The worst condiments for sugar content can make balancing a diet and managing weight a challenge. While flavorful and often convenient, these condiments are loaded with added sugars and can contribute to a variety of health issues like diabetes and heart disease. Understanding which condiments are high in sugar can help reduce excessive sugar consumption and support healthier alternative condiment choices.
10 High Sugar Condiments to Avoid
1. BBQ Sauce
It might be hard to believe, but BBQ sauce is by far the worst condiment when it comes to sugar content. While the exact numbers will vary from brand to brand, you can bet on one serving of BBQ sauce (1 tablespoon) containing about 5 grams of sugar—but of course, most individuals indulge in a double serving (2 tablespoons), adding an additional 10 grams of sugar to one dinner.
The sugar in BBQ sauce is also rarely cane sugar but rather high fructose corn syrup, which wreaks havoc on your body. Don’t despair, however, as it is fairly easy to make your own BBQ sauce at home, allowing you to control your own sugar contents by using natural sweeteners, like honey, instead of high fructose corn syrup.
2. Ketchup
After BBQ sauce, ketchup is the next of the worst condiments for sugar content, as a single tablespoon serving includes 4 grams of sugar. Similar to BBQ sauce, it is much more common to have a double serving adding at least 8 grams of sugar to your meal.
Ketchup is harder than BBQ sauce to make a homemade version, but just taking the time to read bottles and choosing ketchup with lower sugar levels and real sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup can go a long way.
3. Honey Mustard
Honey mustard is a sneaky high-sugar condiment containing about 6 grams of sugar per serving. Of course, some of this sugar is from honey(but not all of it), which is slightly better than other forms of sugar. But this sweet dipping sauce will still throw your daily sugar intake off track.
Instead of reaching for honey mustard in the store, consider using a smaller amount of yellow mustard, which contains 0 grams of sugar. You can also make your own version of honey mustard at home by mixing yellow mustard with a small amount of honey. Not only will this allow you to control the ratio of mustard to honey, but it will also contain much fewer additional ingredients, which add sugar to the store-bought ones.
4. Sweet Relish
Sweet relish is a less common condiment, but adding a one-tablespoon serving of this sweet topping to your hot dog can add a whopping 5 grams of sugar. Like other condiments, it is also likely that you frequently add more than one tablespoon—meaning you’re probably adding closer to 12 grams of sugar to one hot dog. Worse yet, similar to ketchup and BBQ sauce, sweet relish is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup instead of real sugar.
To continue to enjoy relish without all the added sugars, make your own at home. Choose an organic dill pickle that uses real sugar (or, better yet, no sugar) and then chop it for use on your hot dog. Alternatively, enjoying hot dogs with mustard as the only topping can help keep your sugar intake low.
5. Sriracha
It might surprise you to see the spicy and tangy Sriracha on this list, but surprisingly, this hot sauce contains 1 gram of sugar per teaspoon. That adds up quite quickly, especially if you like to add a few teaspoons of Sriracha to your pasta or chicken.
Next time you are in the store, instead of reaching for sriracha, check out the other hot sauce options, many of which contain 0 grams of sugar. Both Tabasco and Cholula are two comparable hot sauces that contain 0 grams of sugar per serving and will taste just as tasty as Sriracha.
6. Light or Fat-Free Dressings
Those on a diet likely choose a light or fat-free dressing as a dipping sauce. While this might seem like a good idea, the sugar content in these dressings can be through the roof. Many light or fat-free dressings contain 6 grams of sugar for one 2 tablespoon serving and although this isn’t terrible, it can add up very quickly.
Dressing producers add sugars to these products to replace the taste that goes missing when the fat content is reduced. Some of the worst culprits include fat-free honey mustard dressing (5 grams), fat-free Thousand Island (3 grams), and light balsamic vinaigrette (5 grams). The best alternative to light salad dressings on your salad is lemon juice or a splash of olive oil and vinegar.
7. Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki sauce is deliciously thick and sweet, so really it’s no surprise that one tablespoon contains 3 grams of sugar. While this isn’t terrible, most recipes that use Teriyaki sauce call for up to a cup of the sauce, adding a total of 48 grams of sugar to your dish.
Although Teriyaki sauce doesn’t have many alternatives, whenever possible, use soy sauce or coconut aminos instead. Soy sauce doesn’t contain any sugar, and coconut aminos has less sodium and about 2 grams of sugar per serving.
8. Jarred Salsa
Salsa is a favorite appetizer, but unfortunately, the stuff you buy in the store usually contains about 2 grams of sugar per tablespoon. Considering the average person consumes more than one tablespoon of salsa per sitting, this can quickly add up.
Instead of reaching for store-bought salsa, consider making your own, which is quick and easy if you have a blender. You can then skip adding sugar and just stick to the basic ingredients of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers.
9. Steak Sauces
Steak sauces can add a delicious tang to a burger or steak, but most of them contain at least 2 grams of sugar per single tablespoon serving. While this isn’t quite as bad as BBQ sauce, these sauces are usually sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup instead of real sugar.
Look for organic brands of steak sauce when you can, choosing ones with low sugar content or at least real sugar. We also recommend considering Worcestershire sauce for your next steak, which has just 1 gram of sugar per serving.
10. Fat-Free Ranch
Although fat-free ranch might seem like a better alternative to a regular ranch, know that whatever fat you are avoiding, you are gaining back in sugar as the average fat-free ranch contains 2 grams of sugar for a 1 tablespoon serving. Instead of reaching for the fat-free ranch, consider using mayo, which is sugar-free. You can also just stick to the full-fat ranch, which has only 1 gram of sugar per serving,
