How much caffeine is in a caramel macchiato? A grande (16 oz) Starbucks Caramel Macchiato has 150 mg of caffeine, hot or iced, according to Starbucks. Made elsewhere, it's about 63 mg per espresso shot, so a two-shot caramel macchiato has about 126 mg. The milk, vanilla syrup and caramel drizzle add no meaningful caffeine.
That's the same as a grande Starbucks latte. To see what yours leaves in you at bedtime, enter it in the caffeine calculator.
Free toolCaffeine Cutoff CalculatorHow much caffeine is still in you at bedtime, and your latest cup.How much caffeine is in a caramel macchiato?
Count the shots at about 63 mg each. USDA FoodData Central lists restaurant espresso at 212 mg of caffeine per 100 grams, about 63 mg in a 1 oz shot. A caramel macchiato is usually vanilla syrup and steamed milk with espresso poured on top and caramel drizzled over it, so the shots are the only real source of caffeine.
| Drink | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| Caramel macchiato, 1 shot | about 63 mg |
| Caramel macchiato, 2 shots | about 126 mg |
| Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, grande (16 oz), hot | 150 mg |
| Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato, grande (16 oz) | 150 mg |
| Starbucks Espresso Macchiato, doppio (1.6 oz) | 150 mg |
| For comparison: Starbucks Caffè Latte, grande | 150 mg |
| For comparison: brewed coffee, 8 oz | about 95 mg |
Shots vary a lot. In a study of 104 coffee-shop espressos in Scotland, Italy and Spain, caffeine ranged from 48 to 317 mg per serving. So 63 mg per shot is an average, not a guarantee. The espresso guide explains why.
How much caffeine is in a Starbucks caramel macchiato?
A grande (16 oz) Starbucks Caramel Macchiato has 150 mg of caffeine, according to Starbucks' nutrition information. That's a little more than two average shots would give, and the same as a grande Caffè Latte. In practice, a caramel macchiato is a vanilla latte built upside down, with the espresso on top.
Starbucks lists caffeine for the grande on this drink, so we don't give other sizes here. For a tall or venti, ask how many shots your size gets and count about 63 mg each as a rough guide.
How much caffeine is in an iced caramel macchiato?
A grande (16 oz) Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato also has 150 mg, according to Starbucks. Ice takes up room in the cup but doesn't change the espresso, so hot and iced grandes match. Because iced drinks go down quickly, it's an easy one to order at 3 PM without counting it as a full coffee-shop dose.
How much caffeine is in a macchiato?
It depends which macchiato you mean. A caramel macchiato is a big, milky drink with about the caffeine of a latte. An espresso macchiato is the original Italian drink: one or two shots of espresso "marked" with a spoonful of milk foam.
The espresso macchiato is small but strong. A Starbucks Espresso Macchiato, doppio (two shots, 1.6 oz), has 150 mg, according to Starbucks. That's the same caffeine as a 16 oz caramel macchiato, in a cup you can finish in three sips.
| Macchiato | Size | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Espresso macchiato, single | about 1 oz | about 63 mg |
| Espresso macchiato, double | about 2 oz | about 126 mg |
| Starbucks Espresso Macchiato, doppio | 1.6 oz | 150 mg |
| Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, grande | 16 oz | 150 mg |
So if you order "a macchiato" at an Italian-style cafe, expect a tiny drink with one or two shots. At Starbucks, a "macchiato" on the menu usually means the caramel version.
How much caffeine is in a Dunkin caramel macchiato?
We couldn't find a Dunkin caffeine figure we could verify, so we don't give one here. The safest estimate is to ask how many espresso shots go into your size and count about 63 mg each. If the Dunkin app or menu board lists caffeine, use that number instead.
Caramel macchiato vs latte vs coffee
A grande Starbucks caramel macchiato and a grande latte both have 150 mg; a grande Americano has more. Here's how it compares, using Starbucks' grande figures and USDA's brewed coffee value.
| Drink | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| Brewed coffee, 8 oz | about 95 mg |
| Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, grande | 150 mg |
| Starbucks Caffè Latte, grande | 150 mg |
| Starbucks Cappuccino, grande | 150 mg |
| Brewed coffee, 16 oz | about 190 mg |
| Starbucks Caffè Americano, grande | 225 mg |
Our latte and cappuccino guides cover those drinks in detail.
What's the latest time to drink a caramel macchiato before bed?
For an 11 PM bedtime, finish a grande Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, hot or iced, by about 10:04 AM, and a two-shot caramel macchiato by about 11:19 AM. These are the times each drink falls below 25 mg by bedtime, using the site's average 5-hour caffeine half-life.
| Drink | Caffeine | Hours before bed | Bedtime 10 PM | Bedtime 11 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caramel macchiato, 1 shot | 63 mg | 6 h 40 min | 3:19 PM | 4:19 PM |
| Caramel macchiato, 2 shots | 126 mg | 11 h 40 min | 10:19 AM | 11:19 AM |
| Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, grande (hot or iced) | 150 mg | 12 h 55 min | 9:04 AM | 10:04 AM |
| Starbucks Espresso Macchiato, doppio | 150 mg | 12 h 55 min | 9:04 AM | 10:04 AM |
| For comparison: coffee, 8 oz | 95 mg | 9 h 38 min | 12:22 PM | 1:22 PM |
What a 150 mg grande leaves at 11 PM, depending on when you drink it:
| Drink at | 2 shots (126 mg) | Starbucks grande (150 mg) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 AM | 18 mg | 22 mg |
| 11 AM | 24 mg | 28 mg |
| 1 PM | 32 mg | 38 mg |
| 3 PM | 42 mg | 49 mg |
| 5 PM | 55 mg | 65 mg |
The 25 mg line is a rule of thumb this site uses, not an official limit. Some people clear caffeine much more slowly than average. And sleeping through it isn't proof it had no effect: in an at-home study, a large dose of caffeine taken 6 hours before bed cut total sleep by more than an hour.
How to have a caramel macchiato without losing sleep
- Ask for decaf or one shot after lunch. The caramel and vanilla stay the same.
- Count an espresso macchiato as a full drink, not a sip. A doppio has the same caffeine as a grande.
- Run your own times through the caffeine calculator if your bedtime isn't on the table.