Fruits with a lot of sugar

There are many fruits with a lot of sugar. Some of them are very good for you, and some of them aren’t as healthy.

A fruit is defined as a plant that produces fruits, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing seeds. Some plants bear fruits only once in their life cycle, but others produce additional crops over a period of several years in their native habitat or when cultivated in tropical and temperate regions worldwide. Fruits can be eaten raw or used for cooking.

Fruits are classified according to how they are produced and their parts (see table). There is also a distinction between soft and hard fruits. Soft fruits may be juicy but are not necessarily fleshy. Hard fruits such as nuts and acorns do not fall into either category.

There are many fruits that are high in sugar. You should limit how much fruit you eat and know which fruits have added sugar.

Fruits with a lot of sugar:

Apples – A large apple has about 22 grams of sugar. Apples are not one of the fruits with the highest sugar, but they contain more than most other fruits.

Bananas – A medium banana has about 15 grams of sugar. Bananas don’t have as much fructose as other fruits, but they do contain some glucose and sucrose.

Grapes – One cup of grapes contains about 18 grams of sugar, making them one of the top 10 fruits with the highest amount of sugar per serving size. Grapes also have a very high glycemic index (GI) score, which means that they will spike blood sugar levels quickly if consumed without being combined with other foods that slow down digestion and absorption of carbohydrates into your bloodstream (such as fat or protein).

Mangos – One cup of mangoes contains about 12 grams of sugar, which is right on par with other fruit choices like oranges and apples (which contain around 20 grams per serving).

Fruits are an important part of a healthy diet, but many fruits contain a lot of sugar. The amount of sugar in fruit varies by type, ripeness and variety.

You can control the amount of sugar you get from fruits by choosing less sweet varieties and eating them when they’re ripe.

For example, strawberries have more than twice as much sugar per serving as blueberries — about 8 grams compared with 3 grams for 100 grams (about 3 1/2 ounces). You can also limit your intake of fruits that have added sugars added to them such as canned fruit packed in syrup or dried fruit coated with sugar.

Here are some examples of fruits high in sugar:

Apple: About 12 grams per large apple

Banana: About 15 grams per medium banana

Cantaloupe (rockmelon): About 10 grams per half cantaloupe melon

Grapefruit: About 11 grams per large grapefruit (usually sold as half)

Mango: About 14 grams per large mango

Orange: About 12 grams per large orange

The most common fruits that are high in sugar are the ones that are sweet and juicy, like:

Apples

Pears

Oranges

Grapes

Bananas

Watermelon

Mangos

Pineapple

The sugar in fruits is natural, so they are better than foods that have added sugar. However, some fruits contain more than others.

Fruits high in fructose

Fructose is a type of sugar that is naturally found in fruit. Fructose is sweeter than regular table sugar (sucrose), so it takes less to sweeten the same amount of food. Fructose also has fewer calories than regular table sugar (4 calories per gram vs. 50 calories per gram). Although fructose is less processed than regular table sugar, it’s still not as healthy as whole fruit or other fresh fruits that don’t contain any added sugars.

The following fruits have the highest amounts of fructose:

The sugar content in fruit is a source of controversy.

Some people think that fruit is high in sugar. But others believe it’s not.

The truth is that there are many types of sugar and each type is metabolized differently by the body. For example, fructose (fruit sugar) does not increase blood sugar levels like glucose does. So-called “natural” sugars are still sugars and should be limited in your diet because they can still cause weight gain if you eat too much of them.

It’s important to note that all fruits contain natural sugars, including fructose, sucrose or glucose. However, these sugars occur naturally in foods as opposed to being added during processing or preparation. Natural sugars are found in everything from vegetables to milk products, while added sugars are those you put into your food or beverages when you prepare them at home or order at a restaurant or fast food establishment.

The best way to control sugar intake is by eating whole fruits instead of processed foods and beverages.

Fresh fruit is generally low in sugar, but there are some exceptions. Some fruits contain more naturally occurring sugar than others.

In general, tropical fruits are high in natural sugars because they grow in a warm climate with lots of sunlight. These include mangoes, pineapples, bananas and papayas.

Other fruits that contain higher amounts of natural sugars include watermelons, cantaloupes and honeydew melons.

Fruits are healthy, but they are also high in sugar. Here are the fruits that contain the most sugar and the ones that have the least.

Fruit Sugar Content

The table below shows the amount of sugar contained in 1 cup (250 ml) of various fruits. The values shown are for fresh fruit, not canned or frozen fruit. Keep in mind that these numbers are approximate and will vary depending on growing conditions, variety, ripeness and other factors.

Fruit Serving Size Sugar (g)

Apple 1 large 12

Apricot 2 small 4 – 5

Avocado ¼ of a large avocado 3 – 4

Banana 1 medium banana 16 – 17

Blackberries 1 cup blackberries 8 – 9

Blueberries 1 cup blueberries 6 – 7

Cantaloupe ½ cantaloupe 5 ½ -7 ½

Cherries 10 cherries 3 ½ -5 ½

Grapes 1 cup grapes 15 -20 ¾ cup seedless grapes 25 ¾ cup seeded grapes 30 ¼ cup raisins 70 ¼ cup dried cranberries 85 ¼ cup dried blueberries 90 ½

Excess sugar in the diet is linked to many chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.

The World Health Organization recommends that adults consume less than 10% of their total daily calories from added sugars.

Below is a list of the most common fruits and their sugar content per cup (raw). A cup is considered to be the amount you could fit in one hand.

This chart also includes the sugar content of dried fruits and canned fruits:

Apple (1 medium) – 17 grams

Banana (1 medium) – 15 grams

Grapefruit (1/2 large) – 9 grams

Orange (1 medium) – 10 grams

Pear (1 small) – 12 grams

Pineapple (1 cup cubed) – 8 grams

Raspberry (1 cup whole) – 6 grams

The amount of sugar in fruit varies widely, but most have more naturally occurring fructose than glucose.

Fruits with the highest amounts of natural sugars include:

Bananas. One medium banana contains about 14 grams of sugar, or 130 calories’ worth. A large one has about 20 grams, or 160 calories’ worth.

Pineapple. One cup of chopped pineapple has 15 grams of sugar, or 100 calories’ worth.

Grapes. One cup of grapes has 13 grams of sugar, or 95 calories’ worth.

Strawberries. One cup of sliced strawberries has 8 grams of sugar, or 60 calories’ worth.

Honeydew melon. One cup cubed honeydew melon contains 10 grams of sugar, or 75 calories’ worth.

Some fruits have more sugar than others. You can use the amounts of sugar in the fruits below as a guide for how much fruit you should eat.

Fruits with the most sugar

Fruit: Sugar (grams)

Ananas/pineapple 16 grams per cup

Banana 1 medium  (7 inches long)  contains 15 grams of natural sugar, and 1 cup sliced contains 30 grams of natural sugar.

Blueberry  (3.5 ounces)  contains 15 grams of natural sugar.

Grapes (1 cup)  contains 10 grams of natural sugar.

Melon (cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon)  contains 20 grams of natural sugar per cup cubed, 25 grams when sliced into bite-sized pieces and 30 grams when diced into cubes smaller than 1 inch each side.

Mango  (1 whole fruit).