Description
CELSIUS Energy Drink
CELSIUS is one of the biggest energy drinks in America and the single most-requested can in our cooler. It sits in a different lane from the rest of the shelf, and it is worth understanding why — including where the marketing runs ahead of the evidence.
200mg of caffeine, 10 calories, zero sugar, and a blend the brand has built its identity on since 2004.
What MetaPlus actually is
MetaPlus is CELSIUS's proprietary blend and it contains six things:
- Green tea extract, standardised for EGCG — a catechin polyphenol studied for a modest effect on resting energy expenditure
- Guarana seed extract — an Amazonian plant whose seeds carry roughly twice the caffeine concentration of coffee beans. Part of the total caffeine comes from here
- Caffeine anhydrous — the rest of the caffeine
- Taurine — an amino acid involved in muscle function and cell hydration
- Ginger root extract — studied in relation to thermogenesis and digestion
- Glucuronolactone — a compound your body produces during glucose metabolism
Plus vitamin C, B vitamins including B6, B12, riboflavin, niacin, biotin and pantothenic acid, and chromium.
Does it actually burn calories? The honest answer
CELSIUS markets itself on thermogenesis — raising your metabolic rate to burn additional calories. This is the claim everyone asks us about, so here is a straight answer.
The effect is real and it is small. EGCG, caffeine and ginger compounds have all been studied for raising resting energy expenditure, and the research does show a measurable increase. But the magnitude is modest — a small number of additional calories, not a fat-loss mechanism.
Caffeine is doing most of the work. 200mg of caffeine reliably raises metabolic rate on its own. The other MetaPlus ingredients may contribute at the margin, but caffeine accounts for the large majority of any thermogenic effect you experience.
What that means practically: CELSIUS is an excellent zero-sugar energy drink with some supporting ingredients. It is not a fat burner and swapping a sugary drink for it will do far more for your body composition than the thermogenesis will. That swap is genuinely worth making — it is just a calorie story, not a metabolic one.
The proprietary blend problem
MetaPlus is a proprietary blend, so the individual doses are not disclosed. You know the six ingredients and you know the total caffeine at 200mg. You do not know how much EGCG, ginger or taurine you are getting.
That matters because EGCG in particular is dose-dependent. The published thermogenesis research uses specific amounts, and without a disclosed dose you cannot tell whether the can is anywhere near them.
We are not saying it is underdosed. We are saying nobody outside CELSIUS can know, and a brand that leads its marketing with a metabolic claim invites the question.
Specs (per 12oz can)
| Caffeine | 200mg total, from caffeine anhydrous and guarana |
| Calories | 10 |
| Sugar | 0g |
| MetaPlus blend | Green tea (EGCG), guarana, caffeine, taurine, ginger, glucuronolactone |
| Vitamins | C, B6, B12, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid |
| Chromium | Included |
| Sweetener | Sucralose |
| Aspartame / HFCS / artificial colours | None |
| Non-GMO, vegan, gluten free, kosher | Yes |
The larger 16oz Essentials line runs 270mg of caffeine and adds L-theanine, L-leucine and L-isoleucine. Different product, higher dose.
Where it sits in our cooler
| BUM Energy | 112mg | Afternoon, low stim, sleep-safe |
| CELSIUS | 200mg | Morning or pre-training, everyday can |
| RYSE Fuel | 200mg | Same dose, fuller nootropic stack |
| Thavage RTD | 305mg | Actual pre-workout, not an energy drink |
CELSIUS is the mainstream everyday option. RYSE at the same caffeine carries more focus ingredients. BUM is the one you can drink at 3pm.
How people drink it
- One can, and CELSIUS says not to exceed that per day. 200mg is half the 400mg daily figure the FDA cites for healthy adults, before any coffee.
- Morning or pre-training. Caffeine's half-life is five to six hours, so a can at 4pm still leaves around 100mg at 10pm.
- As a soda replacement. 10 calories and zero sugar against 150 calories and 39g of sugar in a regular soda. This is the genuinely useful swap.
- Not stacked with a pre-workout without adding the caffeine up first.
Who this is for
- Anyone replacing soda or sugary energy drinks
- People who want a full-strength energy drink from a mainstream brand they recognise
- Anyone avoiding aspartame, high fructose corn syrup or artificial colours
- Vegans and anyone keeping kosher, both covered
Who this is not for
If you are buying it as a fat burner, save your money and put it toward food that keeps you full. The thermogenic effect is real and small, and caffeine is most of it.
If you are caffeine sensitive or drinking it in the afternoon, 200mg is a lot. BUM Energy at 112mg is the better afternoon can.
If you want to know exactly what dose of each ingredient you are getting, the proprietary blend will frustrate you.
Not for anyone under 18, pregnant or nursing.
Stack it with: nothing caffeinated. This is a full dose.
Frequently asked questions
How much caffeine is in CELSIUS?
200mg per 12oz can, from caffeine anhydrous and guarana combined. The 16oz Essentials line has 270mg.
Does CELSIUS actually burn calories?
It raises resting energy expenditure slightly, and that effect is real but modest — a small number of additional calories rather than a fat-loss mechanism. Caffeine accounts for most of it. Replacing a sugary drink with it does far more for your body composition than the thermogenesis does.
What is MetaPlus?
CELSIUS's proprietary blend: green tea extract standardised for EGCG, guarana seed extract, caffeine, taurine, ginger root extract and glucuronolactone. Individual doses are not disclosed.
Is CELSIUS sugar free?
Yes. Zero sugar, 10 calories, sweetened with sucralose. No aspartame, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colours.
Can I drink one every day?
CELSIUS recommends no more than one can per day. At 200mg that is half the commonly cited daily caffeine ceiling before you count coffee.
Is CELSIUS better than other energy drinks?
It is zero sugar with a supporting ingredient blend and no aspartame, which is a genuinely good profile. Whether it beats another can at the same caffeine comes down to what else is in it. At 200mg, RYSE Fuel carries more focus ingredients.
Is it a pre-workout?
No. There is no citrulline and no beta-alanine, so no pumps and no endurance ingredients. It is an energy drink.
What is glucuronolactone?
A compound your body produces during glucose metabolism, commonly included in energy drinks as a supporting ingredient.
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