Lean Christmas Coffee: A Skinny Peppermint White Mocha

By Jon Klipstein, U.S. Army Combat Veteran & Founder of Die Tryin Co., and Jenna Fiscus, Die Tryin Co. Athlete & Coach

We wish you and yours a Happy Holiday. Enjoy this amazing tasting coffee, that is easy to make.

Note: this video is from our UXO Supplements era — we've since rebranded to Die Tryin Co. Same team, same standards, same athletes.

THE HOLIDAY DRINK THAT WON'T COST YOU THE DEFICIT

The seasonal peppermint white mocha is a trap. One grande from the coffeehouse runs 450 calories or more — basically a dessert in a cup. Jenna's version tastes like the holidays and costs you almost nothing. Zero-calorie sweet drops, sugar-free syrup, and a pile of whipped cream do the work the sugar usually does.

Here's her lean Christmas coffee, start to finish — and the swaps that take it from 450 calories down to under 100.

Drink	Approx. calories
Coffeehouse grande peppermint white mocha (with whip)	~440–560
Jenna's lean Christmas coffee	~60–90

INGREDIENTS

• 1 McCafé Premium Roast K-Cup, brewed (about 8–10 oz black coffee)
• 2–3 drops SweetLeaf Sweet Drops, Peppermint (0 calories)
• 2–3 drops SweetLeaf Sweet Drops, Chocolate (0 calories)
• 1 bottle-cap (~1 tbsp) sugar-free white chocolate mocha syrup
• Reddi Wip, to top — be generous
• Sugar-free chocolate syrup (Hershey's or similar), to drizzle
• Candy crunch bits or a crushed candy cane, to finish

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Brew the coffee. Run the McCafé K-Cup into your mug — or into a shaker bottle if you want to mix it Jenna's way.
2. Flavor it. Add the peppermint and chocolate sweet drops and one cap of sugar-free white chocolate mocha syrup. Stir, or cap the bottle and shake to combine.
3. Top it. Pile on the Reddi Wip — a tall swirl is the whole point.
4. Drizzle. Run sugar-free chocolate syrup over the whipped cream.
5. Finish. Sprinkle candy crunch bits on top, or crush a candy cane over it if you're feeling fancy. Serve right away.

Macros are approximate and depend on how much whipped cream and candy you pile on — figure roughly 60–90 calories a cup. The candy topping is the one part that adds up, so go light if you're tracking tight.

THE SWAPS THAT CUT THE CALORIES

Every calorie in a normal holiday latte comes from sugar — the flavored syrup and the sweetened sauce. Swap those two and the drink basically empties out:

• Sweet drops instead of pumps of syrup. SweetLeaf's peppermint and chocolate drops are stevia-based and zero-calorie, so they carry the flavor without the sugar.
• Sugar-free white mocha syrup instead of the real thing. One cap delivers the white-chocolate note for a few calories instead of a hundred-plus.
• Reddi Wip instead of a sweetened sauce topping. A big swirl of whipped cream is around 15 calories per couple tablespoons — a lot of payoff for almost nothing.

This is the honest way to enjoy the season. The research on staying lean is blunt: the diet that works is the one you can actually stick to, and the ISSN position stand on diets and body composition puts long-term compliance at the center of every successful plan. A 70-calorie drink you genuinely enjoy beats white-knuckling past the coffee shop and binging later. Want the full holiday game plan? Here's how to stay on track through the holidays without going miserable.

MAKE IT A PROTEIN COFFEE

Want it to do more than taste good? Blend in a scoop of vanilla whey isolate before you top it — you get a low-calorie iced or hot protein coffee that actually counts toward your daily number. Mix the protein into a little of the hot coffee first to avoid clumps, then build the rest of the drink on top. For more ideas in this lane, Jenna's healthy grocery haul and our protein mocha cappuccino are next on the list.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is this actually low-calorie, or just "lower"?

Genuinely low — around 60–90 calories versus 440-plus for the coffeehouse version. The only real calories come from the whipped cream and candy topping, so it's easy to keep under 100 if you go light on the candy.

Can I make it iced?

Yes. Brew the coffee, let it cool or pour it over ice, add the drops and syrup, then top with whipped cream and chocolate. Same drink, summer-proof.

What if I don't have SweetLeaf drops?

Any zero-calorie liquid stevia or a sugar-free peppermint syrup works. The goal is peppermint and chocolate flavor without the sugar — the brand doesn't matter.

How do I make it a full protein coffee?

Blend in a scoop of vanilla whey isolate before topping. Mix it into a splash of the hot coffee first so it dissolves smoothly, then build the rest of the drink. You'll add about 100 calories and 20-plus grams of protein.

Is the candy topping going to wreck it?

That's the one part with real sugar, so it's the part to watch. A light sprinkle of crushed candy cane or a few crunch bits is plenty — you're after the festive crunch, not a second dessert.

READY TO GEAR UP?

Lean treats are how you get through the holidays without losing the plot. Turn this into a protein coffee with vanilla Post Iso, keep the bigger picture in check with our fat-loss guide, or take the quiz to build a stack around your goals. And use Jenna's code BODYSHOP for 10% off.

ALWAYS FORWARD.