How To Make Low Carb Keto Meal Replacement Shakes? 4 Recipes

How to Make Low carb Keto Meal Replacement Shakes? 4 Recipes

Last Updated on March, 2024

A keto diet is a low-carb diet where you eat lots of fats, but it’s more challenging to maintain than it sounds. Many everyday foods have a high amount of net carbs, so it can be challenging to maintain a keto diet properly.

Luckily, meal replacement shakes are there to save the day. While most meal replacement shakes aren’t high in fats because they are used for weight loss, you can easily make some at home with excellent nutritional value. 

With the right ingredients, it’s easy for anyone to make the perfect keto shake at home. That’s why we’ll be covering these ingredients. We’ll also be covering how to prepare a keto shake using these ingredients.

So, let’s start with a few quick and tasty recipes that can teach you how to make a keto meal replacement shake at home.

4 of the Best Keto Meal Replacement Shakes Recipes

keto shake on the table

Each keto shake recipe below uses differing ingredients. However, there are some things common among most, such as protein powder for additional nutrition. But, even these will vary in flavor depending on the specific keto shake recipe you’re following. 

That’s why we can’t give a quick summary of the ingredients, as that’s just going to confuse you. Instead, you can go through these keto recipes to find out what you’ll need for each one. With that said, let’s get started. Here are the best keto shake recipes you can easily follow:

1. Chocolate & Nut Butter Keto Shake

Satisfying your sweet tooth isn’t easy when following a keto diet. But, this is one of the best homemade ketos shakes here to help you with this.

This keto meal replacement shake is a delicious blend of chocolate and peanut butter/almond butter. (You can use either one depending on your preference)

It’s got the perfect amount of calories for a meal replacement shake, and the nut butter you’ll add will make it very filling. Apart from nut butter, you can add protein powder supplements to make it even more filling while developing a pleasant taste. 

Chocolate and Nuts Shake

Here are the exact ingredients you’ll need and the approximate nutritional values you can get by following this basic keto shake recipe:

Ingredients

  • Half a scoop of chocolate flavored keto protein powder
  • A tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 5 drops of liquid stevia
  • 1 square dark chocolate 
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter/almond butter

Nutritional Value: Calories: 420, Fats: 33g, Total Carbs: 11g, Protein: 24g.


2. Blueberry Keto Shake

Don’t just focus on how many carbs and fats you’re getting while on this diet. Other nutrients are essential, especially micronutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

The following recipe is a keto smoothie of sorts, and it has all the macronutrients and even micronutrients you could need.

Filled with the goodness of fresh blueberries, this option offers lots of variety. For example, you can use full-fat coconut milk, coconut cream, or even unsweetened almond milk if neither of the other two is to your liking. You can also choose between MCT oil and coconut oil. 

Blueberry Keto Shake

Here’s more detail on all these options, including how much you’ll need to use each one.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup full fat coconut milk or almond milk (You can also use coconut milk powder)
  • 1/4 cup blueberries
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp MCT oil (or coconut oil)
  • 30 g protein powder

Nutritional Value: Calories: 215, Fat: 25g, Total Carbs: 7g, Protein: 23g.


3. Tiramisu

If you aren’t familiar with this delight, tiramisu is an Italian dessert based around coffee. Of course, the real deal is usually a type of cake or similar desserts.

But, what we’re focusing on is a keto protein shake recipe based on it, with a similar flavor that most people will love.

If you’re a fan of coffee, this is easily the best option on the list. All the ingredients are easy to get, and the shake is pretty filling.

It’s also got a sweet taste while not being filled with sugars. On top of all that, it’s got a perfect amount of calories for meal replacement shakes.

Tiramisu shake

So, if all of this has piqued your interest, here’s what you’ll need for this keto meal replacement shake recipe:

Ingredients

  • 1 Shot espresso (or strong-filtered coffee)
  • A bar of dark chocolate (or sugar-free chocolate of your choosing)
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese
  • 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 5 drops of liquid stevia

Nutritional Value: Calories: 350, Total Fats: 36g, Total Carbs: 9g, Protein: 8.5g (you can increase this by adding a coffee-flavor keto-friendly protein powder of your choice. That way it becomes the perfect, nutritious keto breakfast to start off the day with).


 4. Chocolate Keto Meal Replacement Shake

The final entry on our list of keto recipes is another chocolate-centered option.

This low-carb drink is a sweet and simple treat.

It’s one of the most filling options and the perfect keto meal replacement shake for those who aren’t worried about weight loss/muscle gain.

It’s does not have too much protein, but it’s high in fats, has low carbs, and has good calories.

It’ll keep you full for hours while helping you maintain a keto diet. 

Chocolate Keto Meal Replacement Shake

Plus, it’s just really delicious and a real treat at the start of the day. But, of course, since it’s a meal replacement shake, you can have it any other time of the day too.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this shake recipe. It uses noticeably more ingredients than the other options listed. But, it’s still straightforward and easy to make, so there’s no need to worry. You’ll need:

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or coconut milk)
  • 1/2 medium avocado
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 5 drops of liquid stevia
  • 2 tablespoon golden flaxseed meal

Nutritional Value: Calories: 453, Total Fats: 42g, Total Carbs, 6.9, Protein 8.8

Read this guide to see more homemade meal replacement shake recipes.


Additional Information

Before moving on to the next bit of the article, there are a few things worth mentioning. First and most evident, all of the nutritional values are only approximates and might vary on the quality of the ingredients you end up using. 

On top of that, these values are per serving of the average shake bottle.

We also wanted to mention one of the key ingredients in most of these recipes. That is liquid stevia. Artificial sweeteners are never a good thing, and you shouldn’t ever consume them regularly. Luckily, stevia isn’t artificial.

It’s a natural sweetener which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has labeled as safe for consumption. However, it’s about 300 times sweeter than regular sugar, so make sure you don’t go over the recommended amount. That’ll be overkill and ruin the taste of the shake.

As for the preparation of homemade keto shakes, there’s nothing special. First, you have to shove the ingredients in a good blender. Then just let the appliance do its job, and you’ll be all set.

If you want a artificial sweeteners free meal replacement shakes, check out this guide.

Can You Drink Meal Replacements on Keto?

a man having keto meal shake

Many people ask whether or not it’s possible to drink meal replacements while on keto. The answer is a big fat YES. Not only is it possible, but we also recommend it. Unfortunately, getting the right kind of nutrition for ketosis is challenging due to our busy schedules. 

But, with these meal shakes, you can get it quickly. They’re super easy to prepare, and you can drink them in minutes. No one’s too busy for that, right? (On a side note: If your answer to that is yes, you might want to consider changing jobs before you overwork yourself to death).

There are keto meal replacement shakes made specifically for this diet. They’re the perfect snack for anyone in ketosis and can even act as an entire meal for those that need it. 

Plus, you can even make them at home. If you’ve read the article so far, we don’t need to answer how that’s possible.

Why Use Keto Meal Replacement Shakes During Ketosis?

So, now that you know you can drink them on keto, the next question is, “why?”. The answer to that lies in the nutritional values of these drinks. A keto shake offers everything you need from a meal replacement and a meal during ketosis.

It’s filling, has high fats, low carbs, and can taste amazing. There’s a lot of variety in flavors too, and you can easily fit them into your daily diet regardless of how busy you are.

Speaking of being busy, that’s another main reason. Regular meals just don’t cut during ketosis. All the food you’d usually get, whether from diners, fast food chains, or even some homemade options, will usually have lots of carbs. This can ruin your entire progress with the diet.

Instead, you can prepare homemade keto shakes, which give you everything you need. So, there are plenty of good reasons. You have the convenience, the variety, the taste, and most importantly, the nutrition. 

Benefits of Keto Meal Replacement Shakes

a human preparing keto meal shake

Since we’ve covered some main reasons why homemade keto shakes (or even good store-bought options) are ideal, let’s discuss all the general benefits. 

Whether you’re following the keto shake recipes we’ve discussed or drinking other types of keto-friendly shakes, here are some benefits you can surely expect:

  • Keto shakes take care of all the math for you. When you’re on ketosis, it can get difficult to keep track of nutritional value of everything that you eat. Luckily, these shakes will always have their nutritional values listed, letting you easily know whether or not they’re safe for your diet.
  • With so many ingredients out of the picture, it can be complicated to eat a proper meal during times like breakfast or dinner. You’re either too tired or in a hurry to make something keto-friendly. You can easily enjoy the perfect keto breakfast or dinner without worrying, thanks to keto shakes.
  • It’s so much more convenient than cooking/ordering an entire meal. Instead of putting in all the effort or having to wait so long for your food, you can prepare keto shakes very quickly. They usually take less time to drink up, which is a bonus benefit to go along with this.
  • They’re suitable for most people in general. Keto shakes have exceptional nutrition for anyone on a high-fat and/or low-carb diet. They’ve also got lots of protein in them and feature many micronutrients you’d otherwise miss out on.
  • Another big bonus is that they’re refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. Good keto shakes have just the right amount of calories to keep you full and energized throughout your busy day while staying healthy.
  • Speaking of calories, a homemade keto shake or most store-bought options will make it much easier for you to lose weight. They’re exceptional for this purpose because of the calorie content and nutrients.
  • Lastly, a benefit you’ll love to hear is that there’s so much variety. You have little to work with when following a keto diet, and it can be hard to eat something delicious while remaining on a diet. But with this, you can pick any meal replacement option of your choice. That includes all kinds of flavors, including your personal favorites.

Are There Any Side Effects to Drinking Keto Shakes?

a man having meal replacement shake

A keto shake itself doesn’t have any specific side effects. However, meal replacements and ketosis have many side effects, which can be applied to keto shakes.

For example, ketosis might cause cramps for some people. While it’s beneficial for those suffering from obesity or diabetes, it can cause digestive issues or sickness in some people. You might encounter these on a diet, but they won’t be a direct result of the keto shake. 

Like protein powder, meal shakes have side effects if you drink them too often. This includes a lack of variety in nutrition and not getting enough calories. Like drinking too much protein powder, too many keto shakes might also make you consume too many of one specific nutrient.

These can lead to fatigue, nausea, weakness, and even certain illnesses. Other side effects of these drinks depend entirely on the ingredients inside them. For example, something with too much added sugar or artificial sweeteners will lead to problems too.

So, to answer the question, there are certain side effects you might encounter while drinking keto meal replacements. But, these are usually only a result of lousy ketosis management and too many shakes in a single day. 

As long as you follow the ketogenic diet correctly and have only 2 meal replacements a day, you’ll be fine.

Lastly, another vital thing to remember is that the ingredients must all be healthy and safe for you. That way, you’ll avoid allergies or other significant issues during consumption.

Conclusion

With the recipes we’ve shared kept in mind, you now know how to make keto meal replacement shakes. We’ve mentioned some of the most popular and best options, nutritionally and taste-wise. But there are plenty of others for you to try out too.

There are a lot of options, as you surely know by now. As long as you pick the right one and keep in mind the details of this article, you’ll do just fine. Those of you on a keto diet are recommended to go through this article as it’ll help you learn a lot more about specific products and the diet itself.

Let us know what you think of the recipes (or other details) in the comments. Also, if you’ve got any of your keto creations to share, make sure to do that. We’ll be sure to look at them and any questions you might have.

FAQs

Yes, you can drink protein shakes while following a ketogenic diet. There are many keto-friendly protein shakes available from various manufacturers, as well as options for making your own at home.

Bananas are not suitable for a ketogenic diet due to their high carbohydrate content.

You can check the nutritional information to ensure the ingredients you’re using for a keto diet have low carbs and high fats.

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Jennifer Pantall
Jennifer Pantall is a Nutrition Therapy Practitioner. She loves tennis and has one daughter with a lovely husband whom she adores. Jennifer also loves to spend time outdoors playing with her dog or walking in nature. You can find more about me here.

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