Dave Asprey's Bulletproof Coffee Recipe and Why It Works

What is Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof Coffee recipe? How can Bulletproof Coffee support you during a fast?

Created by Dave Asprey, Bulletproof Coffee is a mix of coffee, grass-fed butter, and C8 MCT oil designed to alleviate hunger while fasting. Looking at each ingredient to see what effect it has is valuable if you’re considering trying it.

Here is how Bulletproof Coffee works.

How Bulletproof Coffee Can Support Your Fasting

According to Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof, one of the biggest obstacles people face when they start to fast is the psychological struggle of going without food. However, he argues that fasting doesn’t have to be a struggle. It can actually be enjoyable and easy—the secret is learning how to avoid hunger pangs. To do this, Asprey presents a simple and effective way to keep hunger pangs at bay while you fast: In the morning, drink a special blend of coffee, grass-fed butter, and a teaspoon or two of C8 MCT oil. This is known as Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof Coffee, and he maintains that the combination of these ingredients allows you to enjoy all the benefits of fasting without feeling hungry.

Here’s how each of the ingredients works:

Black coffee: Provides caffeine, which doubles your ketone production. Higher ketone levels reduce your hunger by suppressing a hormone called ghrelin which stimulates your appetite.
Grass-fed butter: Provides high-quality fats that keep you satiated while still allowing your body to burn fat and undergo autophagy.
C8 MCT oil: Unflavored coconut oil that suppresses your hunger and boosts your energy by converting directly into ketones.

(Shortform note: Asprey’s advice to drink coffee as part of the Bulletproof Intermittent Fast might interfere with your ability to get the quality sleep he also recommends. According to Walker in Why We Sleep, caffeine has a half-life of five to seven hours, meaning it will remain in your system for 10 to 14 hours depending on your genetics. Therefore, although caffeine may aid your fasts, it can make it harder for you to sleep at night, even if you drink it in the morning.)

If You Drink Bulletproof Coffee, Are You Still Fasting?

While Asprey says you can drink Bulletproof Coffee and still receive the full benefits of fasting, other experts have contrasting perspectives. In Fast. Feast. Repeat., Gin Stephens says you can consume black coffee because it doesn’t activate your insulin response, but she disapproves of adding fats like butter or MCT oil. If you ingest fats during your fast, you prevent your body from burning your own stored fat, she explains. This can reduce your weight loss potential.

Experts present another caveat you should consider before drinking Bulletproof Coffee: Butter and MCT oil are high in saturated fats, which can increase LDL cholesterol and raise your risk of heart disease. Because of this, they caution against drinking Bulletproof Coffee daily or at all if you have certain health disorders like diabetes, heart issues, or gastrointestinal diseases.

Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof Coffee Recipe and Why It Works