When it comes to carbs and sugar, things can get a little tricky. Some low-carb flours have more sugar than high-carb flours that contain no sugar. Don’t worry – we’ll explain this in detail in this article!
However, when it comes to sugar alone, some of the flours with more sugar include apple flour, chestnut flour, and coconut flour, among a few others.
We’ll review nine flours that have the most sugar (in comparison to other types of flour) next!
These flours have the most sugar
All sugar totals are per 1/4 cup of flour unless marked otherwise. Here they are – the flours with the most sugar:
- Apple flour (20 grams)
- Chestnut flour (6 grams)
- Coconut flour (6 grams)
- Tigernut flour (5 grams)
- Peanut flour (3 grams)
- Almond flour (2 grams)
- Cashew flour (2 grams)
- Chapati flour (2 grams)
- Fava bean flour (2 grams)
Looking at the list above, one of the key things you’ll immediately notice is that most of these high-sugar flours aren’t made from wheat – they’re made from fruits, nuts, and other alternatives. Naturally-occurring sugar is part of what makes many of these foods sweet, and that translates to flour made from them as well!
Sugar in flour
It’s important to note that the sugar in flour isn’t added sugar like the kind in sweets, sugary drinks, and other processed foods. Any sugar in flour is naturally occurring, which means it’s present in the plant from which the flour is made.
For instance, flour made from foods that aren’t naturally high in sugar (like nuts) is lower in sugar than flour made from higher sugar sources, like fruit.
The majority of flours don’t contain any sugar, or they contain very little sugar (one gram or less).
Sugar and special diets
Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, a nutrient that is broken down into glucose (blood sugar) after you eat it.
Other types of carbohydrates include starch (the structural part of plants) and fiber, which isn’t absorbed by your body.
Low-carb diets limit total carbs, which is the sum of the starch + sugar + fiber. That means that higher-sugar flours may also be higher in carbs, potentially making them unsuitable for low-carb diets (such as keto).
However, some low-carb flour might be higher in sugar compared to others, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t low-carb. A perfect example is all-purpose flour vs. almond flour:
All-purpose flour: 24 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of sugar.
Almond flour: 6 grams of total carbs, 2 grams of sugar.
So while almond flour has more sugar compared to all-purpose, it’s much lower in total carbs, and is even keto-friendly!
9 flours high in sugar
Since most flour contains fewer than 1 gram of sugar (the majority of them have 0 grams of sugar), we’re including any flour with two or more grams of sugar per ¼ cup serving.
Keep in mind that two grams of sugar isn’t very much – for reference, one medium apple contains 19 grams of natural sugar.
Apple flour – 20 grams of sugar
By far the highest sugar flour, apple flour is made from dried and ground apples. Don’t worry – all of the sugar in apple flour is natural, not added. However, due to its high sugar content, apple flour is definitely a no-go for low-carb diets like keto.
You can use apple flour to add natural sweetness to baked goods or sprinkle it over hot cereal for a boost of fiber and apple flavor (a healthier option compared to flavored apple oatmeal, which is usually very high in added sugar).
Chestnut flour – 6 grams of sugar
Chestnuts are naturally higher in sugar compared to other nuts, making chestnut flour higher in sugar.
Chestnut flour can be added to the recipes for baked goods to provide a naturally nutty and slightly sweet flavor. It’s gluten-free and Paleo-friendly, but not suitable for low-carb diets due to its total carb content (19 grams of net carbs per serving).
Coconut flour – 6 grams of sugar
While coconut sugar is higher in sugar, it’s still low-carb-friendly! Coconut flour is very high in fiber, which helps lower the net carb content.
Net carbs are the total carbs minus the dietary fiber, giving you the amount that impacts your blood sugar levels (and state of ketosis). Because coconut flour is so rich in fiber, its net carb content is 8 grams or less per serving, making it low-carb!
Tigernut flour – 5 grams of sugar
Tigernut flour is made from the tubers of the yellow nutsedge plant. It’s Paleo-friendly, but since it’s higher in carbs (11 grams of net carbs per serving), it’s not quite keto-friendly.
However, tigernut flour is much lower in carbs compared to “regular” all-purpose flour (23 grams of net carbs) making it a much lower-carb option in comparison!
Peanut flour – 3 grams of sugar
Peanuts are a legume, making peanut flour high in protein and low in carbs compared to grain-based flour. Peanut flour is keto-friendly, but it is not Paleo-friendly since legumes are avoided on a Paleo diet.
Almond flour – 2 grams of sugar
Almond flour might contain more sugar than most, but that doesn’t mean it’s not suitable for low-carb diets. Almond flour contains two grams of net carbs per serving thanks to its rich fiber content, so don’t let its two grams of sugar deter you!
Cashew flour – 2 grams of sugar
Cashew flour and other nut-based flours aren’t suitable for tree nut allergies, but they’re usually Paleo-friendly. Cashew flour is higher in carbs than most nut flours with 10 grams of net carbs per serving, which just barely makes it too high in carbs for keto – though some keto dieters might include some cashew flour in their diet if it doesn’t put them over their daily carb goal.
Chapati flour – 2 grams of sugar
Chapati flour is made from wheat, so it’s not gluten-free, nor is it suitable for low-carb diets. You can use chapati flour to make traditional Indian flatbreads like chapati (roti).
Fava bean flour – 2 grams of sugar
Fava bean flour is high in fiber (8 grams per serving) and naturally gluten-free, but it’s not Paleo-friendly since it’s made from a legume. There are 10 grams of net carbs in fava bean flour, which make it borderline for being keto-friendly.
Nutritional comparison of higher-sugar flours
-Listed in order of highest sugar content to lowest
-Serving size = 1/4 cup
| Flour | Calories | Total Carbs | Sugars | Fiber | Net Carbs |
| Apple flour | 100 | 20 g | 20 g | 4 g | 16 g |
| Chestnut flour | 100 | 22 g | 6 g | 3 g | 19 g |
| Coconut flour | 120 | 18 g | 6 g | 10 g | 8 g |
| Tigernut flour | 130 | 14 g | 5 g | 3 g | 11 g |
| Peanut flour | 130 | 9 g | 3 g | 4 g | 5 g |
| Almond flour | 160 | 6 g | 2 g | 4 g | 2 g |
| Cashew flour | 160 | 10 g | 2 g | 0 g | 10 g |
| Chapati flour | 110 | 23 g | 2 g | 3 g | 20 g |
| Fava bean flour | 100 | 18 g | 2 g | 8 g | 10 g |
FAQs:
All-purpose flour doesn’t contain any sugar, but it’s high in total carbs because of the starch content (24 grams of carbs per ¼ cup serving).
Many types of flour don’t contain any sugar, but that doesn’t mean they are low in carbs. For instance, all-purpose flour doesn’t contain sugar but it has 24 grams of carbs per serving.
On the other hand, almond flour contains 2 grams of sugar per serving but is low-carb with only 6 grams of total carbs.
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