Top 10 Foods Highest in Glucose

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Top 10 Foods Highest in Glucose

Glucose is a simple monosaccharide sugar and the principal energy source for both the brain and the body. (1)

Carbohydrates in foods are all ultimately broken down in the body into glucose. (1) If you are looking to manage your blood glucose levels, it is therefore important to balance your intake of both sugars and carbohydrates.

Low blood glucose leads to anxiety, hunger, and confusion. High blood glucose can lead to increased thirst, fatigue, and blurred vision. (2)

Foods naturally high in pure glucose include honey, agave, molasses, dried fruit, fruits, fruit juices, and sweet corn. These foods are healthy, in moderation, as part of a balanced diet, especially fresh fruits. Foods that typically have a lot of added glucose include sauces, salad dressings, pies, and sugary drinks. (3) Foods with high levels of added sugar should be limited, as over-consumption of these foods is associated with an increased risk of type II diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

Below are the top 10 foods highest in glucose, for more, see the extended list of glucose rich foods.

To find foods low in net-carbs see the lists of fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans low in net-carbs.

List of High Glucose Foods

A glass of juice1 Grape Juice
Up to 6.8% Glucose
Glucose per 16oz GlassGlucose per 100g
34.5g (9 tsp)6.8g (1.7 tsp)

More Fruit Juice High in Glucose

  • 31.6g per 16oz pomegranate juice
  • 13g per 16oz of apple juice
  • 5.7g per cup (8oz) of orange juice
A can of soda2 Sugary Soft Drinks (Cola)
Up to 4.1% Glucose
Glucose per 16oz BottleGlucose per 100g
20.2g (5 tsp)4.1g (1 tsp)

More Sugary Drinks High in Glucose

  • 15.4g per 16oz bottle of sprite
  • 15.1g per 16oz bottle of ginger ale
  • 9.9g per serving (9oz) of Monster energy drink
  • 8.8g per 8oz can of Red Bull

See all drinks high in glucose.

Pancakes3 Fast Foods (Hot Cakes with Syrup)
Up to 5.1% Glucose
Glucose per 3 PancakesGlucose per 100g
11.2g (2.8 tsp)5.1g (1.3 tsp)

More Fast Foods High in Glucose

  • 5.5g in a McDonald's Hot Caramel Sunday
  • 5.4g in an egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich
  • 5.1g per package of McDonald's BBQ sauce
  • 3.2g per burger with condiments

See all fast foods high in glucose.

A bunch of grapes4 Grapes
Up to 7.2% Glucose
Glucose per CupGlucose per 100g
10.9g (2.7 tsp)7.2g (1.8 tsp)

More Fruits High in Glucose

  • 10.1g per cup of cherries
  • 8.4g per cup of sliced plums
  • 7.5g per cup of sliced bananas

See all fruits high in glucose.

Dried Apricots5 Dried Apricots
Up to 33.1% Glucose
Glucose per CupGlucose per 100g
9.4g (2.3 tsp)33.1g (8 tsp)

More Dried Fruit High in Glucose

  • 7.6g in 3 prunes
  • 7.2g in 60 raisins
  • 6g in 3 figs

See all fruits high in glucose.

A spoon of honey6 Honey
Up to 35.8% Glucose
Glucose per TblspGlucose per 100g
7.5g (1.9 tsp)35.8g (9 tsp)
  • 2.4g per tblsp of molasses
  • 0.6g per tsp of agave syrup
A slice of pie7 Apple Pie
Up to 4.9% Glucose
Glucose per SliceGlucose per 100g
6.4g (1.6 tsp)4.9g (1.2 tsp)

More Baked Goods High in Glucose

  • 2.3g per bagel
  • 2g per cinnamon roll
  • 2g per pieces of chocolate cake with frosting

See all baked foods high in glucose.

A slice of cured ham8 Cured Ham
Up to 4% Glucose
Glucose per 5oz SliceGlucose per 100g
5.6g (1.4 tsp)4g (1 tsp)

More Cured Meats High in Glucose

  • 1.5g per 3oz Kielbasa sausage
  • 1.3g per frankfurter sausage
Yellow Sweet Corn9 Sweet Corn
Up to 3.4% Glucose
Glucose per Cup CookedGlucose per 100g
5g (1.2 tsp)3.4g (0.9 tsp)
Bottles of sauce10 Pasta Sauce
Up to 2.2% Glucose
Glucose per 1/2 CupGlucose per 100g
2.9g (0.7 tsp)2.2g (0.6 tsp)

More Sauces High in Glucose

  • 2.8g per tblsp of average BBQ sauce
  • 1.7g per tblsp of ketchup
  • 0.8g per tblsp of peanut sauce

Printable One Page Sheet

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Printable list of high glucose foods.

More Glucose Rich Foods

FoodServingGlucose
1 Jackfruitper cup sliced15.6g
(3.9 tsp)
2 Mamey Sapote1 cup chopped14g
(3.5 tsp)
3 Cherimoyaper cup pieces9.5g
(2.4 tsp)
4 Fried Yellow Plantainsper cup8.4g
(2.1 tsp)
5 Canned Tomato Pureeper cup6.1g
(1.5 tsp)
6 Commercial Cereals (Raisin Bran)per cup6g
(1.5 tsp)
7 Fast Foods (Applebees Onion Rings)per order4.1g
(1 tsp)
8 Baked Beansper cup4g
(1 tsp)
9 Sweet Dessert Wineper 5oz glass3.8g
(1 tsp)
10 Horchataper cup3.7g
(0.9 tsp)
11 Rutabagas (Swedes, Neeps)per cup cooked3.5g
(0.9 tsp)

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. MedlinePlus on Blood Sugar
  2. MedlinePlus on Blood Glucose Testing and Symptoms
  3. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
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