Coffee Substitutes

Start here if you are new

1. Read alternatives to coffee to decide what you want to replace: flavour, caffeine, brewing routine or your usual milky drink.
2. Try chicory coffee as an introduction to roasted-root substitutes, particularly if you want something darker and more coffee-like than an infusion.
3. Explore caffeine-free hot drinks if avoiding caffeine matters more than reproducing coffee’s taste.

You do not have to find an exact imitation. A roasted drink can occupy the same place in your morning without tasting like espresso, while an evening infusion can be enjoyable precisely because it is different.

This hub maps the main choices and directs you to their individual guides. For the wider context of caffeine, ingredients and the strength of health evidence, return to health and science.

Coffee substitutes at a glance

Use these criteria in order: whether the ingredients meet your dietary needs, whether the finished drink contains caffeine, and whether you prefer roasted flavour or a lighter infusion. The descriptions below are broad starting points, not promises about every product.

For a broader comparison, use the alternatives guide. It is the useful next step when you have not yet decided whether to stay close to coffee or move towards another kind of drink.

Roasted roots: chicory and dandelion

Chicory: start here for a distinctive roasted aroma

Chicory coffee is made from roasted chicory root. It can be sold on its own or combined with coffee, so “chicory” on the packaging is not enough to establish that a drink is caffeine-free.

Its resemblance to coffee is more than its brown colour. Laboratory analysis of roasted chicory brews has identified woody, peppery and caramel-like aroma contributors, giving it a recognisable character of its own. Think of it as a separate roasted drink, not coffee with something missing.

Read the chicory guide when you want to distinguish pure chicory from coffee-chicory mixtures and understand what to expect in the cup. It is also the place to explore preparation without assuming that every root product behaves like ground coffee.

One useful boundary concerns fibre claims. Chicory-derived inulin, a fermentable dietary fibre, has been studied separately from the everyday drink. A benefit demonstrated for a measured amount of extracted inulin does not establish the same benefit from an unspecified mug of roasted chicory.

Dandelion: choose the root product deliberately

Dandelion root coffee belongs to the roasted-root family of substitutes. It is not the same product as an infusion made from dandelion leaves, and a blend carrying the dandelion name may contain several other ingredients.

Use the dandelion root guide if this is the alternative you want to try. It helps you focus on the actual drink rather than transferring claims about extracts, leaves or traditional remedies to roasted root.

The health boundary matters here. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports no compelling scientific evidence supporting dandelion for any health condition. It considers food amounts likely safe, but says less is known about larger amounts and advises checking possible interactions with medicines.

Choose it because you want a roasted-root drink, not because it promises to “cleanse” your liver. If you take medicines, discuss regular use of herbal products with a pharmacist or GP.

Roasted cereals: barley coffee and mixed grain drinks

Barley coffee takes a different route to the same role: a dark, roasted hot drink without coffee beans. Commercial cereal substitutes can combine barley with rye and chicory, so the front-of-pack name may describe only part of the recipe.

This category is worth exploring if you prefer the idea of roasted grain to a strongly distinctive root drink. Product formats vary, however. Check whether you are buying a soluble powder or something that needs brewing and straining, rather than choosing equipment from the word “coffee”.

Read barley coffee when you want to understand cereal-based substitutes and compare their preparation formats. Keep this separate from the dietary question: whether you like a drink does not establish whether it is suitable for you.

Barley and rye contain gluten. For someone with coeliac disease, an ordinary barley-based drink is not a suitable default. Do not infer gluten-free status because a drink is filtered, soluble, organic or caffeine-free; use product-specific gluten-free information and seek advice if the labelling is unclear.

For a shared workplace cupboard, keep the original packaging available. Colleagues need access to the ingredient list and allergen information, not just an unlabelled jar described as “coffee alternative”.

Mushroom coffee: check whether it replaces coffee at all

Mushroom coffee is not a reliable synonym for a coffee-free or caffeine-free drink. Products can combine ordinary coffee with mushroom ingredients; Four Sigmatic’s published description, for example, lists instant Arabica coffee alongside mushroom extracts.

That makes the first question straightforward: does this product contain coffee? Next, check its stated caffeine per prepared serving. Neither the mushroom name nor a claim about “calm energy” answers that question.

Read mushroom coffee when you need to separate the coffee component, mushroom species, preparation and evidence behind the claims. It is a different decision from choosing between roasted chicory and barley.

The distinction between ingredient research and product evidence is especially useful here. A controlled trial of a specified mushroom extract cannot automatically validate a commercial coffee blend containing a different amount or preparation. Taste, caffeine reduction and a claimed cognitive benefit are separate questions.

Caffeine-free hot drinks that do not imitate coffee

You may find the best substitute by dropping the imitation requirement altogether. Pure rooibos is one option: analytical research using sensitive laboratory methods detected no caffeine in the rooibos samples tested.

Herbal and fruit infusions offer another direction, but the complete ingredient list still matters. A blend can combine herbs with black or green tea, and ingredients such as guarana also supply caffeine. “Herbal” is not a substitute for checking the contents.

Use the caffeine-free drinks guide when you want to compare infusions and other warm drinks rather than recreate roasted coffee. Start with whether you want something plain, aromatic or milky, then narrow the ingredients.

Warm milk or an unsweetened plant-based drink may also suit the occasion. The NHS includes lower-fat milk and unsweetened plant-based drinks among its practical drink choices. Check any added powders or flavourings separately, especially if your aim is to avoid caffeine or keep added sugar down.

For an evening routine, the simplest useful question is not “Which tastes most like coffee?” but “Which drink would I willingly choose again?”

Match the choice to your reason for switching

If you want less caffeine

Decaffeinated coffee may be the most direct option if you still want actual coffee, although it is not guaranteed caffeine-free. If avoiding coffee ingredients is also part of your aim, look instead at pure roasted roots, suitable cereal substitutes or caffeine-free infusions.

EFSA’s 2015 scientific risk assessment found that, for healthy non-pregnant adults, single caffeine doses up to 200 mg and habitual intake up to 400 mg across the day raise no safety concerns. These are population benchmarks, not targets or assurances that everyone will feel comfortable at those levels.

The same assessment found that 100 mg close to bedtime may affect sleep in some adults. Your reason for switching can therefore be valid even when your intake is below the general adult benchmark.

If you are pregnant

The NHS advises no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day from all sources during pregnancy. Count tea, chocolate, supplements and any coffee-containing substitute alongside your usual drinks.

Caffeine-free does not automatically establish pregnancy suitability. Current NHS advice is to avoid drinking more than four cups of herbal tea a day and to avoid teas containing liquorice root. Ask your midwife or pharmacist about unfamiliar herbal blends or concentrated extracts.

If you are choosing for general health

Judge a substitute by its ingredients and your needs, not by the number of benefits printed beside its name. Removing caffeine, avoiding an allergen and treating a health condition require different evidence.

A useful example is a 2025 double-blind, randomised crossover trial of a specified lion’s mane extract drink in 18 healthy younger adults. It found no significant overall improvement in the combined measures of cognition or mood, although performance on some individual tasks improved. It did not test a commercial mushroom coffee.

Likewise, a placebo-controlled chicory inulin trial used a measured daily fibre supplement, not an ordinary roasted-root brew. These studies illustrate why preparation, dose and outcome matter: “contains the ingredient” is not the same as “shown to deliver the benefit”.