Keto friendly Drinks - Which one will quench your thirst?
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Keto articles, blog posts and social media content tend to be all aboout food. What is safe to eat, low and high in carbs. What tastes good. How to balance macros.
But how about drinking? Yes - water is the best Keto friendly drink you’ll find yet once in a while you might long for something else or different.
Coffee and Tea - with heavy cream and Keto friendlier sweeteners will work. Water with a slice of lemon or infused with cucumber or raspberries as well.
Lemon actually has lots of amazing effects from providing much needed Vitamin C, helping with digestion, promoting hydration, supporting weight loss with its antioxidants and even making your skin healthier.
This comparison will focus on Keto friendly non-alcoholic drinks you can buy in stores though. It will not cover common diet or zero sugar soda like Coca Cola or Pepsi products and instead focus on drinks you might not be aware of yet but could love. Or not lol
What Keto friendly Drinks are out there?
In the past year more Keto friendly drinks have made appearances in stores. I’m personally an avid water drinker so many of these drinks I tried only for the purpose of this comparison.
I’ll share basics like calories, net carbs, ingredients and also texture, taste reviews, more on the companies that produce them, where to buy them, price and more.
Below you’ll find:
Keto friendly drinks reviewed:
Bolthouse - Keto Protein Drinks - Hazelnut Chocolate
Brightfox - Grapefruit + Ginger
Keto Koia Drinks - Caramel Crème
Mamma Chia - Chia Energy Beverage - Blackberry Blast
Optimum Nutrition - Essential Amin.o Energy and Electrolyte Drink - Grape
Som Sleep - Zero Sugar drink
I’m planning to soon review these Keto friendly drinks:
Keto Chow shakes
Everly Electrolytes
Key Nutrients Electrolytes
Ultima Electrolytes
If I can get my hands on samples I will eventually review these Keto friendly drinks:
ChocZero - Drinking Chocolate - pssssst…..it’s not out yet ;)
Diabetic Kitchen - Keto Drinking Chocolate
Good Dees’s - Sipping Chocolate
Lakanto - Drinking Chocolate
Wholesome Provisions - Protein Hot Chocolate
Zevia
For the spreadsheet overview scroll all the way to the bottom of this post!
Let’s get started!
Keto & Low Carb friendly Drinks Comparison
Bolthouse Farms - Keto Protein Drink - Hazelnut Fudge
About the company: Bolthouse Farms goes back to 1915 when the Bolthouse family began farming carrots in Michigan, USA. By 1950 they were the leading supplier in the Midwest. Since then they’ve grown across the US and expanded from Carrots to Drinks and Dressings. One of their latest product lines is “Protein Keto” Drinks with non-dairy just being launched in Summer 2020.
Sweetener used: Erythritol, Stevia Leaf
Cleanliness of ingredients for strict Keto: I only paused at Pea Protein which has a low glycemic index and is fine for clean / strict Keto. Learn more about ingredients here.
Serving Size: 15.2 fl oz / 450ml
Calories per serving: 230 kcal
Net Carbs per serving: 2gr
Carb calculation: 16gr (Total Carbs) - 3gr (Fiber) - 11gr (Sugar Alcohol) = 2gr (Net Carbs)
My thoughts on serving size: It’s a bigger serving size than most drinks. You could easily drink just half, feel satisfied and reduce the kcal that way.
Visual appeal: Nice creamy brown color. The bottle has a transparent bottom that lets you see the liquid.
My smell review: It smelled like creamy nutella. Definitely made me want to try a sip.
My texture review: Similar to milk although the Hazelnut Fudge is non-dairy. I thought this was the perfect texture for this drink. Exactly as I expected it.
My taste review: With the first sip I wasn’t sold. With the 2nd I got the full flavor profile and it grew on me immediately. You can clearly taste the hazelnut with a light chocolate taste meaning it is not too sweet. Not too rich. It really felt like a great balance. It immediately made me think of adding it to coffee or using it to make desserts. There was no aftertaste at all. It reminded me a bit of Nesquik - a cocoa-based drink I used to drink in the morning as a child. I’m tempted to pour this into a big glass. Add a scoop of Keto friendly ice cream and enjoy it as a dessert.
Further notes:
The bottles with green labels - like this one - are plant based and dairy free
Vegan
Gluten free
In the refrigerated section in stores
Overall: This is the first Keto Protein Drink I enjoyed right away. I drank about 1/4 of the bottle and felt satisfied. Great way to help with sweet cravings. I’m already excited to sip some more in the coming days. It’s hard for me to grasp that this is non-dairy because it has a milky texture. Not watery like Almond Milk can be. I’m excited to try the other flavors and see how those taste.
Other products available: In dairy-free they have Cinnamon Horchata and Mocha Truffle Latte (YUM, YUM, YUM). In ‘regular / purple label they have Dark Chocolate (SO GOOD!), Coconut (DELICIOUS TOO), Coffee and Matcha. I’m a fan!
Where to buy: They sell through retail stores. In Chicagoland you can find them at Target, Jewel-Osco, Mariano’s / Kroger, Tony’s, Fresh Thyme, Meijer, Walmart. Really all large stores. Check out their store locator here where you can pick your flavor and see which store has it. Also available through Amazon Fresh.
Plus for our Canadian friends: This is one you can find in Canada too!
Price: $3.59 at Jewel-Osco - similar in other stores where I’ve spotted them.
About the company: Brightfox’s founder, Mohammed Sabry wanted “to create a beverage that was forward looking and future proof” He saw demand for eco-friendly options that are healthy and provide hydration. After having “spent the majority” of his “career in advertising working with beverage companies like Pepsico, Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Heineken and Nestle” at saw how they “all recognize and understand the need to limit the consumption of sugars, sweeteners, colors, and stimulants” which unfortunately seems to always come with a “sort of catch or compromise”.
He himself drinks Brightfox drinks every day and enjoys them as “a great source of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes”
A big part of Brightfoxes identity lays also in their dedication to Social Good. From actively supporting local charities to the aluminum bottle that “recycles 400 plastic bottles,”
They are currently working on launching with partners in Europe as well as UAE / Dubai.
Sweetener used: None that I can identify
Cleanliness of ingredients for strict Keto: Main ingredients seem to be carbonated water and citric acid. Then I’m seeing supplements like sodium, potassium, vitamins. Looks clean to me!
Serving size: 10fl oz
Calories per serving: 0 kcal
Net Carbs per serving: 1gr
Carb calculation: 1gr (Total Carbs) - no deductions. I’m not sure where it comes from though. Maybe the citric acid?
My thoughts on serving size: This can be drunk plain or mixed in with alcohol like Vodka, Gin etc. I think the serving size is fine with either. I love the screw cap which means you can drink some now and more later.
Visual appeal: I find the bottle design beautiful. The sparkling ones are in black bottles and the still ones in white bottles. The liquid itself was slightly milky-transparent.
My smell review: I could definitely smell the grapefruit. Really pleasant smell.
My texture review: I’d compare it to sparking water in texture.
My taste review: The first taste I got was sour which I’m sure comes from the citric acid and its acidity. It then transitioned to sweet. I like the sparkle. I got the grapefruit with a hint of ginger. I’m not sure I’d drink a whole botte plain but I’m excited to try it mixed in with e.g. Gin. I had my non-Keto spouse try it too. He drinks more soda etc than me - I drink plain water 99% of the time - and he enjoyed it.
Further notes:
Says it’s scientifically formulated with vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and antioxidants
Contains all the Vitamin B5 and B6 you’ll need for the day
They use aluminum bottles in an effort to be more eco friendly.
Overall: I’m intrigued! While I don’t see myself moving away from drinking mostly water throughout the day I really like the idea of using this for alcoholis drinks. I plan on trying it with Gin and also with Tequila. I would say it is similar to flavored seltzers - at least for this sparkly one.
Other products available: They have 2 more flavors. Cucumber + Mint and Vanilla + Blueberry. All flavors come either in Sparkling (black bottle) or Still (white bottle).
Where to buy: On their website www.drinkbrightfox.com or Amazon.
Price: $79.99 for a pack of 24 bottles on their website. If you sign up for their tribe and do a subscription you get the first 24-pack for free. OR they have sample packs with 3 bottles for $7.99 which I think is a great way to try before committing to more. You can also purchase the 24 packs of Amazon. They show as $79.99 but - at time of writing this - have either $30 off coupons or 25% off coupons once you open the page!
KOIA Keto - Keto plant based shake - Caramel Crème
Image by KOIA
About the company: The founders saw the “toll over-stressed lives and bad eating habits had on people. They wanted to create products that enabled people to live healthier lives. In researching what it meant to live a healthy life, they learned about regions in the world where people lived much longer than others due to healthy behaviors, such as eating a predominantly plant based diet, making movement part of every day, and being socially active
The name is inspired by “the lush Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica”. The Keto drinks are one range of products. They also have non-Keto plant based shakes.
Sweetener used: organic sugar cane, monk fruit extract
Cleanliness of ingredients for strict Keto: I don’t think this will pass a clean Keto test with the brown rice protein and organic cane sugar. More on ingredients here.
Serving Size: 12fl oz
Calories per serving: 200 kcal
Net Carbs per serving: 2gr net carbs per serving of 1 bottle / 12 fl oz
Carb calculation: 7gr (Total Carbs) - 5gr (Fiber) = 2gr net carbs
My thoughts on serving size: When I tried it I drank only 1/4, placed it back in the fridge and then had some more later and so on. So I feel like the serving size is fine.
Visual appeal: I like the design of the bottle. It looks sharp. The drink has the perfect color for the caramel crème flavor.
My smell review: It smells sweet and like caramel
My texture review: It was more liquid than I expected. I wouldn’t mind it being more like milk. A bit creamier and thicker.
My taste review: The first sip was odd. I don’t know exactly what it was but I remember thinkin “hm…”. Then I had another sip and it grew on me. It reminds me of the Caramel Macchiatos I used to order at Starbucks pre-Keto. Definitely sweet. Borderline too sweet for me. If you used to love Caramel Macchiatos and still have a sweet tooth, try them!
Further notes:
Contains 9gr MCT oil
Dairy free
Gluten free
Vegan
No soy
Kosher
Overall: I wasn’t sure what to expect of this drink and I’m glad I tried it. The ingredients lead me to caution fellow Keto-ers though. Sugar cane and it effects on blood sugar could kick you out of your hard earned and worked for Ketosis. If you’re following a dirty Keto diet though: Go for it and try some of their other flavors too!
Other products available: Make sure to only buy the ones that say ‘ - keto - ‘. As flavors beyond the Caramel Crème I tried they also have Chocolate Brownie, Cake Batter and Cookies n’ Creme.
Where to buy: Online through their website www.drinkkoia.com as well as Amazon, In person you can shop for these at Whole Foods and other Grocery Stores like Jewel-Osco in the Chicago area. Check the Store Locator for more details.
Price: $47.88 for a pack of 12 bottles ($3.99 / bottle). Retail is similar around $3.99. Keep an eye out for sales or coupons through the KOIA newsletter.
Mamma Chia - Chia Energy Beverage - Blackberry Blast
About the company: Founded by Janie Hoffman in rural San Diego CA out of her own personal search for healthy options. Janie fell in love with Chia and the powerful vitality boost it provided. Challenged by a longstanding autoimmune disorders, chia provided her “vitality, energy and strength”
As she experimented with recipes, her drink creations grew popular with friends and family until she decided to take the next step and founded “Mamma Chia — the first organic, chia-based food and beverage company. Mamma Chia remains a conscious and sustainable company dedicated to sharing delicious, nutrient-rich, organic plant-based beverages and snacks powered by chia.“
Sweetener used: All organic: Erythritol, Cane Sugar, Monk Fruit and Stevia Leaf Extract
Cleanliness of ingredients for strict Keto: Cane sugar is a no no on a strict / clean Keto diet. To learn more about strict / clean versus ‘dirty’ check the Keto 101.
Serving size: 10fl oz
Calories per serving: 110 kcal
Net Carbs per serving: 6gr
Carb calculation: 21gr (Total Carbs) - 6gr (Fiber) - 9gr (Sugar Alcohol) = 6gr (Net Carbs)
My thoughts on serving size: With the 6gr net carbs and if you’re following a Keto diet I would recommend only drinking half to keep your carb intake lower. With the seeds and chia it is pretty filling so I think you’d still be satisfied.
Visual appeal: You can clearly see the Blackberry seeds. When you swish it you notice the gooeyness that comes from the Chia. The drink itself is purple-ish like you’d expect from Blackberries. It has a very natural look.
My smell review: It smells sweet and a bit like Blackberry. Nothing too intense though.
My texture review: Let me preface this by repeating that I drink water 99% of the time. Hardly any coffee or soda. Little alcohol. I’m used to the texture of water when I drink. I also haven’t had much experience with Chia.
For me the texture here does not work. I don’t like the slimey-ness / gooey-ness. Also I feel like less seeds would have been fine. I didn’t expect to have to bite anything when drinking it and while I’m sure it can help in feeling more satiated by it, it’s not for me.
My taste review: The sweetness level is good. The blackberry flavor natural. Not too intense. I tried as much to abstracts from the texture as I can and would say just taste-wise this is great. So if you like Chia I think you’d enjoy this. Nice and fruity!
Further notes:
Contains 90mg of caffeine - similar to a cup of coffee
3200mg of Omega-3, a fatty acid commonly found in fish oil
Gluten free
Vegan
B Corp Certified
Overall: I wanted to love it - also because I’m a fan of it being a women owned business and B Corp certified but between the sweeteners that aren’t suited for strict / clean Keto and the texture that I personally do not like it isn’t for me.
If you eat Low Carb though and like Chia I think this could be right up your alley!
Other products available: Organic Chia and Chia Energy Beverages in vaious flavors from Raspberry Razz to Blackberry Hibiscus, Blueberry Pomegranate, Cherry Lime and more.
Where to buy: Online through their website www.shopmammachia.com for products in pouches. From what I saw these are not Keto though. In person you can shop for these at many Target, Walmart, Meijer, Whole Foods, Safeaway locations, Jewel-Osco in the Chicagoland area and more. Check the Store Locator for more details.
Price: $2.99 per bottle at Target
Optimum Nutrition - Essential Amin.o Energy and Electrolytes - Grape
About the company: “Optimum Nutrition, Inc. (ON) is part of the Glanbia global nutrition group and has been setting the Gold Standard in sports nutrition for more than 30 years - helping performance focused athletes achieve their goals.
With state-of-the-art production facilities in Aurora, Illinois; Walterboro, South Carolina and Sunrise, Florida, ON is one of the few sports nutrition companies to manufacture in every product category. From the very beginning in 1986,”
Sweetener used: Sucralose
Cleanliness of ingredients for strict Keto: I will admit that there are a few ingredients I do not understand in the nutrition info which usually means they are more chemical than natural. I want to comment on the Sucralose though. You might have seen Splenda when eating out which is mostly Sucralose . It is a chemically manufactured sweetener (mixing chlorine with sugar) that your body will actually be - to a large part - unable to digest. So it will ‘just’ pass through you. It’s 100s of times sweeter than sugar but as it is ‘just’ passing through it weighs in with 0 carbs and 0 kcal. Yet, it can still increase blood sugar level which you’re trying to avoid on Keto!
There are various studies out there that point out different findings with regards to sucralose. From it increase sugar cravings, increasing the likelyhood of Type 2 Diabetes, increasing blood pressure, being harmful to our digestive system up to even maybe being correlated to getting cancer. This sweetener falls into the ‘dirty keto’ category. Consume in moderation if it works for you and consider using more natural sweetener alternatives like Monk Fruit, Stevia or Allulose when you can.
To learn more about ingredients, read the ingredients blog post here.
Serving Size: 12fl oz
Calories per serving: 5 kcal
Net Carbs per serving: 1gr
Carb Calculation: 1gr (Total Carbs) - no deductions
My thoughts on serving size: As someone who is not used to drinking energy drinks, for me it is too much. Always better when it is too much than the opposite though!
Visual appeal: I like the design of the can. The drink itself is clear with a slight color to it but not that visible if you drink straight from the can.
My smell review: It smells very sweet as you open the can. A bit artificial too.
My texture review: In between sparkling water and soda / pop.
My taste review: It’s sweet. The grape flavor was slightly aritifical but I didn’t mind. Good sparkle. If you like sweet, you’ll be happy with this! if you don’t, I’d recommend passing.
Further notes:
Contains 100mg of caffeine per can - for reference, an average 8oz cup of coffee has 95mg
Contains 5g amino acids - hence the name. Our bodies rely on amino acids to grow and thrive. It also helps with muscle recovery
Contains electrolytes to “support performance, endurance and active living”
Overall: As mentioned above I am not used to drinking energy drinks. Quick story on my past with caffeine: I used to be an espresso addict. Drinking 7-8 per day until one day I decided to quit cold turkey and drink chamomille tea instead. Yep. Pretty drastic change lol Given that I’m not used to caffeine anymore, drinking a full energy drink would most likely hype me up for a week! Added to that that since starting Keto I’ve gotten used to eating ‘sweets’ that are less sweet. Like really dark chocolate. This makes me very sensitive to foods and drinks that taste sugary - even when there’s no ‘real’ sugar.
How does this apply to this energy drink? The level of sweetness is not for me. It does bring back great memories though of nights full of dancing and mixing Vodka with energy drinks! The other thing I don’t like here is the Sucralose. With it being listed as one of the last ingredients it means there’s not much in there but given what I noted above under ‘Sweeteners’ I would try to keep my respectful distance from it.
Other products available: Optimum nutrition also has supplements, apparel and more flavors to this drink.
Where to buy: Online through their website www.optimumnutrition.com as well as Amazon, Bodybuilding.com, Vitacost.com, jet.com. In person you can shop for these at GNC, the Vitamin Shoppe, Walmart,,,
Price: $24.99 for a box of 12 cans - same on their website as on Amazon.
Som Sleep - Zero Sugar Drink
About the company: Co-founded by Rob Bent and Christine & Abdul Khan who were seeking a drug-free option to help them sleep. From falling asleep to staying asleep, they felt like an extra boost would help and that the “products on the market weren’t doing the trick”. Their first taste testers - family, friends and “even professional athletes” convinced them that they were on the right track and that Som Sleep needed to be “out there for everyone to experience”.
Sweetener used: Erythritol, Monk Fruit Extract, Stevia Leaf Extract
Cleanliness of ingredients for strict Keto: Very clean!
Serving Size: 1 can / 8.1 fl oz
Calories per serving: 10kcal
Net Carbs per serving: 0gr
Carb Calculation: 8gr (Total Carbs) - 8gr (Erythritol) = 0gr net carbs
My thoughts on serving size: I drank 2/3 of a can and felt like that was enough for me.
Visual appeal: The liquid is clear and still. Somehow with the can I expected bubbly.
My smell review: Very sweet. Reminded me a bit of the smell of Red Bull.
My texture review: It’s similar in texture to water.
My taste review: Slightly sweet - not as sweet as it smelled. It had a hint of…grape flavor maybe?
Further notes:
This has 100% of the recommended Vitamin B6 dosage and 10% of your daily recommended Magnesium
Drug-free
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Vegan
Overall: I don’t know if it is a placebo effect or if it truly works but they recommend drinking this 30minutes before bedtime to fall asleep better and stay asleep longer and it did the trick for me. I usually go to bed around midnight but wanted an early bedtime. I drank it at 10, got tired within 10-15minutes and fell asleep around 10,30-10.45pm.
It’s not something I would be drawn to for its taste but it’s nice to have when I want to go to bed early!
Other products available: They also have a non-sugar version available
Where to buy: Online through their website www.getsom.com as well as on Amazon, and slowly also at stores like Walmart and in Chicagoland at Jewel-Osco,
Price: On their website they currently have an offer for a 12-pack for $23.99. Get 10% off by shopping through this link. On Amazon the 12-pack is available for $29.99.
Want more Keto friendly and Low Carb Drinks reviewed?
Let me know which ones and I’ll see if I can get my hands on some samples. This wasn’t the easiest comparison given that I usually stick to water :D I did really enjoy trying new options though and was positively surprise by most!
If you want a quicker glance at the drinks reviewed above, check out the overview:
Any feedback is always highly appreciated! Via email or comments below.
To check out further Keto friendly products and benefit from some Discounts, check this out. For shopping guides on what to shop where see the blog!
For the Keto friendly Muffins comparison click here and for the crunchy Keto snack comparison here.
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