Cherries, grapefruit, and pears consistently rank as the fruits with the lowest glycemic index, all scoring below 35. The glycemic index (GI) ranks carbohydrate-containing foods on a scale of 0 to 100 based on how quickly they raise blood sugar, and anything at 55 or below counts as low GI. The good news is that most whole fruits fall into that low category.
Fruits With the Lowest GI Values
Among commonly available fruits, here’s how they stack up from lowest to highest GI:
- Grapefruit: 26
- Cherries: 29
- Raspberries: 30
- Pears: 33
- Apples: 36
- Blueberries: 40
- Strawberries: 40
- Orange: 43
- Peaches: 43
- Apricots: 50
- Banana: 51
- Mango: 51
- Dates (dried Medjool): 55
Berries as a group perform especially well. Raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries all sit at 40 or below, making them some of the most blood sugar-friendly fruits you can eat.
Why Some Fruits Score Lower Than Others
The main reason certain fruits keep blood sugar steadier comes down to fiber, specifically a gel-forming type called pectin that’s particularly abundant in berries, apples, and citrus fruits. When you eat these fruits, the pectin thickens the mixture in your digestive tract, which slows the breakdown of sugars and spreads their absorption across a longer stretch of your intestine. Instead of a quick dump of glucose into your bloodstream, you get a more gradual rise.
This slower absorption also triggers a chain of helpful effects. Your stomach empties more slowly, which keeps you feeling full longer. And the delivery of nutrients further down in your intestine prompts the release of a hormone that improves how your body handles insulin. So the fiber in low-GI fruits isn’t just slowing sugar down; it’s actively helping your body process it more efficiently.
Ripeness Changes the Number
The GI of a fruit isn’t fixed. A ripe banana can score anywhere from 51 to 62 depending on how yellow (or spotted) it is. As fruit ripens, starches convert into simple sugars, which your body absorbs faster. This is why a firm, slightly green banana has a meaningfully lower GI than one with brown spots. The same principle applies to grapes, pears, and most other fruits that soften as they ripen.
If you’re trying to minimize blood sugar spikes, choosing fruit that’s ripe but not overripe makes a noticeable difference.
The High-GI Exceptions
A few fruits land in medium or high GI territory. Pineapple scores 59, raisins come in at 66, and watermelon tops the fruit chart at 76, which is as high as a doughnut.
But this is where the glycemic index can be misleading on its own. Watermelon has a high GI, yet a typical serving contains only about 11 grams of carbohydrate, roughly half of what’s in a medium doughnut. The concept that accounts for this is called glycemic load, which factors in both the GI and the actual amount of carbohydrate you eat in a serving. By that measure, watermelon has a modest real-world impact on blood sugar despite its high GI score.
Whole Fruit vs. Juice
Fruit juice passes through your digestive system much faster than whole fruit because the fiber has been removed. Even unsweetened orange juice scores 53, compared to 43 for a whole orange. More importantly, research from Harvard found that the speed of digestion in juice, not just its sugar content, is what links juice consumption to increased diabetes risk. Whole fruit, by contrast, was associated with lower risk. The fiber makes the difference.
How to Get the Most From Low-GI Fruits
Pairing fruit with a source of protein, fat, or additional fiber slows digestion further and helps prevent blood sugar spikes. An apple with peanut butter, an orange with a handful of almonds, or berries mixed into Greek yogurt are all combinations that blunt the glucose response beyond what the fruit’s GI alone would predict.
Spacing your fruit intake across the day also matters more than the total amount. Up to three servings a day is a reasonable target, with one serving being about one cup of berries or one medium whole fruit. For denser options like bananas or mangos, a serving is closer to half a cup. Eating all three servings at once will raise blood sugar more than spreading them across meals, even if the fruits themselves are low GI.
It’s also worth noting that individual blood sugar responses vary quite a bit depending on what else you’ve eaten, your activity level, and your personal metabolism. The GI is a useful general guide, but the practical approach that matters most is choosing whole fruits, eating them with other foods, and not overthinking the exact numbers.