These 13 Starbucks Drinks Have The Most Caffeine

Yes, Starbucks' drinks are pretty tasty — but let's admit that the reason most of us end up in the Starbucks line isn't necessarily because we want to drink a grande cup full of sugary coffee bean water. We crave the caffeine, and it's just an extra bonus that the conduit for that caffeine is so delicious.

Unfortunately, caffeine doesn't always love us. According to the FDA, you should limit your daily caffeine consumption to under 400 milligrams per day. While that may sound like a lot at first, consider that a single, standard cup of coffee can contain as much as 200 milligrams of caffeine. While most Americans do, according to the American Medical Association, consume caffeine within the recommended guidelines, at an average 135 milligrams of caffeine daily, or one cup of coffee, it's all too easy to tip over into unhealthy territory — and that can lead to concerns like sleep issues, anxiety, and headaches, among others.

Think you're safe, though, because you only drink one Starbucks beverage a day? Think again. Some Starbucks drinks easily contain more than the daily recommended maximum caffeine. These are the Starbucks drinks with the most caffeine.

It's a simple, hot coffee, plain, with no sugar or cream. How bad could it be? Well, unfortunately, if you're watching your caffeine intake, pretty bad. If you order a venti blonde roast hot coffee, dark roast hot coffee, or Pike Place roast coffee, your cup of Starbucks will contain up to 490 milligrams of caffeine, well above your daily recommended maximum. Of course, not everyone needs a venti-sized hot coffee. However, if you go down a size, to a grande coffee, you'll only save yourself about 100 milligrams of caffeine, with the grande serving measuring in at 390 milligrams of caffeine, so still very close to your daily recommended maximum intake.

In good news, caffeine is about all that this coffee has in it. It's low in calories (just 5!) and contains no sugar, standing in stark contrast to some of Starbucks' low-caffeine beverages that really pack in the excess sweeteners and dairy. As such, if you're watching your waistline, these hot coffees could still be for you — but maybe don't go with the venti size and, if you go for a grande, limit the caffeine you consume elsewhere throughout the day.

The great thing about many of Starbucks' cold beverages is that they come in a trenta size. No longer are you restricted to the 24 ounces of caffeine-containing goodness that you'll get with a hot beverage. You get an extra 6 ounces of liquid.

With 360 milligrams of caffeine, a trenta cold brew at Starbucks will give you nearly as much energy as one of the chain's hot coffees. Plus, you have so many fun flavors to choose from, including chocolate hazelnut cookie, pistachio cream, chocolate cream, salted caramel cream, and vanilla sweet cream. However, do note that, depending on the cold brew flavor you choose, you might just get more caffeine than you bargained for. While, yes, a trenta basic cold brew contains an impressive 360 milligrams of caffeine, some flavors contain a little less, likely due to the extra ingredients taking up space in your trenta cup. This is the case with the vanilla sweet cream cold brew, which offers 315 milligrams of caffeine in a trenta-sized serving. 

You'll also want to watch the fat and cholesterol in this beverage; the trenta vanilla sweet cream cold brew comes with 11 grams of fat, which is 14% of your daily recommended intake, including 7 grams of saturated fat, which is more than a third of your daily recommended intake. Add on the 35 milligrams of cholesterol, and you have a breakfast beverage that may have you rethinking how you eat the rest of the day.

While not as strong as cold brew, Starbucks' plain iced coffees, both the original iced coffee and the Clover Vertica iced coffee (named for the Clover Vertica brewer that Starbucks employees can use to brew a single cup of hot or iced coffee, on demand, kind of like a K-Cup machine) still pack an impressive caffeine punch. Both boast a not-too-shabby 320 milligrams of caffeine in the trenta-sized servings. If you're looking for the most caffeine possible, then, without tipping over into not-medically-advised territory, this Starbucks order may be right up your alley.

Do note that you may not be able to find the iced coffee Clover Vertica option at your neighborhood Starbucks just yet. The brand expects that all stores will have their own Clover Vertica brewers by the end of September 2025. In the meantime, enjoy the regular iced coffee and all its caffeine, no matter the season or temperature.

Introduced in 2021, the Starbucks iced shaken espresso is made with espresso, milk, and classic syrup — and 300 milligrams of caffeine in the trenta size, placing this drink well within the company of the top Starbucks drinks with the most caffeine. Fun fact: The original Starbucks iced shaken espresso was made with oat milk, as an attempt to appeal to Starbucks' growing cohort of health-conscious consumers, as well as younger generations of consumers who prefer cold coffee beverages over hot.

Beyond the caffeine, this drink is admittedly pretty simple and straightforward, with minimal ingredients and less fat and sugar than some of the other drinks on the Starbucks menu, at 2 grams of saturated fat per serving (10% of your daily recommended value), and 22 grams of sugar (equal to several teaspoons of the stuff, but still less than the American Heart Association's recommended daily maximum of 25 grams of sugar per day for women and 36 grams of sugar per day for men).

An Americano is just a shot of espresso topped with hot water, so its nutritional profile is very similar to that of a hot cup of coffee. However, if you're weighing your options at Starbucks and trying to limit your caffeine, you'd do well to go with the venti Caffè Americano rather than one of the chain's venti plain hot coffees. Compared to their 390 milligrams of caffeine, the venti Caffè Americano has just 300 milligrams of caffeine — still a lot, but definitely better. (It's also worth noting that this drink contains the same amount of caffeine, whether you order the hot or iced version.)

While you won't get quite the same large serving size, you can cut back on the caffeine without giving up much flavor if you purchase the bottled version of the same drink. Starbucks' Espresso Americano, which comes in a large 40-ounce bottle with three servings per bottle, contains 275 milligrams of caffeine per serving.

Introduced in 2016, Starbucks' Nitro Cold Brew was considered peak coffee innovation when it debuted in select stores in major cities before being rolled out nationwide. Nitro cold brew is pretty simple at its core, though; it's just cold brew coffee injected with a shot of nitrogen, for a creamy mouthfeel and equally creamy and foamy head.

Starbucks' Nitro Cold Brew coffee only comes in two sizes, tall and grande and that grande size will give you 280 milligrams of caffeine. While this will keep you below the recommended maximum of 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, take note that you probably won't want to drink two of them (at least if you want to keep the jitters away). Otherwise, like Starbucks' hot classic coffees, this coffee doesn't otherwise contain all that much, except for 5 calories and 10 milligrams of sodium.

Love the taste of Starbucks' Nitro Cold Brew, but would prefer less caffeine per serving? If you buy the 9.6-fluid ounce canned Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew product, you'll find that it comes with a lessened 155 milligrams of caffeine per serving.

Another one of the revolutionary new beverages introduced by Starbucks in 2020, the Honey Almond Milk Flat White takes the chain's classic flat white to a new, non-dairy height, with mild notes of honey. While, today, it seems like no big deal to walk into your average Starbucks and request one of several dairy alternatives, at the time, dairy alternatives weren't quite as widespread, with Starbucks only introducing coconut milk in 2014, almond milk in 2016, and finally oat milk in 2021.

Beyond some non-dairy goodness, though, the Honey Almond Milk Flat White also comes with 225 milligrams of caffeine in a venti serving, so avoid having two if you'd like to stay within the recommended maximum caffeine consumption of 400 milligrams per day. That's not all that lurks among this flat white's nutrition facts, though. It also harbors a surprising 180 milligrams of sodium, or 7% of your daily recommended intake.

A relatively new addition to the Starbucks menu, the chain added iced energy drinks to its offerings in 2024. A summery addition, but available year-round, the iced energy drinks combine fruit flavors with iced tea for a sugar-free, low-calorie energy drink that's intended to be both refreshing and caffeinating. The iced energy drinks are available in two flavors, melon burst and tropical citrus, with the tropical citrus flavor available paired with a strawberry purée for a slushy-like beverage for a limited time. The melon burst flavor comes with 180 milligrams of caffeine in a venti size, while the tropical citrus flavor comes with 205 milligrams of caffeine in a venti size.

So how does that compare to a mainstream energy drink? A can of Monster Energy has 160 milligrams of caffeine. Meanwhile, an 8.4-ounce can of Red Bull has just 80 milligrams of caffeine. In other words, if you think you're avoiding potentially high amounts of caffeine because you're avoiding the brightly colored cans of energy drinks at the gas station, and opting for multiples of these seemingly higher-end tea-based beverages instead ... well, that's just an unfortunate misconception. You'd have to drink three Red Bulls to exceed the amount of caffeine found in Starbucks' tropical citrus-flavored iced energy drink.

Starbucks' classic flat white is an espresso beverage blended with steamed milk and topped with a bit of foam. For those seeking a slightly creamy, warm, comforting coffee beverage without a lot of added sugar or flavorings, the flat white delivers — and, actually, the original Starbucks flat white has less caffeine in it than the Honey Almond Milk Flat White. That's right, whereas the Honey Almond Milk Flat White contains 225 milligrams of caffeine in a venti serving, the OG flat white contains 195 milligrams of caffeine in a venti serving. That means you could drink two Starbucks flat whites without worrying about exceeding the recommended limit of 400 milligrams of caffeine per day.

Of course, due to the milk in a flat white, you are going to get more than just caffeine in your morning beverage. If you're watching your saturated fat intake, it's worth realizing that a venti flat white at Starbucks contains 9 grams of saturated fat, which is nearly half of your recommended daily consumption.

The Caffè Misto might not be as familiar to the occasional Starbucks customer as some of the other drinks on this list, but if you like a flat white, chances are good that you'll like a Caffè Misto as well. Both have the same basic ingredients: coffee and milk. However, a Caffè Misto uses brewed coffee, whereas a flat white uses espresso. Additionally, the two drinks combine their coffee and milk in differing ratios. A Caffè Misto is half steamed milk, half brewed coffee, whereas a flat white has about double the steamed milk as it does espresso.

Regardless of all these differences, though, the two drinks contain the same amount of caffeine, with a venti-sized Caffè Misto at Starbucks containing 195 milligrams. If you're watching your saturated fat, though, you have good reason to specifically switch from a flat white over to a Caffè Misto. The lesser quantity of milk makes for less saturated fat overall, with a venti Caffè Misto containing 2.5 grams of saturated fat, compared to a venti flat white's 9 grams of saturated fat — a big difference!

The Caffè Mocha at Starbucks is a classic indulgence, with just enough sweetness to satiate a sweet tooth, but not so much that you're overwhelmed with a beverage that doesn't taste anywhere near like coffee. It's milk, brewed espresso, mocha sauce, and whipped cream — and it's actually more milk than espresso, which makes for overall less caffeine. You'll find just 185 milligrams of caffeine in a venti-sized serving. This means that, yes, as is the case with the classic flat white, if you want to drink two venti Caffè Mochas from Starbucks in one day, you can do so and rest easy knowing that you're not exceeding that potentially dangerous 400 milligrams of caffeine.

As is the case with Starbucks' Caffè Americano, the Caffè Mocha is also available in a large, 40-ounce bottle, and if you consume it in the recommended 12-ounce serving sizes, you'll consume overall less caffeine, at 125 milligrams per serving. You'll also consume overall less fat and sugar with the pre-packaged version of this beverage. The 12-ounce serving contains 32 grams of sugar and 4 grams of fat, compared to the restaurant version's venti-sized serving's 18 grams of fat and 45 grams of sugar (just note that the venti serving does give you 8 ounces more).

Can we really call a Frappuccino a coffee? To some, these blended beverages are more milkshake than your much-needed java juice to help get you through the day. However, Frappuccinos do contain some coffee and that means they contain some caffeine as well.

Out of the various flavors, the Espresso Frappuccino packs one of the biggest servings of caffeine, even if coffee is its fourth ingredient, followed by brewed espresso as the final and fifth (the first three ingredients are ice, milk, and a sugar-based syrup). A venti serving of this drink will give you 185 milligrams of caffeine, so more than even some of Starbucks' lattes, and just as much as a Caffè Mocha. As is the case with all Frappuccinos, though, this menu item does carry quite a bit of sugar, a total of 56 grams in the venti size. Having a difficult time envisioning that amount of sugar? Well, a teaspoon of sugar is 4 grams of sugar, which means that if you're eating 56 grams of sugar in your morning coffee, it's about the equivalent of about 14 teaspoons of sugar, a somewhat less than appetizing amount.

A blonde vanilla latte at Starbucks is another drink that contains more milk than coffee, so is similarly a good choice if you're looking for a beverage that's both tasty and a little lower on the caffeine. While it's not one of the chain's lowest beverages in terms of caffeine content, it still contains more caffeine per venti serving than the average American consumes on a daily basis (at least if the American Medical Association is to be believed). Also, it just barely outranks Monster Energy's 160 milligrams of caffeine per can, and it all the while still contains far less caffeine than, say, a plain venti cup of hot coffee.

The blonde vanilla latte packs in a nice 170 milligrams of caffeine per venti serving. Want to cut down the caffeine even further, without majorly reducing the flavor? Consider making this drink at home and just reducing the amount of coffee used. All you need is Starbucks' blonde espresso roast, milk, and vanilla syrup. While the official Starbucks recipe calls for 2 ounces of espresso, go with one for half the caffeine.