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    Fruit · Glycemic index

    Do oranges spike blood sugar?

    Not much. Oranges have a low GI of 43, and a 131 g serving (1 orange, 2⅝-inch diameter) has a low glycemic load of 5. Whole oranges have a low GI and, at under 12 g of carbohydrate per 100 g, a low glycemic load per fruit.

    Key numbers

    Glycemic index
    43
    Low GI
    Glycemic load
    5
    Low GL
    Available carbs
    12 g
    3.1 g fiber
    Serving
    1 orange, 2⅝-inch diameter
    131 g · raw

    GI vs GL for oranges

    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 Ă· 100. For oranges: 43 × 12 g Ă· 100 ≈ 5.

    That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Orange, raw: 43 ± 3 (average of all available data)”). A 2020 ISO-standard test of navel oranges found 45, consistent with the average.

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

    How to eat oranges with less of a spike

    • Eat the segments rather than juicing them.
    • Have an orange with a handful of almonds or a boiled egg as a snack.
    • Small oranges and mandarins make natural single portions.

    Other low-GI choices

    Compare with

    See all 67 foods in the glycemic index table

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the glycemic index of oranges?

    Oranges have a glycemic index of 43, which is low. That figure is an average reported in the 2008 international GI tables (“Orange, raw: 43 ± 3 (average of all available data)”). A 131 g serving (1 orange, 2⅝-inch diameter) contains about 12 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 5 (low).

    Is oranges good for prediabetes?

    Whole oranges are a good fruit choice for prediabetes. Eat the fruit rather than drinking the juice: a cup of orange juice carries more than twice the available carbohydrate of one orange and almost none of its fiber.

    Is orange juice as good as a whole orange?

    Not for blood sugar. Orange juice averaged a GI of 48 against 43 for whole oranges, but the bigger difference is the amount: a cup of juice carries far more sugar than one orange and very little of its fiber.

    Sources

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

    1. Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(12):2281–2283, Table 1
    2. USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169097: Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties
    3. 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
    4. USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169100: Orange juice, chilled, includes from concentrate

    Data last checked .

    Real meals aren’t single foods

    GI tables measure one food eaten on its own. Helsa’s photo and voice meal logging uses AI nutrition analysis to estimate how a whole meal — the rice with the curry, the toast with the eggs — is likely to affect your blood sugar, with no CGM needed. Helsa is free to download, with optional premium features.

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