Popular Fruits Ranked by Sugar Content—Find Out Which Ones Pack the Most Sweetness
It's no secret that fruit contains sugar. However, these sugars are usually not counted in dietary or health guidelines. For instance, the American Heart Association only measures added sugar–sweeteners that are not naturally occurring.
But that hasn’t stopped concerns about how much glucose is in fruit. People on more strict diets need to know if snacking on a pear will throw off their day. Are fruits really healthy with all that sweetness? And which fruits have more sucrose than others? Keep reading to learn the under-discussed truth about sugar in fruits. Which one surprised you the most?
Figs Are One Of The Sweetest
Figs are the most sugar-dense fruit around. With eight grams of sugar per fig, one serving of this fruit adds up to 32 grams of sugar. But even in dried figs, these sugars are all-natural. Figs provide many nutrients on top of their sugar.
Figs are high in fiber and potassium that benefit gut health. Add them to desserts, cereal, and muffins to get your sweet dose without loading up on added sugar.
Cherries Are So Sweet, You'll Fall Asleep
An average cup of cherries provides 13 grams of sugar. Sweet cherries (different from red cherries) contain 20 grams of sugar per cup. As with most fruit, dried cherries have more added sugars than fresh cherries, with almost 30 grams per one-third cup.
If you're looking for a fruity dessert, cherries are your best bet. According to research in the American Journal of Therapeutics, cherries help people sleep because they naturally produce melatonin.
Grapes Are Sugary, But They're Also Healthy
If you eat one cup of grapes, you'll consume 15 grams of sugar. However, the sugar content varies by grape. Cotton candy grapes provide 23 grams per cup, while raisins raise the natural sugars to 25 grams. That's why they're so yummy!
This isn't a reason to avoid grapes, however. They're packed with vitamins C, K, and B6. Grapes have around 1,600 plant compounds, including antioxidants, most of which are in red grapes.
Mangoes Have Some Of The Most Sugar
As with most tropical fruits, mangoes are filled with natural sugars. If you were to eat the whole mango, you'd consume 46 grams of sugar--more than most doughnuts!
However, most people don't eat that much. One cup of mango takes up half the fruit, which equals 23 grams of fructose. Despite its high sugar levels, mangoes help blood glucose levels.
Eat Sweet Kiwis For Your Respiratory System
Kiwis have fewer sugars than other tropical fruits because they're so small. If you eat one kiwi, you'll only consume around six grams of sugar. Increase that amount to one cup, and you'll receive 16 grams. Since many people eat fewer kiwis per serving, they usually don't have this much sucrose.
Along with having the usual fruit benefits like high fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, kiwis also improve respiratory health.
Bananas Won't Hurt You
Have you ever wondered why banana bread tastes so sweet? It's not just the added sugar. A medium banana has around 14 grams of sugar. That's almost double what you receive from one cup of strawberries. But like the other fruits on this list, there's no reason to dump bananas.
"Nobody gets fat or develops diabetes from eating too many bananas," says Registered Dietitian Jessica Bihuniak. She adds that bananas are packed with fiber, electrolytes, potassium, and B vitamins.
Honeydew Is Mostly Sugar, But It's Good For You
Honeydew melon is sweeter than other melons due to its sugar content. An average honeydew wedge has 10 grams of sugar, while a cup is closer to 14 grams. Since honeydew is mainly water, sugar accounts for 90% of honeydew's calories. But these calories also offer fiber, which prevents us from feeling a sugar rush.
Honeydew is also full of nutrients that are vital for bone health. This melon also supplies vitamin K, another mineral that contributes to healthy bones.
Are Oranges Sugary? It Depends
Sugar in oranges depends on their size. Large oranges, for instance, have up to 17 grams of sugar, while small ones have nine grams. On average, a medium-sized orange contains 12 grams of sugar. Tangerines have slightly more at 12.7 grams per fruit (again, depending on their size).
The main carbs in oranges are simple sugars--fructose, glucose, and sucrose--and fiber. They also provide vitamin C, potassium, and B vitamins.
Lychees Taste Sweet For A Reason
Lychee is a tropical fruit that is often added to Thai foods and drinks. When you peel off the red skin, the white insides provide a burst of sweetness. One cup of lychees supplies 30 grams of sugar. If you use lychee syrup for drink recipes, you'll eat even more sugar.
At the same time, a cup of lychees supplies well over your daily recommended vitamin C. They also have a healthy amount of copper and potassium.
Pineapples Are Basically Dessert
As a general rule, tropical fruits have more sugar than temperate fruits. Pineapple is a good example. One cup of pineapple has about 16 grams of sugar. If you were to eat the entire fruit, you'd consume 89 grams of sugar! That's about seven chocolate donuts.
But pineapple isn't like added sugar--it comes with a host of nutrients. One cup of pineapple provides 131% of your daily vitamin C and 76% of your recommended manganese.
How Much Watermelon Should You Eat?
As its name suggests, watermelon is 92% water. But this tropical fruit also has a high amount of sugar. A medium-sized wedge of watermelon comes out to 17 grams of glucose; dicing the fruit into a cup lowers that amount to 10 grams. Fortunately, this isn't as much sugar as some other fruits.
Watermelon lends 20% of your daily vitamin C, 17% of your vitamin A, and some fiber. Plus, it hydrates you.
Apples Likely Won't Increase Blood Sugar
Although apples taste sweet, they have less sugar than other fruits. A cup of chopped apples has around 10 grams of sugar, while a whole, medium apple raises the amount to 19 grams.
But most people don't eat the entire apple when they avoid the core.
Apricots Have Low Glucose
Unlike their fruity cousins, apricots have very few sugars. A single apricot contains just over three grams of sugar, according to the USDA. If you increase that amount to one cup, you'll eat 15 grams of sugar. They also supply vitamin A, copper, manganese, potassium, and vitamin C.
Apricots have a low glycemic index, which makes them safe for blood sugar levels. Dried apricots have an even lower glycemic index due to their high fiber.
Blueberries Are A Very Sugary Berry
In general, berries have less sucrose than other fruits. But blueberries are at the higher end of the berry list. One cup of blueberries comes out to 15 grams of simple sugars. That same amount provides almost 30% of your daily vitamin K recommendation.
Remember that when you eat blueberries, you aren't just consuming sugar. You're also eating antioxidants that improve brain health. Because blueberries provide antioxidants that remove stress from the brain, they may help people stay sharp.
Strawberries Have Less Sucrose Than Other Berries
With less than one gram of sugar per strawberry, they may seem like a low-sugar fruit. But let's be real; few people eat only one strawberry. It's more accurate to measure strawberries by cups, which raises the amount to seven grams. That's still lower than many other fruits.
With their high amounts of potassium and vitamin C, strawberries are a natural anti-inflammatory. Not only are they slow to digest, but they slow down the digestion of other foods as well.
Lemons Are The Least Sweet Of All
When most people think "sweet fruit," they probably don't consider lemons. These sour fruits have less sugar than most others. A typical lemon has less than two grams of sucrose, which adds up to only five grams per cup. It's no wonder that lemonade requires sugar!
The American Diabetes Association lists lemon as a superfood for its high amounts of vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin C. There's a myth that lemons contain more sugar than strawberries, which isn't true. Lemons have less sugar and more fiber than strawberries.
