This Iced Bulletproof Coffee Recipe Will Keep You Going This Summer

When summer comes, it can be awfully hard to stay focused at the office when you’re ready to go on vacation. To keep your mind sharp, we came up with an iced version of Bulletproof coffee, or brew boosted with butter and MCT oil. Ours is like a chilled vanilla latte that will wake you up and keep you energized for hours.

Bulletproof coffee, or butter coffee, is intended to be a breakfast replacement. Before you throw your hands up, though, think about it — butter is churned cream, so the idea of swapping out your half-and-half for a slice of butter isn’t so weird. Besides, what happens when the butter blends with the coffee results in a short crop of foam and rich, creamy flavor. Are you with us? We would be remiss if we just stuck with butter coffee, because the secret ingredient is really MCT oil. Short for medium chain triglycerides, MCT oil is a concentrated oil derived from coconuts. You can typically find MCT oil in the food section of your grocery store. Unlike most coconut oils, it does not have any flavor. A little goes a long way — don’t put in more than one or two teaspoons, or you may experience stomach cramping and indigestion.

The high fat and caffeine contents purportedly wake up your mind, promote energy, and help curb hunger. “People love coffee, and the fact that people can get additional benefits from their coffee is super enticing. This is another way to get healthful fats,” said Los Angeles-based nutritional therapy practitioner Aimée Suen. You can add a scoop of powdered collagen to your coffee if you’d like, but don’t skip the vanilla extract. It adds a hint of sweetness without adding sugar.

Vanilla Iced Butter Coffee

(Serves 1)

Ingredients:

Instructions:

1. Brew the coffee using pour-over, automatic machine, or French press.

2. Pour the freshly brewed coffee, butter, oil, and vanilla extract into a blender—if using collagen, add a scoop now. Blend for 1 minute or until slightly frothy.

3. Serve over ice.

Note: Unlike other iced coffees that you can refrigerate to chill, this one will develop two distinct layers as the butter hardens, so serve and drink immediately!