Top 15 Vegetables Highest in Sugar

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Top 15 Vegetables Highest in Sugar

Of all the food groups, vegetables are typically low in sugar, while being a great source of healthy fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

We don’t need to reduce our consumption of sugars occurring naturally in vegetables, fruit, or milk, but they do still count toward our daily total sugar intakes. You may also wish to be aware of how much sugar certain vegetables contain.

In this article, both grams and teaspoons of sugar are listed for each vegetable. One packed teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams.

Vegetables higher in sugar include sweet potatoes, beets, onions, green peas, sweet corn, peas, canned pumpkin, winter squash, rutabagas, carrots, and tomatoes. They range from providing 3.5g to 14g (1 to 3.5 teaspoons) of sugar per cup.

For more high sugar vegetables, see the nutrient ranking of 200 vegetables high in sugar.

List of Vegetables High in Sugar

Sweet Potatoes1 Sweet Potatoes
Up to 5.5% Sugar
Sugar per Cup MashedSugar per 100g
13.9g (3.5 tsp)5.5g (1.4 tsp)

While sweet potatoes have more sugar, regular potatoes typically have more carbs. In terms of regulating blood sugar, sweet potatoes are preferred over regular potatoes (Russet, White, Red, etc.)

Red beetroot2 Beets
Up to 8% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
13.5g (3.4 tsp)8g (2 tsp)
Onions3 Onions
Up to 4.7% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
9.9g (2.5 tsp)4.7g (1.2 tsp)
Green Peas4 Green Peas
Up to 5.9% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
9.5g (2.4 tsp)5.9g (1.5 tsp)
Yellow Sweet Corn5 Sweet Corn
Up to 6.3% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
9.1g (2.3 tsp)6.3g (1.6 tsp)
Pumpkins6 Canned Pumpkin
Up to 3.3% Sugar
Sugar per CupSugar per 100g
8.1g (2 tsp)3.3g (0.8 tsp)
Butternut Squash7 Winter Squash
Up to 3.3% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
6.8g (1.7 tsp)3.3g (0.8 tsp)
Rutabagas8 Rutabagas (Swedes, Neeps)
Up to 4% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
6.7g (1.7 tsp)4g (1 tsp)
Tomatoes9 Tomato
Up to 2.5% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
6g (1.5 tsp)2.5g (0.6 tsp)
Sweet Bell Peppers10 Red Bell Peppers
Up to 4.4% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
5.9g (1.5 tsp)4.4g (1.1 tsp)
Shiitake Mushrooms11 Shiitake Mushrooms
Up to 3.8% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
5.6g (1.4 tsp)3.8g (1 tsp)
Turnips12 Turnips
Up to 3.8% Sugar
Sugar per CupSugar per 100g
4.9g (1.2 tsp)3.8g (1 tsp)
Yellow Summer Squash13 Summer Squash
Up to 2.6% Sugar
Sugar per Cup CookedSugar per 100g
4.7g (1.2 tsp)2.6g (0.6 tsp)
Carrots14 Carrots
Up to 4.7% Sugar
Sugar per Cup ChoppedSugar per 100g
3.4g (0.9 tsp)4.7g (1.2 tsp)
Half a Red Cabbage15 Red Cabbage
Up to 3.8% Sugar
Sugar per Cup ChoppedSugar per 100g
3.4g (0.9 tsp)3.8g (1 tsp)

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
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