By Dr. Rachel Kim · Published November 13, 2026 · 10 min read
The apple glycemic index is about 36, which makes raw apples a clearly low-GI food (55 or below). Because a medium apple holds only about 21 g of digestible carbohydrate, its glycemic load is around 7, also low, so a whole apple raises blood sugar slowly and modestly.
Below you'll find the tested GI of raw apples, juice, applesauce and dried apple, what is known about varieties, why apples score so low, and how they fit a diabetes eating plan. For where apples sit among 60+ other foods, see our glycemic index food chart. And to see how many carbs your own apple and the rest of your plate carry, Caloria, the AI calorie tracker, breaks a meal down by ingredient from a single photo.
Important
Medical Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. If you have diabetes or take insulin or other glucose-lowering medication, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing how much fruit or carbohydrate you eat.
What Is the Glycemic Index of an Apple?
Raw apple has an average glycemic index of 36, according to the International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values published in Diabetes Care, which pooled several studies to give a mean of 36 ± 2. Pure glucose is the reference at 100.
| GI band | Score | Apple's place |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 55 or less | Raw apple, 36 (tests range 28–45) |
| Medium | 56–69 | — |
| High | 70 or more | — |
Individual tests vary. The University of Sydney GI database, maintained by the team behind the 2021 edition of the international tables, lists apple results from 28 (Denmark) to 45 (Italy). Its most recent entry, a 2020 test of raw apples in 10 healthy adults by the University of Sydney's own lab, came out at 44. Many of the lower numbers come from older, smaller studies, several of them in people with type 2 diabetes. Every value, old or new, lands in the low band.
Apple Glycemic Load: What One Apple Does
A medium apple has a glycemic load (GL) of about 7, which is low. GL scales the GI to a real portion: GI × grams of available carbohydrate ÷ 100, where available carbohydrate is total carbs minus fiber. A GL of 10 or less is low, 11–19 medium and 20 or more high.
USDA FoodData Central lists a medium raw apple with skin (182 g, about 3 inches across) at 25.1 g of carbohydrate and 4.4 g of fiber, leaving about 20.8 g of available carbohydrate. Size changes the load more than anything else:
| Apple size (with skin) | Weight | Available carbs | Glycemic load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra small (2½ in) | 101 g | 11.5 g | ~4 (low) |
| Small (2¾ in) | 149 g | 17.0 g | ~6 (low) |
| Medium (3 in) | 182 g | 20.8 g | ~7 (low) |
| Large (3¼ in) | 223 g | 25.4 g | ~9 (low) |
GL values are our estimates, calculated from the GI of 36 and USDA carbohydrate and fiber data.
Even a large apple stays under 10, though an oversized supermarket apple can creep into the medium range. If you're watching calories as well, our breakdown of how many calories are in an apple covers every size.
Apple Juice, Applesauce and Dried Apple Compared
Every tested form of apple is low GI, but the glycemic load of a usual serving ranges from about 5 to 11. Juice carries the biggest load because a glass holds the sugar of more than one apple without the fiber.
| Apple form | Tested GI | Typical serving | Available carbs | Glycemic load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw apple, with skin | 36 (28–45) | 1 medium, 182 g | 20.8 g | ~7 (low) |
| Applesauce, unsweetened | 42–46 | 1/2 cup, 122 g | 12.4 g | ~5 (low) |
| Dried apple | 29–43 | 30 g, about 5 rings | 17.2 g | ~5–7 (low) |
| Apple juice, unsweetened | 41 (37–44) | 1 cup, 248 g | 27.5 g | ~11 (medium) |
GI values from the international tables, the University of Sydney GI database and a 2025 applesauce study; GL values are our estimates from those GIs and USDA FoodData Central carbohydrate and fiber data.
A few details behind the table:
- Apple juice: the 2008 tables give apple juice a mean of 41 ± 2. Most single tests sit between 37 (cloudy juice) and 44 (clear juice), but one Italian 100% green-apple juice tested at 67, so treat juice as the least predictable form.
- Applesauce: a 2025 study of two no-added-sugar apple purées in 10 healthy adults measured GIs of 42 and 46. The study was funded by the purée's manufacturer. Sweetened applesauce has not been tested, but USDA lists about 51 g of carbohydrate per cup versus 27.5 g for unsweetened.
- Dried apple: two tests gave 29 (Australia) and 43 (China). Drying concentrates everything, so 30 g of dried apple carries about as much carbohydrate as a small fresh apple.
Why Juice Isn't the Same as a Whole Apple
A low GI doesn't make juice equivalent to fruit. In a classic 1977 Lancet study, 10 healthy adults ate whole apples, apple purée or apple juice with the same 60 g of carbohydrate. Juice could be drunk 11 times faster than the apples could be eaten. Blood glucose rose to similar levels, but insulin rose higher after juice and purée than after apples. The authors saw a "striking rebound fall" in glucose after juice, a smaller one after purée and none after apples, and juice was the least filling of the three.
Long-term data agree. In three US cohorts of more than 187,000 health professionals, every 3 servings a week of apples and pears was linked to a 7% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, while the same increase in fruit juice was linked to an 8% higher risk. These are observational findings, not proof of cause.
Which Apples Are Best? GI by Variety
No apple variety has been shown to be meaningfully better for blood sugar than another. Only a handful have ever been GI-tested, each in a single small study, and the popular US varieties have not been tested at all.
| Variety | Tested GI | Carbs per 100 g | Fiber per 100 g | Sugars per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braeburn | 32 (New Zealand; adults with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes) | — | — | — |
| Golden Delicious | 39 (Canada, 6 adults) | 13.6 g | 2.4 g | 10.0 g |
| Green apple, unnamed | 41 (Iran, 8 adults) | — | — | — |
| Granny Smith | Not tested as fruit (its juice: 44) | 13.6 g | 2.8 g | 9.6 g |
| Gala | Not tested | 13.7 g | 2.3 g | 10.4 g |
| Red Delicious | Not tested | 14.1 g | 2.3 g | 10.5 g |
| Honeycrisp, Fuji | Not tested | — | — | — |
GI values from the University of Sydney GI database; nutrient values for raw apples with skin from USDA FoodData Central.
So is the green apple glycemic index lower? Not on current evidence: the one tested green apple scored 41, slightly above Golden Delicious. Granny Smith has a little more fiber and less sugar than red varieties, but across a medium apple that is only about 2 g of available carbohydrate, less than one point of glycemic load. Pick the apple you enjoy and watch the size.
Why Apples Have a Low Glycemic Index
Apples score low mainly because most of their sugar is fructose and they're rich in soluble fiber.
- Fructose. A medium apple contains about 10.7 g of fructose, 4.4 g of glucose and 3.8 g of sucrose (itself half fructose), according to USDA data. Fructose has a GI of just 15 in the international tables, because the body has to convert it in the gut and liver before it can show up as blood glucose. Our guide to sugar in fruit explains why fruit fructose differs from fructose in soda.
- Pectin. Apples' main fiber is pectin, a viscous soluble fiber that thickens the contents of the gut and slows how quickly sugar is absorbed. See our list of soluble fiber foods for other sources.
- Sorbitol. Apples also contain sorbitol, a sugar alcohol with a GI of about 9, which further dilutes the glycemic effect.
- The skin. Per 100 g, apple with skin has 2.4 g of fiber and peeled apple only 1.3 g, so the peel holds close to half the fiber.
Are Apples Good for Diabetics?
Yes. Apples are one of the fruits the American Diabetes Association lists for a diabetes eating plan, and the main rule is to count them as carbohydrate. The ADA's fruit guidance says a small piece of whole fruit has about 15 g of carbohydrate, ⅓ to ½ cup of fruit juice is a 15 g serving, and just 2 tablespoons of dried fruit reaches 15 g. It recommends fresh, frozen or canned fruit with no added sugar, and on the Diabetes Plate Method it suggests a small piece of whole fruit as dessert.
In carb-counting terms, a medium apple (25 g of total carbohydrate) is closer to one and a half fruit servings than one. A small apple, or half a large one, is nearer the ADA's 15 g serving.
Pair Apples With Protein or Fat
What you eat with an apple changes the response to the whole meal. Fat and protein slow how fast the stomach empties, and the apple itself can help when eaten first. In a 2023 trial in European Journal of Nutrition, healthy adults who ate an apple as a starter before a smaller portion of white rice (with the same 50 g of carbohydrate in total) had a glucose peak about 31–34% lower than with rice alone, at breakfast, lunch and supper.
If you use a glucose meter or continuous glucose monitor, checking about two hours after a measured apple shows how your own body responds. Our guide to blood sugar levels after eating explains the usual targets.
What the Apple GI Number Can't Tell You
The apple figure has real limits:
- Small studies. Each value comes from 6 to 15 people, and results vary between labs and countries.
- Untested varieties. The apples most Americans buy, such as Honeycrisp, Gala and Fuji, have no published GI, so variety claims online are guesses.
- Ripeness and storage. None of the apple entries in the GI database record ripeness or storage time, so no test tells you how a mealy, long-stored apple compares with a crisp one.
- Your own response. Insulin sensitivity, activity, sleep and the rest of the meal all shift the glucose curve.
For quick comparisons with other fruit and staples, our free glycemic index chart lets you look up foods side by side.
The Takeaway: Whole, Skin-On, Sized to Your Day
Apples are a reliably low-GI fruit: a GI of about 36 and a glycemic load of about 7 for a medium apple. The best apple for blood sugar is not a particular variety but a whole one, eaten with the skin, in a size that fits your carbohydrate budget and alongside some protein or fat. Juice, sweetened applesauce and dried apple are where the carbohydrate adds up fastest.
Logging a normal week of meals, a photo each in Caloria, shows how many carbs your apples and the rest of your plate actually carry.