Lion's Mane Coffee: What It Is, Caffeine and How to Make It

Lion's mane coffee is regular coffee blended with lion's mane mushroom extract, so you get the same caffeine as your usual cup plus a measured amount of a mushroom that researchers have studied in small human trials. Here's what those trials measured, how to read the label, how much caffeine you're drinking, who should check first, a home recipe and a coffee-free option.

Key Takeaways

• Lion's mane coffee is coffee plus lion's mane extract. The caffeine comes from the coffee, about 95 mg in an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee.
• Recent trials in healthy young adults used 1.8 g and 3 g of lion's mane and measured attention, processing speed, stress and mood.
• An extract ratio such as 8:1 describes how much dried mushroom went into the extract. It tells you yield, not strength.
• Reported side effects are mostly mild stomach upset. Ask a clinician first if you're pregnant, nursing or take medication.
• For a coffee-free cup, a mushroom hot chocolate puts lion's mane and cordyceps on a cocoa base, with a little natural caffeine plus theobromine.

What Is Lion's Mane Coffee?

Lion's mane (Hericium erinaceus) is an edible mushroom with long, shaggy spines. Lion's mane coffee is simply coffee, usually ground or instant, mixed with a powdered lion's mane extract. It isn't a different coffee bean, and the mushroom doesn't replace the caffeine.

The caffeine is whatever the coffee brings, and the amount and type of lion's mane varies from blend to blend, so the label tells you more than the name. If you're weighing this against your usual brew, our guide to mushroom coffee vs regular coffee covers the broader category, and our lion's mane ingredient page covers the mushroom itself.

What Human Research on Lion's Mane Has Measured

Most lion's mane research is in cells and animals. Human trials are fewer and smaller, and none we found tested lion's mane coffee as a drink. Here's what two recent trials in healthy adults looked at.

Healthy adults aged 18 to 45. A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study gave 41 healthy adults either 1.8 g of lion's mane or a placebo, testing them 60 minutes after a single dose and again after 28 days. The lion's mane group was faster on the Stroop task (a test of attention and processing speed) at 60 minutes, and showed a trend toward lower self-rated stress after 28 days that didn't quite reach statistical significance (Docherty et al., 2023).

Healthy adults aged 18 to 35. A randomized crossover study gave 18 healthy young adults in the UK a single 3 g dose of a 10:1 lion's mane fruiting body extract in a drink, or a matched placebo drink, and tested them 90 minutes later. There was no significant effect on the overall cognition score or the mood score. Scores on a pegboard dexterity task improved, while scores on one attention task (the Flanker test) were worse than with placebo. The authors concluded that any effects may be specific to certain tasks (Surendran et al., 2025).

So far the human research is a few short, small trials in healthy young adults. For more on the focus side of this research, see lion's mane and focus.

Fruiting Body vs Mycelium, and What 8:1 Means

A mushroom has two main parts. The fruiting body is the mushroom you can see and cook. The mycelium is the root-like network that grows underneath it. Researchers have found bioactive compounds in both the fruiting bodies and the mycelia of lion's mane (Memorial Sloan Kettering, 2024), but the two aren't the same ingredient. A good label tells you which one you're getting; see lion's mane fruiting body vs mycelium for how to read it.

An extract ratio, written as something like 8:1 or 10:1, is the amount of dried starting material used to make a given amount of extract. A 10:1 ratio means about 10 g of dried plant went into each 1 g of extract. A review of botanical extract ratios points out that this number describes yield, not strength, and that it doesn't tell you how much of any specific compound the extract contains or what solvent was used (Monagas et al., 2022). So 8:1 means roughly 8 g of dried mushroom per 1 g of extract. Our explainer What Does 8:1 Extract Actually Mean? goes further.

How Much Lion's Mane Studies Used vs a Typical Cup

The two trials above used 1.8 g of lion's mane and 3 g of a 10:1 fruiting body extract.

• Check the milligrams of lion's mane per serving.
• Check the part. Fruiting body, mycelium or both.
• Check the form. Whole mushroom powder and an extract with a stated ratio aren't directly comparable.

For reference, our Mushroom Cacao has 500 mg of an 8:1 lion's mane fruiting body extract per serving.

How Much Caffeine Is in Lion's Mane Coffee?

Lion's mane doesn't contain caffeine, so the caffeine depends on the coffee. USDA FoodData Central lists brewed coffee at 40 mg of caffeine per 100 g, which works out to about 95 mg in an 8 oz cup (USDA FoodData Central).

For most adults, the FDA has cited 400 mg of caffeine a day as an amount not generally linked to negative effects, which is roughly two to three 12 oz cups of coffee (FDA, 2024). Sensitivity varies from person to person. Our guide to theobromine vs caffeine compares caffeine with the stimulant in cocoa.

Side Effects and Who Should Check First

From lion's mane. The NIH's LiverTox database reports mild stomach complaints, such as abdominal discomfort, nausea or diarrhea, and at least one acute allergic reaction to oral lion's mane. It notes no case reports of clinically apparent liver injury attributed to it (LiverTox, 2024). Memorial Sloan Kettering also lists skin rash and says lion's mane supplements can interact with some medications (Memorial Sloan Kettering, 2024). If you've reacted to mushrooms before, ask a clinician first. Our full guide to lion's mane side effects covers what the trials recorded.

From caffeine. The FDA lists a faster heart rate, palpitations, trouble sleeping, jitteriness, upset stomach, nausea and headache as signs of too much caffeine (FDA, 2024).

Talk to a clinician first if you:

• are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breastfeeding
• take prescription medication or other supplements
• have sleep disorders, migraines, GERD or ulcers, an irregular heartbeat or high blood pressure, which MedlinePlus lists as reasons to ask about limiting caffeine (MedlinePlus, 2021)
• are buying for a child or teen, since MedlinePlus notes they should have less caffeine than adults

How to Make Lion's Mane Coffee at Home

Any lion's mane extract powder works with the coffee you already drink.

1. Brew your coffee the usual way.
2. Measure the lion's mane using the serving on your powder's label. Start at or below that amount.
3. Stir it into a little hot coffee first to make a smooth paste, then add the rest of the cup. This helps avoid clumps.
4. Add milk if you like. A frother helps everything blend.
5. Count this cup toward your daily caffeine.

A Coffee-Free Option: Mushroom Hot Chocolate

If you like the idea of a daily mushroom drink but want to cut back on coffee, a mushroom hot chocolate is a gentler swap. Our Mushroom Cacao puts 500 mg of lion's mane and 500 mg of cordyceps, both 8:1 fruiting body extracts, on a base of cocoa powder, cacao powder, coconut milk powder and a high polyphenol, high theobromine cocoa extract, sweetened with stevia. It has 15 calories and 0 g of sugar per serving.

It isn't caffeine free. Cacao naturally contains caffeine (MedlinePlus, 2021), so a cup has a small amount along with theobromine, a related compound found in cocoa. You can read more on our theobromine and cordyceps pages, or see is hot chocolate good for you? for how cocoa drinks stack up. For more swaps beyond hot chocolate, our guide to coffee alternatives walks through the options. Our guide does chocolate have caffeine? has more detail.

For more on cups like this, including caffeine against coffee and a simple recipe, see our guide to mushroom hot chocolate.

Lion's Mane Coffee vs Regular Coffee vs Mushroom Hot Chocolate

	Lion's mane coffee	Regular coffee	Mushroom hot chocolate (our Mushroom Cacao)
Base	Coffee plus lion's mane extract	Coffee	Cocoa and cacao with coconut milk powder
Main stimulant	Caffeine	Caffeine	Theobromine
Caffeine	Same as the coffee used; about 95 mg in an 8 oz brewed cup	About 95 mg in an 8 oz brewed cup	A small amount from cocoa and cacao; not caffeine free
Lion's mane per serving	Varies by blend; check the label	None	500 mg (8:1 fruiting body extract)
Other mushrooms	Sometimes	None	500 mg cordyceps (8:1 fruiting body extract)

Where Our Products Fit

Mushroom Cacao is our mushroom hot chocolate for people who want lion's mane and cordyceps in a warm, coffee-free cup. Stir 1 rounded teaspoon (5 g) into 6 to 8 oz of hot water or warm milk, stir or froth, and have it once a day, ideally in the morning or early afternoon. A $50 jar holds 28 servings. It's part of our non-stimulant energy and focus range.

If you'd rather take your mushrooms as capsules, Forage combines seven 8:1 fruiting body mushroom extracts, including lion's mane (200 mg) and cordyceps (200 mg), with Himalayan shilajit extract and ashwagandha root extract (100 mg).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does lion's mane coffee have less caffeine than regular coffee?

Not necessarily. Lion's mane has no caffeine, so the total depends on how much coffee is in each serving. A full 8 oz cup of brewed coffee has about 95 mg (USDA FoodData Central).

How much lion's mane did human studies use?

Recent trials in healthy young adults used 1.8 g of lion's mane and 3 g of a 10:1 fruiting body extract (Docherty et al., 2023; Surendran et al., 2025).

Is fruiting body or mycelium better?

They're different parts of the mushroom, and bioactive compounds have been found in both. Rather than ranking them, look for a label that names the part and the amount, so you know what you're getting.

What does 8:1 mean on a mushroom extract?

It means about 8 g of dried mushroom were used to make 1 g of extract. It describes yield, not strength or the level of any specific compound (Monagas et al., 2022).

Can I drink lion's mane coffee every day?

If you do, keep your total daily caffeine in view and follow the serving on the label. If you're pregnant, nursing or take medication, check with your clinician first.

Is mushroom hot chocolate caffeine free?

No. Cocoa and cacao naturally contain a small amount of caffeine along with theobromine, so our Mushroom Cacao isn't caffeine free, though it's a coffee-free cup.

Sources

1. Docherty S, Doughty FL, Smith EF. The acute and chronic effects of lion's mane mushroom supplementation on cognitive function, stress and mood in young adults: a double-blind, parallel groups, pilot study. Nutrients. 2023;15(22):4842. PMID 38004235
2. Surendran G, Saye J, Mohd Jalil SB, et al. Acute effects of a standardised extract of Hericium erinaceus (Lion's Mane mushroom) on cognition and mood in healthy younger adults: a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled study. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2025;12:1405796. PMID 40276537
3. Monagas M, Brendler T, Brinckmann J, et al. Understanding plant to extract ratios in botanical extracts. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2022;13:981978. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.981978
4. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central: Beverages, coffee, brewed, prepared with tap water (FDC ID 171890). fdc.nal.usda.gov
5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? 2024. fda.gov
6. MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. Caffeine. 2021. medlineplus.gov
7. LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Lion's Mane. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2024. NBK599740
8. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Lion's Mane Mushroom. 2024. mskcc.org

Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is for education only and is not medical advice.