Almost all the foods high in fructose are fruits.
I used the USDA’s nutritional database in order to find out how much fructose is in several fruits.
The table below is sorted from high to low.
Table of Contents
Is There An RDA for Fructose?
Fructose is not an essential nutrient and there is no RDA for it.
However, research suggests that limiting fructose to 50-100 grams per day (source).
This includes not only fructose from fruits, but also from high fructose corn syrup or any other source.
Fruits High in Fructose
Note that all data is per 100 grams of each fruit.
Dates are the only dried fruit that I included. Since so much of the moisture is removed, it’s not surprising that the sugar is much more concentrated.
| Food | Fructose (g) |
|---|---|
| Date (dried) | 32.0 |
| Jackfruit | 9.2 |
| Plantain | 8.6 |
| Grapes | 8.1 |
| Pear | 6.4 |
| Apple | 5.9 |
| Cherry | 5.4 |
| Banana | 4.9 |
| Mango | 4.7 |
| Plum | 3.1 |
| Melon | 3.0 |
| Strawberry | 2.4 |
| Blackberry | 2.4 |
| Tangerine | 2.4 |
| Orange | 2.4 |
| Pineapple | 2.1 |
| Cantaloupe | 1.9 |
| Peach | 1.5 |
| Nectarine | 1.4 |
| Apricot | 0.9 |
| Cranberry | 0.7 |
Which Fruits Have the Most Fructose?
Of non-dried fruits, jackfruit has the most fructose with 9.2 grams of fructose per 100 gram serving.
Plantains have 8.6 grams, grapes have 8.1 grams, and pears have 6.4 grams of fructose per serving.
Which Fruits Have the Least Fructose?
There are some cases when you might want to limit the amount of fructose in your diet and should focus on eating fruits like peaches, nectarines, apricots, and cranberries. All of these fruits have less than 2 grams of fructose per 100 gram serving.
Of the most common fruits that people eat, oranges and strawberries only have 2.4 grams of fructose, and pineapple has 2.1 grams.
Why Would Someone Want to Limit Fructose in Their Diet?
In general, you don’t need to worry about getting too much fructose from fruits. The one exception may be dried fruits, where it’s easy to overeat and consume too much sugar.
Most concerns around fructose are because research has shown that high fructose consumption is linked to metabolic issues (which can lead to weight gain), fatty liver disease, and other health conditions.
However, if you look closely at those studies, it’s because the people suffering from those conditions are consuming large amounts of high fructose corn syrup.
Fruit has much less fructose than any equivalent serving of high fructose corn syrup, plus fruit has fiber and other components that make them healthier. So while a doctor might tell you to avoid corn syrup, very few will tell you to limit your fruit intake unless you’re eating an incredible amount.
Side Effects of Fructose From Fruit
The major side effect from consuming a lot of fructose from fruit is flatulence (i.e. gas).
Fructose is difficult to digest, which means that it can end up being fermented by bacteria in your large intestine. This fermentation process produces gas.
On top of fructose, fruits often include a lot of fiber and other carbohydrates that can end up being fermented.
So while they will help with bowel movements, too much fruit can also cause an uncomfortable amount of gas.
For a more detailed explanation, see my post on why grapes cause gas.
