10 Foods Filled with Hidden Sugar (+ Best Keto Swaps!)

Avoid the hidden sugar in these foods with these keto swap!

Sugar is so sneaky!

Sugar is hidden in so many everyday foods, making it difficult to know what your TRUE keto options are.

While you already probably take a close look at your nutrition labels, we checked out the sugar content of a few popular foods and equated the serving size with sugar packets (roughly 3.5g of sugar per packet). We’ve gotta say, the amount of sugar we found turned us a little sour (and salty)!

Here’s a look at 10 foods full of hidden sugar and the best keto-friendly swaps!

1. Ketchup is hiding 8g of sugar per serving.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup
Serving: 2 Tbsp. | 40 Calories | 0g Fat | 10g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 8g Sugar | 0g Protein | 10g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Primal Kitchen Unsweetened Organic Ketchup
Serving: 1 Tbsp. | 10 Calories | 0g Fat | 2g Total Carbs | 0g fiber | 1g sugar | 0g Protein | 2g Net Carbs

2. Full-fat salad dressings are a better keto option than fat-free/low-fat salad dressings.

Low-fat French dressing
Serving: 2 Tbsp. | 50 Calories | 2g Fat | 12g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 9g Sugar | 0g Protein | 12g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Primal Kitchen Italian Vinaigrette
Serving: 2 Tbsp. | 110 Calories | 12g Fat | <1g Total Carbs | 0g fiber | 0g sugar | 0g Protein | <1g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: G. Hughes Sugar-Free Honey Dijon Dressing
Serving: 2 Tbsp. | 60 Calories | 6g Fat | 0g Total Carbs | 0g fiber | 0g sugar | 0g Protein | 0g Net Carbs

3. BBQ sauce almost always contains hidden sugar.

Stubb’s Sticky Sweet
Serving: 2 Tbsp. | 600 Calories | 0g Fat | 14g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 11g Sugar | 0g Protein | 14g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Walden Farms Thick N Spicy Barbecue Sauce
Serving: 2 Tbsp. | 0 Calories | 0g Fat | 0g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | 0g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: G. Hughes Smokehouse BBQ Sauce
Serving: 2 Tbsp. | 10 Calories | 0g Fat | 2g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | 2g Net Carbs

4. Protein bars can be notoriously high in sugar.

Blueberry RX bar
Serving: 1 bar | 210 Calories | 7g Fat | 24g Total Carbs | 4g Fiber | 15g Sugar | 12g Protein | 20g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Munk Pack Coconut Cocoa Chip Bar
Serving: 1 bar | 140 Calories | 13g Fat | 12g Total Carbs | 4g Fiber | 1g Sugar | 5.5g Allulose | 0.5g Glycerin | 4g Protein | 2g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Quest Nutrition Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar
Serving: 1 bar | 210 Calories | 10g Fat | 22g Total Carbs | 13g Fiber | 1g Sugar | 4g Erythritol | 20g Protein | 5g Net Carbs

5. Low-fat flavored yogurts contain a surprising amount of hidden sugar.

Yoplait Strawberry Banana Yogurt
Serving: 6 oz. | 150 Calories | 2g Fat | 26g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 19g Sugar | 6g Protein | 26g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Two Good Plain Greek Yogurt
Serving: 5.3 oz | 80 Calories | 2g Fat | 3g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 2g Sugar | 12g Protein | 3g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Ratio Keto-Friendly Yogurt
Serving: 5.3 oz | 200 Calories | 15g Fat | 2g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 1g Sugar | 15g Protein | 2g Net Carbs

6. Coffee Syrups could be sneaking hidden sugar into your morning cup of joe!

Torani Caramel Coffee Syrup
Serving: 2 Tbsp. | 100 Calories | 0g Fat | 25g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 24g Sugar | 0g Protein | 25g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: ChocZero Caramel Syrup
Serving Size: 1 Tbsp. | 35 calories | 0g Fat | 16g Total Carbs | 15g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | 1g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: NuNaturals Pumpkin Spice Syrup, 16 oz. bottle 
Serving Size: 1/4 tsp. | 0 calories | 0g Fat | <1g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | <1g Net Carbs

7. Dried Fruit packs a punch of hidden sugar.

Dried Cranberries
Serving: 1/4 cup | 140 Calories | 0g Fat | 34g Total Carbs | 2g Fiber | 27g Sugar | 0g Protein | 32g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Fresh blueberries
Serving: 1/4 cup | 21 Calories | 0g Fat | 5g Total Carbs | 1g Fiber | 4g Sugar | 0g Protein | 4g Net Carbs

8. Swap your sports drinks for a zero-sugar and keto-friendly option.

Gatorade Fruit Punch flavor
Serving: 1 bottle | 130 Calories | 0g Fat | 34g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 34g Sugar | 0g Protein | 34g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: SmartWater
Serving: 12 oz. | 0 Calories | 0g Fat | 0g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | 0g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Hi-Lyte Concentrate
Serving: 1/2 tsp. | 0 Calories | 0g Fat | 0g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | 0g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Keto K1000
Serving: 1 scoop | 0 Calories | 0g Fat | 0g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | 0g Net Carbs

9. Steer clear of the hidden sugar in fruit juice.

Publix White Grape Juice
Serving: 8 oz. | 160 Calories | 0g Fat | 40g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 40g Sugar | 0g Protein | 40g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Stur sugar-free flavor drops
Serving: 1 squeeze in 8 oz. water | 0 Calories | 0g Fat | 0g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | 0g Net Carbs

10. Soda contains a shocking amount of hidden sugar. 😱

Coca-Cola Classic
Serving: 1 bottle (20 fl. oz.) | 140 Calories | 0g Fat | 65g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 65g Sugar | 0g Protein | 65g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: LaCroix Sparkling Water
Serving size: 1 can (12 fl. oz.) | 0 Calories | 0g Fat | 0g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | 0g Net Carbs

Hip Pick: Bubly Sparkling Water
Serving size: 1 can (12 fl. oz.) | 0 Calories | 0g Fat | 0g Total Carbs | 0g Fiber | 0g Sugar | 0g Protein | 0g Net Carbs

Here’s an idea if you don’t love the taste of sparkling water.

To sweeten your drink, just add a couple of drops of liquid stevia for a refreshing sparkling beverage. Need a Stevia recommendation? This stuff is our favorite!

Isn’t it crazy how much hidden sugar is in these foods and drinks? 

This doesn’t mean you can’t still have your favorites! Now that you know which foods are sources of hidden sugar, you can swap them out for smarter keto options. Check out our favorite keto condiments, the best sugar alternatives, and some delicious keto snacks!

And remember: part of your long-term keto success is making changes from high carb options to ones that help to stabilize your blood sugar. As such, artificial sweeteners, fruit, and dairy should be approached with caution. Pay attention to what works best within your macros (and your lifestyle) and adjust accordingly.