Free Weekly Meal Plans
Free Weekly Meal Plans
about
work with me
contact
  • Follow on Facebook
  • Follow on Instagram
  • Follow on TikTok
  • Follow on Pinterest
Peanut Butter and Fitness
    • All Recipes
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Brunch
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Main Dishes
      • Pasta
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Wraps
      • Sauces and Spreads
      • Side dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soups
      • Dairy Free
      • Gluten Free
      • High Protein
      • Low Carb
      • Vegetarian
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Turkey
      • Seafood
      • Air Fryer
      • Instant Pot
      • Slow Cooker
      • Grill
      • Stove Top
      • Oven
      • Sous Vide
      • Meal Prepable Recipes
      • No Heat Meals
      • Freezer Friendly
      • One Dish Meals
      • Easy Weeknight Dinners
      • Asian Inspired
      • Italian Inspired
      • Mediterranean
      • Southwestern
      • Fall
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Winter
      • Christmas
      • Pumpkin
      • Thanksgiving
      • Easter
      • Halloween
      • Game Day
      • New Year’s Eve
      • Valentine’s Day
      • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Quest for the Best
  • Meal Prep
  • My Cookbooks
  • Product ReviewsI’ll be posting a series of my “Quest for the Best” health, fitness and meal prep products here, as well as any cool products I find along the way so you can get the goods too.  If you’re interested in seeing any particular product recommendations, comment below!
Search
Recipes Drinks Coffee & Tea Drinks

The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Macro-Friendly Coffee Drinks

Rate

Author:

Erin

Published:

July 17, 2022

Updated:

March 21, 2025

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for details.

That’s right y’all, it’s finally time for me to share The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Macro-Friendly Coffee Drinks! This guide will help you make high protein, low carb coffee drinks and Starbucks dupes at home! If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I’ve been working on this one for months. It’s taken me a while to put the whole thing together because honestly…it was a lot of work! I taste tested a bunch of different milks and milk alternatives, played with them in recipes, and tried to get them to froth up into cold foam. You probably know this already, but not all of them are created equal! Some were tasty, some were not…and if you’re going for a macro friendly iced coffee drink, I’ll help you pick out the right milk to fit your taste and needs.

  • Coffee, Espresso, and Cold Brew at Home
  • Milk and Non-Dairy Milk Substitutes
  • Syrups and Sweeteners
  • Essential Products
  • Recipes


Coffee, Espresso, and Cold Brew at Home

The building block of any coffee drink is of course, the coffee! Or espresso. Or cold brew. Whichever one you’re building a drink around, you want it to be delicious and good quality. I don’t actually have any iced coffee recipes in my repertoire yet – probably because they’re just so simple to make – but when I do make iced coffee, I just brew regular hot coffee and chill it until cold before throwing in ice cubes. Don’t hate on me for using a Keurig for my regular coffee!

If you’re looking for a stronger flavor (and more caffeine) than a regular coffee/iced coffee, cold brew is where it’s at! My favorite thing about cold brew is how well it works in more complex coffee drinks because its stronger taste can stand up next to to the added flavors, cold foams, creams, etc. It’s also easy to make at home if you’d prefer not to buy it in the store – here’s my recipe.

To make the ultimate coffee drinks at home though, I really recommend investing in an espresso machine. Don’t be intimidated by the complicated looking setup – it’s surprisingly easy to make your own kick ass espresso at home (even without an automatic espresso machine like a Nespresso). You’ll thank me once you’ve made a few of your own lattes or macchiatos. Truly a game changer in the home coffee game!

This is the Breville Bambino, which is a great entry level espresso machine that won’t break the bank.

  • Coffee, Espresso, and Cold Brew at Home
  • Milk and Non-Dairy Milk Substitutes
  • Syrups and Sweeteners
  • Essential Products
  • Recipes

Milk and Non-Dairy Milk Substitutes

I’m going to spend a lot of time on the subject of milk and milk substitutes, because if you’re making something like a latte, the milk ends up being the highest volume ingredient in the recipe. When you’re aiming for a macro-friendly drink, the milk is critical because it can make or break the macro balance of your drink. Not to mention the flavor! You want something that complements the other ingredients in your coffee drink, not something that overpowers the flavors you worked to create. For that reason, I really don’t recommend making your coffee drinks with pre-made protein shakes. I tried both espresso and cold brew based drinks with them and the protein shake completely overpowered all the flavors in the drink, leaving me with a mildly coffee flavored protein shake instead of a latte or whatever I was actually trying to make. If you’re adamant about combining a pre-made protein shake with coffee or espresso, here are my thoughts on the best tasting protein shakes.

For those of you who really want to dig into comparisons between different milks/milk alternatives and see nutrition info and taste tests all in one spot, here’s the file to do that:

Milk and Milk Alternative Taste Tests and Comparison

If you’re a visual person like me, here’s a look at how many popular brands and types of milks compare to one another when it comes to overall calories and protein content.

Ultra-Filtered Dairy Milk

These ultra filtered dairy milks are your best bet when it comes to maximizing protein content without much else. I personally prefer the 2% versions, which of course have a bit of fat in them. I think the extra richness is great in iced coffee drinks. These milks are also great because they froth like champions, making it really easy to use them for cold foam! The ones I tested certainly aren’t the only brands and there seems to be a good bit of movement with companies getting into (or out of) the ultra filtered milk game.

Oat Milk

My advice when it comes to oat milk in iced coffee – exercise caution! Most of the ones I tested had an overwhelming flavor that totally ruined my coffee. Not all of them are duds, but the ones that are taste like a cross between bland oatmeal and cardboard. Not my cup of…coffee 😉

Almond Milk

Almond milk is my go-to for everyday use because it’s pretty neutral tasting and not overly sweet. There is of course some variation in flavor between brands, but overall I think almond milk is a reliable option with relatively few calories. Most brands clock in at just 30-45 calories per 8 fl oz.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk kind of runs the gamut of flavor and texture. There are brands that have a strong coconut flavor and others that are pretty neutral. Likewise, there are some brands that are quite gritty compared to others, though coconut milk in general does tend to have a little bit of “grit” from coconut pulp (unlike almond milk for example).

Soy Milk

When it comes to refrigerated soy milk, Silk seems to dominate the market. I had a hard time finding other brands in the refrigerated section, but there are some other options in the room temp aisles. If you’ve never tried it before, soy milk does have a distinct flavor, but it’s one that I enjoy. It also has a bit more protein than the other non-dairy milks. The trick is making sure you can balance out the sweetness!

Here’s the link to that file again!

Milk and Milk Alternative Taste Tests and Comparison

  • Coffee, Espresso, and Cold Brew at Home
  • Milk and Non-Dairy Milk Substitutes
  • Syrups and Sweeteners
  • Essential Products
  • Recipes

Syrups and Sweeteners

There are any number of brands of coffee syrups on the market, but I’ve enjoyed this brand. And the best part? Zero sugar and zero calories! Not all the flavors are perfect, but all the basic ones I’ve tried are great!


Essential Products

Here are some items I use to make these drinks a success. Note: these are Amazon Affiliate links!

Build It

Espresso Machine

Milk Frother

Milk Pan

Espresso Shot Glass

Flavor It

Jordan’s Skinny Syrups

Blonde Espresso Beans

Stevia Sweet Drops

Ground Espresso

Serve It

Mini Sphere Ice Mold

Glass Straws

20oz Tumbler

20oz Tumbler with Bamboo Lid

Take It to the Next Level

If you’re a true coffee or espresso fanatic, splurging on one or more of these items is probably going to be well worth the investment! To get the freshest beans for your coffee or espresso, you really do need to grind them yourself. For espresso, you should look at buying a high quality burr grinder to ensure the beans get ground fine enough. Next up – an automatic frother! This bad boy will froth just about anything and can do it hot or cold, unlike the trusty handheld milk frother you saw earlier.

Espresso Machine

Espresso Bean Grinder

Electric Milk Frother

Ember Mug


  • Coffee, Espresso, and Cold Brew at Home
  • Milk and Non-Dairy Milk Substitutes
  • Syrups and Sweeteners
  • Essential Products
  • Recipes

Recipes

1
Macro-Friendly Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso
This one is obviously a play on the Starbucks Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, but it’s got less than half the calories, half the sugar, and three times the protein.
Recipe
2
Macro-Friendly Iced Caramel Macchiato
My macro friendly version of this Starbucks classic has just 85 calories per 16 oz serving, compared to the Starbucks version which has 250 calories for the same size!
Recipe
3
Iced Vanilla Latte
This recipe is probably the simplest of all, with just 4 ingredients (including ice). The simplicity means I can easily incorporate it into my weekday morning rush to get out the door and beat traffic!
Recipe
4
Starbucks Pink Drink Dupe
This isn’t really a coffee drink, but it is a cult favorite at Starbucks. For the caffeine in this drink, they use green coffee bean powder. You can easily get it online, but for the sake of simplicity when making this drink at home, I opted for a caffeinated strawberry drink mix.
Recipe
5
Macro-Friendly Iced Mocha
I love this iced mocha because the chocolate flavor is smooth but not too sweet or overpowering, and of course the espresso is just…*chef’s kiss*!
Recipe
6
Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew with Collagen
This is an incredibly simple cold brew drink that’s made impressive with the easiest salted caramel cold foam. I added a bit of collagen to boost the protein content a bit, but it does also help the cold foam really froth up into a smooth, stable foam.
Recipe
7
Iced Matcha Collagen Latte
Adding a scoop of collagen doesn’t mess with the delicate matcha flavor, but it does add 10 grams of protein per serving!
Recipe
8
Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso
The secret to the chocolate flavor in this drink is actually chocolate malt powder. You can easily pick some up at your local grocery store or Target – the most common brand where I live is Ovaltine.
Recipe
9
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
I’m here to tell you, you can make an amazing version of this famous drink at home, with a whole variety of milk (dairy and non-dairy) options for a delicious pumpkin spice cold foam.
Recipe

More Coffee & Tea Drinks

  • High Protein Sugar Cookie Latte (Hot or Iced)

    High Protein Sugar Cookie Latte (Hot or Iced)

  • S’mores Iced Latte

    S’mores Iced Latte

  • Iced Apple Crisp Macchiato

    Iced Apple Crisp Macchiato

  • Pumpkin Spice Latte

    Pumpkin Spice Latte

browse all
111 shares
  • Share
  • Email
  • Yummly

About Erin

Erin is the author behind Peanut Butter and Fitness. She started this website in 2013 as a way to keep track of her favorite healthier kitchen creations and meal preps. Today, she still loves playing with her food and camera while helping others strike a balance between indulgence and well-being.

Read More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

WELCOME

Hey, I’m Erin!

I like to describe PBF as a healthy eating blog with a dollop of indulgence. Here you’ll find high protein and veggie-packed meals with a side of cocktails and desserts.

Read more

MEAL PREP GUIDES

Get My Cookbooks!

Read More

Most Popular Recipes

  • Gochujang Glazed Air Fryer Salmon Bowls

    Gochujang Glazed Air Fryer Salmon Bowls

  • Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake

    Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake

  • Protein Overnight Oats 8 Ways

    Protein Overnight Oats 8 Ways

  • 3 Cheese Pizza Chicken Bake

    3 Cheese Pizza Chicken Bake

High Protein Recipes

  • High Protein Hamburger Helper

    High Protein Hamburger Helper

  • Chicken Tzatziki Bowls

    Chicken Tzatziki Bowls

  • Sheet Pan Honey Dijon Chicken

    Sheet Pan Honey Dijon Chicken

  • Air Fryer Sesame Orange Salmon

    Air Fryer Sesame Orange Salmon

LOOKING FOR MORE?

Check out my books!

For more full in-depth guides to meal prepping, check out my meal prep books! With over 30 recipes each, these are perfect for starting strong!

Get them here

As Seen On:

Get Meal Plans in Your Inbox!

Subscribe to my email list to receive the latest recipes & free weekly meal plans!

Browse by Category:

Meal Prep
Breakfast
Dinners
Chicken
Drinks
All Recipes
  • Follow on Facebook
  • Follow on Instagram
  • Follow on TikTok
  • Follow on Pinterest
Contact
Privacy Policy
Disclosure
Accessibility

© 2023 Peanut Butter & Fitness

Back to Top

Design by MRD | Theme by OC