Chocolate contains significantly less caffeine than coffee, tea, and cola. A 1-ounce (28g) bar of milk chocolate contains about 6mg of caffeine, while an 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains 80-100mg, tea has 25-50mg, and a 12-ounce Coca-Cola has 34mg.
Chocolate Has Way Less Caffeine Than You Think
If you're reaching for chocolate when you need an energy boost, you might want to grab a cup of coffee instead. That innocent-looking chocolate bar? It's got about as much kick as a feather.
A single ounce of milk chocolate contains just 6 milligrams of caffeine. To put that in perspective, an 8-ounce cup of coffee packs 80-100mg - that's more than 15 times the amount. Even a can of Coca-Cola (34mg) has nearly six times more caffeine than your chocolate bar.
Why Is Chocolate So Low in Caffeine?
The secret lies in what chocolate is actually made from. Cacao beans do contain caffeine, but they're also loaded with a similar compound called theobromine. While caffeine gives you that jittery, alert feeling, theobromine produces a much milder, longer-lasting energy effect.
In a typical chocolate bar, theobromine actually outnumbers caffeine by about 10 to 1. So while you might feel a subtle lift from eating chocolate, it's not the same rapid-fire buzz you'd get from coffee.
Dark Chocolate: The Exception
Not all chocolate is created equal. Dark chocolate contains significantly more caffeine than milk chocolate because it has a higher percentage of actual cacao:
- Milk chocolate (1 oz): ~6mg caffeine
- Dark chocolate (1 oz): 12-25mg caffeine
- Extra dark chocolate (1 oz): up to 35mg caffeine
Still, even the darkest chocolate bar barely touches coffee's caffeine content.
What About Hot Chocolate?
A cup of hot cocoa made from mix typically contains just 5mg of caffeine per serving - barely more than the chocolate bar itself. You'd need to drink about 16 cups of hot chocolate to equal one cup of coffee.
The bottom line? Chocolate is a treat, not a stimulant. If someone tells you they can't eat chocolate at night because it'll keep them awake, they're probably experiencing a placebo effect - or they're just really excited about dessert. The sugar rush is far more likely to affect your sleep than the negligible caffeine content.