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Have you ever skipped making a smoothie after checking the sugar content? If so, this post is for you.
Smoothies are one of the easiest ways to eat more plants, but sugar can feel confusing or even intimidating. I want to help you feel confident choosing fruits that keep your smoothies balanced, satisfying, and blood-sugar friendly—without sacrificing flavor.
Below, I’m breaking down my favorite low sugar fruits, explaining why natural fruit sugar is different from processed sugar, and sharing a simple smoothie formula you can use every day.
Table of contents
Why I Care About Sugar in Smoothies
Drinking one smoothie a day is one of the simplest habits I know for supporting a healthy diet. There’s something powerful about sipping 16 ounces of leafy greens, fruit, and plant-based goodness. It supports digestion, boosts nutrient intake, and yes—often shows up as clearer skin and better energy. But if concerns about sugar are keeping you from blending, I want to remove that roadblock. You can enjoy smoothies while keeping your blood sugar happy.
Low Sugar Fruits
These fruits are naturally lower in sugar and work beautifully in smoothies, especially when paired with greens, protein, and healthy fats.
Lemon
1-2 g sugar per fruit
Bright, tart, and refreshing, lemon adds a clean citrus punch without sweetness. It pairs well with leafy greens, berries, cucumber, and ginger to balance flavors and wake up mild smoothies.
Lime
1-2 g sugar per fruit
Lime has a sharp, zesty flavor that adds instant freshness with almost no sugar. It works beautifully with tropical ingredients like mango or pineapple, and also with greens, avocado, and herbs.
Raspberry
5 g sugar per cup
Raspberries are tangy, slightly sweet, and packed with tiny seeds that add texture. They pair well with vanilla, cacao, lemon, and creamy bases like almond milk or yogurt.
Strawberry
7 g sugar per cup
Strawberries are lightly sweet with a juicy, familiar flavor most people love. They blend smoothly and pair well with banana, spinach, citrus, and nut butters.
Blackberry
7 g sugar per cup
Blackberries have a deep, rich berry flavor with mild tartness and visible seeds. They pair well with apple, pear, lemon, and greens, especially when blended with a high-speed blender.
Kiwi
6 g sugar per fruit
Kiwi is bright, tangy, and slightly tropical with a soft, creamy texture when blended. It pairs well with strawberries, pineapple, spinach, and citrus for a refreshing smoothie.
Grapefruit
9 g sugar per 1/2 fruit
Grapefruit is juicy and bittersweet, adding bold citrus flavor without much sugar. It pairs well with strawberries, oranges, spinach, and mint to balance its bite.
Avocado
1 g sugar per fruit
Avocado is mild, creamy, and nearly sugar-free, making it perfect for thickening smoothies. It pairs well with berries, cocoa, vanilla, greens, and citrus for balance.
Watermelon
10 g sugar per cup
Watermelon is light, juicy, and refreshing with a subtle sweetness. It pairs well with lime, mint, cucumber, strawberries, and leafy greens for hydrating smoothies.
Cantaloupe
13 g sugar per cup
Cantaloupe is soft, juicy, and gently sweet with a mellow flavor. It pairs well with citrus, ginger, yogurt, and berries to keep smoothies light and refreshing.
Orange
12 g sugar per fruit
Oranges are bright, juicy, and naturally sweet with a smooth citrus flavor. They pair well with carrots, strawberries, spinach, and tropical fruits for balanced smoothies.
Peach
13 g sugar per fruit
Peaches are soft, juicy, and mildly sweet with a floral flavor. They pair well with berries, vanilla, almond milk, greens, and ginger for creamy, comforting smoothies.
Natural Sugar VS Processed Sugar
Not all sugar is created equal. Fruit contains natural sugar plus fiber, water, vitamins, and antioxidants. Fiber slows sugar absorption and helps prevent sharp blood sugar spikes—something refined sugar can’t do. Research shows that regular fruit intake is associated with better metabolic health, not weight gain. That said, if fruit causes blood sugar spikes for you, it’s always wise to work with a practitioner to find what works best for your body.
A Simple Formula for Low Sugar Smoothies
My go-to smoothie formula is:
- 1.5 cups fruit + 1 cup leafy greens + 1 cup liquid
If you’re watching sugar, here’s the easy swap:
- 1.5 cups leafy greens + 1 cup fruit + 1 cup liquid
You still get a sweet, delicious smoothie—just with more fiber and fewer sugars. This approach works especially well for anyone managing blood sugar or looking for steadier energy.
Low-Sugar Fruit Smoothie Recipes
These smoothies are my go-to when looking for a low sugar option. Try a few of these and then let me know what you think!
- Raspberry smoothie
- Strawberry banana smoothie
- Apple celery smoothie
- Lime smoothie pops
- Banana oatmeal smoothie
- Strawberry smoothie
- Avocado smoothie
- Cherry Vanilla Diabetes Smoothie
All of the smoothies above have less than 20 grams of sugar per serving. Plus, they’re loaded with fiber to help process that sugar into useable energy in the body. If you are looking for smoothies low in sugar then check out my list of smoothies for diabetics… or just anyone looking for a sugar stable drink.
How to Reduce Sugar Spikes Even More
If you’ve ever felt a sugar crash after a smoothie, it likely needs more balance.
Adding protein and healthy fat helps slow digestion and stabilize blood sugar. Your body works best with carbs, protein, and fat working together.
My favorite add-in is a plant-based protein powder, like my Homemade Protein Powder. One serving adds protein and healthy fats designed specifically for smoothies.
Common Questions
While fruits naturally have some sugar, there are options that are low… and have fiber to help your body process that natural sugar to keep your glucose from spiking. This includes: papaya, lemons, watermelon, grapefruit, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.
Pomegranates, mango, bananas and oranges are higher in natural sugar. Choose greener bananas for a lower sugar option and eat these after eating a meal loaded with vegetables, protein and healthy fat to lower a potential sugar spike.
Stick to my low sugar fruit list for fruits that will give you the smallest amount of natural sugar, and eat those fruits after eating other foods like vegetables, protein and healthy fat. Eating fruit with things like almonds, cashews, nut butter, in a salad with plenty of vegetables and leafy greens, or with a meal or in a green smoothie can all help your body best process those fruits.
What are your fav low sugar fruits and how do you like to eat them? Drop a comment and share!
I’ve been drinking one green smoothie a day since February and for most of that time this is the only sugar I allowed myself for the day except what might occur naturally in dairy or veggies… Also limited my dairy…I lost eleven pounds and feel so much healthier! I have wondered about reducing sugar for friends with diabetes so thanks for the info! This smoothie is delicious as is but I’m excited to try it without the banana!
Love having berries in my smoothie!
I like to use unsweetened (plain) almond milk (without fillers) in my smoothies when I feel like I need a little extra protein – helps keep me going longer!
PS – Your cleanse was key in reversing my husband’s pre-diabetic diagnosis. Our Dr was SO pleased, and now my husband runs marathons! Thank you! SGS Rawks!!
My sister is a Type 1 Diabetic and always avoids drinking green juices with me because of the high amounts of sugar! I typically do a recipe with apple, mango and 1/2 banana and a ton of kale. However, the banana and mango are loaded in blood-sugar-spiking capabilities so I always feel guilty when eating it in front of her. With the avo swap I’ll still be able to achieve the creaminess of the smoothie without all of the sucré and we’ll be able to test this out together! Apples have a ton of fiber so I think that with the avo and some matcha and mint will be a delish combo. Can’t wait to test it out!
I’m looking forward to trying some diabetic-friendly green smoothies! I always use water in place of juice in smoothie recipes and try to keep my sugar consumption in check daily. Thanks for the love!
Love these! (as always) Berries are SO good for SO many parts of our bodies. Sipping slowly can help with avoiding blood sugar spikes as well.
I really loved the article on diabetes and sugar as I too am Type 2 and have been struggling with ways to keep my sugar in check. I was at an AIC of 11 and am now down to 7.5 / 7.9 and if I can get and keep below 6.5, I can stop the meds. This gives me great hope and will now make sure I’m using these fruits. Thanks so much.
Perfect timing. My daughter was looking for lower sugar smoothies to have for breakfast. She is pre diabetic and with a family history of diabetes, she wants to get ahead of it.
I like that you have an alternative to banana in this recipe and others because I have an allergy to bananas and it seems that every smoothie recipe out there calls for a banana in it.
Sometimes I’ll swap out a cup of water and use a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk when I want to keep the fruit/sugars low but keep the flavor…um, less green! I’m going to try the avocado-banana swap today!
I love this recipe i love the blueberries taste.
When I was working with a CNHP she had me make this smoothie. I don’t have accurate measurements it had leafy greens of choice,half of a cucumber or zucchini and a quarter cup sunflower seeds and water to blend to suitable texture.
Thanks Jen, this came at a perfect time. My mother has just been diagnosed with cancer (very treatable thankfully!) and she’s now switched to a completely plant based diet – I’ve been making a lot of juices and smoothies for her but want to avoid sugar as much as possible (due to the link in sugar = cancer cell growth) have bookmarked this post and I’ve no doubt I’ll be referring to it regularly – will be giving these recipes a go this week! Cheers!
This information is super helpful. I always find your emails to be educational and get many creative ideas!! thank you.
Erica
Thank you Erica! I am so happy that this article was helpful to you 🙂
Avocado really does make a smoothie creamy, and they don’t overpower the rest of the ingredients – I am a believer 🙂
Hey April,
I am right there with you! I love avocado in almost everything and it really is the best addition to my smoothie too 🙂
Thanks so much! I’ve been looking for a low sugar smoothie I could drink that would still taste good! The fact that adding the leafy greens will boost the fiber and also help slow down the absorption of the fruit sugars is genius! I made this recipe yesterday and I’m already craving it again today!
Hey Dani,
Yay! So happy that you loved this recipe and it had you coming back for more! 🙂
Cheers!