People Are Freaking Over Starbucks’ Keto White Drink. Here’s How to Make It at Home

Starbucks is one of the leading coffee shops for keto-friendly drink options. Now, its latest secret menu beverage — the low-carb “white drink” — has taken keto followers by storm.

The Starbucks white drink is a spin on the coffee chain’s Peach Citrus White Tea Infusion: A drink that normally blends a fruity white tea with a cane sugar-based syrup. At 11 net carbs, the original infusion is not particularly keto-friendly — but a few customizations ramp up the fat content while cutting sugar.

Keto white drink fans on Instagram recommend ordering the original Starbucks tea infusion with a few modifications: Ask for sugar-free vanilla syrup instead of regular syrup, and add heavy cream to the drink. Then, customers can also ask their barista to blend with ice for a frappe-style beverage.

The result? A frosty drink that mimics the flavors of peaches and cream, without the sugar and carbs that will max out your macros. The Starbucks white drink is certainly a low-carb treat — but is it really keto?

Is the Starbucks white drink truly keto-friendly?

Image via @keto_carsen

Starbucks’ white drink is a step in the right direction for creating a low-carb tea blend. By cutting out sugar and adding fat, it fits in a ketogenic diet better than many drinks on the menu.

However, the white drink does not support a true ketogenic state. 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. However, new research shows that it may ultimately raise blood sugar by altering your gut bacteria,^[1] and ultimately won’t support ketosis.

The Starbucks white drink also contains heavy cream — a dairy product that’s technically keto-friendly, but not the highest-quality source of fat. Between pasteurization that oxidizes the fats in cream and lactose that can upset your stomach, conventional heavy cream can be highly inflammatory — making it more of a “dirty keto” option.

What’s the takeaway? Your Starbucks white drink needs an upgrade — and with a few easy swaps and just minutes of prep, you can make a keto-friendly version at home in a fraction of the time.

Related: Keto Diet for Beginners – Your Complete Guide

How to make the keto Starbucks white drink at home

This recipe is a clean, anti-inflammatory spin on the OG Starbucks white drink — with optional upgrades to support a more ketogenic state.

Start to Finish: 5 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup boiling filtered water
• 3 bags of organic peach white tea with no added sugar or artificial flavors, such as Rishi
• 1/3 cup full-fat canned coconut milk (BPA-free)
• 6 drops of liquid stevia or monk fruit, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, or more to taste
• 1 cup ice
• 1 tablespoon MCT oil or Brain Octane Oil (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a mug, add boiling water and tea bags. Steep tea for 4 minutes (or as instructed on the box), then remove and discard tea bags.
2. Add tea to a high-powered blender with coconut milk, sweetener, vanilla, oil, and ice, and blend until slushy (about 10 seconds). For a non-blended version, simply blend liquid ingredients and pour over ice.
3. Taste the mixture, and add more sweetener, ice, or vanilla if needed and blend or mix again until smooth.
4. Serve with chocolate muffins, breakfast wraps, or oat-free oatmeal for the ultimate keto-friendly breakfast.

Serves: 1

Nutritional Information (Per Serving):

• Calories: 250
• Total fat: 26g
• Net Carbs: 1g

Want more cool, keto-friendly coffee and tea? Try mint mojito iced coffee, dirty chai frappes, an iced matcha latte, or an iced coffee protein shake.