The average American eats WAY too much sugar – 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day is the average (that’s 68 grams of added sugar per day) while the recommendation is to keep it below 6-9 teaspoons per day.
Pasta is generally high in carbs, but is it high in sugar too?!
The good news is that pasta is generally not very high in sugar – and none of the sugar comes from added sugars! Which pastas have the most sugar? Some of the higher-sugar pastas are:
- Spiralized zucchini “pasta”
- Edamame pasta
- Veggie pasta
- Almond flour pasta
- Cassava pasta
- Egg noodles
We’ll explain how much sugar is in these pastas and compare them all nutrition-wise!
Sugar in pasta
Pasta is high in carbohydrates unless you choose a specific low-carb alternative. Carbohydrates are a type of nutrient your body uses as its primary source of energy.
There are three types of carbohydrates (also called carbs): starch, sugar, and fiber. We can break sugar down into two more categories: natural sugar and added sugar.
Pasta doesn’t have added sugar (that doesn’t sound appetizing to us!), but there can be small amounts of natural sugars depending on the type of pasta. Since pasta can be made from a variety of sources and flours, the sugar content varies among these different pastas.
The good news is that even the higher-sugar pastas aren’t that high in sugar – we’re talking a few grams per serving at the most. Let’s look at some of the higher-sugar pastas next!
6 high-sugar pastas
Spiralized zucchini “pasta” – 3.1 grams per serving
If you want to DIY your own lower-carb, Paleo- and keto-friendly pasta alternative, look no further than spiralized veggies. Zucchini is especially popular for making spiralized noodles because of its texture, but it does have some natural sugar that makes this “pasta” higher on our list.
Spiralized zucchini is still low in carbs though – just check out the nutrition table at the end of this article!
Edamame pasta – 3 grams per serving
This high-fiber, grain-free pasta is higher in natural sugars. Edamame is a type of legume – specifically, it’s immature soybeans in their pods that look like snap peas.
Edamame is naturally rich in protein – in fact, it’s considered a complete protein because it provides all of the essential amino acids your body can’t make on its own and you have to get from your diet.
Veggie pasta (Ronzoni Garden Delight) – 3 grams per serving
Don’t let the name fool you – veggie pasta isn’t just made from veggies. Most store-bought versions of “veggie pasta” are regular wheat pasta with vegetables added, which doesn’t change its nutrition stats much compared to regular pasta.
Veggie pasta is slightly higher in natural sugars than regular pasta, likely because of the addition of vegetables like carrots, which are naturally a bit higher in sugar than some other veggies.
Almond flour pasta – 2 grams per serving
If you’re looking for a Paleo-friendly pasta alternative, almond flour pasta fits the bill. It packs a lot of fat and calories, primarily healthy fats from almonds!
Almond flour is usually keto-friendly, but this pasta has tapioca starch added, which increases the carb content too much for almond flour pasta to be considered keto.
Cassava pasta – 2 grams per serving
Another Paleo-friendly alternative, this grain-free pasta is made from the cassava plant, a type of root vegetable. Like almond flour pasta, it’s not low in carbs so isn’t keto-friendly.
Egg noodles – 2 grams per serving
It can be deceiving and many people mistake egg noodles as a gluten-free option, but they still contain wheat flour so aren’t gluten-free. Eggs are added to dough made from durum wheat, which sets egg noodles apart from regular pasta.
Nutritional comparison of high-sugar pastas
| Pasta (2 oz. dry unless specified) | Calories | Fat (saturated) | Total carbs (fiber) | Total sugars (added) | Protein |
| Spiralized zucchini “pasta” – 1 cup | 21 | 0.4 g (0 g) | 3.9 g | 3.1 g (0 g) | 1.5 g |
| Edamame pasta | 180 | 3.5 g (0 g) | 20 g | 3 g (0 g) | 24 g |
| Veggie pasta (Ronzoni Garden Delight) | 200 | 1 g (0 g) | 40 g | 3 g (0 g) | 8 g |
| Almond flour pasta – 1 cup | 360 | 20 g (2 g) | 39 g (3 g) | 2 g (0 g) | 12 g |
| Cassava pasta | 200 | 0 g | 49 g (4 g) | 2 g (0 g) | 1 g |
| Egg noodles | 220 | 3 g (1 g) | 40 g | 2 g (0 g) | 8 g |
FAQs:
Pasta isn’t high in sugar but is generally high in overall carbs because of its high starch content. Most types of pasta contain fewer than three grams of sugar per serving, and none of it is added sugar.
Egg pasta isn’t gluten-free since it contains wheat flour, which is high in carbohydrates. Eating large portions of egg pasta might spike blood sugar levels in certain people, especially if you have blood sugar problems like diabetes or prediabetes.
High-fiber pasta that is a good source of protein like whole wheat pasta and lentil pasta are good choices because they are filling and provide fiber, an important nutrient that can promote heart and digestive health.
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