A half cup serving of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup includes 12 grams of sugar. By comparison, according to Krispy Kreme’s nutrition sheet, a single Original Glazed doughnut includes 10 grams of sugar (Krispy Kreme only shares its doughnuts’ total sugar counts, so total sugar is the comparison here). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 suggest no more than 10 grams of added sugars per meal.
On this list, 16 of 22 foods include more than that in a single serving. (All nutrition facts were checked against the brands’ own labels on Oct. 13, 2026.) On nutrition labels, look for the line for Added Sugars, which will appear right after the line for Total Sugars. Added sugars refers to the amount of sugar that was added to a food during processing, as opposed to the amount of sugar that naturally occurs in an item (although many foods on this list do include added sugar in addition to sugar from fruit or dairy, and where most of a given item’s sugar content comes from fruit or dairy, that’s pointed out).
Items are listed in order of least sugar to most.
“Many things you wouldn’t even suspect — some sauces, some dips, some spreads — there’s added sugars in almost every category of food products out there,”
Dr. Donald Hensrud, nutrition specialist, Mayo Clinic — Mayo Clinic Minute
1. Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey Granola Bars: 11 Grams
For Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey granola bars, the serving size is two bars (that come wrapped together in a pouch). There are 11 grams of sugar per serving, all of it added sugar. The No. 1 ingredient in Nature Valley granola bars is whole grain oats, No. 2 is sugar and honey is No. 5.
2. Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup: 12 Grams
In Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup, sugar is the No. 4 ingredient (after tomato puree, water and wheat flour). The serving size is half a cup (there are about two and a half servings in a can). There are 12 grams of sugar per serving, 8 of it added sugar (the rest, about 4 grams, comes from tomatoes).
“If you change the color, flavor, or texture by reducing the sugar then no one is going to want to eat that.”
Lisa Mauer, professor of food science, Purdue University — Purdue College of Agriculture News
3. Bush’s Original Baked Beans: 12 Grams
A 1/2 cup serving of Bush’s Original Baked Beans has 12 grams of sugar and of those, 11 are considered added sugars. If you look at the ingredients, brown sugar is number three (after prepared navy beans and water). There’s also 570 mg of sodium.
4. Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Maple & Brown Sugar: 12 Grams
All of the sugar in Quaker Oats Maple & Brown Sugar counts as added sugars. There are 12 grams of sugar in a packet, and all 12 are considered added sugar. If you look at the ingredients, sugar is the second ingredient after whole grain oats. The maple/brown sugar is just from natural flavors. Thank goodness this is all written down, otherwise you wouldn’t know just how sweet it is before you cracked the box open.
“Food manufacturers will add sugar — A LOT of sugar — to make them taste better.”
Beth Czerwony, RD, LD, registered dietitian, Cleveland Clinic, on instant oatmeal — Cleveland Clinic
5. Honey Nut Cheerios: 12 Grams
The first five ingredients in Honey Nut Cheerios include whole grain oats, sugar, corn starch, honey and brown sugar syrup. That’s 3 sweeteners in the first 5 ingredients. One cup (or serving) contains 12 grams of total sugar, and all 12 grams are added sugars.
6. Nutri-Grain Strawberry Breakfast Bar: 12 Grams
In the Nutri-Grain bar, the ingredients in the strawberry filling start off with invert sugar, corn syrup, vegetable glycerin, sugar and only then strawberry puree concentrate. The crust also contains dextrose, fructose and sugar. One bar has 12 grams of total sugar, and all of it is added sugars.
7. belVita Blueberry Breakfast Biscuits: 12 Grams
belVita Breakfast Biscuits, Blueberry, have 12 g of sugar per serving, which is a pack of 4. Eleven of the 12 g of sugar are added sugars. Sugar is the third ingredient, following enriched flour and a whole grain (oat and rye) blend.
“They’re only ‘hidden’ if you don’t know what to look for,”
Jessica Sylvester, registered dietitian and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson, on added sugars — Salon
8. Silk Vanilla Almondmilk: 13 Grams
Sugar can also be harder to identify on some items. For example, if you compared Silk Unsweet Almondmilk (unsweetened version) to Silk Vanilla Almondmilk, they’d look pretty similar. The only indicator is that one-word difference (vanilla). Per cup of almondmilk, the unsweet version has 0 g of sugar while the vanilla almondmilk contains 13 g of sugar, all of which are added sugars.
Looking at the ingredients list confirms this. Cane sugar is the second ingredient (following almondmilk).
“Look for unsweetened versions whenever possible.”
Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, registered dietitian, Cleveland Clinic, on plant-based milks — Cleveland Clinic
9. Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt: 14 Grams
Greek yogurt is usually considered the savvy choice in the yogurt aisle. But a 5.3 oz cup of Chobani Strawberry Greek yogurt (fruit on the bottom) has 14 grams of sugar, 9 of those grams being added sugar and the other 5 coming from the milk and strawberries. Looking at the ingredients will help explain where the added sugar is coming from, and after cultured nonfat milk, the next ingredients in the product are strawberries and cane sugar.
“I discovered that for my young daughter’s favorite yogurt, sugar accounted for 60 percent of the calories,”
Dr. J. Bernadette Moore, associate professor, University of Leeds School of Food Science and Nutrition — NPR
10. Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ Sauce: 17 Grams
Sugar (as high fructose corn syrup, the No. 1 ingredient ahead of vinegar and tomato paste, then molasses, corn syrup and sugar further down) abounds in this condiment, and there’s 17 grams of sugar per serving, with 16 grams of it added. That’s in 2 tablespoons, which is the serving size listed on the label (not some outrageously large pour).
11. Clif Bar, Chocolate Chip: 17 Grams
Clif Bar’s sweeteners are organic brown rice syrup (their second ingredient), organic tapioca syrup (their fifth ingredient) and organic cane syrup (their sixth ingredient). Clif bills itself as an energy bar for people who are active, and there are a total of 17 grams of sugar per bar, 16 of which is added sugar.
12. Larabar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip: 17 Grams
Larabar has only 4 ingredients: dates, peanuts, semisweet chocolate chips and sea salt. Most of the sugar content (approximately 13 grams) comes from the dates. There are still a total of 17 grams of sugar per Larabar, but only 4 of those are considered added sugar, with all of that coming from the semisweet chocolate chips.
“When you are going to have a source with something that has sugar in it, is there fiber attached to it in some capacity? The more fiber, the less impact on our insulin and our blood sugar,”
Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, registered dietitian, Cleveland Clinic — Cleveland Clinic Newsroom
13. Yoplait Original Strawberry Yogurt: 18 Grams
Yoplait Original Strawberry yogurt has 18 grams of sugar per 6 oz cup (13 grams of that is added sugar). The first two ingredients are cultured grade A low fat milk and sugar, respectively. Sugar is actually ahead of strawberries in the ingredients list.
14. Kellogg’s Raisin Bran: 18 Grams
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran contains 18 grams of sugar per 1 cup serving (9 grams of that being added sugar). Most of the other sugar content comes from the raisins, which make up the second item in the ingredients list (following whole grain wheat). The top 5 ingredients in Raisin Bran are whole grain wheat, raisins, wheat bran, sugar, brown sugar syrup.
“Children’s cereals often highlight the addition of more vitamins. For some consumers, this creates a ‘health halo’ effect that appeals to time-strapped parents, even if the product’s core nutritional content — like sugar or sodium — is not optimal.”
Shuoli Zhao, assistant professor of agricultural economics, University of Kentucky — University of Kentucky Research News
15. Lean Cuisine Sweet & Sour Chicken: 19 Grams
Lean Cuisine Sweet & Sour Chicken has 370 calories, 860 mg of sodium, 19 grams of sugar (14 grams of that is added sugar). You can look at the ingredient list and see brown sugar is the 2nd ingredient in the sauce, behind water.
16. Mott’s Original Applesauce: 22 Grams
Original Mott’s applesauce has only four ingredients: apples, high fructose corn syrup, water, and vitamin C. There are a total of 22 grams of sugar in each cup (13 of that is added sugar). Opt for Mott’s No Sugar Added instead (this applesauce is apples, water, and vitamin C). This applesauce has half the total sugar (11 grams) and none of the added sugar.
17. Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice: 22 Grams
An 8 oz serving of Tropicana Pure Premium has 22 grams of sugar. But when you look at the nutrition facts label, it says that there are 0 grams of added sugar. Looking at the ingredient list confirms that it’s 100% orange juice, so the sugar in this juice comes only from the oranges.
“Juice catches some heat because of the sugar content, but now that added sugars are teased out on the label, consumers can differentiate between the natural sugars in juice and added sugars in soda,”
Brandon McFadden, assistant professor, University of Delaware — UF/IFAS News
18. Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail: 25 Grams
An 8 oz serving of Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail has a total of 25 grams of sugar but when you look closer you see that 23 grams of that sugar is added sugar (not naturally occurring). The ingredient list includes sugar right after the first two ingredients (filtered water, cranberry juice).
19. Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, Grande: 33 Grams
A Grande Starbucks Caramel Macchiato (which is made of milk, espresso, vanilla syrup and caramel sauce) has 33 grams of sugar (though Starbucks doesn’t say how much of that is added sugar, and some of it is coming from the milk).
20. Snapple Peach Tea: 34 Grams
The first few ingredients in Snapple Peach Tea are filtered water, sugar, citric acid and tea, so sugar comes before the tea. There are 34 grams of sugar in a 16 oz bottle of Snapple Peach Tea, and all of it is added sugar.
21. Gatorade Lemon-Lime: 34 Grams
Gatorade is the only sports drink included here. It is supposed to be for people who are sweating hard. The ingredients include water, sugar, dextrose (another type of sugar), citric acid and salt. One 20 oz bottle has 34 grams of sugar (and all 34 grams is added sugar), plus 270 mg of sodium.
“The average person doesn’t need all the extra stuff.”
Travis Masterson, assistant professor, Penn State College of Health and Human Development, on sports drinks — AP via FOX 13
22. Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino: 46 Grams
The bottled Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino includes 46 grams of sugar, of which 32 grams is added sugar and 14 comes from milk. It includes ingredients such as brewed coffee, reduced fat milk, sugar, cocoa and pectin.
The Ones That Came In Under the Donut
- Welch’s Fruit Snacks Mixed Fruit: 10 grams of sugar per pouch. That ties the doughnut exactly, with 8 grams of added sugar.
- Prego Traditional Italian Sauce: 9 grams of sugar per 1/2 cup serving, and sugar is the third ingredient in this one. 4 grams are added. Rao’s Homemade Marinara, by comparison, has 4 grams of sugar (all natural, no added) and doesn’t list sugar among its ingredients.
- Activia Strawberry yogurt: 9 grams of sugar per 4 oz cup, 6 of them added.
- Kraft Classic Catalina dressing: 8 grams of sugar per 2 tablespoon serving, and all 8 of them are added (sugar is the first item on the ingredient list).
- Heinz Tomato Ketchup: 4 grams of sugar per tablespoon. All of it is added.
- KIND Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt bars: 5 grams of sugar per bar, but 4 of the grams are added.
Just because something has less sugar than a doughnut does not mean there are no added sugars.
Cory Jones has spent 20 years in media and publishing and now leads the data and editorial operation behind The Greenest.
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Would love to see a side by side comparison to a clean, organic alternative and how much one would reduce their added sugar intake. Occasionally one is going to eat or drink the product listed – what’s the best alternative!
That’s a great idea! We will get started on that, too.
The problem is if they take out the real sugar they replace it with fake sugar which is worse.