Helsa Health

    Snacks & chocolate · Glycemic index

    Does milk chocolate spike blood sugar?

    Moderately. Milk chocolate has a low GI of 45, and a 44 g serving (one 1.55 oz bar) has a medium glycemic load of 11. Milk chocolate has a low GI because its fat slows digestion, but a standard bar still carries a medium glycemic load and about half its weight in sugar.

    Key numbers

    Glycemic index
    45
    Low GI
    Glycemic load
    11
    Medium GL
    Available carbs
    25 g
    1.5 g fiber
    Serving
    one 1.55 oz bar
    44 g · plain bar

    GI vs GL for milk chocolate

    The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story — how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI × available carbs ÷ 100. For milk chocolate: 45 × 25 g ÷ 100 ≈ 11.

    That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Chocolate, milk, plain, mean of four studies”). White chocolate averaged 41 and dark chocolate 29 in the same 2021 tables.

    Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.

    How to eat milk chocolate with less of a spike

    • Break off two or three squares instead of eating a full bar.
    • Choose dark chocolate with 70% cocoa or more, which tested lower and contains less sugar.
    • Have it after a meal that included vegetables and protein rather than as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

    Lower-GI swaps

    Compare with

    See all 67 foods in the glycemic index table

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the glycemic index of milk chocolate?

    Milk chocolate has a glycemic index of 45, which is low. That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Chocolate, milk, plain, mean of four studies”). A 44 g serving (one 1.55 oz bar) contains about 25 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 11 (medium).

    Is milk chocolate good for prediabetes?

    Milk chocolate is an occasional treat for prediabetes. A few squares after a meal is a smaller load than a whole bar on its own, and dark chocolate has less than half the sugar.

    Why is chocolate low GI if it is full of sugar?

    Chocolate's fat slows how quickly its sugar reaches the bloodstream, and in milk chocolate part of the sugar is lactose from milk, which has a lower GI than table sugar. A low GI doesn't make it a low-sugar food.

    Sources

    GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.

    1. Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625–1632, Supplemental Table 1
    2. USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 167587: Candies, milk chocolate
    3. Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008 — online appendix, Table A1
    4. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source — Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar
    5. Shukla AP, Iliescu RG, Thomas CE, Aronne LJ. Food order has a significant impact on postprandial glucose and insulin levels. Diabetes Care. 2015;38(7):e98–e99
    6. USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170273: Chocolate, dark, 70-85% cacao solids

    Data last checked .

    Real meals aren’t single foods

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