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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!
The more colorful your intake of fruits snd vegetables, the more variety of nutrients
you give yourself. How about eight different ones per day?
I often use less fruit than the recipes call for, and add a little stevia if I need a tad more sweet.
This is such helpful information! Thank you for all you do Jen to ensure that our smoothies address health needs and also taste great!
We always follow the recipes in the SGS book or app. We don’t drink them every day as we already eat greens in our meals and we don’t eat sugary stuff, so we don’t worry too much about our smoothies being too sugary. We love Beginner’s Luck.
Green Smoothies have transformed me to a Real Life Benjamin Button!
Thanks for this post! I would love to get more low sugar/carb smoothies since I’m trying to follow a keto lifestyle.
Love the smoothie recipes . I make up a bunch at a time in baggies and freeze! Ready to go. Just add Liquid of your choice,coconut water, green tea etc if I take supplements like chia seed, hemp, barley greens these are added to the pre made smoothi ingredients.
I use more greens than fruit but find that the spinach doesn’t overpower the taste. I generally do 1.5 cups stronger green (kale, chard, etc) and the other 1.5 spinach then my fruit. Looking forward to a concentrating on these fruit moving forward.
I use cinnamon in my smoothies to help blood sugar levels.
I have been squirting 1/2 to a whole line in my smoothies. I put a whole squeezed lime in my smoothies that gave bananas , pears or peaches in them. It gives a wonderful zip of flavor but not sour. Soooo yummy!
Hi Jen, what’s the best way to measure greens, lightly or firmly packed?
Thank you! I wonder if I’ve been doing this all along since I’m never sure if a cup is packed or loose spinach!
Great ideas! I love using Blackberries and Cranberries as well.
Great article, I will have to pass this info on to my daughter. She starts her kids off with a smoothie every morning. She makes them with Kale, Strawberries, Banana, Blueberries, Mango, Avocado, Apple Juice and adds some Flax seed oil. They love them!!!
Thanks so much for sharing these! It’s helpful to reduce the sugar for kiddos too— I don’t want to send them to school with a sugar spike! Sometimes I serve the smoothies with pb, almond butter, or cream cheese on whole grain bread/toast so they are fuller longer. Can’t wait to try pairing with these!
I love these ideas! Making them with a healthy fat and a protein helps keep you full longer afterwards too. I like avocado (for the fat and the fiber) and soaked almonds (to make the texture creamy and add protein)