- As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am compensated for referring traffic to Amazon.
Instant oatmeal. You know those little paper packets of instant oatmeal we all reach for when we just need breakfast in a hurry? But exactly how much sugar is in instant oatmeal? And more importantly which instant oatmeal brands are sugar free? I will be answering these questions in this post. In this post, I will go through the total sugar content per dry serving of various instant oatmeal brands. I will go through these instant oatmeals in descending order of sugar content. So, let’s dig in, how much sugar is in instant oatmeal and which instant oatmeal brands are sugar free?
How Much Sugar Is In Instant Oatmeal
As a general rule, flavored instant oatmeal can be high in sugar with most containing 8g-18g of total sugar per serving. Original Instant oatmeal tends to be sugar free. There are sugar free flavored instant oatmeal available.
Before we dig in, if you want a sugar free milk to mix your instant oatmeal with then make sure to check out this post I wrote on the best sugar free alternative milks.
1. Nature’s Path Flavored Instant Oatmeal – 8g-18g of Total Sugar
First up on this list is Nature’s Path flavored instant oatmeal. Now the sugar content of Natural Path instant oatmeal really varies depending on the flavor. For example, there are 8g of sugar in a serving of their Brown Sugar flavor but over double that sugar content in their Multigrain Raisin flavor at 18g. I have listed out some of their most popular instant oatmeal flavors and their sugar content below.
- Brown Sugar – 8g
- Flax Plus – 10g
- Maple Nut – 11g
- Apple Cinnamon – 14g
- Multigrain Raisin – 18g
2. Great Value Flavored Instant Oatmeal – 11g -12g of Total Sugar
Next up is Great Value’s (Walmart’s own brand) flavored instant oatmeal. There are 12g of sugar in a serving of Great Value Maple & Brown Sugar flavor and Their Apple & Cinnamon flavor, and 11g in their Cinnamon & Spice flavor.
3. Quaker Instant Oatmeal – 9g-12g of Total Sugar
Next up is the King of Instant Oatmeal – Quaker Oaks of course! Quaker Oats instant oatmeal packets tend to contain around 9g-12g of sugar per serving. For example, there are 9g of sugar in their Peaches & Cream, 10g in Cinnamon & Spice, 11g in Apple & Cinnamon, and 12g in Maple & Brown Sugar.
Okay, so I think it is safe at this point to conclude that a serving of instant flavored oatmeal is fairly high in sugar with a servicontaining 8g-18g of total sugar. Let’s start moving on to some lower sugar instant oatmeal – as I know that is the main reason you are here.
4. Quaker Reduced Sugar Oatmeal – 4g of Total Sugar
If you love to start your day with a Quaker Instant Oatmeal, but are watching your sugar intake, then why not try their Reduced Sugar Instant Oatmeal. A variety pack of the Maple & Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Spice, and Apple & Cinnamon flavors can be found on Amazon here. These reduced sugar instant oatmeal packets are sweetened with sugar and monk fruit and contain just 4g of sugar per serving! That is quite a reduction – bearing in mind for example there are 12g of sugar in the regular Maple & Brown Sugar flavor – that is a third of the sugar content!
5. BariWise Apple & Cinnamon Protein Oatmeal – 2g of Total Sugar
Another low sugar flavored instant oatmeal you may be interested in trying some from BariWise. BariWise Protein Apple & Cinnamon Oatmeal is sweetened with sucralose and contains just 2g of total sugar per serving. There are 0g of added sugar, so the 2g of total sugar must be naturally occurring from the apples. You can check it out for yourself on Amazon here. Keep reading to find out about another even lower sugar BariWise instant oatmeal flavor!
6. Purely Elizabeth Organic Apple Cinnamon, Oatmeal – 2g of Total Sugar
Another instant apple cinnamon instant oatmeal that also contains just 2g of sugar per serving comes from Purely Elizabeth. What I love most about this flavored instant oatmeal is that it doesn’t contain any sweeteners at all! That is right, it just relies on the apple, pecans, flax, cinnamon, and chia. Win! So if you are looking for a sugar and sweetener free flavored instant oatmeal Purely Elizabeth Organic Apple Cinnamon may be for you. You can check out it’s super natural ingredient list on Amazon here.
7. Quaker Organic Original Instant Oatmeal – 0g of Total Sugar
So far on this list I have just looked at flavored instant oatmeals. But how about unflavored instant oatmeal (aka the original variety) – do these contain sugar? Let’s look at a couple of bands to find out. First up is Quaker Organic Original Instant Oatmeal. Now Quaker Oats Organic Original Instant Oatmeal is literally just made from oats and so of course contains 0g of sugar per serving.
8. Great Value Original Instant Oatmeal – 0g of Total Sugar
I also took a look at the sugar content of Great Value Original Instant Oatmeal, and yup it also contains 0g of sugar per serving. It think it’s safe to assume that most original instant oatmeals contain 0g of sugar – it’s the flavored instant oatmeals you really need to watch out for.
9. Purely Elizabeth Superfood Original Oats – 0g of Total Sugar
I talked about Purely Elizabeth’s Apple Cinnamon instant oatmeal above, but there is actually an even lower sugar Purely Elizabeth instant oatmeal. This verity is their original version but it is still pretty interesting as it contains quinoa, flax, and chia – and still contains 0g of sugar. So if you are looking for a sugar free instant oatmeal that has the added benefit of seeds then Purely Elizabeth is the one for you. It can be found on Amazon here.
10. BariWise Protein Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal – 0g of Total Sugar.
Earlier in this article I talked about BariWise Apple & Cinnamon instant oatmeal which is sweetened with sucralose but still contains 2g of naturally occurring sugar from the apple. Well Bariwise’s Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal is even lower in sugar – 0g to be precise. It is also sweetened with sucralose and can be found on Amazon here.
11. ProteinWise Instant Oatmeal Maple Brown Instant Oatmeal – 0g of Total Sugar
The final sugar free flavored oatmeal I came across is another high-protein maple brown sugar variety – this time from ProteinWise. Just like BariWise this instant oatmeal is also sweetened with sucralose. You can check it out for yourself on Amazon here.
How Much Sugar Is In Instant Oatmeal – The Final Bite
How much sugar is in instant oatmeal and which are sugar free? What have we learned from the above? Well, flavored instant oatmeal can be pretty high in sugar as it tends to contain 8g to 18g of sugar per serving. However, if you are watching your sugar intake, there is good news – original instant oatmeal tends to be sugar free. The good news keeps coming, as there are also sugar free flavored instant oatmeal brands out there too. You just have to know what to look for. 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:
