Helsa Health

    Juices & soft drinks · Glycemic index

    Does orange juice spike blood sugar?

    Moderately. Orange juice has a low GI of 48, and a 249 g serving (1 cup, 8 fl oz) has a medium glycemic load of 13. Orange juice has a low GI, but one glass delivers the sugar of more than two oranges without their fiber, so a cup carries a medium glycemic load.

    Key numbers

    Glycemic index
    48
    Low GI
    Glycemic load
    13
    Medium GL
    Available carbs
    28 g
    0.7 g fiber
    Serving
    1 cup, 8 fl oz
    249 g · 100% juice

    GI vs GL for orange juice

    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 orange juice: 48 × 28 g Ă· 100 ≈ 13.

    That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Orange juice, mean of three foods”). In the 2008 tables, four orange juice studies averaged 50, so the figure is consistent over time.

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

    How to eat orange juice with less of a spike

    • Pour half a cup (4 fl oz) and drink it with a meal rather than on its own.
    • Eat a whole orange instead: it has more fiber and less than half the available carbohydrate of a cup of juice.
    • Top up a small amount of juice with sparkling water.

    Lower-GI swaps

    Compare with

    See all 67 foods in the glycemic index table

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the glycemic index of orange juice?

    Orange juice has a glycemic index of 48, which is low. That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Orange juice, mean of three foods”). A 249 g serving (1 cup, 8 fl oz) contains about 28 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 13 (medium).

    Is orange juice good for prediabetes?

    Orange juice is better treated as an occasional drink than a daily habit. A small glass with a meal is gentler than a large glass on its own, and a whole orange is better still.

    Is fresh-squeezed orange juice better than juice from concentrate?

    Not in any way that matters much for blood sugar. Both are 100% juice with similar sugar content, and the orange juices tested for the international GI tables averaged 48. The amount you pour matters far more than how the juice was made.

    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 169100: Orange juice, chilled, includes from concentrate
    3. Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008 — online appendix, Table A1
    4. USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169097: Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties

    Data last checked .

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