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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 love these, I have been trying to cut back on my sugar and these are perfect.
I love a creamy smoothie but my husband hates bananas so I like to add avocado. I buy a bag of them, quarter them and put in the freezer ready for smoothies anytime! I also like to make batches of green smoothies and freeze in mason jars, then thaw one in the fridge overnight, to save time in the mornings.
I listened to you on the Wellness Mama podcast. I have had one green smoothie a day ever since! My fav is the original with spinach, banana, pineapple & mango. Thank you so much for turning me on to this!
Wow, this article is awesome! I twice now have signed up for the 7 day cleanse and I never even try to follow it because the smoothies have too much sugar for my liking. Please keep coming out with more low sugar recipes! I’m trying to get into the healthier eating lifestyle and lot of your smoothie recipes scare me away. For years I’ve been making smoothies with 70% greens, 10% water, 10% protein, 10% berries only as fruit and never once has it been hard to swallow or digest. I encourage more people to lower the sugar, especially if it’s for breakfast. If I have a high sugar smoothie in the morning I always get a mid afternoon crash regardless of how much other nutrients are in it. Sorry if this sounds critical. I’m very excited about this article and I would love to see more low sugar recipes in the future.
Great post, type 2 diabetes runs on my paternal side of the family, so these are great recipes for me to start drinking myself as well as sharing them with family! Thank you!
Thank you for this post! Type 2 Diabetes runs in my family so I’m always mindful of my sugar intake. When I make my smoothies I opt for H2O or coconut water instead of OJ or another juice to add a little liquid.
Through Simple Green Smoothies I have learned a lot about sugars! I try and stick to berries as much as possible, I also buy green apples versus other varieties as they tend to be lower in sugar. I also sub avocado for bananas whenever possible as then I get the same smooth consistency, plus healthy fats, without as much sugar!
Green smoothies are a daily must! They really have made all the difference for me! And if we watch that our eating every meal is whole foods than those natural sugars from fruit will definitely not hurt! Love your recipes and blog!
I let my kids pick the fruits bc then I know they will enjoy it!
To increase the amount of veggies and reduce fruit but still make a smoothie look delicious rather than brown, I add a few cubes of beets that I precook and freeze. It keeps smoothies a beautiful color!
Thanks for the post as i was very interested in looking to lower my sugar in smoothies.
I like to blend my smoothies the night before to save time in the mornings! Grab & Go!
Green smoothies have been key in reversing my Type 2 diabetes! I also eliminated all animal products and oils. Sticking to unprocessed, whole plant foods, including green smoothies, has brought me back to non-diabetic status medically, and it’s a sustainable delicious way of eating. Thanks for these yummy recipes!
I believe your friend could benefit from green smoothies without any fruit for a short while to detox her liver and aid healing of her gut. An example would be spinach, lettuce, mint, avocado, lemon juice and maybe a little hemp. Even the red and purple fruit you suggest is sugar which our bodies can benefit with a rest from. Seasonal fruit is best but even that should be limited in her case.
In Kindness,
Janice
Thanks for your tips on low sugar options. I’ve been doing green smoothies a day for over two weeks with the extra greens and it’s been great!
Thank you for this post, Jen!! I have MS and I need to reduce the sugar intake so this article is a true blessing to know which fruits are low in sugar!! On a side note, also lemons and limes are low in sugar and could be a great addition to a smoothie 🙂
Did you know that cinnamon can help yo stablize blood sugars!?!?!
I appreciate the fruit sugar breakdown. I am often trying to push the limit of how little fruit/ sugar I can put in. A smoothie and still have my daughter drink it!