Have you ever not blended a smoothie after seeing the sugar content? If so, then this post is for you! I’m sharing what fruits are low in sugar and highlighting my fav low sugar fruits, as well as sharing the best smoothie recipes using fruits with less sugar.
Why do I care about the sugar content of my smoothies? Well…
Drinking one green smoothie a day is one of the simplest ways to maintain a healthy diet.
There’s just something about drinking 16 ounces of pure leafy green and fruit goodness that makes the skin glow. And if the sugar content is keeping you from drinking a daily smoothie, then I want to help!
Table of Contents
Which Fruits are Low in Sugar?
I’m sure this question has everyone naming a variety of berries, yet berries aren’t the only fruits with less sugar. Check out this sweet list:
- Lemon 1-2 grams per fruit
- Lime 1-2 grams per fruit
- Raspberry 5 grams per cup
- Strawberry 7 grams per cup
- Blackberry 7 grams per cup
- Kiwi 6 grams per kiwi
- Grapefruit 9 grams per 1/2 fruit
- Avocado 1 gram per fruit
- Watermelon 10 grams per cup
- Cantaloupe 13 grams per cup
- Orange 12 grams fruit
- Peaches 13 grams per fruit
Since 1 serving of green smoothie has 1.5 cups of fruit, feel free to swap out a higher sugar fruit in any of my smoothie recipes for 1.5 cups of any fruit on this list. That will immediately lower the sugar content.
Natural Sugar VS Processed Sugar
It’s super important to note that not all sugar is created equal. 1 cup of refined sugar is NOT the same as 1 cup of fruit sugar. Why? because fruit not only contains sugar, but also fiber. Fiber is essential for breaking down sugar, and keeping our bodies from a sugar crash.
Daily consumption of fruit can actually combat obesity, according to a study done by the US National Library of Medicine. Yet, if fruit still causes your blood sugar to spike, then speak to your practitioner for the best diet plan for you.
Green Smoothie Formula for Low Sugar Smoothies
My tried and true green smoothie formula is this: 1.5 cups fruit + 1 cup leafy greens + 1 cup liquid. Use this and you can’t go wrong! Yet, if you’re trying to keep your blood sugar happy, then I’ve got a trick for you…. just flip the formula.
That’s right, turn that smoothie formula into 1.5 cups leafy greens + 1 cup fruit + 1 cup liquid. A deliciously sweet smoothie, yet lower in sugar! This way you can still enjoy a variety of fruits and also keep your body from experiencing a sugar crash. I’ve got quite a few smoothies for diabetics that meet this criteria!
Fruit Smoothies with Less Sugar
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.
More ways to process sugar in smoothies
If you want to lower the sugar in your smoothie even more, then boost it with protein + healthy fat. Your body needs carbs (sugar + fiber) and protein, as well as healthy fat to function properly. If you find yourself having a sugar crash after drinking a smoothie, then you should be boosting it to help process the carbs you just ingested.
My fav way to boost a smoothie is with a plant based protein powder, like homemade protein powder. This protein powder is designed especially for smoothies. 1 serving adds 10 grams of protein as well as 4 grams of fat to every smoothie.
Low Sugar Fruits FAQs
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)