What Happens to Your Blood Sugar When You Drink Egg Coffee

A coffee recipe is making the rounds on social media, which features whisking an egg yolk and sugar into your espresso. It’s known as espresso zabaglione or “Italian coffee,” and may actually be better for your blood sugar than regular coffee with cream and sugar.

How Adding Egg Yolk to Coffee Affects Blood Sugar

For people looking to watch their blood sugar, drinking coffee can be a double-edged sword.

On one hand, research suggests that drinking coffee long-term may be linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, even one cup of coffee can cause short-term rises in blood sugar levels.

“Caffeine can slightly raise blood sugar in some individuals due to its stimulant effect,” Lindsay Malone, MS, RD, LD, a nutrition instructor and clinical dietitian at CWRU School of Medicine, told Verywell.

Most recipes for espresso zabaglione call for a tablespoon of sugar, which is enough to cause a moderate spike in blood sugar levels. So what happens when you add an egg yolk into the mix?

“The protein and fat in the egg yolk would likely slow gastric emptying and modestly blunt a blood sugar rise compared to drinking sugar in coffee alone,” Malone said, adding that this depends on how much sugar is used.

Nutritional Benefits of Egg Yolk Coffee

Compared to a regular cup of coffee, adding an egg yolk to your espresso may also provide a small nutritional boost.

“An egg yolk adds high-quality protein, healthy fats, choline, vitamin A, and small amounts of vitamin D and B vitamins, so there is real nutrition there compared to plain sweetened coffee,” said Malone.

Since choline can be hard for some people to get in their diet, adding an egg yolk to your coffee can be a non-traditional way to boost your choline intake.

“Choline isn’t talked about as much as it should but it’s a brain-boosting nutrient that is especially important for brain development during pregnancy,” said Amanda Sauceda, MS, RD, a nutrition lecturer at California State University, Long Beach, and owner of The Mindful Gut.

According to Sauceda, the extra boost of fat can also help you get the most from your plate. “The fat present in the yolk can also be helpful for absorbing any fat-soluble vitamins present in the food you might be enjoying with your coffee,” she said.

Risks of Adding Raw Egg Yolks to Coffee

Before you start adding a raw egg yolk to your coffee every morning, there are a few food safety tips to keep in mind.

“Raw eggs carry a small but real risk of salmonella, so food safety matters, especially for pregnant women, older adults, young children, or anyone immunocompromised,” said Malone.

One of the ways to reduce the risk of Salmonella from eggs is to make sure they’re heated thoroughly. “Make sure you use hot coffee so you get the heat warming up the egg yolk; they usually should reach a temperature of 160°F,” Sauceda said.

Both experts recommended sticking only to high-quality fresh or pasteurized eggs and enjoying Italian coffee in moderation.