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Is there a lot of sugar in apple cider? In this post, I am going to be sharing with you the sugar content of apple cider and going through 10 different brands of apple cider based on sugar content. Now, what exactly do I mean by “apple cider” – isn’t this just “apple juice”? Well, no – they are not the same. Apple cider is fresh, unfiltered (and often unpasteurized) juice. It is the more “rustic” cloudy-looking apple juice. Apple juice on the other hand is the opposite – filtered and pasteurized (think clearer colored cartons of apple juice). If you are interested in knowing the sugar content of regular (non-sparkling apple) juice then you can check out my post: Is Apple Juice High in Sugar Content?. In this post, we are going to find out how friendly apple cider is for a low sugar diet and what some of the lower sugar apple cider brands are.
How Much Sugar is in Apple Cider?
As a general rule, the majority of apple ciders contain 26g-28g of total sugar content per 8 oz serving. Most apple ciders do not contain added sugar – all this sugar is naturally occurring from the apples.
Comparing Different Apple Cider Brands
Apple cider! It’s that sweet apple drink you drink when you want to feel like you are drinking something special and a little bit more rustic. It is also the perfect drink for the holiday season – especially the spiced version. But what exactly is the sugar content of apple cider? To answer this question, I picked 10 apple ciders at random and observed the added and total sugar content. Some of these ciders are spiced, some un-spiced, some are pre-made and bottled, some are concentrated, and some are powdered sachets. I thought it would be helpful to look at the sugar content of different formats of cider. They all have one thing in common though – they are all non-alcoholic apple ciders.
Before we dig in, if you want to read more about the sugar content of apple cider’s cousin – apple juice, you can here in the post I wrote on the topic – Is Apple Juice High in Sugar?
Summary Table – Sugar Content of Apple Cider
Below is a summary table for 10 different brands of Apple Cider. For each entry, I list the total sugar content per serving (here 8 oz). As you will see from the table the sugar content varies across the 10 brands from 0g to 32g of sugar.
| Apple Cider Brand | Total Sugar Content Per 8oz Serving |
|---|---|
| Alpine Sugar-Free Spiced Apple Cider Mix | 0g |
| Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Original Drink Mix | 20g |
| Kauffman’s Fruit Farm Orchards Apple Cider | 26g |
| Great Value Fresh Pressed Spiced Apple Cider | 26g |
| Musselman 100% Fresh Pressed Apple Cider | 26g |
| No Sugar Apple Cider From Concentrate Juice | 27g |
| Amazon Brand Happy Belly Unfiltered Apple Cider from Concentrate | 28g |
| Mountain Cider Spiced Apple Cider Concentrate | 28g |
| Signature Select Apple Cider | 28g |
| Martinelli’s Gold Medal Sparkling Apple Cider | 32g |
Sugar Content of Apple Cider – 10 Brand Ranked
In this section, I will go through each of the 10 brands listed in the table above in order of lowest to highest sugar content per serving.
1. Alpine Sugar-Free Spiced Apple Cider Mix – 0g of Total Sugar
First up we have my number 1 recommendation if you are looking for sugar free apple cider. Alpine makes these awesome sugar free spiced apple cider mix sachets. Just mix one with hot water and just like that you have a sugar free apple cider. This sugar free apple cider mix is spiced and sweetened with maltodextrin and aspartame.
You can find this sugar free spiced apple cider mix on Amazon here.
2. Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Original Drink Mix – 20g of Total Sugar
Alpine also makes a spiced apple cider mix that is sweetened with sugar. One of these sachets mixed with 8oz of water will contain 20g of sugar. This may sound like a lot, but this is still pretty low sugar when compared to some other brands of apple cider.
3. Kauffman’s Fruit Farm Orchards Apple Cider – 26g of Total Sugar
I have looked at the sugar content of some apple cider sachets mixed but how about the pre-mixed bottle of apple cider? How much sugar do they contain? Well, Kauffman’s Fruit Farm Orchards apple cider is just made from apples and contains 26g of total sugar per 8oz serving.
4. Great Value Fresh Pressed Spiced Apple Cider – 26g of Sugar
Walmart’s Great Value spiced apple cider also contains 26g of total sugar per serving. Just like with most bottled apple ciders there is no added sugar in this Great Value spiced apple cider.
5. Musselman 100% Fresh Pressed Apple Cider – 26g of Total Sugar
Another day, another apple cider which contains 26g of total sugar per serving. Musselman 100% pressed apple cider is not of the spiced variety, does not contain added sugar, and contains 26g of total sugar per 8oz serving.
6. No Sugar Apple Cider From Concentrate Juice – 27g of Total Sugar
If you are a Kroger’s shopper, you may be interested in the sugar content of Kroger’s No Sugar Apple Cider from concentrate juice. As the name may suggest, there is no added sugar in this apple cider. This apple cider is not of the spiced variety and has a very average of 27g of total sugar per serving in this apple cider.
7. Amazon Brand Happy Belly Unfiltered Apple Cider from Concentrate – 28g of Total Sugar
Amazon’s Happy Belly’s apple cider is also made from concentrate. It is also un-spiced, added sugar free, and contains 28g of sugar per serving.
8. Mountain Cider Spiced Apple Cider Concentrate – 28g of Total Sugar
Mountain Cider spiced apple cider is an apple cider concentrate. Mix 1oz of this cider with water and guess what – you have made your own apple cider. This apple cider is also added sugar free and contains 28g of total sugar per serving.
9. Signature Select Apple Cider – 28g of Total Sugar
If you are a Von’s shopper, you may be interested in the sugar content of their Signature Select apple cider. This apple cider is made from concentrate and contains 0g of added sugar and 28g of total sugar per serving.
Looking at all the other brands in this list it is interesting to see most apple ciders contain 26g-28g of total sugar per 8oz serving and 0g of added sugar.
10. Martinelli’s Gold Medal Sparkling Apple Cider – 32g of Total Sugar
The highest-sugar apple cider I came across in my little experiment is Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider. This apple cider is rather special as it is sparkling and is also made from US-grown apples.
It does come out a little higher in sugar with total a sugar content of 32g per 8oz serving. This is the highest sugar content on the list.
Does Apple Cider Have More Sugar Than Apple Juice?
As a general rule, apple cider and apple juices tend to have similar sugar content. The majority of apple ciders contain 26-28g of total sugar per 8oz serving and most apple juices tend to contain 23g-30g of total sugar per 8oz serving.
You can read more about the sugar content of apple juice in the post I wrote on the topic – Is Apple Juice High in Sugar Content?
Which Cider Has No Added Sugar?
Most apple ciders have no added sugars. For your ease of reference, I have listed some added sugar free apple ciders below:
- Alpine Sugar-Free Spiced Apple Cider Mix
- Kauffman’s Fruit Farm Orchards Apple Cider
- Great Value Fresh Pressed Spiced Apple Cider
- Musselman 100% Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
- No Sugar Apple Cider From Concentrate Juice
- Amazon Brand Happy Belly Unfiltered Apple Cider from Concentrate
- Mountain Cider Spiced Apple Cider Concentrate
- Signature Select Apple Cider
- Martinelli’s Gold Medal Sparkling Apple Cider
Which Cider Has the Least Sugar?
Alpine sugar free spiced apple cider mix contains 0g of total sugar per serving. It is sweetened with aspartame and maltodextrin.
Is There A Sugar Free Cider?
Alpine sugar free spiced apple cider mix is sugar free. It can be purchased on Amazon here.
Is There A Lot of Sugar In Apple Cider? – The Final Bite
Is there a lot of sugar in apple cider? What have we learned from the above? Well, when it comes to apple cider there isn’t actually much difference in sugar content when compared to regular apple juice. If you are watching your sugar intake and want to have some apple cider then your best option is Apline sugar free spiced apple cider mix (entry no. 1). One of the most interesting things I found was that apple ciders tend to not be sweetened with apple fruit sugars. This is unlike apple juice which often is. As for flavor I personally love the cloudy and more rustic farm taste of apple cider.
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:
