Most standard hot chocolate does not contain any caffeine, but there are a few exceptions:

Regular Powdered Hot Chocolate Mixes These typically do not have any caffeine. The main ingredients are usually:

• Powdered milk/cream
• Sugar
• Cocoa powder
• Flavorings like vanilla

Since they don’t contain any cocoa bean components beyond the cocoa powder, there is no caffeine present.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Some authentic Mexican hot chocolate recipes do contain small amounts of caffeine because they use chocolate made from cacao nibs or Mexican chocolate discs that contain cocoa solids from the cacao bean. The caffeine levels are usually low, around 5-10mg per serving.

Coffee/Espresso Hot Chocolate Specialty coffee shops may offer hot chocolate made by blending steamed milk with chocolate and a shot of espresso. These caffeinated hot chocolates can contain 60-100mg of caffeine.

Chocolate-Flavored Coffee Drinks Beverages like mochas or coffee drinks with chocolate syrup/sauce added contain the caffeine from the coffee or espresso used to make them, despite the chocolate flavoring.

So in summary, plain ol’ powdered hot chocolate mixes from the grocery store are typically caffeine-free. But versions made with darker chocolate or coffee can provide varying levels of caffeine from very low up to a moderate caffeine kick.