded version of butter coffee uses a specific type of coffee beans, holds to a strict code of using just unsalted, grass-fed butter, and contains MCT oil. MCT-oil and coconut oil are very similar, but MCT-oil has more of the Medium Chain Triglycerides. These Medium Chain Triglycerides are what we are looking for. So basically, BulletProof Coffee is the best version of this goodness-packed drink you can get. And this is reflected in the price.
I love BulletProof Coffee, but my goal here is to give you the DIY version. Anyone can make this at home with ingredients and gear that are available almost anywhere.
Next, we’ll take a look at the ‘why’. Why would anyone even consider adding butter and coconut oil to coffee? Well, six reasons:
6 Reasons You Should Try making Butter Coffee
I am hooked to Butter Coffee. I love how it tastes. I love how it makes me feel. And I love that I can make it at home. And you should try it, really! Here are a few reasons why:
Reason #1: It is cheaper to make Butter Coffee at home
The average Butter Coffee at a coffee shop is between 4 USD and 6 USD. This is also true at one of the three Bullet Proof Cafés (Santa Monica, Seattle, Los Angeles). This is not even counting the drive and the wait.
To be honest: there aren’t even that many coffee shops that serve Butter Coffee. But still, even if you found one that serves this delicious beverage, it is way cheaper to make it at home.
Sure, good quality organic Ghee or grass-fed butter is not cheap. And neither is good quality coconut oil. But do the math, it beats buying coffee at a coffee shop, easily.
Let me give you an example:
I used to buy two cups of coffee on the go, at a coffee shop, on weekdays. During the weekend, I would buy at least one cup of coffee a day. Honestly, there were a lot of weekends when I would hang out at my favorite coffee shop for hours and had two or three beverages.
That means I would spend at least USD 75 at the coffee shop each week. That’s more than USD 3,500 a year!
You can buy a lot of Ghee for that.
Reason #2: The healthy fats in Butter Coffee are good for you
Remember the low fat craze? For years, doctors, dieticians, the government, and the media have told us that fat is bad for you. This turns out to be untrue. Or at most partially true.
It turns out that a low-fat diet can actually be harmful to your overall health. One of the reasons is that low-fat, processed food contains high amounts of additives like sugar or sugar-like substances (i.e., chemically-created sugars) to make the food taste good (or at least palatable). As any chef will tell you: fat = flavor. A diet low in fat not only tastes like s***, but it can also lead to conditions like fat-soluble vitamin deficiency, hormone imbalances, and bad skin.
That doesn’t mean I want you to run to Mickey D’s or the fried chicken seller from the Bluegrass State. Not all fats are good fats. But, to get back to Butter Coffee, grass-fed butter (Ghee) and MCT-fats are the good fats. In fact, they are the world champions of goods fats!
What do they do?
Every cell in our body is coated in a protective covering of two fat layers. A diet with a healthy amount of good fats keep these layers intact and functioning properly.
A diet rich in healthy fats provides anti-inflammatory nutrients, nourishment for your, and the building blocks for healthy hormones.
Coconut oil, specifically, contains healthy saturated fats, which help with the regulation of cholesterol levels, decreases inflammation, and help balance your metabolism.
Reason #3: Butter Coffee will keep you satisfied for longer.
Having a Butter Coffee for breakfast can keep you satisfied far into your morning, or even until lunch. When you are an intermittent faster (don’t know what intermittent fasting is? Here’s a good explanation), Butter Coffee is especially helpful.
The high fat, zero carb drink doesn’t break your fast!
You have probably experienced a dip after lunch every once in a while. Also called the “2pm crash?”, it is usually accompanied by an inability to concentrate, sugar cravings, yawning, and a bad mood. The worst thing you can do is get a sugary, syrupy coffee drink or start munching on candy bars. These will give you a boost for a short time, but after that comes the crash. And this one is worse than the one you were trying to alleviate.
Butter Coffee is the solution.
The fats, and the fact that Butter Coffee doesn’t contain any sugar, help the body maintain stable glucose levels, which reduce cravings for sugary foods, and will make you less tired and grumpy. No more need for the afternoon cheat. Butter Coffee will make you feel pumped!
Warning: an 8-ounce (or 240 ml) serving of butter coffee contains about 450 calories. You need to keep this in mind. If you add Butter Coffee to your diet, you will consume 450 calories per serving more than you would otherwise.
If you replace afternoon snacks or a sugary breakfast with a cup of Butter Coffee, you are fine. You just don’t want to add a whole lot of calories to your diet suddenly. That would be bad for your weight.
Reason #4: Butter Coffee has a positive effect on your metabolism
The coconut oil used in Butter Coffee belongs to a group of fatty acids called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). Studies have shown that MCTs are metabolized faster than other fats (Long Chain Triglycerides).
This increased metabolic rate raises the temperature in your body as it works to digest and absorb the nutrients in the fats. The faster the body processes the fats, the sooner the nutrients are delivered to your organs, muscles, and brain.
This causes you to feel energized.
By contrast, a Pumpkin Spice Latte will not deliver any of these benefits. Instead, you will be served a good amount of preservatives, artificial food coloring, preservatives, artificial flavoring, and over 50 grams of sugar! That’s a sugar crash waiting to happen.
Reason #5: Butter Coffee will improve cognitive function
The metabolization of good fats in butter coffee also has a positive effect on your brain. The fast delivery of energy-giving nutrients to the brain makes you feel more focused. I am a lot more productive on Butter Coffee. A true procrastination defeating drink!
Reason #6: Butter Coffee tastes really good! Without sugar!
Butter Coffee is smooth, creamy, and rich. And yes, you taste the butter. But that is also what makes it kind of sweet. You don’t need to add sugar. Another health benefit!
I understand if the thought of butter and coconut oil in your coffee doesn’t sound appealing at first. But it isn’t like it is a greasy mess. The blending of the butter and the coconut oil perfectly emulsify into the coffee. It has practically the same mouthfeel as coffee with cream (although it has a slightly fatter aftertaste).
Maybe it needs to grow on you. But you’ll only know it if you try it.
The Best Butter Coffee Recipe
This is probably one of the easiest recipes you have ever heard of. There is nothing complicated about it. Basically, you put butter, coconut oil, and coffee into a blender. Blitz the mixture for 30 seconds, pour into your favorite cup and enjoy.
It literally takes 35 seconds longer than it would take you to make a regular cup of coffee.
But let’s be a little more specific:
What are the Ingredients for butter coffee?
- 1 cup or mug / 8 – 12 ounces (about 240 – 350 ml) of black coffee
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons of grass-fed butter or Ghee
You don’t want to get off to a bad start, so let’s take a look at the things you don’t want to do while making Butter Coffee.
3 avoidable mistakes when making Butter Coffee
Mistake #1: adding too much coconut oil or MCT-oil
Upsetting your stomach is a real issue when you are not used to suddenly consuming more (but healthy!) fat. So, start small. The 1 tablespoon in the recipe is a good start. And if you like it, keep it there.
When you want up the MCT content of your butter coffee, start by switching the amount of butter and coconut oil. Instead of 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of MCT-oil, use 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. After that, increase the coconut oil content 1 teaspoon at a time. Don’t overdo it. Enough fat is enough.
Mistake #2: not using the best quality butter you can afford
The quality of your butter coffee depends on only two things: the quality of the coffee and the quality of the butter. I hate spending more than I have to, so I tried making Butter Coffee with different brands of cheap butter.
Let’s just say: don’t do it. Stick to the good quality grass-fed butter.
Kerrygold is the gold standard. This brand of Irish grass-fed butter fantastic and will do wonders for your Butter Coffee. If you can get locally produced organic grass-fed butter, even better.
Mistake #3: Skipping the blending
Blending is an essential part of this recipe. It makes sure the fats emulsify with the coffee. If the butter, coconut oil, and coffee aren’t appropriately emulsified, the fat and coffee will separate immediately.
The fats will float on top of the coffee in a thick greasy layer. Let me tell you: that tastes terrible!
The best blending action comes from a traditional blender. Second best, but still great, is the stick or immersion blender. If you are in a pinch and you have a milk frother laying around, you can use this, but it won’t be as well emulsified.
Don’t, I repeat: don’t use a whisk or shaker. It. Won’t. Work.
What does work? 3 things:
Butter Coffee brew method #1 - with a blender
The blender is the optimal way to make butter coffee. Blenders are great at the emulsification that is necessary to create the rich and creamy cup of butter coffee we are looking for.
- Step 1: brew 8 ounces (or about 240 ml) of black coffee
- Step 2: put the hot coffee, a tablespoon of coconut oil, and two tablespoons of butter in a blender.
- Step 3: put the lid on the blender and blend the mixture for thirty seconds or until fully emulsified and foamy.
- Step 4: pour the mixture into your favorite cup and enjoy!
Butter Coffee brew method #2 - with a stick blender or immersion blender
- Step 1: brew 8 ounces (or about 240 ml) of black coffee
- Step 2: put the hot coffee, a tablespoon of coconut oil, and two tablespoons of butter in a high walled blender beaker (like this one).
- Step 3: put in the stick or immersion blender and blend the mixture for 30 – 45 seconds or until fully emulsified and foamy. Be careful to avoid splattering hot liquid on yourself by keeping the stick blender submerged.
- Step 4: pour the mixture into your favorite cup and enjoy!
Butter Coffee brew method #3 - with a milk frother
Using a milk frother isn’t the optimal way to make Butter Coffee. But if you have one laying around and don’t have a (stick/immersion) blender, give it a go. You might experience separation of the fats and coffee if you don’t drink it immediately. Just give it some more frothing action to re-emulsify.
- Step 1: brew 8 ounces (or about 240 ml) of black coffee
- Step 2: put the hot coffee, a tablespoon of coconut oil, and two tablespoons of butter in a large cup (about twice as large as the amount of coffee + the butter and oil requires).
- Step 3: put in milk frother and ‘froth’ the mixture for 30 – 45 seconds or until fully emulsified and foamy. Be careful to avoid splattering hot liquid on yourself.
- Step 4: enjoy!
additions to make it extra yummy!
Butter Coffee is delicious as is. Creamy, silky smooth, and buttery. But there are ways to spice things up a bit. There are a few things you can add to it that makes it extra special, without making it unhealthy.
Cinnamon: adding cinnamon to your butter coffee makes it extra comfy and in my opinion gives it a ‘wintery’ vibe. Add a pinch to the recipe above and you are golden. (before blending)
Vanilla: adding vanilla essentially gives you a vanilla latte. Add a ½ teaspoon to the recipe above (before blending)
Mocha: if you want to make it really fancy try making a Mocha Butter Coffee. Add ½ tablespoon of cacao powder, 1 teaspoon of agave nectar or honey, 2 tablespoons of light coconut or almond milk, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon, and a ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract to the recipe above (before blending).
Best Butter Coffee Brew Videos on the Web
Sometimes is it nice to see someone else do it before you give it a try. I gathered the best (in my opinion) butter coffee making video’s from Youtube. For your viewing pleasure!
Video: How to Make Butter Coffee
The first video is by Jesse Mason. He shows step by step how to make butter coffee. It is by far the most helpful video on making butter coffee on the web.
He proposes to make your first butter coffee with one instead of two tablespoons of butter but always with two tablespoons of MCT-oil. I propose the exact opposite (start with one tablespoon of MCT-oil and always use two tablespoons of butter).
There is no right or wrong way. But I find that it is the MCT-oil that might upset you stomach, not the butter. The lesson here is: don’t take my word (or Jesse’s) for it, try it for yourself.
Video: Why Drink Butter Coffee? The Science of Bulletproof Coffee
The next video is by Jospeh from the excellent channel ‘What I’ve Learned’. He takes a deep dive into the origins, the science and the how to of this drink. Another must watch!
Video: How to Make Bulletproof® Coffee w/ Dave Asprey
This is the commercial. It starts with a pretty scary story about toxins in commercially produced coffee. Let’s just say I am not convinced about the science behind that story. But it is good to see how Bulletproof Coffee is made. It is a good product, but you can have the same effect with ‘normal’ ingredients at a much lower cost.
Conclusion
I never imagined that a rich, creamy coffee could actually be good for you. But Butter Coffee is great and rivals the whipped cream topped sugar bombs you can buy at the big coffee chains in taste.
It is almost too good to be true: satisfy your appetite, get your caffeine fix, boost your metabolism, increase your focus, and keep your body in good shape. All by drinking… coffee
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