How Much Sugar Is in Raisins?
A quarter cup of raisins has about 29 g of natural sugar — drying grapes into raisins strips the water and concentrates the sugar dramatically.
in 1/4 cup (40 g) · about 6.9 teaspoons
- Per serving
- 29 g
- Per 100 g
- 59 g
- Type
- Natural sugar
- In teaspoons
- ≈ 6.9 tsp
A big chunk of a day's sugar in one serving.
A small quarter-cup handful of raisins carries about 29 g of sugar — nearly as much as a can of Coke, in a snack most people eat straight from the box without thinking twice. The math is simple: drying grapes into raisins removes almost all the water, so the same sugar that was spread across a cup of grapes now sits in a couple of spoonfuls.
Raisins still carry fibre and some potassium, so they're not the same as candy. But the tiny portion size is deceptive — a 'handful' is easy to double or triple without noticing, and dried fruit rarely fills you up the way fresh fruit does.
How raisins compares
Out of 114 everyday foods and drinks we track, raisins ranks #14 for sugar per serving — more than 88% of them.
- Tonic water32g
- M&M's31g
- Raisins (this page)29g
- Lychee29g
- Blueberry muffin28g
Bars show sugar per serving. Tap any food to see its full breakdown.
Lower-sugar swaps
- Swap raisins for fresh grapes when you want the same flavour with far less sugar
- Pre-portion raisins into small containers instead of eating from the box
Frequently asked questions
- Why do raisins have so much more sugar than grapes?
- Drying removes almost all the water from grapes, so the same sugar becomes far more concentrated by weight — about 59 g per 100 g versus 16 g for fresh grapes.
- Are raisins a healthy snack?
- In small, measured amounts they're fine and bring some fibre. The risk is portion size — a casual handful can easily carry a full day's worth of sugar.
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Sugar values from USDA FoodData Central; actual amounts vary by brand, ripeness, and recipe. Last updated 2026-08-28.