Do energy drinks have way more caffeine than coffee?
Short answerNot the way you think
Not the way you think. The small 8.4 oz Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine, a little less than an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee at about 95. But energy drinks vary enormously. The FDA puts them at 54 to 328 mg per 16 oz, and a 12 oz CELSIUS has 200 mg, about two cups of coffee in a soda can.
What we’d do
Judge the can by its label and its size, not by the word energy. The small Red Bull is a mild drink you can fit in the afternoon. A CELSIUS, a Monster or any big can is a morning drink, finished by about 11am for an 11pm bedtime. And none of them are for kids or teens.
If you remember three things
- The small Red Bull has less than a coffee. It has 80 mg, against about 95 for an 8 oz cup.
- The big cans are two coffees. A 12 oz CELSIUS has 200 mg and a 20 oz Red Bull 198.
- The range is huge. The FDA counts 54 to 328 mg per 16 oz, so check the can.
Why people believe it
The name does most of the work. Energy drinks are sold on intensity, with names and cans to match. Coffee feels like a gentle daily habit next to that.
Some of them earn the reputation and some don’t. A 12 oz CELSIUS is two 8 oz coffees in a soda can, or about six cans of Coke. The 8.4 oz Red Bull is less than one coffee. Red Bull’s own page says its small can has “about the same amount as in a cup of home-brewed coffee”.
What’s in the cans
| Drink | Size | Caffeine | One at 4pm leaves at 11pm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola | 12 oz | 34 mg | 14 mg |
| Red Bull | 8.4 oz | 80 mg | 34 mg |
| Brewed coffee | 8 oz | 95 mg | 40 mg |
| Red Bull | 12 oz | 114 mg | 48 mg |
| Red Bull | 16 oz | 151 mg | 63 mg |
| Monster | 16 oz | 160 mg | 67 mg |
| Brewed coffee | 16 oz | 190 mg | 80 mg |
| Red Bull | 20 oz | 198 mg | 83 mg |
| CELSIUS | 12 oz | 200 mg | 84 mg |
| Energy drinks in general | 16 oz | 54 to 328 mg | 23 to 138 mg |
The bedtime column is on a 5 hour half-life. A CELSIUS or a 20 oz Red Bull at 4pm still leaves more than 80 mg at 11pm, over the line where a 2025 trial measured lost deep sleep. The 8.4 oz Red Bull leaves about 34 mg, the caffeine in one can of Coke.
The Red Bull numbers come from Red Bull. The Monster and CELSIUS numbers come from current can labels, and both brands sell lines with different amounts, so check the can you’re holding.
Kids and teens
Pediatricians advise against any energy drinks for children and teens, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s April 2026 fact sheet, and suggest at most 100 mg of caffeine a day for ages 12 to 18. The American Academy of Pediatrics wrote in 2011 that the caffeine in energy drinks has “no place in the diet of children and adolescents”. One 12 oz CELSIUS is twice a teen’s whole day, and the FDA sets no caffeine level for teens at all.
The best case for it
At the top of the FDA’s range, 328 mg in a 16 oz can, an energy drink really is more than three cups of coffee in one go. And the biggest Red Bull, at 20 oz, is about the same as a 16 oz coffee. If your idea of an energy drink is a large can of a strong brand, you’re right that it beats a small coffee, often by a lot.
More detail: the latest time for each can
To fall asleep at 11pm with under 40 mg in you, on a 5 hour half-life, finish an 8.4 oz Red Bull by about 5:15pm, a 12 oz Red Bull by about 2:40pm, a Monster by about 12:15pm, a 20 oz Red Bull by about 10:45am and a CELSIUS by about 10:40am. The cutoff clock does it for your own bedtime.
8 sources
- Red Bull, How much caffeine is in a can of Red Bull?, checked 2026-11-14redbull.com
- US Food and Drug Administration, Spilling the beans: how much caffeine is too much?, content current as of 2024-08-28, checked 2026-11-14fda.gov
- Open Food Facts, CELSIUS Sparkling Kiwi Guava 12 fl oz can (UPC 889392010145), 200 mg caffeine per can from the label, checked 2026-11-14world.openfoodfacts.org
- Open Food Facts, Monster Energy 16 fl oz can (UPC 070847811169), 160 mg caffeine per can from the label, checked 2026-11-14world.openfoodfacts.org
- USDA FoodData Central, brewed coffee (FDC 171890), SR Legacyfdc.nal.usda.gov
- The Coca-Cola Company, What is caffeine? (FAQ), checked 2026-11-14coca-colacompany.com
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Caffeine and children, Facts for Families No. 131, April 2026aacap.org
- Committee on Nutrition and Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, Sports drinks and energy drinks for children and adolescents: are they appropriate?, Pediatrics, 2011pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
