If you’ve ever entered a gym, are active on social media, or are a coffee enthusiast, then you’ve met someone who swears by bulletproof coffee. Bulletproof coffee is the creation of ‘bio-hacker’ Dave Asprey, with a surge in popularity, bulletproof coffee is popular amongst people following a keto diet as bulletproof coffee helps boost energy and has fat-burning properties which are vital to start the morning.
One of the other reasons bulletproof coffee had a surge in popularity is down to just how easy it is to make. Below you’ll find we have loads of recipes for you to try out on your bulletproof coffee journey. Most, if not all, of them, only require you to use a blender with the ingredients.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What Exactly is Bulletproof Coffee?
An excellent question, if you’re someone who hasn’t come across bulletproof coffee, let me explain it simply for you. Bulletproof coffee is a drink that consists of brewed coffee, grass-fed unsalted butter, and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) coconut oil.
Bulletproof coffee is famous amongst people who are following a high-fat, low carbohydrate diet.
When Should I Drink Bulletproof Coffee?
Bulletproof coffee has been designed in a way that you should drink it on an empty stomach as a substitute for breakfast. If you lead an active lifestyle, people will drink bulletproof coffee before working out to help increase performance energy and endurance.
There is some science behind this. In bulletproof coffee, there is a combination of caffeine and fat, which helps fuel the body. Bulletproof coffee is very high in calories and fat, which is why people use bulletproof coffee as a meal replacement.
MCT oil vs Coconut oil for my Bulletproof Coffee
This is something I see all too often amongst bulletproof coffee recipes. One will state to use MCT oil while another website with the same recipe will say to use coconut oil. It’s important to note they are similar in the fact that they are both low carb, high-fat ingredients, which is perfect for a bulletproof coffee.
I won’t cover it too much as there’s a lot of science online, but MCT is preferred for bulletproof coffee. This is due to the fact it works better for people looking to get into ketosis and for boosts of energy. MCT oil can also be used for sustaining your energy.
For all the recipes below, you can use whichever you like and still receive great health benefits. If you had to choose one of the other, go for the MCT oil.
Are Bulletproof Upgraded Beans Worth the Extra Fortune?
There’s a specific type of coffee that supposedly is best for a bulletproof coffee, and these are bulletproof upgraded beans (funnily enough). These upgraded beans have gone through a process to strip them of mycotoxins, or so claim the people who make their money selling them. A lot of people around the industry say this is nonsense – the coffee industry has known about mycotoxins (mold) for ages, and therefore, wet processing was developed.
This is something that is regulated, and nearly every roaster in the world adheres too. Essentially, the beans are washed, and nearly all the mycotoxins are eliminated.
With that in mind, just opt for the regular coffee beans that you’d use. For bulletproof coffee, you will most likely be brewing your coffee separately and then adding ingredients, so just get your usual brew ready.
Should I Add Protein Powder to my Bulletproof Coffee?
This one is entirely up to you, depending on what your goals are. If you’re an active gym-goer looking to start a keto diet or just regulated your intake, then adding a protein shake would be a good idea. If, however, you’re someone looking to lose weight, then it would be worth asking a nutritionist beforehand as if you consume too much protein without exercise, it can be just as bad.
The great thing with protein shakes is with the boom in the protein industry, it is possible to find any flavor of protein shake, well, pretty much any flavor. A lot of the recipes below ask you to add vanilla, for example, you could add a vanilla protein shake.
Protein powder with milk has a smooth texture, so adding this to your coffee isn’t going to affect the smooth, frothy texture, in fact, it should make it thicker and creamier.
What Blender Should I Use?
This is a very important point. You need to make sure your blender can contain hot liquids and work to a high spin setting. Something like a NutriBullet, for example, wouldn’t work as you can’t put hot liquid into one. There are a lot of blenders ‘specifically designed’ for bulletproof coffee, and let’s be honest, they’re the same as ordinary blenders with a higher price tag.
Any at-home blender for bulletproof coffee will work if it accepts hot liquid (your coffee) and has a fast spin rate. Yes, you’ll have to pay slightly more for a blender that ticks these boxes, trust me, it’ll be worth it.
Benefits of Drinking Bulletproof Coffee:
There’s debate amongst the coffee industry whether it’s worth drinking bulletproof coffee due to its high levels of fat whether it is good for you. Let’s explore what experts say some of the benefits are.
Fuel for People on Specific Diets
If you are following a particular diet like the ketogenic diet then you need to be consuming fats for brain and body fuel. Why people mention the keto diet a lot with bulletproof coffee is that ketones act as the primary fuel source on the ketogenic diet, as glucose is not available. Having bulletproof coffee could be beneficial for energy as it elevates ketone levels in the blood.
Contains Omega 3
As the butter used for a bulletproof coffee is grass-fed it will be higher in anti-inflammatory omega-3 acids and vitamin K. If you use traditional grain-fed then you’ll miss out on most of this.
Butter is also known to contain other important nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin D.
Contains Coffee
I know we all love coffee and its easy to forget the benefits on drinking coffee. People who drink 3-4 cups of coffee a day are more likely to see health benefits than harm from the coffee.
This one for me is 50/50 as you could get these benefits from a regular coffee rather than having a fully loaded bulletproof coffee more than once a day which is highly unadvisable.
Negatives of Drinking Bulletproof Coffee:
With every positive there is a negative and bulletproof coffee has its controversy surrounding this. Even though we’ve listed the above positives some people swear by not drinking bulletproof coffee due to its obvious negatives. Let’s explore these below.
Reduces key Nutrient Intake
If you’re drinking bulletproof coffee how you’re supposed to then you’ll be drinking this instead of having a meal, most commonly breakfast. Yes, from drinking this instead of a meal you greatly increase your energy levels, but you do this at the expense of key nutrients you’d receive at breakfast time.
Having a bulletproof coffee for breakfast means you’ll miss out on things like protein, fiber and important vitamins. Personally, I do not think this is a worthy sacrifice.
High in Saturated Fats
Each article on saturated fats will tell you something different. Some say, there is no link between saturated fats and heart disease whilst some say and swear by the fact that it does. I personally have no idea but always like to cut out the amount of saturated fats I have, unsaturated fats are much better, and I love nuts and fish.
Fat is now something we know more about and understand it’s not as bad as we once thought. I guess, if you’re using grass-fed butter then as this is a quality product it can’t be as bad as some people make out.
Stomach Upset
As your first consumption in the morning is going to be a high fat intake this quite commonly can cause an upset stomach, especially if you suffer from something like IBS which is common.
So, there you have it, 3 pros and cons of drinking bulletproof coffee, it’s up to you to decide whether or not you want to give this one a shot, there’s enough research out there on the pros and cons for you to look at.
If you’ve decided you’re going to take the plunge and start trying bulletproof coffees what kind of people would be we if we didn’t arm you with some recipes to send you on your way.
17 Amazing Recipes to Bulletproof Your Coffee:
1 The Original
The recipe below is the bulletproof coffee in its most basic and standard form, how it was first made. It’s a simple version to make that would be great to use if its your first attempt at trying a bulletproof coffee.
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of strong coffee – emphasis on the word strong
- 2 tbsp of MCT oil
- 1-2 tbsp of unsalted – ideally grass-fed butter
The method:
All you need to do here really is make your coffee how you normally would and blend in the MCT oil and the butter, it’s really that simple to make this version. You want to ensure that when you blend this all together that your coffee is still boiling hot as this will help the butter melt and not leave it clumpy. You want to keep blending until you can see your liquid is nice and frothy.
The reason we are recommending you to use unsalted butter is hopefully obvious, if you use salted butter then you are going to be tasting a lot of salt in this mix which I imagine isn’t going to be great for the taste.
2 Iced Bulletproof Coffee
Yes, that’s right, I said it, iced bulletproof coffee. This is going to give you a creamy iced bulletproof coffee which will be low carb and sugar free. There are a lot more ingredients to contend with for this method but trust me, it’s still not difficult to make.
What you’ll need:
- 2 cups of chilled coffee
- 1 cup of ice
- 1 tbsp of MCT oil
- 2 tbsp of heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla liquid stevia (or another sweetener)
- A pinch of salt
The method:
Add the coffee, ice, oil and heavy cream into your blend and blend on a high setting until completely mixed with a consistent color. Then, add the remaining ingredients into the blender and blend on high. It would be wise to do a taste test here and if you need to, add more sweetener if you feel it is needed.
To serve, pour in a glass with ice and you’re ready to go!
Some people substitute the MCT oil for coconut oil in a bulletproof coffee which is fine but for this method its not advisable. It will clump and go all hard which as you can imagine, would taste horrible!
For point 7 you can remove this entirely if you don’t want to have a sweetener or you can change it up for something else like maple syrup, it’s all about experimenting!
3 Vegan Bulletproof Coffee
It would be considered a sin in 2023 to create a recipe list of any kind and not cater to the huge vegan population around the world. Someone has created a vegan bulletproof coffee making use of coconut oil and cacao butter.
If you are vegan reading this then you’re going to love this vegan bulletproof coffee, supposedly it tastes better than the real thing! Like the above two recipes, this version only takes a few minutes to make.
Making bulletproof coffee with cacao butter instead of grass-fed unsalted butter gives you a richer, chocolatey taste.
What you’ll need:
- 2 cups of coffee
- 1 oz cacao butter – try to get organic for this vegan recipe
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil – try to get extra-virgin organic
- 2 tbsp of almond butter
- ¼ cup of oat milk – you can use other vegan milk alternatives here if you wish
The method:
- Take a large jug and heat the cocoa butter, coconut oil and almond butter in the microwave for around 20 seconds, they should melt.
- Take your melted mix and stir in the oat milk and gently heat together until warm in the microwave, another 20 seconds should do.
- Add your coffee and blend everything together – keep blending until you get a creamy texture
4 Almond Milk Bulletproof Coffee
This version of the bulletproof coffee sees us using almond milk as an additive. Supposedly using almond milk gives the most pleasant taste to your bulletproof coffee so we couldn’t leave it off our list.
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of strong coffee
- 60g of almond milk – any brand will do
- 10g grass-fed, unsalted butter
- 10g of MCT oil or you can replace this with coconut oil if you’d like
- 5g of a sweetener of your choice, honey goes will with almond milk
- Optional – a pinch of turmeric powder and ground pepper
- Optional – a pinch of cinnamon powder for a spicy taste kick
The method:
- Add your coffee, MCT or coconut oil, your choice of sweetener, a pinch of turmeric and ground pepper into your blender and blend until you have a smooth, frothy finish.
- Sprinkle some of your cinnamon powder for a final touch
This is a very simple recipe which adds a few extra ingredients to the original bulletproof recipe. Again, you could make this in under 5 minutes if you’re quick.
5 Bulletproof Coffee Shooters
This is yet another simple and straightforward method for a bulletproof coffee. This method has more of a punch to it as we are using an espresso capsule to turn up the intensity. All this one takes is 3 ingredients and you’ll have your morning shot of bulletproof in no time.
What you’ll need:
- 60-70g espresso brewed from 1 capsule
- Unsalted, grass-fed butter
- 8g MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) Oil or coconut oil
The method:
- Add your butter to the bottom of your mug and brew your espresso from one capsule on top – this will help soften the butter.
- Once brewed add your MCT oil and put all 3 ingredients into a blender and keep going until you get a creamy, frothy texture.
- Once the desired frothiness is achieved, you can add a sweetener of your choice if you desire like a stevia or honey if you’re going natural.
This drink is meant to be enjoyed as more of a shot rather than a coffee which is going to give you a huge kick from such a small shot.
6 Bulletproof Almond Cappuccino
We have already made a standard bulletproof coffee using almond milk, this take sees us creating a cappuccino style bulletproof coffee that adds a bit of complexity and a ton of taste. This method is still easy to create and if you are someone used to making coffees and experimenting, you’ll have no trouble here.
What you’ll need:
- Double shot of espresso
- Unsalted, grass-fed butter
- MCT oil
- Unsweetened almond milk
- Optional – a pinch of cinnamon
The method:
- Pour the double shot of espresso into your blender alongside the butter and MCT oil and blend.
- Once you have a smooth blend add to a cappuccino cup
- Heat your milk and pour the milk into your coffee, you should have a large layer of foam.
- For a finishing touch add a sprinkle of cinnamon or another extra you like using, a good example could be cocoa powder.
And there you have it, you’ve gone from making standard bulletproof coffees to making bulletproof cappuccinos, things are starting to get exciting with these recipes!
7 Chai Tea Bulletproof Recipe
This could arguably be called one of the healthier versions of the bulletproof coffee that we are showing you today. Chai tea has been linked to a healthy heart, reducing blood sugar levels, aiding digestion and helping with weight loss. Another simple recipe for you to make your way through whilst keeping it healthy.
What you’ll need:
- Chai tea
- Coconut oil
- Unsalted, grass-fed butter
- 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
- Stevia extract
The method:
I won’t number these steps as to make this chai tea bulletproof coffee it really is only one simple step, add all your ingredients together in a blender and blend away. Wait until the texture is smooth and creamy and consider yourself finished. Not only is it super simple to make, you’ll feel good about drinking it as well.
You can replace the chai tea part of this recipe with herbal coffee or organic coffee but then it’s not really a chai tea bulletproof recipe, it would be an herbal coffee recipe!
8 Bulletproof Coffee With a Hint of Vanilla
Vanilla is another ingredient we can add that not only enhances the taste of our bulletproof coffee but also offers a plethora of health benefits. Vanilla is good for you heart and research show that vanilla can reduce your cholesterol levels. Vanilla also helps with reducing inflammation. Another simple recipe, let’s jump right in.
What you’ll need:
- French pressed coffee – not a necessity but adds to this recipe.
- MCT oil
- Unsalted, grass-fed butter
- Coconut milk
- Vanilla powder – of course.
The method:
Add all the above ingredients into a high-powered blender, make sure you are processing this on the high setting. Wait until you can see that your drink is becoming creamy with froth on the top and voila, you are done! Vanilla is great for this method as it will add a bit of extra flavor without changing the texture of the drink.
9 Bulletproof Green Tea Latte
Ok, not technically a coffee, but we couldn’t leave this one off our list due to how great it tastes. This recipe would be perfect to share and make with your friends whose taste buds can’t handle coffee quite yet. Finally, they can have a drink with you. Green tea is hugely popular as a healthy alternative to black tea due to its lack of processing. Green tea has high antioxidant properties which help the body against disease.
What you’ll need:
- Canned coconut milk
- Green tea
- 1 tbsp vanilla powder
- Optional – sweetener of your choice – we’d recommend using erythritol
The method:
- Start this one off by boiling the coconut milk
- Whilst your coconut milk is coming to a boil, create your strong green tea like normal.
- Mix your milk, tea, and vanilla powder together in a blender alongside any other sweeteners you’ve decided to use, if any.
- Finish blending when your bulletproof green tea latte is smooth in texture and has a froth on top.
Don’t hate us for including a recipe without coffee, once you’ve tried this, you’ll understand why we had to do it.
10 Bulletproof Butternut Squash Latte
Another latte is making the list with the bulletproof butternut squash latte coming into play. The addition of butternut makes this bulletproof coffee a more reasonable breakfast meal replacement as it is full of fiber, potassium and several other key nutrients needed to kickstart your day. Butternut squash is also good for aiding your digestion, blood pressure, skin, and hair!
What you’ll need:
- Your choice of coffee
- Unsalted, grass-fed butter
- MCT oil
- Butternut squash
- A dash of cinnamon
The method:
First, pour your coffee into your blender and proceed to add the unsalted, grass-fed butter, MCT oil and butternut squash. Now, blend all these together until you see a decent amount of foam and the texture of the drink is smooth. To finish, you can sprinkle some cinnamon or another flavoring on top before drinking to give you an extra kick of flavor. Another simple and easy to make bulletproof coffee added to the list.
11 Bulletproof Coffee With Egg Yolk
That’s right, you read that right, egg yolk. This is a great breakfast drink as the egg has key nutrients like protein and fats that will set you up for the rest of the day. This version of a bulletproof coffee is popular amongst people following a keto diet. You’d be surprised how nice this coffee tastes with egg, I was also a bit weary to try this one.
What you’ll need:
- Egg yolks – aim for 2 or 3 to give you enough benefit
- Coffee of your choice
- Coconut milk
- Stevia – or another sweetener of your choice
The method:
It’s another simple one ladies and gentlemen – simply add all these ingredients with your brewed coffee into a blender and press the go button. Make sure you blend this recipe for longer to ensure the egg yolk is fully mixed in, you should get a foamy top with a silky-smooth texture as the drink. You could always beat the eggs before you add into the blender if you’re worried about that.
12 Bulletproof Pumpkin Spice Coffee
For this recipe we will be adding pumpkin puree to the mix. Not only does this add a different taste to your coffee that is surprisingly very nice, pumpkin is loaded full of goodness. Pumpkin contains around 19 vitamins and minerals which include antioxidants and fiber. If you’re someone looking to control your diet and spend your calories wisely then using them for pumpkin would be a great choice.
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of your coffee
- 2 tbsp unsalted, grass-fed butter
- 2 tbsp of MCT oil or replace with coconut oil
- 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/3 cup of organic pumpkin puree
- Salt
- Cinnamon or nutmeg (or both) to increase the flavor
The method:
Yet again, you guessed it, another simple bulletproof coffee mix that only requires only thing to make, your blender. Simply add all these ingredients into your blender and keep going until you get a smooth, frothy liquid. It is recommended to use pumpkin puree due to its texture as this allows it to blend much easier. The addition of cinnamon and nutmeg is completely optional but, in our eyes, they always benefit the coffee’s taste so it’s always worth using.
13 Bulletproof Gingerbread Coffee
Gingerbread has become a popular choice of coffee over the past few years, no longer is gingerbread known for its biscuits. Enter any coffee store and you’ll see some variety of coffee drink that has been mixed with gingerbread, like a gingerbread latte. The reasoning behind this surge is down to the great taste of gingerbread and the many health benefits that come from ginger.
What you’ll need:
- 1 tbsp of gingerbread spice
- 1 cup of your brewed coffee
- 1 tbsp unsalted, grass-fed butter
- 1 tbsp MCT oil or coconut oil
The method:
Add all your ingredients into your blender and press the go button. There are no ingredients here that you need to be concerned about when blending as they should all mix nicely together. For the gingerbread, you could follow a formula of 1 tbsp of gingerbread per 2 tbsp of coffee grounds that you used when making your coffee for this recipe. Again, if you want to add cinnamon feel free to do so although personally, I find that gingerbread has a unique spice to it that cinnamon wouldn’t work for me.
14 Bulletproof Cocoa Mix
Yes, I know, another recipe that doesn’t contain coffee, I felt like I needed to include this cocoa recipe as everyone loves a hot chocolate.
Cocoa is something that is recommended for a few different recipes above, it makes sense to give cocoa its own dedicated bulletproof coffee recipe. Cocoa powder is another ingredient that comes with a plethora of health benefits from weight control, lowering your blood sugar and giving you healthy teeth and skin. Be careful those as you need to pick a non-alkalized cocoa powder if you want to maximize these health benefits.
What you’ll need:
- ½ cup of water
- ½ cup of coconut milk
- 2 tbsp of unsalted, grass-fed butter
- 1 tbsp of coconut of MCT oil
- ¼ tsp of vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
The method:
Even though this isn’t a bulletproof coffee it is made using a similar method. The difference here is you need to bring your water and coconut oil to a boil.
Once you have these 2 at a boil then add the rest of your ingredients and stir well. One you are happy with the consistency of your bulletproof cocoa drink then serve and enjoy!
15 Bulletproof Gummy Sweets
This is the first recipe in this article that isn’t something you drink, these gummies require you to use a mould of your choice to make, this can just be a baking mould so don’t go out and buy one specifically. You will need to source some gelatin to make these which is readily available at most supermarkets.
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of hot brewed coffee
- 1 tbsp of unsalted, grass-fed butter
- 1 tbsp of coconut or MCT oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp of gelatin – aim for grass-fed like the butter
- Your sweetener of choice – this will provide a lot of the taste so choose one you know you like
The method:
Add all the ingredients to your blender and mix until you have a smooth, paste like texture. Pour this mix into your mould and set in the fridge for up to 2 hours check them every 30 minutes, they should feel solid and a bit squidgy.
One thing we found online that you can do with these for an intense coffee and flavor hit is drop these into a freshly made cup of coffee and let them melt. The reason we recommend grass-fed gelatin is, so you get the benefits of the omega fats stored inside.
16 Bulletproof Ice Cream Recipe
That’s right, you did read ice-cream. With this recipe, we will be mixing two things we all love, ice-cream and coffee. There’s a lot more ingredients to content with here and when you get the recipe down there’s a lot of room for experimenting with different flavors. This method will assume that you have an ice-cream maker for your mix but if not don’t worry, you can just add the mix to a glass bowl and freeze it.
What you’ll need:
- 4 eggs plus 4 yolks
- 2 tsp of pure vanilla
- 10 drops apple cider vinegar or lime juice
- 1 tbsp of coconut oil or MCT oil
- 1 tbsp of unsalted, grass-fed butter
- 1 cup of your chosen brewed coffee
- 1 tbsp of coca powder – for a chocolatey ice-cream you can change this part
- 1 packet of Stevia or any other sugar substitute you use at home
- ½ cup of ice
The method:
To start with cook the butter and oils on a medium heat, then, add your coffee. Now, add all the above ingredients to your blender except for the ice. Once you have blended everything then add your ice and blend again until the consistency is like a yogurt. Add this mixture to your ice-cream maker and let it set. As mentioned above, if you don’t have an ice-cream maker then add this mix to a glass bowl and put it in the freezer, you want to stir this mix every 30 minutes. If you want to serve asap take it out when it is semi frozen but if you want to serve later, let it fully freeze and let defrost for 15 minutes before serving.
17 Bulletproof Coffee Cocoa Mousse Style
Another awesome recipe that isn’t a standard bulletproof coffee in a mug, this mousse style bulletproof coffee creates a perfect texture for breakfast or even a dessert for a late evening pick me up. The mix does make quite a lot, I’d recommend separating into 2/3 breakfast bowls, so you have some for the next few days.
What you’ll need:
- Containers to store your mix – I recommend bowls
- 1-pound unsalted, grass-fed butter
- 20 tbsp of coconut oil
- 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder – you can lower this if its too much cocoa for you.
- Cinnamon or anything else you’d like to add as a flavoring
- You can add a ¼ cup of brewed coffee if you want to have the coffee taste, but it isn’t a necessity
The method:
Although you may think it is difficult to make a mousse, let us now prove you wrong. You want to combine all the above ingredients into a blender and mix until you have a smooth paste. Pour this into whatever container you’re going to be using, you could just use a glass baking bowl. Store this in the fridge until its set, you should see bubbles foaming on the top, this is a good thing! The coffee is optional, perhaps try without first to see whether you like it.
And there we have it, all you need to know on bulletproof coffee and 11 fantastic recipes that should be all you need ever for making bulletproof coffee. A good tip from us is to bookmark this page and refer to it every time you want to try out a new recipe. Most of these recipes require the same equipment and ingredients, so once you’ve made one, you should have an excellent base to make many more.