Pressed for Sugar: The Hidden Calories in Cold-Pressed Apple Juice
Few beverages carry the halo of health quite like cold-pressed, pure apple juice. Yet, behind its orchard-fresh allure lies a simple truth: this is, effectively, a sugar-water tonic—not unlike your favourite cola.
By Emily Carter
Updated on May 18, 2025
Cold-pressed apple juice clocks in at roughly 11.4 g of sugar and 49 kcal per 100 ml, all but devoid of protein and offering a mere 0.1 g of fibre. By comparison, a classic Coca-Cola delivers 10.6 g of sugar and 42 kcal per 100 ml. The arithmetic is unambiguous: when it comes to weight gain, the surplus calories in apple juice play out almost identically to those in soda.
Nor does juicing confer the natural bulwark of fibre that whole fruit provides. With virtually no fibre to temper sugar absorption or foster satiety, the sweet rush of liquid sugars hits your bloodstream rapidly—making it all too easy to overindulge.
Even the glycaemic tale offers no redemption. While apple juice’s glycaemic index (GI) of 41 technically resides in the ‘low’ zone, Coca-Cola’s 63 sits firmly in ‘high’. Yet both remain “empty-calorie” carriers, and the fructose in juice does little to trigger our fullness signals—so sipping more becomes an effortless affair.
Admittedly, apple juice does bring to the table about 11.6 mg of vitamin C (≈13 % of your daily needs) and 125 mg of potassium per 100 ml. But these micronutrients scarcely offset the caloric burden. Soda, by contrast, contributes nothing beyond sugar and sodium.
Our Take: Treat 100 % cold-pressed apple juice as you would a soft drink. Moderation is key: limit yourself to around 120 ml per serving, consider diluting it with water, and always accompany it with protein or healthy fats to slow sugar uptake. Better still, reach for a crisp whole apple—you’ll gain fibre, sate your appetite, and sidestep the sugar-spike paradox altogether.
Is cold-pressed apple juice as sugary and fattening as Coke?
Yes, cold-pressed apple juice typically contains nearly the same amount of sugar as sugary soft drinks like Coca-Cola—and can have a comparable impact on weight gain when consumed in excess.
Here’s a closer look:
Sugar content:
1 cup (240 ml) of cold-pressed apple juice: ~24–28 grams of sugar
1 cup (240 ml) of Coca-Cola: ~26 grams of sugar
The sugars in apple juice are natural (mostly fructose, glucose, and sucrose), while those in Coke are added (typically high-fructose corn syrup or cane sugar). But your body treats both sources similarly in terms of blood sugar and insulin response.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or other professional advice. Consult a licensed healthcare professional for diagnosis or treatment.
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