When it comes to Dunkin or Starbucks, two of the most popular coffee chains in the world, all coffee drinkers have an opinion.
I’m not here to sway you into thinking one is necessarily better. Although, it’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Dunkin.
But I do think it’s worth exploring the differences in caffeine between the two drinks. Between energy drinks, pre-workout supplements, and coffee, it can be very easy to consume a ton of caffeine if you are not careful.
So let’s explore Starbucks vs Dunkin and see exactly how the caffeine content stacks up!
Starbucks coffee with the most caffeine
The Starbucks coffee that contains the most caffeine is the Blonde Roast. Here’s how much caffeine a blonde roast contains:
Short (8oz): 180mg
Tall (12oz): 270mg
Grande (16oz): 360mg
Venti (20oz): 475mg
That’s right, a Venti Blonde Roast contains nearly 500mg of caffeine! For many people, that’s more caffeine than they can comfortably handle in a single day.
Caffeine tolerances vary, but the FDA recommends a 400mg caffeine consumption limit as a general guideline.
I know what you may be thinking: “Isn’t that a light roast? Shouldn’t it be lighter in caffeine than a dark roast?”
This is what I originally thought, but it turns out light roasts are actually more caffeinated than dark roasts! The more ya know.
Dunkin coffee with the most caffeine
Believe it or not, iced coffee is the most highly caffeinated Dunkin’ drink. Typically speaking, cold brew contains more caffeine than iced coffee, but that is not the case with Dunkin’ brand. Here is how much caffeine a Dunkin’ iced coffee contains:
Small (10oz): 198mg
Medium (14oz): 297mg
Large (20oz): 396mg
While not quite as much caffeine as the blonde roast from Starbucks, the Dunkin donuts iced coffee still weighs in at nearly 400mg, which is more than most people will require in a single day!
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Starbucks vs Dunkin’ Caffeine Content
Before we dive into each individual drink, I have a few notes to kick us off.
- Caffeine counts aren’t exact. There are lots of variables involved when calculating caffeine content, and each batch of coffee can end up being slightly different, so consider these close estimates. These are pulled directly from the official sources, but they can never tell you exactly how much caffeine is in each drink.
- . The cup sizes between Dunkin and Starbucks are slightly different. For example, a Starbucks Tall is 12oz and a Grande is 16oz, and a Dunkin small is 10z with a medium being 14oz. Additionally, if you order a venti at Starbucks, hot drinks will be 20oz and cold drinks will be 24oz.
- The Starbucks caffeine levels for some drinks (like a cappuccino) seem to be the same for Grande & Venti, whereas Dunkin caffeine increases as the sizes increase. That leads me to believe that with Starbucks, you’re getting more of the other stuff in those drinks (mostly milk), and not necessarily more espresso.
- There are different roasts available at both Starbucks and Dunkin, and caffeine content for each may vary slightly.
- Seasonal drinks are very popular: pumpkin lattes, peppermint mocha, caramel macchiato, you name it. Generally speaking, they will contain roughly the same amount of caffeine as the basic lattes or macchiatos.
Hot Coffee Caffeine Content
Starbucks Pike Place
Tall (12oz): 235mg
Grande (16oz): 310mg
Venti (20oz): 410mg
Dunkin Original Blend
Small (10oz): 150mg
Medium (14oz): 210mg
Large (20oz): 300mg
Decaf Hot Coffee Caffeine Content
Starbucks Decaf
Tall (12oz): 20mg
Grande (16oz): 25mg
Venti (20oz): 30mg
Dunkin Decaf
Small (10oz): 7mg
Medium (14oz): 10mg
Large (20oz): 15mg
Iced Coffee Caffeine Content
Starbucks Iced Coffee
Tall (12oz): 120mg
Grande (16oz): 165mg
Venti (24oz): 235mg
Dunkin Iced Coffee
Small (10oz): 198mg
Medium (14oz): 297mg
Large (20oz): 396mg
Cold Brew Coffee Caffeine Content
Starbucks Cold Brew
Tall (12oz): 155mg
Grande (16oz): 205mg
Venti (24oz): 310mg
Dunkin Cold Brew
Small (10oz): 174mg
Medium (14oz): 260mg
Large (20oz): 347mg
Nitro Cold Brew Caffeine Content
Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew
Tall (12oz): 215mg
Grande (16oz): 280mg
Dunkin Nitro Cold Brew
Small (10oz): 174mg
Medium (14oz): 260mg
Venti and Large are not available for Nitro Cold Brew. Nitro is served without ice, so when you order a Grande or a Medium, you’ll actually be getting much more coffee than you normally would when there is ice!
Espresso Shot Caffeine Content
Starbucks: 75mg
Dunkin: 118mg
Doubleshot/Tripleshot Caffeine Content
Starbucks
Double Shot: 225mg
Triple Shot: 375mg
Dunkin
Double Shot: 237mg
Triple Shot: 354mg
Americano Caffeine Content
Starbucks Americano
Tall (12oz): 150mg
Grande (16oz): 225mg
Venti (20oz): 300mg
Dunkin Americano
Small (10oz): 237mg
Medium (14oz): 284mg
Large (20oz): 371mg
Macchiato Caffeine Content
Starbucks Macchiato
Tall (12oz): 75mg
Grande (16oz): 150mg
Venti (20oz): 150mg
Dunkin Macchiato
Small (10oz): 237mg
Medium (14oz): 284mg
Large (20oz): 371mg
Latte Caffeine Content
Starbucks Latte
Tall (12oz): 75mg
Grande (16oz): 150mg
Venti (20oz): 150mg
Dunkin Latte
Small (10oz): 118mg
Medium (14oz): 166mg
Large (20oz): 252mg
Cappuccino Caffeine Content
Starbucks Cappuccino
Tall (12oz): 75mg
Grande (16oz): 150mg
Venti (20oz): 150mg
Dunkin Cappuccino
Small (10oz): 118mg
Medium (14oz): 166mg
Large (20oz): 252mg
Iced Macchiato Caffeine Content
Starbucks Iced Macchiato
Tall (12oz): 75mg
Grande (16oz): 150mg
Venti (24oz): 225mg
Dunkin Iced Macchiato
Small (10oz): 237mg
Medium (14oz): 284mg
Large (20oz): 371mg
Iced Latte Caffeine Content
Starbucks Iced Latte
Tall (12oz): 75mg
Grande (16oz): 150mg
Venti (24oz): 225mg
Dunkin Iced Latte
Small (10oz): 118mg
Medium (14oz): 166mg
Large (20oz): 252mg
Frozen Drinks Caffeine Content
Starbucks Frappuccino
Tall (12oz): 70mg
Grande (16oz): 100mg
Venti (24oz): 130mg
Dunkin Frozen Coffee
Small (10oz): 196mg
Medium (14oz): 295mg
Large (20oz): 393mg
Chai Tea Latte Caffeine Content
Starbucks Chai Tea
Tall (12oz): 70mg
Grande (16oz): 95mg
Venti (20oz): 145mg
Dunkin Chai Tea
Small (10oz): 54mg
Medium (14oz): 80mg
Large (20oz): 107mg
Iced Tea Caffeine Content
Starbucks Iced Tea
Tall (12oz): 30mg
Grande (16oz): 40mg
Venti (24oz): 70mg
Dunkin Iced Tea
Small (10oz): 45mg
Medium (14oz): 67mg
Large (20oz): 90mg
How do Dunkin and Starbucks compare?
As you can see, the caffeine content of Starbucks vs Dunkin can vary quite a bit! If you look at something like a frozen coffee vs Frappuccino, you’re looking at almost 300mg difference!
No matter where you go and what coffee you order, the caffeine content is going to vary quite a bit.
If you’re worried about your caffeine consumption, stick with the smaller sizes. Even the most highly caffeinated beverage here, the iced coffee at Dunkin, has under 200mg of caffeine when you order a small. So, when in doubt, stick with a small!