Neither drink wins on its own. A latte and a macchiato made with the same number of espresso shots contain the exact same caffeine, because milk adds no caffeine at all. The real answer depends on shot count and cup size, not the drink name on the menu.
The USDA FoodData Central database lists one fluid ounce of restaurant-prepared espresso at about 63 mg of caffeine. So any espresso drink is really just a math problem: multiply that number by the shots inside it.
The Short Answer
If both drinks use one espresso shot, the caffeine is identical, roughly 63 to 75 mg. If your latte is larger and uses two or more shots, which is common at coffee chains, the latte will have more caffeine than a single-shot macchiato.
That is why the honest answer is “it depends.” Starbucks, for example, builds a 16 oz grande latte with two espresso shots, delivering about 150 mg of caffeine, according to its published nutrition information. A single-shot espresso macchiato there delivers 75 mg, half as much.
Avoid assuming the bigger cup always means more caffeine. The steamed milk in a latte adds volume, not stimulant. Some espresso tools help you check this yourself, like a digital brewing scale for weighing consistent doses.
What Each Drink Actually Is
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) describes a traditional espresso macchiato as an espresso base, single or double, marked with a small quantity of textured milk foam. Macchiato means “stained” or “marked” in Italian, so the drink is mostly espresso with a spoonful of foam.
A caffè latte combines espresso with steamed milk at roughly a 1:3 to 1:5 ratio. Same espresso foundation, far more milk.
Here is where many people get tripped up: a caramel macchiato, like the one on Starbucks menus, is not a traditional macchiato at all. It is built like a latte, milk first, espresso poured on top, and a grande one carries the same 150 mg of caffeine as a grande latte.
Caffeine Side by Side
Use the table below to compare caffeine across the drink versions you are most likely to actually order.
| Drink and Size | Espresso Shots (starting point) | Typical Caffeine | Milk Content |
| Espresso macchiato, traditional (2–3 oz) | 1–2 | 63–150 mg | 1–2 tsp foam |
| Caffè latte, small café size (12 oz) | 1 | 65–85 mg | High, 1:3 to 1:5 |
| Starbucks caffè latte, grande (16 oz) | 2 | 150 mg | High |
| Starbucks caramel macchiato, grande (16 oz) | 2 | 150 mg | High, latte-style |
Starbucks confirms the pattern on its official nutrition pages: a grande latte and a grande caramel macchiato both sit at 150 mg, while its espresso macchiato lists 75 mg solo and 150 mg doppio. Want to make cafe-strength shots at home? A quality semi-automatic espresso machine lets you control exactly how many shots go in.
Why Shot Count Is the Only Lever That Matters
Espresso-based drinks get every milligram of their caffeine from the espresso itself. Milk, foam, syrups, and ice change the flavor and volume, not the caffeine mass.
The Mayo Clinic, in its guidance on caffeine intake, emphasizes that caffeine content varies widely depending on preparation and serving size. Their point applies directly here: no drink name guarantees a fixed dose, because each café decides its own recipe.
Bean type plays a small secondary role too. Robusta beans carry roughly double the caffeine concentration of arabica, so rare all-robusta espresso blends can push a shot above the typical range.
There is also a milk-dilution nuance worth understanding. A 16 oz double-shot latte and a 2 oz double-shot macchiato deliver the same absolute caffeine, but the tiny drink tastes far stronger per sip. Perceived strength and total caffeine are two different things.
How to Order Based on Your Caffeine Goal
If you want less caffeine, the safest move is asking how many shots are in the drink before ordering, since shot count beats drink name every time. At chains, that usually means checking the menu nutrition data, which most now publish openly.
If you want less caffeine overall, decaf is another route worth knowing about, and we cover the details in our comparison of latte versus decaf coffee caffeine levels.
If you want more caffeine without changing taste, ask for an extra shot rather than a bigger cup. A larger cup often adds milk and sugar instead of espresso.
For context on how these drinks stack against other options, our breakdown of how much caffeine is in a latte covers single-serving numbers in more detail.
Milk texturing matters for quality once you have settled the caffeine question. A well-steamed stainless steel frothing pitcher helps produce the microfoam a proper macchiato mark requires.
Common Recipes at Major Chains
Chain menus make the comparison confusing because sizes map to different shot counts. At Starbucks, a 12 oz tall latte uses one shot (about 75 mg), while 16 oz and larger sizes jump to two or more shots.
That single fact flips the answer for a lot of people: a tall latte and a single-shot traditional macchiato tie at roughly 75 mg, but a grande latte doubles up to 150 mg and pulls ahead.
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The Bottom Line
A one-shot latte and a one-shot traditional macchiato both land near 63 to 75 mg of caffeine, so the drinks tie when shots match. When sizes grow, lattes typically gain espresso shots and win outright, hitting 150 mg in a grande at Starbucks versus 75 mg for a solo macchiato.
Your next step is simple: ask your barista how many shots are in the cup, or better yet, learn to pull your own. Our comparison of latte versus cold brew caffeine extends the same shot-count thinking to non-espresso drinks.