How much caffeine is in Mountain Dew? A 12 oz can has 54 mg and a 20 oz bottle has 91 mg, according to PepsiCo's product facts. Mountain Dew Zero Sugar has more: 68 mg per 12 oz can and 113 mg per 20 oz bottle. Baja Blast has 59 mg per can and 98 mg per 20 oz.
That puts a can of Dew well above a can of Coke but below an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee (about 95 mg). A 20 oz bottle, though, is close to a full cup of coffee. To see what your Dew leaves in you at bedtime, the caffeine calculator does the math for your own times.
Free toolCaffeine Cutoff CalculatorHow much caffeine is still in you at bedtime, and your latest cup.How much caffeine is in each Mountain Dew?
Regular Mountain Dew runs about 4.5 mg per fluid ounce, and Zero Sugar runs about 5.7 mg. These figures come from PepsiCo's official product facts pages, checked in October 2026.
| Drink | Size | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Dew | 12 fl oz can | 54 mg |
| Mountain Dew | 16 fl oz can | 72 mg |
| Mountain Dew | 20 fl oz bottle | 91 mg |
| Diet Mountain Dew | 12 fl oz can | 54 mg |
| Mountain Dew Zero Sugar | 12 fl oz can | 68 mg |
| Mountain Dew Zero Sugar | 20 fl oz bottle | 113 mg |
| Mountain Dew Baja Blast | 12 fl oz can | 59 mg |
| Mountain Dew Baja Blast | 20 fl oz bottle | 98 mg |
| Mountain Dew Baja Blast Zero Sugar | 12 fl oz can | 68 mg |
| Mtn Dew Kickstart (Orange Citrus) | 12 fl oz can | 69 mg |
| Mtn Dew Kickstart (Orange Citrus or Fruit Punch) | 16 fl oz can | 92 mg |
| For comparison: brewed coffee | 8 fl oz | about 95 mg |
PepsiCo notes that formulas and packaging can change, and the label on the shelf is the most current source. Mountain Dew also sells caffeine-free versions in some regions.
How much caffeine is in a 12 oz can of Mountain Dew?
A 12 oz can of Mountain Dew has 54 mg of caffeine. That's about 1.6 times the 34 mg in a can of Coke and a little more than half a cup of brewed coffee. For more sodas side by side, see how much caffeine is in Coke.
How much caffeine is in a 20 oz Mountain Dew?
A 20 oz bottle of Mountain Dew has 91 mg of caffeine. That's almost exactly an 8 oz cup of coffee. The bottle is easy to sip over an afternoon, so it's worth counting as a coffee rather than a soda.
Does Mountain Dew Zero Sugar have more caffeine?
Yes. Mountain Dew Zero Sugar has 68 mg per 12 oz can, versus 54 mg in regular Mountain Dew. The 20 oz Zero Sugar bottle comes to 113 mg, about 22 mg more than the regular 20 oz. Diet Mountain Dew, on the other hand, matches regular Dew at 54 mg per can.
So "zero sugar" doesn't mean less caffeine. If you switched to Zero Sugar for an evening drink, you added caffeine.
How much caffeine is in Baja Blast?
Mountain Dew Baja Blast has 59 mg per 12 oz can and 98 mg per 20 oz bottle. It's slightly stronger than original Dew. Baja Blast Zero Sugar has 68 mg per 12 oz can, the same as Mountain Dew Zero Sugar.
How much caffeine is in Kickstart?
Mtn Dew Kickstart has about 68 to 69 mg per 12 oz can and 92 mg per 16 oz can. PepsiCo lists 69 mg for a 12 oz Orange Citrus, 68 mg for a 12 oz Pineapple Orange Mango, and 92 mg for a 16 oz Orange Citrus or Fruit Punch. Flavors vary a little, so check the can for yours.
Kickstart is sold as a morning drink, and at 92 mg the 16 oz can is about one cup of coffee.
How late can you drink a Mountain Dew before bed?
For an 11 PM bedtime, finish a 12 oz can of Mountain Dew by about 5:27 PM and a 20 oz bottle by about 1:41 PM. These are the times each drink falls below 25 mg by bedtime, using an average 5-hour half-life:
| Bedtime | Dew 12 oz (54 mg) | Zero Sugar 12 oz (68 mg) | Dew 20 oz (91 mg) | Zero Sugar 20 oz (113 mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM | 4:27 PM | 2:47 PM | 12:41 PM | 11:07 AM |
| 10:30 PM | 4:57 PM | 3:17 PM | 1:11 PM | 11:37 AM |
| 11:00 PM | 5:27 PM | 3:47 PM | 1:41 PM | 12:07 PM |
| Midnight | 6:27 PM | 4:47 PM | 2:41 PM | 1:07 PM |
In hours before bed, that's about 5 h 33 min for a 12 oz Dew, 7 h 13 min for a 12 oz Zero Sugar, 9 h 19 min for a 20 oz Dew and 10 h 53 min for a 20 oz Zero Sugar. Baja Blast lands between them: about 6 h 12 min for a can and 9 h 51 min for a 20 oz bottle.
How much Mountain Dew caffeine is left at bedtime?
A 20 oz Mountain Dew at 6 PM still leaves about 46 mg in you at 11 PM, about half a cup of coffee. The table uses the calculator's math: remaining caffeine = dose x 0.5^(hours / 5), for an 11 PM bedtime.
| Drink at | Dew 12 oz (54 mg) | Zero Sugar 12 oz (68 mg) | Dew 20 oz (91 mg) | Zero Sugar 20 oz (113 mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noon | 12 mg | 15 mg | 20 mg | 25 mg |
| 2 PM | 16 mg | 20 mg | 26 mg | 32 mg |
| 4 PM | 20 mg | 26 mg | 34 mg | 43 mg |
| 6 PM | 27 mg | 34 mg | 46 mg | 57 mg |
| 8 PM | 36 mg | 45 mg | 60 mg | 75 mg |
This site uses about 25 mg at bedtime as a sensible ceiling. It isn't an official limit, just a useful line. A can of Dew with dinner is borderline; a bottle with dinner is not.
These are averages. Some people clear caffeine far more slowly, and pregnancy and some medications can stretch it out a lot. 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. For the hour-by-hour curve, see how long caffeine lasts.
How much Mountain Dew a day is too much?
For healthy adults, the FDA cites 400 mg of caffeine a day as an amount not generally linked to negative effects. That's about seven 12 oz cans of Mountain Dew or four 20 oz bottles, before any coffee, tea or energy drinks.
That figure is for adults, not children or teens. The FDA notes that medical experts advise against energy drinks for kids and teens, and that too much caffeine in young people can cause a racing heart, anxiety and sleep problems, so a big bottle of Dew isn't a great choice for them either. For the full daily picture, see the caffeine in drinks chart and how much caffeine is too much.