How much caffeine is in instant coffee? About 62 mg in an 8 oz cup, and about 31 mg per level teaspoon of powder, based on USDA FoodData Central. That makes a standard cup of instant coffee roughly two thirds as strong as an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee, which has about 95 mg.
The catch is that you control the dose. A heaping spoon or a second packet can put instant coffee level with brewed. Plug your own amount into the caffeine calculator to see what's left by bedtime.
Free toolCaffeine Cutoff CalculatorHow much caffeine is still in you at bedtime, and your latest cup.How much caffeine is in a teaspoon of instant coffee?
A level teaspoon of instant coffee powder has about 31 mg of caffeine. USDA lists regular instant coffee powder at 3,142 mg of caffeine per 100 grams and weighs a level teaspoon at 1 gram.
Most people don't measure level spoons, though. USDA weighs a rounded teaspoon of instant coffee powder at 1.8 grams, so a rounded spoon is closer to 57 mg.
| Amount of regular instant powder | Weight | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 level teaspoon | 1 g | about 31 mg |
| 1 rounded teaspoon | 1.8 g | about 57 mg |
| 2 level teaspoons | 2 g | about 63 mg |
| 1 packet | 2 g | about 63 mg |
| 1 level tablespoon | about 3 g | about 94 mg |
The rounded-teaspoon weight comes from USDA's decaf and chicory instant coffee entries, since the regular powder entry lists only level spoons and packets. The tablespoon row is three level teaspoons. Brands, roasts and spoon habits all vary, so treat these as good middle estimates.
How much caffeine is in an instant coffee packet?
A 2-gram single-serve packet of regular instant coffee has about 63 mg of caffeine, per USDA's packet weight. That's very close to USDA's figure for a prepared 8 oz cup, which suggests one packet per mug is the standard strength the data reflects.
Larger stick packs and flavored mixes are a different product. Sweetened and creamer mixes have less coffee per gram, so check the box for the caffeine or the grams of coffee.
How much caffeine is in a tablespoon of instant coffee?
A level tablespoon of instant coffee powder has about 94 mg of caffeine, about the same as an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee. A heaping tablespoon can go well past 100 mg.
People who make whipped coffee or a strong iced instant often use one or two tablespoons. Two level tablespoons is roughly 190 mg, about two cups of brewed coffee in a single glass.
How much caffeine is in a cup of instant coffee?
About 62 mg in an 8 oz cup and about 47 mg in a 6 oz cup, using USDA's value for instant coffee prepared with water. USDA lists the prepared drink at 26 mg of caffeine per 100 grams.
| Prepared instant coffee | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| 6 oz cup | about 47 mg |
| 8 oz cup | about 62 mg |
| 12 oz mug | about 93 mg |
| 16 oz mug | about 124 mg |
These assume USDA's standard strength, which works out to about 2 grams of powder per 8 oz. If you make yours stronger, count spoons instead and use the table above.
Is instant coffee stronger than brewed coffee?
No, at normal strength instant coffee has less caffeine than brewed. Per 8 oz, it's about 62 mg versus about 95 mg for brewed coffee. A regular K-Cup lands near the brewed figure; see how much caffeine is in a K-Cup.
| 8 oz cup | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| Brewed coffee | about 95 mg |
| K-Cup, regular | about 95 mg (estimate) |
| Instant coffee, 1 packet | about 62 mg |
| Instant coffee, half-caf powder, 2 g | about 31 mg |
| Instant decaf | about 2 mg |
So switching from drip to instant can trim your caffeine a little, but only if you keep to one level packet or two level teaspoons per cup. The full caffeine in drinks chart compares tea, soda and energy drinks too.
How much caffeine is in Nescafé?
We don't give a Nescafé figure here, because we couldn't verify one on Nestlé's own US product pages. Regular Nescafé instant coffee, including Gold, is still instant coffee powder, so the USDA spoon and packet numbers above are a reasonable starting point. If the jar or box lists caffeine per serving, use that instead.
What's the latest time to drink instant coffee before bed?
For an 11 PM bedtime, finish an 8 oz cup of instant coffee by about 4:27 PM. That's when it falls below 25 mg by bedtime, using the site's average 5-hour caffeine half-life.
| Instant coffee | Caffeine | Hours before bed | Bedtime 10 PM | Bedtime 11 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 level teaspoon | about 31 mg | 1 h 33 min | 8:27 PM | 9:27 PM |
| 1 rounded teaspoon | about 57 mg | 5 h 57 min | 4:03 PM | 5:03 PM |
| 8 oz cup (1 packet) | about 62 mg | 6 h 33 min | 3:27 PM | 4:27 PM |
| 1 level tablespoon | about 94 mg | 9 h 33 min | 12:27 PM | 1:27 PM |
| 16 oz mug | about 124 mg | 11 h 33 min | 10:27 AM | 11:27 AM |
What's left at 11 PM from one 8 oz cup (62 mg), depending on when you drink it:
| Cup at | Left at 11 PM |
|---|---|
| 7 AM | 7 mg |
| 11 AM | 12 mg |
| 1 PM | 16 mg |
| 3 PM | 20 mg |
| 5 PM | 27 mg |
| 7 PM | 36 mg |
The 25 mg line is this site's rule of thumb, not an official limit. Some people clear caffeine much more slowly, and pregnancy and some medications slow it further. Falling asleep fine doesn't mean caffeine had no effect: in an at-home study, a large dose taken 6 hours before bed cut total sleep by more than an hour.
How to drink instant coffee without losing sleep
- Measure level spoons. A heaping spoon can nearly double the dose.
- Switch to instant decaf after lunch. At about 2 mg a cup it's the easy swap. See decaf coffee before bed if you're very sensitive.
- Count the whole day. Six 8 oz cups of instant is about 370 mg, close to the 400 mg a day the FDA cites for healthy adults. The caffeine limit calculator adds it up with everything else you drink.