Does chocolate milk have caffeine? Many people probably wouldn’t even think to consider that chocolate milk may have caffeine. It is, after all, a staple in school cafeterias throughout America. How could good old chocolate milk have caffeine?
Chocolate milk, of course, contains chocolate. Chocolate is derived from a the inner component of a roasted cocoa bean known as a cocoa nib. Cocoa natural contains caffeine, however, the amount of caffeine depends on the type of chocolate. Generally, dark chocolate and cocoa powder contain the most caffeine while milk chocolate and syrup chocolate contain the least.
Below we have provided a sampling of some Hershey chocolate products to give you an idea of the caffeine difference between dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and syrup. As a reference, a freshly brewed cup of coffee (8 oz) has about 95 milligrams of caffeine and a can of coke (12 oz) has 34 milligrams.
Caffeine In Chocolate
| Serving Size | Caffeine (mg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Oh Henry! Bar | 1 bar (2 oz) | 3 mg |
| Hershey's Chocolate Syrup | 2 tablespoons (1.4 oz) | 5 mg |
| Kit Kat Bar | 1 four-piece bar (1.5 oz) | 6 mg |
| Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar | 1 bar (1.5 oz) | 9 mg |
| Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate | 9 Pieces | 10 mg |
| Dagoba 59% Semisweet Dark Chocolate | 1/2 bar (1.5 oz) | 26 mg |
| Scharffen Berger 82% Extra Dark Chocolate Bar | 1/2 bar (1.5 oz) | 42 mg |
How Much Caffeine In Chocolate Milk?
There are approximately 5 milligrams of caffeine in chocolate milk per 8 fluid ounces. The recommended daily maximum caffeine is 400 milligrams for adults and 100 milligrams for adolescents (source). A glass of chocolate milk is about 5 percent of the recommended caffeine per day for an adolescent. You would have to drink about 19 glasses (152 ounces) of chocolate milk to equal one cup of coffee. Essentially, you would likely get sick from the enormous volume of milk before you consumed enough for a caffeine buzz. Assuming you allow at least some caffeine in your diet, the amount of caffeine in chocolate milk is very minimal.
Sugar & Calories In Chocolate Milk
The bigger concern with chocolate milk should be the calories and sugar content. A cup (8 fl oz) of chocolate milk (whole) contains about 210 calories and 24 grams of sugar. In comparison, a 12 ounce Pepsi has 150 calories and 41 grams of sugar. While some of the sugar in chocolate milk is naturally occurring through lactose (milk sugar), the majority is added sugar. This added sugar adds to the calorie count (about 60 calories) to that of regular milk.
Below we have provided a comparison of regular milk vs chocolate milk to show the calorie and sugar differences between the two products. You can see the calories that can be saved just by switching from chocolate milk to regular.
Chocolate Milk vs Regular Milk Nutrition Facts
| Milk Type | Serving Size | Calories | Total Fat | Saturated Fat | Cholesterol | Sodium | Carbohydrates | Dietary Fiber | Sugars | Protein | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate (whole milk) | 1 Cup | 208 | 8.5 g | 5.2 g | 30 mg | 150 mg | 25.8 g | 2 g | 23.8 g | 7.9 g | 280 mg |
| Whole Milk (3.25% milkfat) | 1 Cup | 149 | 7.9 g | 4.5 g | 24 mg | 105 mg | 11.7 g | 0 | 12.3 g | 7.6 g | 276 mg |
| Chocolate Milk (Reduced Fat) | 1 Cup | 190 | 4.7 g | 2.9 g | 20 mg | 165 mg | 30.3 g | 1.8 g | 23.8 g | 7.4 g | 272 mg |
| Milk 2% (Reduced Fat) | 1 Cup | 122 | 4.8 g | 3 g | 20 mg | 115 mg | 11.7 g | 0 | 12.3 g | 8 g | 293 mg |
| Chocolate Milk (Lowfat) | 1 Cup | 155 | 2.5 g | 1.4 g | 12 mg | 162 mg | 24.6 g | 0.2 g | 24.8 g | 8.6 g | 322 mg |
| Milk 1% (Lowfat) | 1 Cup | 102 | 2.3 g | 1.5 g | 12 mg | 107 mg | 12.1 g | 0 | 12.6 g | 8.2 g | 305 mg |