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Does Coffee Count as Fluid?

Does Coffee Count as Fluid?
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Updated on April 3, 2025
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“Stay well-hydrated” is one of those pieces of nutritional advice you’ve probably been hearing your whole life — and for good reason. Fluids play a role in key body functions, such as regulating body temperature, lubricating your joints, cushioning your spinal cord, and flushing out waste.

It seems like it should be easy enough, but getting enough liquids can be surprisingly tricky. Additionally, many of us don’t only drink only water. In the United States, coffee is another go-to beverage, with 62 percent of Americans drinking it every day.

So, does your favorite pick-me-up beverage contribute to your daily hydration needs? We got the scoop from dietitians.

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Does Coffee Count Toward Hydration?

Yes, coffee counts as fluid — with a couple of caveats. “I count coffee toward daily fluid intake despite its caffeine content,” says the Illinois-based nutritionist Jessica Colón, RDN. Though caffeine is a diuretic — meaning it helps the kidneys pull water from your tissues and into your bladder — these effects aren’t significant enough to outweigh the hydration it provides, Colón says. After all, brewed coffee is 99 percent water.

“I wouldn’t consider coffee a replacement for hydrating beverages like water, especially as coffee often contains added calories from creamers and sweeteners,” Colón says. For overall health and hydration, water is still your best bet. But if you enjoy a few cups of coffee each day, feel free to continue doing just that — and start counting a portion of it toward your personal fluid goal.

Signs of Dehydration

Thirst may be the first sign of dehydration, but it’s far from the only one. Even mild dehydration can lead to fatigue, dizziness, headaches, and muscle cramps.

Other potential signs that you’re low on fluids include dark yellow urine or reduced urine output, dry mouth, and dry skin, Colón says.

As dehydration progresses, you might also experience confusion, a rapid heartbeat, or extreme weakness. “If any of these severe symptoms occur, medical attention should be sought immediately,” Colón says.

Coffee vs. Water: How Do They Compare?

Because the caffeine in regular coffee can have a diuretic effect, it might seem reasonable to assume that coffee is dehydrating — but that’s not the case. “The idea that coffee is dehydrating is a persistent myth,” says Jamie Baham, RDN, a registered dietitian-nutritionist in Oklahoma City. While drinking caffeinated coffee will cause a slight increase in urine excretion, it won’t cause you to lose more fluid than you’re getting from the coffee itself.

 Baham adds that habitual coffee drinkers may develop a tolerance to caffeine, which also helps prevent fluid loss.
Meanwhile, coffee contains one thing water does not: antioxidants. “Coffee is rich in polyphenols, particularly chlorogenic and caffeic acids,” Baham notes. Research has linked these antioxidants to benefits like improving blood pressure and decreasing inflammation.

 Again, the takeaway isn’t to replace water with coffee — but that coffee can be a healthy drink with benefits you won’t get from water alone.

Types of Coffee: How Hydrating Are They?

There are so many different types of coffee drinks to choose from, and your personal preference will affect how much hydration you’ll get from your brew. Two main factors dictate how much hydration you’ll be getting: the amount of caffeine and the volume of the beverage.

“If you're looking for the most hydrating option, decaf coffee is your best choice, since it lacks the diuretic effect of caffeine,” says Colón. For example, an 8 ounce (oz) cup of regular brewed coffee contains about 96 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, while an 8 oz cup of decaffeinated brewed coffee contains only 2 mg of caffeine.

If you want some caffeine while maximizing hydration, Colón says a half-caff coffee is a good compromise, providing a lower caffeine content while still contributing to daily fluid intake. Caffeinated instant coffee also falls somewhere in the middle, with 62 mg of caffeine per 8 oz serving. Similarly, a 1 oz serving of espresso contains about 64 mg of caffeine — but at 1 oz, you won’t be getting much liquid from espresso.

The Takeaway

  • Although the caffeine in coffee gives it a diuretic effect, it still counts toward your daily fluid goal.
  • Water is always a good hydration choice, but coffee provides antioxidants that water does not. Keep in mind that adding cream or sugar to coffee adds calories and may negate the benefits of coffee.
  • The lower the caffeine content, the more hydrating the coffee will be.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. About Water and Healthier Drinks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 2, 2024.
  2. NCA Releases Atlas of American Coffee. National Coffee Association. March 26, 2020.
  3. Beverages, coffee, brewed, prepared with tap water. USDA FoodData Central. April 1, 2019.
  4. Dehydration. Cleveland Clinic. June 5, 2023.
  5. Zeratsky K. Do caffeinated drinks, such as coffee or energy drinks, hydrate you as well as water? Mayo Clinic. January 12, 2023.
  6. Yu Y et al. Chlorogenic acid intake guidance: Sources, health benefits, and safety. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2022.
  7. Pavlíková N. Caffeic Acid and Diseases—Mechanisms of Action. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. December 29, 2022.
  8. Caffeine Content for Coffee, Tea, Soda, and More. Mayo Clinic. February 6, 2025.
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Reyna Franco, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.

In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.

She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.

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Kelly Kennedy, RDN, LDN

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Kelly Kennedy is a licensed dietitian-nutritionist with over 14 years of experience in digital media. She previously managed and oversaw nutrition content, recipe development, meal planning, and diet and nutrition coaching at Everyday Health. She developed and reviewed various meal plans, books, slideshows, and online tools, and oversaw the creation of more than 500 unique recipes. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a master's degree from the State University of New York College at Oneonta.

Kennedy enjoys anything that takes her outside, from gardening and playing in the yard with her kids to hiking and even feeding her pet chickens.

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Sarah Garone

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Sarah Garone is a licensed nutritionist, registered nutrition and dietetics technician, freelance health and wellness writer, and food blogger in Mesa, Arizona. She has written for The Washington Post, Healthline, Greatist, Verywell, and Eat This, Not That, among other outlets. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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