Short answer
You can, and the evidence suggests it does little harm, but there are gaps. The 1996 study behind the worry used high-dose caffeine during a creatine load. Later trials, including one using coffee, found no clear harm and no extra benefit. Heat speeds creatine's breakdown in liquid, but no study has measured how much is lost in a cup you drink right away.
Where the worry came from
In a 1996 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, 9 men took creatine (0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight a day) for 6 days, alone or with caffeine at 5 milligrams per kilogram a day. Muscle phosphocreatine rose 4 to 6% either way. But muscle force improved 10 to 23% with creatine alone and did not change with caffeine added. The authors wrote that caffeine completely eliminated the benefit. It was one small study, using a creatine dose above the usual loading amount.
What later trials found
A 2016 trial gave 54 active men 20 grams of creatine a day for 5 days, alone, with 300 mg of caffeine, with coffee providing 303 mg of caffeine, or a placebo. Strength improved in every group, and no group did better than placebo, including creatine alone. Four people reported mild stomach upset with creatine plus caffeine powder; no side effects were reported in the coffee group.
A 2025 review in the ISSN's journal counts about 10 studies and concludes the two likely do not oppose each other in the short term.
What nobody has tested
The same review says opposing effects are more likely at 5 mg per kilogram of caffeine or more, and in people with lower caffeine tolerance. It also says long-term interference is unknown, and that daily caffeine with a daily 3 to 10 gram creatine routine has not been studied. The review adds that taking both during a loading phase may increase stomach upset.
Does hot coffee break creatine down?
Somewhat, but how much in one cup is unmeasured. A 2009 lab study found creatine is very stable as dry crystals, while in liquid its breakdown to creatinine sped up predictably with heat across 4 to 35 °C (39 to 95 °F). A 2025 lab study tested heat from 60 to 200 °C (140 to 392 °F) and drinks including coffee, and found temperature was the biggest factor. Neither measured a hot cup drunk within minutes. Stirring it in and drinking it soon is the cautious choice.
Related questions
Is iced coffee better than hot?
Cooler liquid slows creatine breakdown in lab studies, but no study has compared creatine in iced and hot coffee directly.
Should you skip your morning coffee while taking creatine?
The evidence does not support that. The 2025 review found short-term use of both under 5 mg of caffeine per kilogram likely does not cause opposing muscle effects.
Read next
Sources
- Vandenberghe et al., J Appl Physiol, 1996 (caffeine and creatine loading)
- Trexler et al., J Strength Cond Res, 2016 (coffee and caffeine during creatine loading)
- Antonio et al., J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2025 (common questions about creatine, part II)
- Uzzan et al., Drug Dev Ind Pharm, 2009 (creatine stability, water activity and temperature)
- Saiki et al., Food Res Int, 2025 (creatine degradation under heat and in beverages)
Published 2026-10-07 · Last checked 2026-10-07
Educational content, not medical advice. Made for the United States.