Top 15 Vegetables Highest in Sugar
Of all the food groups, vegetables are typically low in sugar, while being a great source of healthy fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
We don’t need to reduce our consumption of sugars occurring naturally in vegetables, fruit or milk, but they do still count toward our daily total sugar intakes. You may also wish to be aware of how much sugar certain vegetables contain.
In this article, both grams and teaspoons of sugar are listed for each vegetable. One packed teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams.
Vegetables higher in sugar include sweet potatoes, beets, onions, green peas, sweet corn, peas, canned pumpkin, winter squash, rutabagas, carrots, and tomatoes. They range from providing 3.5g to 14g (1 to 3.5 teaspoons) of sugar per cup.
For more high sugar vegetables, see the nutrient ranking of 200 vegetables high in sugar.
List of Vegetables High in Sugar
#1: Sweet Potatoes
| Sugar per Cup Mashed | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 13.9g (3.5 tsp) | 5.5g (1.4 tsp) |
While sweet potatoes have more sugar, regular potatoes typically have more carbs. In terms of regulating blood sugar, sweet potatoes are preferred over regular potatoes (Russet, White, Red, etc.)
#2: Beets
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 13.5g (3.4 tsp) | 8g (2 tsp) |
#3: Onions
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 9.9g (2.5 tsp) | 4.7g (1.2 tsp) |
#4: Green Peas
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 9.5g (2.4 tsp) | 5.9g (1.5 tsp) |
#5: Sweet Corn
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 9.1g (2.3 tsp) | 6.3g (1.6 tsp) |
#6: Canned Pumpkin
| Sugar per Cup | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 8.1g (2 tsp) | 3.3g (0.8 tsp) |
#7: Winter Squash
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 6.8g (1.7 tsp) | 3.3g (0.8 tsp) |
#8: Rutabagas (Swedes, Neeps)
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 6.7g (1.7 tsp) | 4g (1 tsp) |
#9: Tomato
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 6g (1.5 tsp) | 2.5g (0.6 tsp) |
#10: Red Bell Peppers
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 5.9g (1.5 tsp) | 4.4g (1.1 tsp) |
#11: Shiitake Mushrooms
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 5.6g (1.4 tsp) | 3.8g (1 tsp) |
#12: Turnips
| Sugar per Cup | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 4.9g (1.2 tsp) | 3.8g (1 tsp) |
#13: Summer Squash
| Sugar per Cup Cooked | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 4.7g (1.2 tsp) | 2.6g (0.6 tsp) |
#14: Carrots
| Sugar per Cup Chopped | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 3.4g (0.9 tsp) | 4.7g (1.2 tsp) |
#15: Red Cabbage
| Sugar per Cup Chopped | Sugar per 100g |
|---|---|
| 3.4g (0.9 tsp) | 3.8g (1 tsp) |
See All 200 Vegetables High in Sugar
Next ➞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.
From the Nutrient Ranking Tool
- Foods High in Sugar
- Foods Low in Sugar
- Vegetables High in Sugar
- Fruits High in Sugar
- Vegetarian Foods High in Sugar
- Nuts High in Sugar
- Beans High in Sugar
- Dairy High in Sugar
- Breakfast Cereals High in Sugar
- Fast Foods High in Sugar
View more food groups with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.
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Data Sources and References
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