Smoothie King offers a variety of low-carb and keto-friendly smoothies for customers looking to limit their carb intake. For those on a strict keto diet, keeping total carbs under 50 grams per day is important. When considering Smoothie King’s keto smoothie options, it’s helpful to know how many total carbs are in each one.
What is the keto diet?
The ketogenic or “keto” diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet aimed at getting the body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis occurs when the body switches from primarily burning glucose for fuel to burning fat stores and ketones instead. This metabolic state has been shown to have major benefits for weight loss, diabetes, epilepsy, and more.1
To get into ketosis, strict keto diets limit total carb intake to only 50 grams or less per day. Typically, protein intake is moderate, around 20-30% of total calories, while fat makes up 70-80% of calories.2 Such low carb intake forces the body to burn fat rather than glucose.
Keto diets exclude major carb sources like grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, and most fruits. They focus instead on high-fat foods like meat, fish, eggs, butter, oils, nuts, seeds, and very low-carb vegetables. Dairy foods like cheese and heavy cream are also staples of keto eating plans.
What to look for in a keto smoothie
When keeping total carbs very low, ingredients matter. Here are some things to look for in a smoothie that fits a keto lifestyle:
– Low-carb fruits: Berries and small portions of fruits like lemon/lime, avocado, tomato, coconut, and melon can work. Fruits like banana, mango, pineapple, grapes, and apple should be avoided.
– Leafy greens: Spinach, kale, swiss chard, collards, lettuce, etc. help pack nutrients with minimal carbs.
– Healthy fats: Nut butters, avocado, MCT or coconut oil, heavy cream, and seeds like chia, flax or hemp.
– Low-carb protein powders: Whey, collagen, bone broth, and plant-based proteins like pea, hemp or pumpkin seed protein.
– Natural zero-carb sweeteners: Stevia, monk fruit, erythritol, and inulin can provide sweetness without added carbs.
– Flavor extras: Cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, lemon/lime juice, ginger, coffee, matcha tea.
It’s also key to avoid added sugars, syrups, milk, yogurt, oats, grains, and other higher-carb ingredients. Reading labels carefully is a must.
Smoothie King Keto Smoothies
Smoothie King offers a range of smoothies labeled as “keto” or low-carb. Here are some of their most popular keto smoothie options with total carb counts:
| Smoothie | Total Carbs |
|---|---|
| Keto Lean | 16g |
| Keto Champ | 12g |
| Keto Fuel | 11g |
| Keto Coffee | 10g |
| Keto Avocado | 15g |
As you can see, most of Smoothie King’s keto smoothie options range from 10-16 grams of net carbs. This fits comfortably into a 50g/day keto diet for most people. However, individuals with greater carb sensitivities or those on a stricter 20g keto plan may need to limit portion size or avoid completely.
Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients and nutrition in a few of Smoothie King’s most popular keto smoothies:
Keto Lean Smoothie
The Keto Lean smoothie contains 160 calories and 16g net carbs per 20oz regular size. Ingredients include:
– Water
– Collagen protein
– Coconut milk
– L-glutamine
– Monk fruit extract
– Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil
This provides 10g of protein and around 7g MCTs from coconut and MCT oil. MCTs are directly ketogenic and help boost ketone levels.3 The collagen protein also provides satiety. A good option for those looking for protein, MCTs and lower calories.
Keto Champ Smoothie
With 300 calories and 12g net carbs per 20oz regular size, the Keto Champ has more calories and fat. It contains:
– Water
– Whey protein
– Almond milk
– Collagen protein
– Cocoa powder
– Peanut butter
– Monk fruit extract
– MCT oil
You get 20g protein from the combo of whey and collagen. The peanut butter provides 7g filling fat and flavor along with the chocolate cocoa powder. Overall an indulgent, protein-packed keto smoothie.
Keto Fuel Smoothie
The Keto Fuel smoothie keeps carbs lowest at 11g net carbs per 20oz regular size. It includes:
– Water
– Whey protein
– Collagen protein
– Cocoa powder
– Avocado
– Stevia leaf extract
– Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil
With 20g protein from whey and collagen, this smoothie gets creamy texture from avocado and healthy fats from the MCT oil. The cocoa powder adds antioxidant flavonoids. A nutritious keto smoothie choice.
Building the Perfect Keto Smoothie
While Smoothie King provides convenient grab-and-go options, you can also make delicious keto smoothies at home.
Some tips for building your own perfect keto smoothie:
– Choose a base of water, unsweetened nut milk or coconut milk. Limit to 1 cup.
– Add protein like collagen, whey, plant protein or Greek yogurt. Aim for 15-20g.
– Include healthy fats from nut butter, avocado, chia seeds, coconut, MCT oil or heavy cream.
– Pick low-carb fruits like berries or lemon/lime juice. Limit to 1/4-1/2 cup.
– Add greens for vitamins like spinach, kale, swiss chard or lettuce.
– Boost flavor with spices like cinnamon, cocoa powder, vanilla or coffee.
– Use stevia, monk fruit or erythritol if you want it a touch sweeter.
– Blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Some favorite keto smoothie recipes include:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Keto Smoothie
– 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
– 2 tablespoons peanut butter
– 1 scoop (25g) collagen peptides
– 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
– 1/4 cup heavy cream
– Stevia to taste
Green Keto Smoothie
– 1 cup coconut milk
– 1/4 avocado
– 25g spinach
– 25g kale
– 1 scoop (25g) plant-based protein powder
– 1 tablespoon MCT oil
– 1/4 cup blueberries
Vanilla Almond Keto Smoothie
– 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
– 1 scoop (25g) whey protein powder
– 1/4 cup almonds
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
– 1 tablespoon almond butter
– 1/4 cup raspberries
– Ice cubes
Tips for Ordering Keto at Smoothie King
When ordering a keto smoothie from Smoothie King’s menu, keep these tips in mind:
– Opt for a small or regular smoothie size. Larger sizes may have too many carbs.
– Ask them to add extra healthy fats from nut butter, avocado, MCT/coconut oil or heavy cream.
– Top with chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds or coconut flakes for extra nutrition.
– If you want it sweeter, ask for monk fruit or stevia, not added syrups.
– Sub almond or coconut milk instead of regular milk or yogurt.
– Ask if they can add an extra scoop of protein powder.
– Avoid sugary mixins like sherbet or juices. Ask for lemon or lime wedge instead.
– Consider adding greens like spinach or kale for extra vitamins without carbs.
Smoothie King Keto Smoothie Nutrition Facts
If you want to look up the complete nutrition facts and ingredients list for Smoothie King’s pre-made keto smoothies, you can find them on the Smoothie King website or app.
Here are direct links to nutrition info on a few top choices:
– [Keto Lean Nutrition Facts](https://www.smoothieking.com/menus/nutrition-menu?id=409187)
– [Keto Champ Nutrition Facts](https://www.smoothieking.com/menus/nutrition-menu?id=409188)
– [Keto Fuel Nutrition Facts](https://www.smoothieking.com/menus/nutrition-menu?id=409194)
– [Keto Coffee Nutrition Facts](https://www.smoothieking.com/menus/nutrition-menu?id=409195)
The company provides complete breakdowns of calories, fat, carbs, protein, and ingredients. You can use this to help decide if a particular smoothie fits your keto goals or not.
The Bottom Line
Smoothie King offers a variety of keto-friendly smoothies ranging from around 10-16 net grams of carbs each. Options like Keto Lean, Keto Champ, and Keto Fuel can fit into a 50 gram/day ketogenic diet for most people. Those on a stricter under 20g daily keto plan may need to limit portion sizes of these.
Smoothie King makes keto smoothie choices convenient, but you can also mix up low-carb smoothies at home. Focus on ingredients like healthy fats, low-carb fruits, greens, and proteins while avoiding added sugars.
Checking Smoothie King’s website provides complete nutrition data to help you make the best keto smoothie decisions. Enjoy Smoothie King’s pre-made options or get creative with your own keto smoothie recipes at home.
References
1. Paoli, A. (2014). Ketogenic diet for obesity: friend or foe? International journal of environmental research and public health, 11(2), 2092–2107. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110202092
2. Volek, J. S., & Phinney, S. D. (2011). The art and science of low carbohydrate living: an expert guide to making the life-saving benefits of carbohydrate restriction sustainable and enjoyable. Beyond Obesity.
3. Cunnane, S. C., Courchesne-Loyer, A., St-Pierre, V., Vandenberghe, C., Pierotti, T., Fortier, M., Croteau, E., & Castellano, C. A. (2016). Can Ketones Help Rescue Brain Fuel Supply in Later Life? Implications for Cognitive Health during Aging and the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. Frontiers in molecular neuroscience, 9, 53. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2016.00053
