Best and Worst Keto Drinks

When you're following a keto diet, like any diet, it's good to have some go-to drinks and foods. Here are the best and worst!

As keto dieters know, there are very specific rules people need to abide by. It requires a high amount of fat, a moderate amount of protein, and very few carbohydrates. This way of eating enables the body to burn fat for energy instead of carbs and keeps the body in ketosis. People often go on the keto diet for a few reasons. It can be helpful if you need to lose some weight fairly quickly, or if you need to watch your blood sugar.

What is a Keto-Friendly Beverage?

Beverages are typically considered keto if the macro breakdown consists of at least 70 percent fats and five percent carbs. While that might sound tricky, several beverages are naturally keto-friendly. These include water, sparkling water, unsweetened coffee and tea, bone broth, hard liquor, and unsweetened plant-based milk.

Many drinks are marketed as keto-friendly, but read the nutrition label closely. As Cheryl McColgan, a health and wellness coach with a focus on keto nutrition puts it, “Just seeing a "zero" in the carb or calorie count doesn't mean it's keto-friendly.”

This is a confusing area, for sure. So we’ve compiled a list of 13 of the best and worst keto drinks. They can be a great part of your health meal prep!

Best Keto Drinks

A “good” keto drink generally has more fat than carbs and not too much sugar.

Kettle & Fire Keto Bone Broth

“Bone broth is low in calories and packed with protein, specifically a type of protein called collagen. It's important for maintaining strong bones, joints, and skin,” says Mackenzie Burgess, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and recipe developer at Cheerful Choices. “I love drinking Kettle & Fire grass-fed bone broths because their products are slow simmered for 20+ hours," she says This maximizes the nutrients extracted. Their products also contain little to no carbohydrates, making them a keto-friendly choice.”

Califia Farms Unsweetened Almond Milk

“Milk tends to be fairly high in carbs so most people on keto will substitute unsweetened almond milk or heavy cream instead of regular milk,” notes McColgan. Most unsweetened milks work well for keto.

Califia Farms’ Unsweetened Almond Milk contains just one gram of carbs and is rich in calcium.

Sated Complete Keto Milkshake (Chocolate)

For a keto-friendly drink with a bit more sustenance, this chocolate-flavored milkshake is a great option. It boasts less than two grams of carbs per serving, along with a whopping 18 grams of protein. And while many drinks marketed as keto shakes are unnecessarily high in sugar, this variety contains less than a gram and is sweetened with ingredients such as erythritol and monk fruit.

“The best keto sweeteners in order of preference are allulose, monk fruit, stevia, and erythritol,” McColgan advises. “Use these sweeteners sparingly on keto because for some people, they can create cravings for sweets.”

Zone Perfect Keto Shakes

These keto-friendly shakes help you hit your optimal macros with 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and five percent carbs. What’s more? These shakes are high in calcium and potassium. However, they have zero sugars, making them a great option.

Nuun Sport: Electrolyte Drink Tablets

McColgan says electrolytes are important for those following a keto diet. “The body starts to flush sodium when insulin is lower and the metabolism transitions to a fat-burning state. Replacing electrolytes is the key to avoiding ‘keto flu," she says, which can happen when your electrolyte balance is off.

Nuun Sport’s electrolyte tablets are easily dissolved in a glass of water and contain calcium carbonate, magnesium, and sodium. They come in different flavors and have one gram of sugar per serving.

Water

“Plenty of plain water is always a great idea,” says McColgan. And that’s true whether you’re following a keto diet or not.

For keto dieters, however, water is especially important because it helps prevent constipation. That's not uncommon on this kind of diet because it's high in fat and low in fiber.

La Croix Sparkling Water

“Many people like to use the unsweetened, flavored, carbonated water that has become so ubiquitous,” McColgan explains. Like water, seltzer will help keep you hydrated. Just be sure to pick a variety that’s unsweetened and has little to no sodium, such as La Croix. The best part? There are so many flavors, it's hard to become bored with seltzer.

Green Tea

Green tea has no carbs or sugar, which is great, but it possesses other benefits, regardless of your diet! It adds some antioxidants and can help boost your metabolism thanks to its mild to moderate caffeine content.

Spritz Sparkling Pink Guava Tea

Sure, plain black and green teas are keto-approved (and very healthy) but if you're looking for something that’s a keto-friendly substitute for soda or diet soda, try some Spritz.

The pink guava variety has zero added sugar, no carbs, and is caffeine-free. It contains plant-based sweeteners, like erythritol and stevia.

Bulletproof Coffee

Sugary coffee drinks packed with dairy milk are definite keto no-nos. However, add Bulletproof Coffee to your list. It combines fat (usually butter, coconut oil, ghee, or MCT oil) and coffee to help keep you full all morning long. Enthusiasts also feel it can help hit keto goals faster.

Worst Keto Drinks

Keep an eye out for the following when considering keto drinks.

A “bad” keto drink has more carbs than fat, or a breakdown that is close to equal.

Additionally, healthy beverages in general should not be high in saturated fat, since it can raise your “bad” LDL cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. This can sometimes be difficult with drinks marketed specifically to keto dieters because the diet is high in fat.

Diet Soda

“Most diet soft drinks are sweetened with alternative sweeteners that can raise blood sugar and insulin as much as regular sugar,” says McColgan. In other words, even though diet sodas have no calories, little to no carbs, and are technically keto-approved, think twice. Plenty of other beverages will likely do a much better job at keeping you in ketosis.

Additionally, diet sodas also tend to be packed with caffeine, which can dehydrate you. Hydration is important, but especially so on a keto diet.

NOOMA Organic Electrolyte Sports Drink

Sometimes, drinks that say they contain electrolytes don't actually have them. Read the labels carefully.

“Stay away from any ‘electrolytes’ in a traditional grocery store, most of these are laden with the bad alternative sweeteners and don't have a significant source of sodium, calcium, and magnesium,” McColgan notes.

While NOOMA Organic Electrolyte Sports Drink is technically a keto drink, it contains seven grams of carbs per serving (too high!) and no fat. As McColgan says it’s not great in the sodium, calcium, or magnesium department either. Skip this one if you're on keto.

Beer

While some beers have a low carb content and are keto-friendly, beer is naturally packed with carbs and therefore not a great choice for those on the keto diet. Stella Artois contains 13 grams of carbs per serving and can very easily knock you out of ketosis if you’re not careful enough.

By contrast, vodka, gin, and tequila have little to no carbs, and are thus much better options for keto dieters.