Nestlé
How much caffeine is in Milo?
Sources checked claim by claim by an AI review. Approved for publishing by Oleksii Y. on 2026-10-09.
One 20 g serve of powder of Milo has 2.2–4.8 mg of caffeine, according to Nestlé MILO Australia.
How Milo compares
- Strength: 18 mg per 100 g (middle of the range).
- One 20 g serve of powder has as much caffeine as less than a sixth of a cup of brewed coffee, which has 94.8 mg per 8 fl oz cup.
- Of the 8 other chocolate foods and drinks in our chocolate chart, 6 have more caffeine per serving and 2 have less.
How much will be left at bedtime?
1 × 20 g serve of powder of Milo (middle of the range)
Left at 11:00 PM (8 h later), average metabolism
≈ 1 mg
Range 1–2 mg (fast to slow metabolism)
4 mg is already at or under the 50 mg this tool aims to have left at bedtime.
What sleep studies found near this dose
- Gardiner et al. 2025 (randomized trial): In 23 healthy young men, 100 mg taken 12, 8 or 4 hours before bed had no significant effect on measured or self-rated sleep.
- Gardiner et al. 2023 (meta-analysis): To avoid losing sleep time, the authors suggest a coffee (107 mg per 250 ml) at least 8.8 hours before bed.
Estimate from a simple model: half-life of 3, 5 or 8 hours, 50 mg bedtime target. How we calculate
How long does Milo stay in your system?
Our model halves caffeine every 5 hours for average metabolism, and every 3 or 8 hours for fast or slow metabolism. From one 20 g serve of powder of Milo (4 mg), about 2 mg is still in your body 5 hours later and about 1 mg after 10 hours. If you clear caffeine slowly (an 8-hour half-life), about 2 mg is left after 10 hours.
Estimated caffeine left at 11:00 PM from one 20 g serve of powder (4 mg), using a half-life of 5 hours for average metabolism and 3 to 8 hours for the range. How we calculate
| Had at | Left at bedtime (average) | Range |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM (15 h before bed) | ≈ 1 mg | 0–1 mg |
| 12:00 PM (11 h before bed) | ≈ 1 mg | 0–2 mg |
| 3:00 PM (8 h before bed) | ≈ 1 mg | 1–2 mg |
| 6:00 PM (5 h before bed) | ≈ 2 mg | 1–3 mg |
How many fit in a day?
Reference amounts are for caffeine from all sources combined. Counted at the upper end of the stated amount, one serving at a time:
- Up to 400 mg a day for most healthy adults (FDA, EFSA): about 83 servings.
- Up to 200 mg at one time for healthy adults (EFSA): about 41 servings in one go.
- Up to 200 mg a day in pregnancy (EFSA, NHS): about 41 servings.
These are reference amounts for groups of people, not a personal limit. Some people feel jittery or sleep worse on much less. See the cutoff calculator for timing.
Good to know
MILO's Australian FAQ says the caffeine occurs naturally in cocoa and is less than 10% of the caffeine in a cup of instant coffee.
Milo vs other cocoa drink drinks
- Hot chocolate: Milo has more caffeine than hot chocolate per 100 g (18 vs 3 mg). Milo: 2.2–4.8 mg per 20 g serve of powder; Hot chocolate: 7.4 mg per 1 cup, made with milk (248 g). Per serving the order flips, because the servings differ in size.
- Chocolate milk: Milo has more caffeine than chocolate milk per 100 g (18 vs 1 mg). Milo: 2.2–4.8 mg per 20 g serve of powder; Chocolate milk: 2.5 mg per 1 cup (248 g).
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Milo has less caffeine than unsweetened cocoa powder per 100 g (18 vs 230 mg). Milo: 2.2–4.8 mg per 20 g serve of powder; Unsweetened cocoa powder: 12.4 mg per 1 tbsp (5.4 g).
Common questions
How much caffeine is in Milo?
Nestlé MILO Australia gives 2.2–4.8 mg of caffeine per 20 g serve of powder.
How many Milo servings can I have in a day?
The FDA and EFSA cite up to 400 mg of caffeine a day, from all sources combined, for most healthy adults. At 2.2–4.8 mg per 20 g serve of powder, that is about 83 servings if Milo is your only source. In pregnancy the reference is 200 mg a day.
How late can I drink Milo?
One serving has about 4 mg, which is at or under the 50 mg our calculator aims to have left at bedtime, so it sets no cutoff for a single serving. Several servings add up.
Does Milo have more caffeine than Hot chocolate?
Milo has more caffeine than hot chocolate per 100 g (18 vs 3 mg). Milo: 2.2–4.8 mg per 20 g serve of powder; Hot chocolate: 7.4 mg per 1 cup, made with milk (248 g). Per serving the order flips, because the servings differ in size.
How long does Milo stay in your system?
Of the 4 mg in one 20 g serve of powder, roughly 2 mg remains after 5 hours and 1 mg after 10 hours with our average 5-hour half-life. From fast to slow metabolism, 10 hours later it is between 0 and 2 mg.
Where the number comes from
- FAQs. Nestlé MILO Australia. "Does MILO® contain caffeine?": "Caffeine naturally occurs in cocoa. MILO® powder contains 0.011-0.024g caffeine/100g MILO® i.e. 2.2mg-4.8mg per 20g serve MILO®. This is less than 10% of the caffeine found in a cup of instant coffee" Accessed 2026-10-09. Source ↗
Recipes and labels change. If a number here no longer matches the label, the label wins.
General information, not medical advice
If you feel unwell after caffeine — for example chest pain, a fast or irregular heartbeat that does not settle, fainting, confusion or trouble breathing — get urgent medical help. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, take medication, or have a heart, liver or anxiety condition, high blood pressure or a sleep disorder, ask a doctor or pharmacist what amount is right for you.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2024). Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? FDA Consumer Updates. fda.gov ↗
- European Food Safety Authority. Caffeine | EFSA. EFSA topic page (summary of the 2015 Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine). efsa.europa.eu ↗
- NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy. NHS. nhs.uk ↗
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