Best low sugar Olive Garden dishes. In this post, I am going to be sharing the 14 best low Sugar Olive Garden dishes and answering some Frequently Asked Questions when it comes to the sugar content of Olive Garden food items. That’s right, it’s time to talk about breadsticks and a whole variety of pasta dishes. The Olive Garden is one of those spots you grow up loving, but what exactly are the lowest-sugar items on the menu, and does Olive Garden even have low sugar options?
Is Olive Garden High In Sugar?
Some of the Olive Garden appetizers such as the stuffed ziti fritta, breadsticks, fired mozzarella, some soups, and calamari are lower in sugar. Some of the fish and meat entrees are lower in sugar, along with alfredo pasta. The creamy pasta dishes and the alfredo dipping sauce are lower in sugar than tomato-based dishes at Olive Garden.
Summary Table – Lowest Sugar Olive Garden Dishes
Below is a summary table of the best lowest sugar items at Olive Garden together with the sugar content for each item.
| Best Lower Sugar Olive Garden Dishes | Sugar Content |
|---|---|
| Stuffed Ziti Fritta | <1g |
| Breadstick with Garlic Topping and Alfredo Sauce | 2g |
| Zuppa Toscana | 2g |
| Stellini Soup | 2g |
| Calamari | 3g |
| Fried Mozzerella | 3g |
| Toasted Ravioli | 3g |
| Fettuccini Alfredo | 3g |
| Herb Grilled Salmon | 3g |
| 6 oz Sirloin | 3g |
| Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce | 4g |
| Seafood Alfredo | 5g |
| Chicken Alfredo | 6g |
| Gluten-Free Rotini with Creamy Mushroom Sauce | 7g |
14 of The Best Low Sugar Olive Garden Dishes
In this section, I will go through my picks for the 14 best low sugar Olive Garden dishes.
1. Stuffed Ziti Fritta – <1g of Sugar
The stuffed ziti fritta is the lowest sugar menu item on the Olive Garden menu at <1g of sugar per serving. So, if you are watching your sugar intake order the stuffed ziti fritta next time you are at Olive Garden.
What exactly is stuffed ziti fritta? These are crispy fried zitta (tube-shaped pasta) stuffed with 5 kinds of cheese.
If you decide to dip your stuffed ziti fritta in Alfredo sauce this will only add another <1g of sugar. A low sugar Olive Garden appetizer for the win.
2. Breadstick with Garlic Topping and Alfredo Sauce – 2g of Sugar
Let’s face it, Olive Garden is known for its breadsticks (along with its pasta of course). So, can you indulge in a Breadstick at Olive Garden if you are watching your sugar intake?
Well, one Breadstick at Olive Garden only contains 1g of sugar.
If you want a dipping sauce for your breadsticks, then choose the Alfredo sauce. This only contains 1g of sugar per serving. The marinara dipping sauce in comparison contains five times this at 5g of sugar.
3. Zuppa Toscana – 2g of Sugar
Olive Kitchen has some delicious soups on its menu. If you are watching your sugar intake their Zuppa Toscana soup is one of the lowest sugar soups at 2g of sugar. This soup is made of “spicy Italian sausage, fresh kale and russet potatoes in a creamy broth.”
4. Stellini Soup – 2g of Sugar
The Stellini Soup at Olive Garden is the other lowest-sugar soup on the menu. This Stellini soup is packed with Stellini pasta and veggies. All the remaining soups at Olive Garden contain double the sugar content at 4g of sugar.
Only select locations of Olivia Garden have the Stellini Soup so definitely try it if you have the opportunity.
5. Calamari – 3g of Sugar
If you want a seafood-based appetizer at Olive Garden then the calamari is a lower-sugar seafood appetizer than the shrimp Frito Misto which contains 9g of sugar. The calamari contains 3g of sugar.
If you want a dipping sauce for your calamari, then choose the spicy ranch over the marinara. The spicy ranch contains <1g of sugar per serving whilst the marinara contains 2g of sugar.
6. Fried Mozzarella – 3g of Sugar
Another lower-sugar appetizer at Olive Garden is the fried mozzarella, coming in at 3g of sugar.
7. Toasted Ravioli – 3g of Sugar
The final lower-sugar Olive Garden appetizer on this list is the toasted ravioli, which also contains 3g of sugar before any dipping sauces.
8. Fettuccini Alfredo – 3g of Sugar
The lowest sugar lunch-sized entree at Olive Garden is their fettuccini Alfredo coming in at 3g of sugar. Parmesan, cream, garlic, and butter, served over fettuccine – all for 3g of sugar.
9. Herb Grilled Salmon – 3g of Sugar
One of the lowest-sugar dinner entrees at Olive Garden is the herbed grilled salmon. This grilled salmon is topped with garlic herb butter and served with parmesan garlic broccoli. This dish has 3g of sugar.
10. 6 Oz Sirloin – 3g of Sugar
The other lowest-sugar dinner entree at Olive Garden is their 6 oz Sirloin. This sirloin is topped with garlic herb butter and served with a side of fettuccine alfredo. The 3g of sugar content will come from the fettuccine alfredo.
11. Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce – 4g of Sugar
If you are looking for a lower-sugar ravioli entree at Olive Garden, I recommend the cheese ravioli with marinara sauce.
This is a lunch-sized entree and contains 4g of sugar. The lunch-sized ravioli with meat sauce has a higher sugar content of 4g of sugar.
The dinner-sized Ravioli equivalents are much higher in sugar – there are 8g of sugar in the dinner-sized cheese ravioli with marinara and 11g of sugar in the dinner-sized cheese ravioli with meat sauce.
12. Seafood Alfredo – 5g of Sugar
The lowest sugar dinner-sized pasta entree at Olive Garden is their seafood Alfredo. So, if you love creamy garlic seafood pasta but are watching your sugar intake then you are in luck. A dinner-sized entree of the seafood Alfredo contains 5g of sugar.
13. Chicken Alfredo – 6g of Sugar
If chicken Alfredo is more your thing, then this is also a lower-sugar dinner-sized pasta option at Olive Garden at 6g of sugar. In comparison a dinner-sized entree of spaghetti with meat sauce and sausage contains 19g of sugar.
14. Gluten-Free Rotini with Creamy Mushroom Sauce – 7g of Sugar
Finally, we couldn’t have a list of the best low sugar Olive Garden order without looking at the lowest-sugar “create your own pasta” dish.
Olive Garden is famed for its “create your own pasta” option. So, what is the lowest-sugar pasta you can create?
It is a gluten-free rotini with creamy mushroom sauce. The gluten-free rotini itself contains 0g of sugar (the rigatoni pasta in comparison contains 5g of sugar). The lowest sugar sauce that is available on the create-your-own menu is the creamy mushroom sauce is the lowest sugar at 7g of sugar.
In comparison, the marinara and five cheese marinara contain 10g of sugar and the meat sauce contains 13g of sugar.
The total sugar content of this dish is 7g of sugar. If you want to add some meat to your pasta without impacting the sugar content, you can. The meatballs (3), shrimp, and grilled chicken can all be added to your pasta and will add 0g of sugar.
F&Q Olive Garden Sugar
How Much Sugar Does Olive Garden Salad Have?
There is 2g of sugar in an Olive Garden salad without dressing.
There are 4g of sugar in an Olive Garden salad with dressing.
Is There Sugar In Olive Garden Salad Dressing?
There is sugar in Olive Garden Salad dressing.
How Much Sugar Is In Olive Garden Dressing?
There is 2g of sugar in Olive Garden’s Italian dressing and 2g of sugar in Olive Garden’s low-fat Italian dressing.
How Much Sugar Is In An Olive Garden Breadstick?
There is 1g of sugar in one Olive Garden Breadstick with garlic topping.
Does Olive Garden Sauce Have Sugar In It?
Olive Garden pasta sauces do have sugar in them. Below is the sugar content for all of the pasta sauces at Olive Garden:
- Creamy Mushroom – 7g of sugar
- Marinara – 10g of sugar
- 5 Cheese Marinara – 10g of sugar
- Meat Sauce – 13g of Sugar
14 of The Best Low Sugar Olive Garden Dishes – The Final Bite
Best low sugar Olive Garden dishes. What have we learned from the above? Well, when it comes to Olive Garden there is a selection of lower-sugar dishes available on the menu. If you are looking for something that contains the least amount of sugar, then your best pick is the Stuffed Ziti Fritta which contains <1g of Sugar. As for the breadsticks – well, the good news is that each breadstick only contains 1g of sugar so you know you can go wild (well you can have about 3 if you are trying to watch your sugar intake).
And Remember…
Ingredients and/or manufacturing processes may change. Always double-check ingredient lists and nutritional information before purchasing any food items.
WANT TO FIND MORE LOW SUGAR OPTIONS?
Do you want to learn about some other low-sugar options at your favorite coffee chains, fast food, or restaurant joints, or just while you are shopping for groceries? If you do, then check out some of my other articles below:
