The Short Answer
The granola with the absolute least sugar is NuTrail Keto Nut Granola.
It contains just 1g of total sugar and 2g of net carbs per serving. They achieve this by replacing oats with nuts and seeds, and replacing sugar with erythritol and monk fruit. If you want a sweet crunch without the glucose spike, this is your best option.
If you hate the cooling taste of sugar alcohols (erythritol) and want only whole foods, Wildway Grain-Free Granola is the best alternative. It has 0g of added sugar, using whole dates for sweetness. However, this means it still has 6–9g of natural sugar per serving.
Why This Matters
Standard grocery store granola is effectively crumbled cookies. Brands like Nature Valley or Quaker Simply Granola pack 13–17g of sugar into a standard 2/3 cup bowl. That is roughly 4 teaspoons of sugar before you even start your day.
The "serving size" trap is real. Most commercial brands list a serving as 2/3 cup (roughly 60g), while premium low-sugar brands list a tiny 1/3 cup (30g). When comparing labels, you must double the low-sugar nutrition stats to make a fair comparison.
Even with that adjustment, NuTrail (2g sugar per 2/3 cup equivalent) crushes Nature Valley (16g sugar per 2/3 cup).
What's Actually In Low-Sugar Granola
To get sugar levels down, brands swap cheap oats and cane sugar for expensive nuts and alternative sweeteners.
- Erythritol / Monk Fruit — Used in NuTrail and Lakanto. These are non-nutritive sweeteners that don't spike blood sugar. The downside is a potential "cooling" aftertaste or digestive upset if you eat too much.
- Allulose — Found in KIND Zero Added Sugar. A "rare sugar" that tastes like real sugar but isn't metabolized by the body. Is Kind Bars Healthy
- Dates / Fruit — Used in Wildway. This is "no added sugar," but it is not low sugar. Your body still processes fruit sugar (fructose), so it will impact blood glucose, just slower than cane sugar.
- Coconut Sugar — Used in Purely Elizabeth. This is still sugar. It has a slightly lower glycemic index than white sugar, but for metabolic health, 7g of coconut sugar is still 7g of sugar.
What to Look For
Green Flags:
- <5g Added Sugar — The sweet spot for a "healthy" serving.
- Nuts & Seeds First — Protein and healthy fats blunt the sugar spike.
- Coconut Oil / Avocado Oil — Stable fats that don't oxidize easily. Cooking Oils
Red Flags:
- Syrup Stacking — Using "Maple Syrup," "Tapioca Syrup," and "Brown Rice Syrup" in one list to hide how much sugar is really there.
- "Yogurt" Coatings — This is almost always oil and sugar, not actual yogurt.
- Soy Protein Isolate — A cheap filler used to pump up protein numbers.
The Best Options
We compared sugar content using the manufacturer's stated serving size (usually 1/3 cup for these dense granolas).
| Brand | Product | Sugar (Total) | Sweetener | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NuTrail | Keto Nut Granola | 1g | Erythritol / Monk Fruit | ✅ Best Overall |
| Lakanto | Monkfruit Granola | 1g | Monk Fruit / Erythritol | ✅ Clean Keto |
| Wildway | Grain-Free | 6g | Dates (Whole Fruit) | ⚠️ Best Natural |
| Purely Elizabeth | Ancient Grain | 7g | Coconut Sugar | ⚠️ Good Taste |
| Bear Naked | Fit V'nilla Almond | 4g | Cane Sugar | ⚠️ Budget Pick |
| Nature Valley | Oats 'n Honey | 16g* | Sugar / Honey | 🚫 Avoid |
\Note: Nature Valley serving size is larger (2/3 cup), but even halved, it has more added sugar than the others.*
The Bottom Line
1. Buy NuTrail if you want the absolute lowest sugar (1g). It tastes great and won't spike your insulin.
2. Buy Wildway if you refuse to eat "chemicals" or sugar alcohols. It uses real dates, but be aware it still contains natural sugar.
3. Watch your portions. Keto granolas are calorie-dense (nuts/seeds). A "bowl" of NuTrail is 600+ calories if you aren't careful. Measure that 1/3 cup.
FAQ
Is granola good for weight loss?
Generally, no. Granola is extremely calorie-dense. Even low-sugar options like NuTrail are high in fat. It is easy to overeat 500 calories of granola as a "light snack." Treat it as a topping for yogurt, not the main course.
Does "No Added Sugar" mean low carb?
No. Brands like Wildway or Gr8nola may have "no added sugar" but use dates or fruit juice, which still contain carbohydrates and natural sugars (fructose). Always check the "Total Carbohydrate" line.
What about Purely Elizabeth?
Purely Elizabeth is a "cleaner" mainstream option, but it is not low sugar. With 7g of sugar per small serving, it is a significant improvement over Quaker, but it will still impact your blood sugar. It's an acceptable transition food, but not a keto food.
References (4)
- 1. fairwaymarket.com
- 2. nutrail.com
- 3. kelloggs.com
- 4. shaws.com