Can I Eat Applesauce on a Low-Glycemic-Index Diet?

The glycemic index measures how foods affect your blood sugar. Your digestive system rapidly breaks down foods with a high glycemic index (GI) of 70 or more, causing your blood sugar to spike and then drop. A diet based primarily on foods with a high glycemic index may increase your risk of obesity, elevated cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes.

By contrast, a diet rich in foods low on the glycemic index, such as most vegetables, whole grains, and fruits, including certain types of applesauce, may support better diabetes management, blood pressure control, lower cholesterol levels, and a reduced risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. As a fruit-derived, sweet accompaniment to roast pork, applesauce can fit into the lower end of the glycemic index — with certain caveats.

What Is the Glycemic Index of Applesauce?

The University of Sydney’s Glycemic Index database doesn’t list applesauce’s GI value. The closest figure it provides is for raw green apples, which come in at a GI of 41.

Applesauces will likely have a higher GI as many producers add sugar and other ingredients, and they also have less fiber than raw apples. This can lead to faster blood sugar spikes. The higher an applesauce’s added sugar content, the faster they’ll increase blood sugar.

Different apples also have different GI values: Golab apples, for example, have a lower GI of 39, while custard apple flesh has a GI of 54. So sauces using different apples in production may have different effects on blood sugar.

What Is the Glycemic Load?

While the glycemic index of a food is one tool to choose healthy foods, the glycemic load (GL) may be a more useful gauge, advises registered dietitian Molly Kimball, RD.

Unlike the GI, which measures how 50 grams of a food affects your blood sugar, the GL measures the effect of consuming a typical serving size of particular foods.

A study published in 2025 that tested the effects of two different pureed apple products on blood glucose found that both resulted in low GI and GL. The authors suggest that they can form part of a low-GI or low-GL diet.

However, this study didn’t state that they were studying applesauce directly, and not all applesauce products are equally safe for blood glucose levels. Their effect depends on other ingredients.

Recommended Intake

If a physician has placed you on a diet in which you’d benefit from sticking to low-GI foods, you may need to avoid sugar-sweetened applesauce and stick to unsweetened varieties.

Applesauce containing added sugar will have a higher GI and GL than plain varieties. If you intend to eat sweetened applesauce, include it in your diet only occasionally and in small portions.

For applesauce with the lowest possible GI or GL, try preparing your own sugar-free version with unpeeled apples, and spice it up with seasonings like nutmeg, cinnamon, or lemon juice.

Expert Insight

Kimball points out that a food's GI measures the blood sugar reaction when a person consumes it on an empty stomach. The blood-sugar-spiking effect of a food decreases alongside a rich source of fiber, protein, or healthy fats.

For example, applesauce may have less of an effect on your blood sugar if you eat it as a side for roasted pork tenderloin, brown rice, and steamed broccoli than if you consume it plain as a snack.

Aim to eat applesauce with other low-GI foods to moderate your diet’s overall effect on your blood sugar levels.