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I started making this when I realized my Starbucks order was costing me over 40 grams of carbs before 10am. The fix turned out to be simpler than I expected: strong coffee, cocoa powder, heavy cream, and MCT oil, blended until frothy. It tastes richer than what I used to order, and I've been making it almost daily since.
The MCT oil is what separates this from regular chocolate coffee. It emulsifies into the hot liquid and creates a creamy, almost latte-like body without any milk. I usually have this around 9am and I'm good until 1 or 2 in the afternoon, which is the whole reason I started adding MCT to my coffee in the first place. If you've tried my keto bulletproof coffee, think of this as the chocolate version.
For sweetener, I use Lakanto liquid monkfruit drops specifically. 4 to 5 drops is the sweet spot, and I've landed there after testing other brands that overshoot. One thing I've noticed is that the monkfruit intensifies slightly as the drink cools, so if you start at 6 drops it tips too sweet by the time you're halfway through. Start with 4 and adjust from there.
If you want to switch things up, try swapping the MCT oil for butter. A reader named Beth used Kerrygold and got a thick, almost mousse-like top. That makes sense because higher butterfat emulsifies differently than MCT oil, giving you a denser foam. Both work, just different textures. For something colder, pour the blended mix over a full glass of ice for a low carb iced version that holds up well. I also love rotating between this and my keto white mocha or peppermint white mocha depending on my mood.
The blender matters more than you'd think. A regular countertop blender gets the best froth, but a handheld milk frother works in a pinch (I wouldn't just stir with a spoon because the oil needs that agitation to emulsify properly). You'll know it's ready when the surface looks creamy and opaque, not oily.
Two tablespoons of cocoa powder gives this real chocolate depth, not a watered-down hint. I keep coming back to it because it satisfies the same craving as a coffee shop drink without any of the sugar. If you're into coffee drinks, my keto frappuccino, mocha dalgona coffee, and dalgona coffee are all in regular rotation at my house.
For the full coffeehouse look, drizzle sugar free chocolate syrup down the inside of the cup first. Pour in the mocha. Then top it with sugar free whipped cream and one more drizzle of chocolate syrup.
Right out of the blender, with a layer of foam on top.
I blend everything on high for about 15 seconds. That's enough to fully emulsify the MCT oil and get a layer of foam on top. If you don't have a blender, a handheld milk frother works, just give it an extra 30 seconds of frothing to get the same texture. You'll know it's done when the color goes from dark brown to a lighter, creamy tan.
For an iced version, I blend as usual and pour over a full glass of ice. I use strong coffee or a double shot of espresso when I'm going iced so the ice doesn't water it down. If you love cold chocolate drinks, my frozen hot chocolate uses a similar blending approach.
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Add ingredients to a blender.
Pulse until combined. If using a frother, add ingredients to a cup and use frother to mix until combined.
Per serving: 1 cup
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
I've done it both ways. Granulated works if you dissolve it into the hot coffee before blending. I use about half a teaspoon of Lakanto granulated in place of the liquid drops. The liquid is more precise for dialing in sweetness, but granulated gets the job done. A reader named Shawn asked about this and I told him the same thing: as long as the hot liquid dissolves the granules, you're fine.
I land on 4 to 5 drops of Lakanto liquid monkfruit almost every time. I've noticed that monkfruit intensifies slightly as the drink cools, so 6 drops can tip too sweet by the time you're halfway through your cup. My advice is to start with 4, take a sip after blending, and add one more if you want it sweeter. I tested other liquid sweetener brands and they tend to overshoot compared to Lakanto.
I blend everything hot first, then pour it over a full glass of ice. The key is using stronger coffee or a double espresso shot so the ice doesn't water it down. The MCT oil stays emulsified even over ice, which surprised me the first time I tried it. It's a solid low carb iced coffee option when it's too warm for a hot mug.
I've tested both and they just give you different textures. Butter (especially something high-fat like Kerrygold) creates a thicker, almost mousse-like foam on top because the butterfat emulsifies differently than MCT oil. MCT gives you a lighter, cleaner froth. I go back and forth depending on my mood. Either one works, just blend long enough to fully incorporate it.
Similar idea, different drink. My keto bulletproof coffee is just coffee, MCT oil, and butter. This adds cocoa powder and heavy cream, which turns it into something that actually tastes like a coffeehouse mocha. I make both regularly but this one wins when I'm craving chocolate, which is most days.
I throw in a scoop of unflavored collagen peptides sometimes, especially if I'm skipping breakfast. It dissolves completely in the blender and doesn't change the flavor at all. I use about 10-12 grams per cup. Just add it with everything else before blending.
I keep leftovers in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 2 days. The oil separates when it sits, so I give it a hard shake or re-blend it before reheating. I usually microwave it for about a minute and then hit it with the frother again to get the foam back. Tastes almost as good as fresh.
Yes, I make one at home. A coffee shop mocha runs 40+ grams of carbs in a grande, so I blend strong coffee, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, MCT oil, and heavy cream instead. My version has 2.8g net carbs and 254 calories, and it tastes richer than the drive-through drink. It takes 5 minutes with a blender or a handheld frother.
There is, and this recipe is mine. I sweeten it with 4 to 5 drops of liquid monkfruit instead of sugar, so the whole cup lands at 2.8g net carbs and 254 calories. The cocoa powder and heavy cream carry the chocolate flavor, and a quick blend makes it frothy in 5 minutes.
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4.8 from 47 ratings, 13 written
do I need a blender for this, or can I just stir it??
I spent two years behind an espresso bar. This is real.
Jordan, coming from someone who spent two years pulling shots, that lands. I stopped ordering mocha anything the month I got this blender ratio right.
At 254 calories, this is richer than the Starbucks version, which runs something like three times that. I think it’s the blending. The MCT oil and cream actually combine differently when you blend vs just frothing the top, and the cocoa gets through the whole cup instead of clumping. Two tablespoons for a single serving sounds insane until you try it. The drive-through version tastes thin now.
I tried just whisking it once. Cocoa clumped, fat floated on top, completely different drink. The blender forces the MCT and cream together, and once you’ve had it that way the drive-through version really does taste like watered-down coffee.
Silkier froth if you bloom the cocoa first.
Good catch, Brittany. I usually throw everything straight in, but blooming the cocoa in the MCT oil before the coffee goes in makes sense. Going to test it this week.
Less sweetener than listed. The coffee comes through more.
Same, coffee all the way. Monkfruit intensifies as it cools, so the 4-5 range can sneak up on you by the last few sips.
Cinnamon. Added it on batch seven because I had it sitting out, and now I look forward to making this even more than I already did. Something about how it hits the cocoa makes it feel like it was always supposed to be there. That pinch isn’t going anywhere.
Batch seven is late, but here we are. Cinnamon in a mocha only feels obvious after you’ve actually done it.
extra espresso, half the sweetener. that’s where I landed.
Extra espresso and half the sweetener is more coffee than mocha, in a good way. I’d make it that way on days when I want the coffee to actually show up.
My husband thought I’d picked this up from a coffee shop and finished most of it before asking where I got it. When I told him I made it he just looked at the blender. Something about the MCT oil and cocoa blended together comes out so smooth and frothy, nothing like what I expected from ingredients I already had in the pantry.
The blender stare gets me every time. It doesn’t look like much going in, and then it comes out tasting like that.
I pre-measure the dry ingredients into small containers on Sunday so the blender routine takes about two minutes each weekday morning. What actually changed things was figuring out that the MCT oil blends much smoother when the coffee is still hot off the machine, not cooled down. Had a few batches with an oily layer sitting on top before I worked that out. Four stars, and I’d probably add a bit more cocoa next time for a deeper chocolate flavor.
Hot coffee or it separates, learned that one early too. And yeah, 3 tablespoons of cocoa if you want it darker. Completely changes the flavor.
I thought my morning coffee ritual was just gone when I started keto. The cocoa powder blended with the MCT oil and heavy cream gives it a richness I didn’t expect to find again, and the froth comes out legitimately thick. I make this before work now and I genuinely don’t think about Starbucks anymore.
That thick froth is the whole reason I keep blending mine. So glad you got your ritual back, Samantha!
I didn’t have MCT oil so I used coconut oil instead and was honestly nervous it would taste off, but it blended so smooth and there’s this subtle coconut note underneath the cocoa powder that I wasn’t expecting to like as much as I do. Still can’t believe something this rich is under 3 carbs. Trying it with a pinch of cinnamon tomorrow morning to see what happens.
That coconut-cocoa thing sneaks up on you. Cinnamon works, just go light. It gets loud in a blended drink.
I put off making this for two months because I was convinced MCT oil in coffee was going to be slick and weird. It sat in my pantry after I bought it for something else, and I kept scrolling past this recipe. Finally made it on a Tuesday morning when I was out of patience and other options. The second I blended it all together and the cream went frothy with the cocoa, I got it. There’s this richness I can’t explain, something about the fat in the oil and cream together that makes it feel substantial in a way regular coffee just doesn’t. I’ve made it every morning since and I’m almost out of cocoa powder already. Took me long enough.
MCT straight from the bottle is a little unsettling. Blended with hot coffee and cream it does something completely different. Running out of cocoa powder after a week is about right.
been making this 2-3x a week since finding it. the mct oil keeps me full way longer than regular coffee
The MCT oil makes a huge difference for staying full. I usually have this around 9am and I’m good until 1 or 2.
This sounds so good. I’d love to make it. I only have the Lakanto granulated sugar not the liquid. Is there a way I can make this work?
It should be fine also long as the sweetener dissolves…which I think it should in the hot liquid.
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