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How Much Caffeine Is in Decaf Coffee? More Than Zero, Less Than You Fear
How much caffeine is in decaf coffee? Usually 2–15 mg a cup, but a Starbucks Grande decaf has 25 mg. Chain numbers, lab tests and when decaf still matters.
The short answer
- Yes, decaf has caffeine, just not much. The FDA says an 8 oz (240 ml) cup typically has 2–15 mg, versus about 95 mg for regular coffee.
- Chain decaf: Starbucks Decaf Pike Place, Grande: 25 mg. Dunkin' Decaf, Medium: 10 mg. Tim Hortons Decaf, Medium: 9 mg.
- A decaf espresso shot usually has 1–5 mg, but lab tests of one chain's decaf espresso found up to 15.8 mg per shot.
- For most people, one or two cups of decaf won't touch your sleep. It only adds up if you drink a lot of it or are very sensitive.
How much caffeine is in decaf coffee? Less than a tenth of a regular cup, but not zero. "Decaffeinated" means most of the caffeine has been removed from the beans, not all of it. For most people that difference doesn't matter. If you've been told to avoid caffeine completely, or you're drinking five decafs a day, it can.
Here's what's actually in the cup, by chain and by style, with the drink values we use in our app.
How much caffeine is in decaf coffee? What lab tests found
The FDA's consumer guidance puts decaf at 2 to 15 mg per 8 oz cup. Independent lab tests back that range up. In a 2006 University of Florida study, ten decaf coffees bought from different coffee shops contained 0 to 13.9 mg per 16 oz serving. Brewed decaf from one Starbucks outlet came in at 12.0–13.4 mg per 16 oz, and its decaf espresso ranged from 3.0 to 15.8 mg per shot.
The takeaway from that study wasn't that decaf is dangerous. It was that decaf varies, and people who need to avoid caffeine for medical reasons should know it isn't caffeine-free.
Decaf coffee caffeine content by chain
| Decaf drink | Size | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Decaf brewed coffee (typical) | 8 oz / 240 ml | 3 mg |
| Decaf espresso (typical) | 1 oz / 30 ml | 1 mg |
| Starbucks Decaf Pike Place, Grande | 16 oz / 473 ml | 25 mg |
| Dunkin' Decaf, Small | 10 oz / 296 ml | 7 mg |
| Dunkin' Decaf, Medium | 14 oz / 414 ml | 10 mg |
| Dunkin' Decaf, Large | 20 oz / 591 ml | 15 mg |
| Tim Hortons Decaf, Small | 10 oz / 286 ml | 6 mg |
| Tim Hortons Decaf, Medium | 14 oz / 425 ml | 9 mg |
| Tim Hortons Decaf, Large | 19 oz / 563 ml | 12 mg |
| McDonald's Decaf, Small | 12 oz / 355 ml | 8 mg |
| Panera Decaf | 16 oz / 473 ml | 5 mg |
| Nespresso Decaffeinato (Original capsule) | 1.35 oz / 40 ml | 5 mg |
| Nespresso Vertuo Decaf | 7.8 oz / 230 ml | 5 mg |
| 5-hour Energy Decaf shot | 2 oz / 57 ml | 6 mg |
Starbucks is the outlier at 25 mg for a Grande, still about a twelfth of the 310 mg in a regular Grande Pike Place. If Starbucks is your usual stop, the full menu is in caffeine in Starbucks drinks.
Decaf vs regular: how big is the gap?
| Order | Regular | Decaf | Caffeine saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home-brewed coffee, 8 oz | 95 mg | 3 mg | 92 mg |
| Espresso, single | 63 mg | 1 mg | 62 mg |
| Starbucks Pike Place, Grande | 310 mg | 25 mg | 285 mg |
| Dunkin' Hot Coffee, Medium | 210 mg | 10 mg | 200 mg |
| Tim Hortons Original, Medium | 205 mg | 9 mg | 196 mg |
Swapping one afternoon coffee-shop filter coffee for decaf removes 200–285 mg. That's more than half the 400 mg daily ceiling the FDA cites for healthy adults, and far more than any other single change most people can make.
Does decaf have enough caffeine to affect sleep?
For almost everyone, yes. A useful target is to have under 50 mg of caffeine left in your body at lights-out. Even a Grande Starbucks decaf, at 25 mg, starts below that line. An 8 oz regular coffee, by comparison, needs about 5.5 hours to fall under 50 mg for a typical adult (see when to stop drinking coffee before bed).
Where decaf can add up:
- Many cups. Four Grande decafs through the afternoon is about 100 mg, the same as one regular coffee.
- Decaf espresso drinks. Given lab results of up to 15.8 mg a shot, a triple-shot decaf latte could hold more caffeine than a cup of green tea (28 mg).
- High sensitivity. Some people notice even small doses, especially if they clear caffeine slowly. Pregnancy and the pill both slow it down, which is why caffeine in pregnancy has its own limits.
You can test your own evening decaf in the bedtime caffeine calculator.
How coffee is decaffeinated
Decaffeination happens to the green (unroasted) beans. The beans are soaked or steamed so the caffeine can be drawn out, then dried and roasted as normal. The main methods are:
- Solvent methods use methylene chloride or ethyl acetate to bind the caffeine. The solvent is removed before roasting.
- Water methods (such as the Swiss Water process) use water and filters, with no added chemicals.
- CO2 methods use pressurized carbon dioxide, which bonds with caffeine.
No method removes every last molecule, which is why decaf lands in the low single digits rather than at zero. Roast, bean and brew strength then move the number around, just as they do for regular coffee.
Who should care about the last few milligrams
If your doctor has told you to avoid caffeine entirely, for example because of a heart rhythm problem or a medication that interacts with caffeine, decaf is "low caffeine", not "no caffeine". Ask whether a few cups a day are acceptable, or switch to a drink that is naturally caffeine-free, like herbal tea (0 mg). Decaf tea is also low but not zero: tests found under 12 mg per serving. The full tea breakdown is in how much caffeine is in tea.
If you're using decaf to cut back, the gap between 95 mg and 3 mg is big enough to trigger withdrawal headaches if you swap everything overnight. A gradual plan works better: see how to cut back on caffeine and switching to decaf. In Caffeine vs Water, decaf is logged at its own small dose, so your curve stays honest instead of treating decaf as zero.
Frequently asked questions
How much caffeine is in decaf coffee?
An 8 oz cup of decaf typically has 2–15 mg of caffeine, according to the FDA. Chain decaf ranges from about 6 mg (Tim Hortons small) to 25 mg (Starbucks Grande Decaf Pike Place).
Does decaf coffee have caffeine?
Yes. Decaffeination removes most of the caffeine but not all of it. A cup of decaf has roughly 3% of the caffeine in regular coffee: about 3 mg versus 95 mg for an 8 oz cup.
How much caffeine is in a decaf espresso?
Typically about 1–5 mg per shot, but a 2006 lab study of one chain's decaf espresso found 3.0–15.8 mg per shot, so it can vary a lot.
Can I drink decaf coffee before bed?
For most people, yes. Even a 16 oz Starbucks decaf (25 mg) is below 50 mg, a sensible level to have left at bedtime. Very sensitive people may still prefer herbal tea late at night.
How many cups of decaf equal one regular coffee?
At about 3 mg a cup, it would take over 30 home-brewed decafs to match one 95 mg coffee. With Starbucks decaf at 25 mg per Grande, about four cups equal one regular 8 oz coffee.
Sources
- U.S. FDA. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?
- McCusker RR, et al. Caffeine content of decaffeinated coffee. J Anal Toxicol, 2006.
- Chin JM, et al. Caffeine content of brewed teas. J Anal Toxicol, 2008.
- Mayo Clinic. Caffeine: How much is too much?
- Brand nutrition pages and caffeine databases, as compiled for the Caffeine vs Water drink catalog (September 2026).
General wellness information, not medical advice. If you're pregnant, have a heart condition, or take medication that affects caffeine, check your limits with a doctor.