Butter Coffee (Bulletproof-Style) Recipe

Before you start

Butter coffee is hot black coffee blended with unsalted butter and usually MCT oil, a refined oil made from coconut or palm kernel. Blended hard, the fat breaks into tiny droplets that stay suspended in the coffee, so the drink turns opaque, foamy and creamy, more like a latte than coffee with butter floating on it. People drink it as a rich morning coffee, often in place of milk and sugar. This page covers technique, not diet claims.

The blending is everything. Stirring will never emulsify butter into coffee; you need a blender or a strong immersion blender. Hot coffee in a sealed blender also needs care, since steam builds pressure. Start with small amounts of MCT oil if you have not used it before; many people find large amounts upset their stomach.

Ingredients

• 240 ml (8 oz) freshly brewed hot coffee — medium or dark roast
• 1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter — grass-fed is common for its flavor, but any butter works
• 1 tsp to 1 tbsp (5 to 15 ml) MCT oil — start with 1 tsp
• pinch ground cinnamon or a few drops vanilla extract — optional

Method

1. Brew the coffee as you normally would. Use a full-bodied medium or dark roast; delicate light roasts get lost under the fat.
2. Warm the mug and the blender jar with hot water for a minute and pour it out. A cold jar cools the coffee and the butter emulsifies less well.
3. Put the coffee, butter, MCT oil and any flavoring in the blender. Fill it no more than halfway.
4. Remove the center cap from the blender lid and cover the opening with a folded towel, holding it down firmly. Hot liquid expands and can force a sealed lid off.
5. Start on low, then increase to high and blend for 15 to 20 seconds, until the coffee is pale, opaque and topped with a thick layer of foam with no oil visible.
6. Pour into the warmed mug and drink while hot. If using an immersion blender, blend in a tall cup for 20 to 30 seconds, keeping the head fully submerged.

Tips for success

• Unsalted butter lets you control the flavor. Salted butter is drinkable but tastes noticeably savory.
• Blend each cup fresh. As it cools, the emulsion starts to break and fat pools on top.
• If the drink tastes greasy rather than creamy, it needs more blending, not less fat. Twenty full seconds on high is the minimum.

Substitutions

Butter

Ghee blends just as well and tastes nuttier and more caramel-like. Coconut oil alone works but gives a thinner, less creamy texture.

MCT oil

Melted coconut oil can replace it and adds coconut flavor. Or skip it entirely and use 1½ tbsp butter for a simpler version.

Brewed coffee

A double espresso topped up with 180 ml hot water makes a sharper, Americano-based butter coffee.

Variations

Vanilla cinnamon butter coffee

Blend in ¼ tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of cinnamon.

Mocha butter coffee

Add 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder before blending.

Troubleshooting

An oily layer floats on top

The coffee was not blended long enough, or it was blended with a spoon or small frother. Use a blender on high for at least 15 seconds.

The blender lid popped off

Steam pressure built in a sealed jar. Fill less than halfway, vent the lid with a towel over the opening, and start on low.

Stomach discomfort afterward

MCT oil is a common cause, especially in large amounts. Cut back to 1 tsp or leave it out.

Storage

Drink immediately; butter coffee separates as it cools and does not reheat well. Keep butter refrigerated and MCT oil tightly capped at room temperature away from heat and light.

Safety notes

This page does not make health or weight-loss claims. Butter coffee is high in saturated fat, and anyone with a medical condition or special diet should consult a qualified professional about it.