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Butter Tea (Bulletproof, Keto, Paleo, AIP, Whole30)

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I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. I am not a doctor; please consult your practitioner before changing your supplement or healthcare regimen.

What is Butter Tea? I’m SO excited to share with you this ancient traditional beverage and its just as exciting, but in some cases additional and MUCH better, health benefits! Butter Tea, and its non-butter variations, is Paleo, Primal, Keto, AIP, GAPS and Whole30.

You’ve likely heard of Butter Coffee and its close relative Bulletproof Coffee? 

For the last five years, butter coffee has been the rage among grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil and MCT oil advocates, as well as those on ketogenic diets, seeking healing or weight loss. Blending these fats into one’s coffee makes it creamy and provides the health benefits of those fats (think: MCTs and CLAs). Butter coffee is filling; it can improve the metabolism and provide energy to both the brain and body. The flavor is satisfying and the fat doesn’t separate out, as one might think. Often those who get shaky from coffee don’t when drinking the amended version.

Now, we dive into the tea version of that concept! The tea version is newer to the West, but it’s an older tradition overall ….

Jump to Recipe

a bowl mug of creamy butter tea surrounded by honey, flowers, tea, salt and gelatin

I love recipe innovation and it comes about naturally in our kitchen, with the way we eat and cook, and sometimes with food restrictions!  About four years ago, apparently in ignorance, I created Butter Tea, just by accident; intuitively it evolved. I’m not sure I realized that it was already a thing 😉 … and very much so in other countries!

This post looks at butter tea’s origins in Tibet and also explores teas from other parts of the globe and their influence on our health and traditions.

Why is Butter Tea Healthy?

Butter Tea contains all the healthfulness of butter, ghee and/or coconut oil and MCT oil. Therefore, Butter Tea contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are great for yielding energy and burning fat. Butter and coconut oil provide much needed cholesterol, which helps our bodies to make key hormones, and both are anti-inflammatory.

Kerrygold Butter and Wild Yak Ghee (here) contain high levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), because they’re grass-fed. This compound helps to protect against cancer. Cows, or yaks for that matter, fed solely on grass have 500% more CLA! (source 1, 2 and 3)

My version of Butter Tea contains gelatin, which creates a fine foam, lends some excellent amino acids and is great for so many health goals: gut healing, hunger satiation, muscle health, skin, hair, nail and bone health, increased athletic performance, stress recovery; and gelatin helps the body to detoxify.

A bit of sea salt adds trace minerals for better cellular function and overall energy.

Lastly, the tea itself matters. My doctor shared with me recently just how high tea is in polyphenols! She encouraged me to enjoy my favorite Jasmine Green and others. Tea provides a wonderful source of antioxidant protection:

Green tea is made from unfermented leaves and reportedly contains the highest concentration of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols. Antioxidants are substances that fight free radicals — damaging compounds in the body that change cells, damage DNA, and even cause cell death. Many scientists believe that free radicals contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of health problems, including cancer and heart disease. Antioxidants such as polyphenols in green tea can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause … In fact, the antioxidant effects of polyphenols seem to be greater than vitamin C. (source)

Regarding GI health, the University of Maryland Medical Center states,

Green tea may help reduce inflammation associated with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the two types of IBD. If green tea proves to help prevent colon cancer, it would also help those with IBD because they are at higher risk for colon cancer.

Surprisingly, tea is also a prebiotic that feeds our microbiome, encouraging gut flora diversity. I started drinking this Pique tea brand because of its purity and the company’s standard of quality. Pique’s quality ensures the absence of fluoride and mold, and they even measure their tea’s polyphenol content.

High polyphenol content means more food for our good gut bacteria! ( … and no complications from fluoride or invisible molds that other tea producers ignore or don’t prevent). Polyphenols also have anti-viral properties that fight off harmful pathogens. Check out Pique’s beautiful flavors and selection HERE.

a bowl mug of creamy butter tea surrounded by honey, flowers, tea, salt and gelatin

Many functional practitioners are now discussing the primary role of blood sugar levels in disease causation. (source) The University of Maryland Medical Center says,

Green tea has been used traditionally to control blood sugar levels. Animal studies suggest that green tea may help prevent the development of type 1 diabetes and slow the progression once it has developed. In people with type 1 diabetes, their bodies make little or no insulin, which helps convert glucose or sugar into energy. Green tea may help regulate glucose in the body.

Keto or do intermittent fasting? Learn how to use butter tea alongside a Keto diet and/or intermittent fasting here. Regarding weight loss,

Clinical studies suggest that green tea extract may boost metabolism and help burn fat. One study found that the combination of green tea and caffeine improved weight loss and maintenance in people who were overweight and moderately obese. Some researchers think that substances in green tea known as catechins are responsible for the herb’s fat-burning effect.

Yak Tea

Yak tea dates back to 7th century Tibet. Due to the severe climate and high altitude of Tibet, vegetables were scarce. Tibetans drank variations of yak tea and learned over time about the nutritional benefits of tea and yak butter! The phytonutrients and antioxidant effects of tea were recognizable, and butter tea became indispensable culturally and nutritionally. (source)

Additionally, yak butter tea contains mineral salt, providing trace minerals, fatty acids, vitamins A and D and all the other nutrients for which we love butter now! Tibetans also value the caffeine and warmth that yak butter tea provides. (source)

a bowl of tibetan yak butter tea on a red and yellow towel with a spoon of mineral salt nearby

 

One woman wrote about her time in Tibet:

I stayed with … her family in Tibet for four days in June, and every morning, without pause, she’d serve me a creamy bowl of yak butter tea for breakfast. In the early hours, she’d make a batch of crude black pu’erh tea — a fermented dark tea from China — brewed along with a great deal of salt. Then, a fat serving of yak butter would go into a bowl along with toasted barley powder and milk curds, and she’d pour the tea in until the liquid nearly reached the rim. I’d mix it all together with my chopsticks and sip. It was creamy and substantial — overflowing with healthy fats. The highland barley gave it a nutty finish, and in those four days, yak butter tea was something I looked forward to immensely in the mornings. (source)

The Matcha Option

While departing from Tibet’s butter tea, similarly matcha tastes lovely with butter blended in and is certainly a nutritious choice. Matcha, interestingly, is native to China and made its way to Japan in about 1100. Today it has lost its appeal in China but is an important part of the Japanese culture.

Here‘s my new recipe for The Very Best Matcha Butter Tea Latte. This chlorophyll-rich beverage is creamy, full of calming l-theanine and provides very gentle, steady caffeine that doesn’t cause the shakes. What a beautiful cup and morning ritual. Learn more about the best matcha here.

What kind of tea

When making butter tea, the traditional choice is a fermented black tea. For this reason, if you already enjoy black teas, I recommend Pique’s Sacred Lily Oolong, Organic English Breakfast or their lovely Organic Earl Grey. If you need to avoid caffeine, this Butter Tea recipe turns out SO well with their Rooibos Immunity Elixir. I love all tea, but Jasmine moves me the most; I love butter tea made with Pique’s Jasmine Green Tea.

You can really follow you heart on this one! Enjoy! (Take a look here at Pique’s tea selection. These little boxes are magically pretty, so much fun to open, and you’ll love the little tea crystals and pouches in which they come. All Pique’s tea’s are triple toxin screened.)

a bowl of tibetan yak butter tea on a red and yellow towel with a spoon of mineral salt nearby
Print Recipe
5 from 19 votes

Butter Tea (with Yak Ghee Butter Tea and Non-Dairy Variations) — Paleo, Primal, Keto, AIP, GAPS, Whole30

Butter Tea, and its non-butter variations, is Paleo, Primal, Keto, AIP, GAPS and Whole30. Enjoy this wonderful, delicious source of antioxidants and polyphenols.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Beverage, Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Tibetan
Keyword: butter, keto, paleo, tea, yak
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 158kcal
Author: Megan
Cost: $1.50

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1-½ cups filtered water
  • 2 servings* dry tea I recommend Pique, or use your favorite.
  • 1 Tablespoon gelatin Use code BEAUTIFUL10 at check out for 10% off your entire order. For some on Keto who wish to avoid protein in the a.m., omit.
  • 1 Tablespoon yak ghee or Kerrygold butter; use coconut oil or MCT oil if you're AIP, Whole30 or dairy-free.
  • sweetener of choice: stevia, to taste, if desired OR honey for Paleo (Omit sweetener for Whole30; do not use stevia for AIP. Use stevia for Keto sweetener, but may be best to exclude stevia when using BPT as you would BPC in the morning.)
  • 1 pinch sea salt

Instructions

  • Pour the water into a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over its surface. Wait one minute, or less, for it to dissolve.
  • Heat the water, stirring, until the mixture is steaming but not yet simmering, and the gelatin is fully dissolved. The water may look foamy.
  • Place your Pique tea, tea bag or loose tea into the hot water. (Because Pique's tea is instant crystals, you can actually skip this step with their product, if preferred, and simply place hot water and tea into blender with the next ingredients [Step 5].)
  • Set aside the gelatin water for 5 minutes, to steep and cool slightly.
  • Place the tea (strain first, if loose tea is used), butter (or coconut oil etc.) and sea salt into the blender. Blend for 30 seconds. (Always use caution when blending hot liquids. Start at lowest speed, and increase gradually to medium-high speed. Alternatively, use a stick/immersion blender.)
  • Serve this foamy, creamy treat. Makes two small servings or one big mug of Butter Tea. Sweeten your tea, if desired, to taste.

Notes

*2 servings of tea: If you're using Pique brand tea, this means to use two packets, especially if using the black teas. You can use just one packet with Jasmine Green, if preferred. With any other tea brand, yes: Use two tea bags or two times the amount of loose leaf tea. This ratio ensures the correct flavor. This recipe makes two small butter teas, or one large.
*BPT and BPC stand for: Bulletproof Tea and Bulletproof Coffee

Nutrition

Serving: 12ounces | Calories: 158kcal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Sodium: 19mg

A Snack

As mentioned, this recipe contains gelatin, for its added health benefits.  The tea, therefore, can also be chilled for a cool Butter Tea gelatin treat!  The butter does not separate as the tea cools, but remains a creamy benefactor to the tea’s body. If I forget to drink my whole cup, I’ll pop the leftovers in the fridge, and my kids will surely eat it!

Let me know how you enjoy this recipe and what other flavors of tea you use. We’ve had so much fun enjoying several of the Pique Tea flavors over the last month or so. My personal favorite tea is Jasmine Green. Learn about the benefits of green tea here.

Related articles you may like:

forsythia blossoms and honey in front of cup of butter tea

 

Footnotes from Intro:
*Bulletproof Coffee is unique from Butter Coffee in that it intentionally uses coffee beans that are processed with only clean cold water, to avoid the growth of mycotoxins, essentially molds.
**The ketogenic diet was designed in 1924 by Dr. Russell Wilder of the Mayo Clinic and is now a proven, effective treatment for epilepsy.  Since that time the diet has also been used to heal or treat many neurological disorders and is also used to obtain dramatic weight loss.

a bowl mug of creamy butter tea surrounded by honey, flowers, tea, salt and gelatin

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Megan Stevens says

      If you just stir the butter in, it will rise to the top again, in circles of buttery fat. Blending in the butter homogenizes, in a sense, the butter with the tea, keeping the butter creamy. But you’re right: You do not need to! Many Tibetan versions simply enjoy the pool of melted butter on top, and certainly we see this commonly done in the US these days with coconut oil. Enjoy!

      Reply

    • Megan Stevens says

      I’m so glad you asked this question! I looked into the same issue. I have not heard from my research that Great Lakes is definitely GM, but simply that they can’t guarantee that their product isn’t. (This reminds me of Beeler’s pork. They are people of integrity but are surrounded by GM farms and find it hard to find non-GM feed year round.) Here’s my new favorite brand/company for gelatin (Perfect Supplements): https://bit.ly/2CvCJzZ (Use code BEAUTIFUL10 for 10% off your entire order at check out.)

      Reply

      • bre says

        I didnt know this about Great Lakes, I’d love to see your next blog post on the subject!! Love to see this issue looked in to. The last thing I want to do is support any type of GMO production, even if it is not what is in the actual food product I’m eating, if I’m buying from a GMO company, I am supporting GMO’s. I actually own the non-geling type of gelatin from Vital Proteins, it looked like a good company, but I have not opened the can yet because I’m finishing off the last of my green can of Great Lakes.

        Reply

  6. Charity says

    5 stars
    This is delicious! My children (ages 3 and 5) loved it as well…bonus for getting gelatin in their diet!! I used Red Rooibos Tea and sweetened with a tiny bit of honey from Tropical Traditions. The immersion blender tip is fantastic…my kiddos thought the foam was so much fun. =) Thank you!

    Reply

  7. Amy says

    5 stars
    I have a Breville milk heating/frothing pitcher thing. Except for the stirring disks, the parts that touch liquid are stainless steel. (The stirring disks don’t thrill me, but it is little enough and for short enough time that I’m willing to compromise.) Anyway, I just made this using only the pitcher. I turned the heat all the way up and let it go through its cycle with the water and geletin. Then let the tea steep. Then added the butter and let it run another cycle without heat. It did a beautiful job, everything mixed in well, and all in one.

    Reply

  8. Ellis Dunbar says

    Good Morning
    My name is Ellis and I work with Ninja Goat Nutritionals. Once I read your article, I found great interest in some of your ingredients and knowledge about butter tea. I would love to tell you about my business and how I make butter coffee/tea.
    Ninja Goat Nutritionals makes a product called fatCoffee, which is a quick and easy way to make butter coffee/tea anywhere, anytime- and it’s made with 100% grass fed-butter and organic coconut oil.
    Would you be willing to try fatCoffee and let me know what you think about it? I’d be happy to provide a sample, if you can send me your mailing address.
    Thanks for your time and hope to hear from you soon.

    Reply

  11. Diane says

    Meghan, your recipe states “dry tea, 2 servings”…does that mean 2 whole packets if you are using Pique tea?

    Reply

    • Megan says

      Yes, thanks for asking! I’ll add a note in the Recipe Notes, but that is what it means. It does vary depending on the flavor and your preference: For example, you could get away with just one tea packet for the Jasmine Green Butter Tea, but the English Breakfast and Earl Grey really need 2 packets. 🙂

      Reply

  16. Hope says

    My husband and his family have spent a fair amount of time in Tibet and have often brought up the subject of Yak tea so I really enjoyed reading about your history of it here. I have never tried it with added gelatin and added into a blender – I loved how frothy it was! Great recipe – thanks!

    Reply

  22. Maqhi says

    This post was so interesting and informative. Tea is a daily ritual with me. I haven’t seen yak butter, but Kerrygold is available locally.

    Reply

  26. Tina says

    I so want to try this right now! I remember being a bit hesitant to try it when I was traveling near Tibet as a teenager. Now, I wish I really took advantage of having it there.

    Reply

  27. Mimi says

    I’ve never tried butter tea before – you caught me off guard! 🙂 Definitely a unique recipe that I would LOVE to try myself – thank you for sharing it!

    Reply

  29. Christina says

    Hello! Thrilled to find this recipe! BUT by the time I pour the tea into my cup and begin to enjoy, it’s cooled down too much to kind of a warm-hot. How can I make it warmer without loosing the foam? I love that foam but if I heat too long in the microwave, it disappears. ): Also can I make this ahead of time and have it later without the foamy consistancy disappearing? Thanks so much!!! I could get addicted to this BUT the butter would make me fat if I drank more than one cup a day!!! LOL I’m also going to try this with walnut oil! 🙂

    Reply

    • Megan says

      Hi Christina, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe! You could reheat 3/4 of the tea in a saucepan/microwave and keep the foam to the side. Then top the hot tea with the foam. Or, if you don’t mind blending HOT tea, you can blend it really hot, and it will stay hot. I don’t think you can make it ahead of time and maintain the full foam, but if you add 1 Tablespoon of gelatin to the blender before blending, that certainly helps to keep the fine foam. Blessings!

      Reply

  30. Say Vera says

    5 stars
    I really like your articles regarding Tibetan butter tea. As a Tibetan tour guide, I just want to recommend all the travelers who plan to visit Tibet, don’t take the butter tea on the first three days in Tibet.

    Reply

  33. Mary Faye Fields says

    Is gelatin better than collagen? What are the similarities/differences? If you have any insight I’d appreciate it. I wonder if they could be used together or if they would be redundant?

    Reply

    • Megan says

      Hi Mary, personally, I prefer gelatin. Collagen acts a little more like sugar in our system, unless you’ll definitely be enjoying it alongside whole food protein with essential amino acids, like meat or eggs. Yes, you can use them both but it’s not necessary. Gelatin gels when it chills and is closer to a whole food supplement. Collagen is a more broken down form and doesn’t gel. I like that gelatin creates a fine foam when blended. But collagen will be more indistinguishable, if you prefer that, texture-wise. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  36. Gina says

    I drink only herbal teas these days, would I still get the benefits of using herbal with the AiP variations? Thanks

    Reply

  38. Touch Tibet says

    As local here in Tibetan Plateau I am really enjoying Tibetan butter tea but now I am having not much as before, reason for the minimize the amount of drinking butter is not getting high blood pressure or other certain sickness.. Many decade back people drinks butter tea and also they used physical activities such as rearing animals and ploughing in the field as most of local here are either nomad or farmer, but now many people in city their job does not related with hard physical activities so many of people not drinking as much as before…. might be you all know the term many based on drinking of tea in Tibet… Even in some travel book mentioned that Tibetan people drink 20-30 glass of tea in tea house…. However many take butter tea in the morning with barley powder as breakfast

    Reply

  39. Tenzin says

    5 stars
    very good post about our tibetan yak butter tea. I am sure your reader can try to make a great tea using your recipe.

    Reply

  41. Lucia says

    5 stars
    Extremely helpful for making a butter tea, I tasted the Yak butter tea in Tibet for the first time in 2007. I loved it

    Reply
5 from 19 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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