Keto shakes are designed to provide nutrition and calories to those on the keto diet. Most protein shakes, and meal replacement shakes are not suitable for those on a keto diet because they contain too many carbohydrates. Keto shakes are specifically designed to be low in carbs, making them fit into the keto diet.
Sometimes, these shakes are designed to replace a meal. Other times, they’re simply a “snack” or boost to get you through the day.
We reviewed ten of the top keto shakes on the market. Below, you’ll find some of the best shake options for those on the keto diet.
Rankings
1. Team Keto Meal Replacement
For those looking for a complete meal replacement, the meal replacement shake by Team Keto is the way to go. It is fortified and well-balanced, on top of being delicious. Each serving includes 20 grams of fats, 12 grams of protein, and only 1 gram of net carbohydrates.
Plus, this shake is free from fillers, artificial sweeteners, and other potentially harmful additives. It has everything you need and nothing you don’t. We loved how it wasn’t oily like other shakes on the market!
For these reasons, this is the best keto shake on the market.
2. Ample K Ketogenic Formula
The ketogenic formula made by Ample K is the perfect keto shake for those on the go. Each shake is proportioned and easy to grab while you’re heading out the door. Each serving includes a variety of healthy fats, proteins, organic veggies, probiotics, and micronutrients. Just add water, and you’re ready to go.
With three net carbs, this formula is still well within the keto range. It is also free of sugar alcohols, gluten, and soy.
3. Keto Science Ketogenic Meal Shake
This meal replacement shake has everything in it you need to remain in ketosis. It is packed full of healthy fats and has 8 grams of protein. It also includes a mix of micronutrients designed to support weight loss and promote your brain function.
We also loved that it tastes great and is relatively inexpensive.
4. Organ Keto Plant-Based Protein Powder
Out of all the shakes we’ve included so far, this is the first one that isn’t designed to replace a whole meal. Instead, it a protein powder. It contains 10 grams of protein and 13 grams of fat. It only includes one net carb as well.
This shake includes plenty of prebiotic fiber and is vegan-friendly. All the protein comes from plants, and most of the ingredients are plant-based.
5. Premier Protein Shake
This shake is not technically advertised as a keto shake. However, it contains 30 grams of protein and only three net carbohydrates, so it can be drunk by those on the keto diet. It is also low in fat, however, which is one reason it is ranked a bit lower on our list.
This drink also includes the caffeine equivalent to one coffee and is designed to taste like coffee. It is even fortified with a variety of vitamins and minerals.
6. ZonePerfect Keto Shake
This shake is designed for those who are on the keto diet and trying to lose weight. It is 75% fat and 20% protein, which leaves only 5% for carbohydrates. In total, it includes only three carbs.
It is made with quality ingredients like real coconut cream. It does not include things like artificial sweeteners, gluten, soy, or artificial flavors.
7. Keto Collagen Protein Powder with MCT Oil
Unlike other shakes on this list, this one is not designed to replace a whole meal. Instead, it is a collagen shake, which means it contains mostly protein. Collagen is essential for many different bodily functions, so this shake focuses almost exclusively on collagen.
This shake does contain a few grams of fat and very few grams of carbohydrates. However, it mostly contains protein.
8. Keto Plus Exogenous Ketones
This shake does not contain much at all. It is designed to mostly contain ketones, which is what your body produces in ketosis. This may help you achieve ketosis, though it depends on what your diet is like.
Because this is more of a vitamin supplement for the keto diet, it is rated lower on our list. It just doesn’t include much, which means its benefits are limited.
9. Nature Fuel Keto Meal Replacement Powder
For those who want an incredibly tasty shake, this one may be a good option. It contains less than 5 grams of net carbohydrates and plenty of healthy fat sources, like grass-fed butter. It is a bit lower on protein than most shakes, however.
This meal replacement does contain 15 frames of fat – 8 of which are saturated.
10. Left Coast Performance Keto Meal Replacement Shake
With 20 grams of fat and only one net carb, this shake is perfect for keto. It is designed to replace your whole meal and includes 14 grams of protein. It includes a variety of added ingredients, as well, such as collagen.
It mixes easily into most drinks and is designed to be added to your coffee or another low-calorie beverage.
How We Ranked
When deciding which keto shakes to include on our list, the first thing we checked was that the shake was keto. To stay in ketogenesis, you need to eat very few carbohydrates and a lot of fat. However, many “keto” shakes on the market are very low in fat and decently high in carbohydrates. In other words, they were “keto” in name only.
For obvious reasons, we did not include these shakes on our list. We did include a few that were low in both carbohydrates and fat. Some people might be looking for high amounts of protein in their shake and shakes like the Premier Protein Shake fulfill this role perfectly – even if they are low in fat.
Secondly, we checked the quality of the ingredients included. Preferably, we wanted shakes with the highest quality ingredients possible. We looked for things like coconut oil, grass-fed protein, avocado oil, and similar ingredients. Things like collagen protein, bone broth protein, and egg white protein were also considered good choices.
Of course, while checking the ingredients of each shake, we also stayed on the lookout for ingredients we didn’t want to be included. Things like sugar alcohols, added sweeteners, artificial colors and flavors, dyes, and gluten. Unless the shake was excellent in every other category, we left shakes off the list that included these unsightly ingredients.
We also considered added nutrients. Most people who consume a western diet do not get all the nutrients they need. Much of our diet tends to be made up of pasta and bread, which are not very nutrient-dense options. Even those on a keto diet aren’t necessarily getting all the nutrients they need, mostly if they do not eat enough nutrient-dense veggies. You cannot live on fatty animal products.
Because of this, we appreciated it when shakes contained extra vitamins and nutrients. If you’re looking for a meal replacement, these added micronutrients are even more critical. To completely replace a meal, you need to consume extra micronutrients as well.
Benefits
Keto shakes may help you lose weight. There are many ways that a keto shake may help you lose weight. Firstly, they are low in carbohydrates. A low-carb diet has been shown to reduce your appetite, which will further help you reduce your calories and lose weight (1). Studies have shown that people who consume a low-carb diet regularly lose more weight than those who do not.
At the same time, keto shakes are designed to be on-the-go meals in many cases. While we all would love to cook healthy, keto-friendly food for every meal, this isn’t always possible. Day-to-day life often gets in the way of us being as healthy as we could be otherwise. Instead of reaching for a carb-rich snack, you can grab a keto shake and still stick to your diet. Over time, this will help you stay in ketosis and make healthier choices, which will lead to weight loss. You may not notice a huge difference right away, but those runs through the fast-food drive-through can add up.
Keto shakes may help you lose more abdominal fat. Despite some common misconceptions, not all body fat affects us the same. Abdominal fat is also called visceral fat. This sort of fat tends to fit around your organs, causing problems if too much builds up. It can lead to inflammation and insulin resistance. While researchers are still learning more about this sort of fat, it may be the driver behind the metabolic dysfunction so common in western societies today (2).
Studies have shown that low-carb diets are particularly good at reducing this harmful body fat. When you eat a low-carb diet, the proportion of body fat you lose from your abdominal area will likely be higher (3). This may reduce your chance for certain disorders often associated with diabetes, like heart disease.
Keto shakes may help lower your triglycerides. Triglycerides are fat molecules that roam around in your bloodstream. It is a well-studied fact that triglycerides are an indicator of potential heart disease (3).
Surprisingly, though, eating more fat does not necessarily increase the number of triglycerides in your blood. Instead, one of the main drivers seems to be excessive carb consumption, especially if those carbs are simple sugar and the patient is sedentary (4, 5).
Cutting back on carbs seems to have an immediate effect on triglyceride levels. Therefore, keto shakes may help reduce your triglyceride levels when combined with other low-carb food. If you’re using keto shakes to help you stick to your keto diet, then they can be accommodating at lowering your potential risk for heart disease.
Keto shakes may play a role in increasing your HDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is the “good” kind. It is the kind you want a lot of, as opposed to LDL cholesterol, the “bad” kind. Keeping both of these levels in check is essential for reducing your risk of heart disease (6, 7).
An easy and effective way to increase your HDL cholesterol is to eat more fat. Studies have shown that diets high in fat but low in carbohydrates help raise HDL cholesterol levels (8, 9). Perhaps unsurprisingly, low-fat diets tend to keep participants’ HDL levels the same or even drop them (10, 11).
Keto shakes are very low in carbohydrates and high in fat. Therefore, they may help raise your HDL cholesterol levels. Of course, they work best when paired with the keto diet. However, if you make them a regular part of your routine, you may raise your levels without making any other changes.
Keto shakes may reduce blood sugar. Blood sugar is raised primarily by eating carbohydrates, mostly simple carbohydrates. Sugary foods can spike your blood sugar levels, which is unhealthy for everyone. However, this is particularly troublesome for those with diabetes and insulin resistance.
As you might imagine, cutting carbs may help lower your blood sugar and insulin levels. Studies have shown this time and time again (12, 13). Some people with diabetes notice immediate effects when they switch their diet. Studies have found that some people need to reduce their insulin dosage by 50% right away (14).
In one study that focused on those with type-two diabetes, it was discovered that 95% of people who switched to a low-carb diet had to lower their insulin and medication within six months. In other words, switching their diet worked for nearly all of the participants (15).
Keto shakes are very low in carbohydrates and high in fat, precisely the macronutrient ratio people with diabetes and pre-diabetes need. Even if you aren’t on a keto diet, choosing a keto shake as someone with diabetes is often the right decision.
Keto shakes may be effective against metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is intimately tied to obesity, which raises your chance for many different disorders. Metabolic syndrome has a variety of symptoms. When you experience all of these symptoms at once, you likely have metabolic syndrome. However, you can experience all of these symptoms separately as well.
Symptoms include obesity, elevated blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol. Studies have shown that a low-carb diet can treat all five of these symptoms (16, 17). This effectively treats and gets rid of the metabolic syndrome, which lowers your chance for various severe illnesses.
Keto shakes are very low-carb. They can be a vital part of a diet to treat metabolic syndrome. However, they do not work by themselves, so you will need to consume other low-carb foods.
Keto shakes lower LDL cholesterol levels. If you have high levels of LDL cholesterol compared to HDL cholesterol, you are more likely to experience heart attacks (18).
With that said, studies have also found that this isn’t necessarily the case for all high LDL levels. For example, small particles of LDL cholesterol do increase your risk. However, larger particles are linked to lower risk (19, 20).
Your carb intake is tied to your LDL type and levels. Consuming a low-carb diet increases the percentage of large LDL particles while decreasing your overall LDL levels. Keto shakes are designed to be low-carb, which means that they may be an effective way to lower your LDL levels.
Side Effects
Keto shakes may cause the “keto flu.” For those in the keto community, the “keto flu” is a well-known phenomenon. When you first start eating a low-carb diet, your body doesn’t know what to do. It isn’t using fat for energy currently, which causes some problems. You may feel like you have the flu for a few days as your body switches over to get its energy from fat. This is probably one of the worst parts about the keto diet, but the “keto flu” does go away rather quickly.
The symptoms of the keto flu include weakness, muscle cramps, headaches, and constipation. There are a few ways to lessen the effects of the keto flu. For example, staying hydrated is essential, since you may shed a lot of your water weight in the first few days of the keto diet.
Keto shakes don’t always contain the right kind of fats. Keto shakes are almost always high in fats. However, not all fats are created equal. Preferably, you want to eat plenty of non-saturated fats. These are the “good” kinds of fats that help your body stay healthy. In particular, you want to eat more omega-3 fats than omega-6 fats.
You also want to stay away from saturated fats and trans fats. These are not good for your body in the least. For example, saturated fats are associated with an increased chance of heart disease and strokes. They may raise your harmful cholesterol levels, which can cause all sorts of problems (21).
Not all keto shakes include the kinds of fat you need. Some are relatively high in saturated fats, which is not what you want at all. Because of this, you need to do your research and choose a healthy shake.
Keto shakes can include harmful ingredients. Not all keto shakes are made with the health of the consumer in mind. Because of the new rising interest in keto, there are quite a few companies out there trying to make a quick buck by advertising things like shakes as “keto.”
However, some of these shakes have potentially harmful ingredients – especially if you’re trying to stay in ketosis. Some of the keto shakes we looked at were relatively high in carbohydrates. Even though they were labeled as keto-friendly, they weren’t when you took a look at the nutritional facts.
Furthermore, some keto shakes might get their fat from low-quality sources. Grass-fed fat and protein are a must-have when you’re on keto. Many shakes we reviewed did not get their fat and protein from high-quality sources.
For these reasons, it is essential to check the ingredient list and nutritional information of any shake you purchase. The last thing you want is to purchase a shake that will ruin your diet.
Recommended Usage
Most keto shakes are fine to eat daily. However, they aren’t something you should try and live off of. Even those designed to be meal replacements do not contain all the nutrients you need to survive. Plus, a diet that is consistent with just one food isn’t healthy. You need a diverse diet to get all the nutrients you need.
Furthermore, you should be aware of the number of calories a particular shake has in it. If it is a meal replacement, you should use it to replace your meal – not as a snack after your workout or something of that sort. If you just need more protein, then get a keto-friendly protein shake instead. We did include a few of these in our rankings as well. Just head there if you need some suggestions.
However, even if you drink a protein shake instead, you need to know how many calories it has in it. If you’re trying to lose weight, you will need to adjust your other meals to accommodate the calories of the protein shake.
FAQ
Are keto shakes good for weight loss?
Yes. As long as you use them correctly. You should take into account the calories in the keto shake you’re drinking. Preferably, you do not want to add more calories to your diet but replace those you’re already eating. If a keto shake is meant to replace a meal, ensure that you’re using it to replace a meal.
As long as you aren’t using the shakes to consume more calories than you might, otherwise, they are quite useful for weight loss. Keto shakes are low-carb by definition, which can contribute to consuming fewer calories.
What do keto shakes do?
Keto shakes don’t really do anything by themselves. They can be a healthy replacement for a meal, even if you necessarily aren’t in ketosis. For the average person trying to lose weight, these shakes can be helpful simply because they’re low calorie and an alternative to fast food and other processed choices.
However, most people use keto shakes because they’re in ketosis. Ketosis is a state in which your body is burning fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. There are many reports and studies that show a low-carb diet can result in higher weight loss, especially in the beginning. Low-carb is exactly what keto is.
With that said, keto shakes are low-carb, making them a good choice for those in ketosis. This is their primary purpose, though you don’t have to be on the keto diet to get the benefits of these shakes by any means.
Can keto shakes cause shaking?
The shakes themselves are not going to cause shaking. However, weakness and fatigue are both side effects of entering ketosis, which can cause shaking. You are not going to enter ketosis by drinking a keto shake alone. You’d have to be following the keto diet to achieve this. Because of this, keto shakes may cause shaking by helping you enter ketosis. However, you are not going to drink one and then start shaking.
Luckily, these symptoms are not permanent. They do go away with time. They are only a symptom of entering ketosis. Once you’ve been in ketosis for a bit, they will stop.
Can you lose 10 pounds in a week with keto shakes?
You cannot lose 10 pounds a week doing anything. Your body can simply not get rid of fat that fast. It isn’t possible. One symptom of ketosis is shedding water. Because of this, you may lose a lot of weight in the first week or so. However, it will almost all be water – not fat. You may notice a decrease in your bloating and such, but you will quickly gain this water weight back once you leave ketosis.
Keto shakes are not going to help you lose any amount of weight by themselves. You’d need to follow a keto diet and work out to achieve that. They are only a tool you can use to stay in ketosis and an alternative to unhealthy meals. They are not a magical weight loss pill.
Are the SlimFast Keto shakes really keto?
After looking at the SlimFast keto shakes, we can assure you that they are technically keto. They are high in fat while remaining low in carbohydrates. However, high-fat is not the only thing you need to look for when going into ketosis. These shakes did not show up on our list for a few different reasons.
Firstly, they don’t contain that much fat or protein. Each serving only contains 15 grams of fat and 8 grams of protein. There are many shakes on the market that include much more than that. You need way more protein than this when on the keto diet.
Secondly, it really isn’t a meal replacement. It doesn’t include all the micronutrients you need. The fat and protein are the way to low as well. You should eat way more than 8 grams of protein with each meal when you’re going keto.
Thirdly, it includes quite a few fake sugars. While it is hard to find a keto shake without fake sugars, it is possible. We included many in our rankings section. We recommend you choose one of them instead. All the fake sugar can make you gain weight, which is probably the last thing you want.
Fourthly, because of the lack of protein and fat, this shake is not going to make you feel full for very long. It’s a waste to eat all of these calories and then get hungry a few hours later. It is not going to help you last until the next meal.
Can you drink protein shakes on the keto diet?
Yes, as long as you choose the correct protein shake. We included quite a few keto-friendly protein shakes in our rankings section. If you just need a fast pick, head up there and choose one off of our list.
If you’re interested in choosing a good protein shake for keto, then you need to get comfortable with reading nutritional information. Any protein shake you choose should contain high-quality protein. Preferably, you want protein from some grass-fed animal source. Grass-fed collagen is a common form, for example. It should also be low in carbohydrates while being somewhat high in fat.
If you’re worried about protein, in particular, you’re fine choosing a shake that is not exceptionally high in fat. Just ensure it is low in carbohydrates.
Can you drink keto shakes without working out?
Yes, you can drink keto shakes without working out. Many are designed to be a meal replacement, which means you’re supposed to drink a shake instead of eating your usual meal. You can drink these shakes just fine without working out.
Just be sure you’re adjusting your overall caloric intake. You don’t want to add these shakes to the food you’re eating. You want to drink them instead of the food you typically eat.
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Recap
Keto shakes are an easy snack or meal to grab when you’re on the go but want to stay in ketosis. They are often high in fat and protein, though this isn’t always the case. Many shakes advertising being keto-friendly without actually having the hallmarks of a good keto shake. So, it is essential to do your research.
For FitBug’s #1 keto shake, click here.