I’ll admit it: when I first heard of people putting BUTTER and COCONUT OIL in their coffee, I thought they were insane. When they further said it had to be some kind of super-special, grass-fed Kerrygold butter from Ireland with some kind of super-special MCT Oil and a super-special fancypants brand of coffee , I literally rolled my eyes. Not very nice of me, I’ll admit.
I should know by now, you cannot always tell what something is like until you try it. Now that I have tried my own Bulletproof Coffee Knockoff (because I’m cheap), I take it all back!
Why Coconut Oil & Butter in Coffee?
Well Coconut Oil has numerous health benefits, and the fats from the butter and oils are said to keep you sharp, focused and full for hours. There’s some research suggesting that MCT’s–an ingredient in coconut oil–help spur fat-burning, particularly for people eating low carb, high fat diets. The MCT supplement is just a more concentrated form of the MCTs in coconut oil. And low carbers already know butter has gotten an underservedly bad rap.
This concoction was made popular by the Dave Asprey, the “BulletProof Executive.” There are legions of loyal fans. The arguments seemed persuasive enough for me to give it a go.
But Why a Bulletproof Coffee Knockoff?
I advocate low carb and have respect for people who go out of their way to eat well…but sometimes, all the passionate rules over what’s okay and what’s not okay to eat can be a bit much for me. I am just a regular person! No, I am not going to buy an “Upgraded Bulletproof Coffee Kit.” My almond flour budget is high enough as it is; I don’t need more super-special stuff to buy if it’s not necessary. If I’m experimenting, I’m going to try and keep it cheap.
Eons ago, I also run across this picture tutorial of a fellow who made his BulletProof coffee in advance and plopped a little “fat pack” into his morning cup. It looked pretty tasty, do-able, and if it’s all magical too, I wanted to try it. This recipe is adapted from that tutorial.
Ingredients for my Bulletproof Coffee Knockoff
People sometimes use up to 4 tablespoons of both butter and coconut oil or MCT oils in their coffee, but I didn’t think starting with a 1/2 cup of oils was a good idea, so I went with 1 Tablespoon of each, which seems just fine.
There is debate on the importance of the only-this-buy-from-the-official-website-kind-of-coffee and questions surrounding Mr. Asprey’s coffee claims (link to video w/significant profanity). But there is a lot of agreement on the grass-fed butter requirement, and an admission that good, old fashioned coconut oil will effectively replace the MCT oil–or that you can use any MCT oil–and it works just fine.
I have experimented with several different types of butter–from ordinary to fancy to recommended, and Kerrygold IS the best I’ve tried so far; that stuff tastes amazing! It makes me want to lick the butter wrapper and I can tell the difference in the coffee for sure, although salted vs. unsalted butter doesn’t appear to matter. I later learned that sometimes people put salt in their coffee anyway to cut any coffee bitterness. So use whatever you’ve got without concern.
I tried dirt-cheap coconut oil vs fancier coconut oil (like Spectrum and Nutiva). I cannot really taste the difference. But coconut oil aficionados will likely differ. I did, however, learn that the fancy stuff – organic, unrefined and extra virgin has the most health benefits. So fancy coconut oil it is.
I wanted chocolate coffee like in the tutorial, mmmm! I also tried normal cocoa powder versus a premium cocoa powder, and I’m going with the premium on that, too. It just tasted a lot better. I experimented with amounts, starting at 1/2 a cup and working my way down, settling on about 1/3 cup as ideal for my tastes. Adding 1/4 cup cocoa powder would be enough to give it a hint of chocolate, though, if you’re not so into that chocolate taste, start smaller. Or you could add a little vanilla or another extract, depending on what flavor you like in your coffee. Coffee purists are welcome to disregard these additions entirely!
Update: I liked this stuff enough I upgraded from my $10 Family Dollar model coffeepot to something a lot more swank and started buying better coffee.
For this recipe, in addition to the ingredients you’ll need a blender or mixer of some sort (and high-sided bowl if you’re using an immersion blender), those 2 oz Plastic Jello Shot Cups with Lids, and an optional Aerolatte Wand for blending the fats into your coffee at serving time is highly recommended. But don’t skip it if you don’t have all this stuff: you can always try this with a single cup and a spoon first to see if you like it enough to warrant the extra trouble.
Note: Some of my readers have suggested silicone ice cube trays or silicone mini muffin tins as reusable and environmentally friendly alternatives to the jello-shot containers. Great idea!
Note: I updated this recipe since I realized I used too dang much cream. I love cream! I started at 2 oz. because that was the container size and that was too much. I suggest you start with a tablespoon-ish per cup and work your way up if that’s not enough for you, or just try out my coffee creamer instead so you can use more!
Bulletproof Coffee Knockoff
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups coconut oil see notes on easy measuring tips
- 8 ounces KerryGold
- 1/3 cup High Quality Cocoa Powder optional
- 20 big ol' mugs of coffee 1 at a time!
- 1/4 teaspoon EZ-Sweetz or sweetener of your choice, optional
Instructions
- Weigh or measure out your coconut oil, and add it to a deep bowl so you don't make a mess.
- (See notes for coconut oil measuring tips.)
- Add butter, cocoa powder, and EZ-Sweetz or sweetener of choice to your coconut oil.
- Melt ingredients together in microwave, approximately 30 seconds until very soft.
- Blend together. I used an immersion blender (and hence should have used a high-sided bowl)!
- Divvy up the chocolate/fat mix equally among 20ish 2-ounce containers and put on lids.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
To use
- Pop out the contents of one container into the bottom of your coffee cup.
- Microwave for 30- 45 seconds until the mixture is melted.
- Use an Aerolatte wand to mix the fats into your cream - or run it in the blender if you don't have one - and get a little whipped up top! You'll want these mixed well so you don't have an oil slick on top of your cup of awesome. Half-and-half whips up better than heavy cream, but subbing will up carb count. Or just use a spoon and live dangerously.
- Pour in coffee.
Notes
Nutrition
Bulletproof Coffee Knockoff Verdict?
As you may be able to tell, I am a fan of this Bulletproof Coffee Knockoff. It tastes really good with a thick, rich texture going down. I have no idea if it’s helpful to weight loss, but I do feel especially alert and focused after drinking a cup. I know the coconut oil is good for me, and it’s an easy way to add some to my diet. I don’t usually eat lunch so I don’t know how much extra credit the coffee gets there, but I have had a cup to satiate hunger and it works. It takes an ordinary cup of coffee for me and turns it into a treat that has some fringe benefits. So I’m on board.
If you want a little more creamy, you can try out my Low Carb Flavored Creamer recipe, too.
Are you a Bulletproof coffee fan? If you try this Bulletproof Coffee Knockoff, let me know what you think.