15 Frozen Waffles—Ranked by Sugar Content

Frozen waffles make it easy to enjoy a quick, satisfying breakfast any day of the week, not just those mornings when you have more time. But convenience comes with a price, and I don't mean the money you fork out at the register. Frozen waffles are a source of added sugar that you usually top with even more added sugar—ahem syrup. However, the amount of sugar in frozen waffles varies significantly by brand.

Added sugar adds calories without any nutritional value, and Americans get too much sugar, which may contribute to chronic health problems like obesity and type 2 diabetes. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting added sugar to less than 10% of daily calories. Following a 2,000-calorie diet means no more than 200 calories from added sugar, or 50 grams, a day.

Small changes to your usual eating habits can make a difference, like choosing frozen waffles with less added sugar. Here's a list of 15 popular brands of frozen waffles ranked from lowest sugar content to highest sugar. You may be surprised to find out where some brands fall. Read on, and for healthier options, check out 12 Best & Worst Frozen Waffles on Grocery Shelves, Say Dietitians.

Great Value Buttermilk Waffles

Great Value is Walmart's store brand, known more for its pricing than its nutrition. You might find it surprising that a serving of Great Value Buttermilk Waffles has the lowest sugar content on our list, with 2 grams of added sugar meeting 4% of the daily value. The waffles are made with refined flour and have less than 1 gram of fiber in every serving. The convenient breakfast meal is fortified with calcium and iron, meeting 20% and 10% of the daily value, respectively.

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Annie's Organic Homestyle Waffles

Annie's is known for creating healthier versions of popular foods kids like to eat, and Annie's Organic Frozen Waffles Organic Homestyle doesn't disappoint. A serving of the waffles provide 6% of the daily value for sugar, but they're made with organic whole food ingredients, including whole grains, milk, and eggs, and meet 5% of the daily value for fiber. These waffles aren't fortified with vitamins and minerals but still meet 6% of the daily value for iron.

Eggo Homestyle Waffles

Eggo puts frozen waffles on the breakfast menu and is the go-to brand for many people. Fans of Eggo should know that its Homestyle Waffles fall on the lower end of sugar content for frozen waffles, with 4 grams of added sugar per serving, meeting 8% of the daily value. The waffles are made with refined flours but are fortified and meet 20% of the daily value for calcium and iron.

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Nature's Path Homestyle Gluten-Free Waffles

Gluten-free isn't synonymous with healthy, but a serving of Nature's Path Homestyle Gluten-Free Waffles is a good choice for breakfast, even if it has a little more sugar than the other brands, meeting 10% of the daily value. The gluten-free waffles are made with whole grains, have a recognizable list of ingredients, and are USDA-certified organic. However, the waffles aren't a significant source of fiber, meeting only 4% of the daily value despite brown rice as a main ingredient.

Eggo Blueberry Waffles

Who can resist Eggo Blueberry Waffles? They're a bit sweeter than the homestyle waffles, so you may not need to add syrup. They meet 10% of the daily value for added sugar but are an excellent source of calcium and iron, meeting 20% of your daily needs. The waffles have blueberries, but you can add fresh berries to bump up the nutrition even more—and add more natural sweetness.

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Kashi 7 Grain Waffles

A serving of Kashi 7 Grain Waffles has the same amount of added sugar as Eggo Blueberry waffles but is made with whole wheat flour and whole grains and is a better source of fiber, meeting 23% of the daily value. However, the 7-grain waffles aren't fortified, so they aren't a significant source of calcium or iron.

365 Homestyle Waffles

The 365 Homestyle Waffles are a good take on the convenient breakfast meal. With 5 grams of added sugar per serving, they meet 10% of the daily value. The waffles are made with whole wheat and enriched refined flour, meeting 11% of the daily value for fiber, 10% for iron, and 6% for calcium. However, they have more total fat than some of the other frozen waffle brands, meeting 12% of the daily value. They're also a little higher in calories.

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Kashi Go Vanilla Buttermilk Protein Waffles

A serving of Kashi Go Vanilla Buttermilk Protein Waffles has 6 grams of added sugar, meeting 12% of the daily value. However, the frozen waffles are higher in protein than the other lower-sugar brands, with 13 grams of protein per serving. The Kashi frozen waffles also meet 14% of the daily value for fiber. Protein and fiber slow digestion so that these waffles may keep you full longer.

Van's Power Grains Original Waffles

Van's is known for making healthier waffles, so it might surprise you that they're not so low in sugar. One serving of Van's Power Grains Original Waffles has 7 grams of added sugar, meeting 14% of the daily value. Though made with whole grains, the primary ingredient of Van's original frozen waffles is refined white flour, so they only have 1 gram of fiber per serving, meeting 4% of the daily value. However, you get more protein with 10 grams per serving from added whey protein isolate, a popular protein supplement for maintaining and building muscle.

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Kodiak Protein-Packed Power Waffles Buttermilk & Vanilla

Kodiak is a food brand that makes convenient foods loaded with whole grains and protein, like frozen waffles, pancake mixes, and mac and cheese. However, the buttermilk and vanilla Protein-Packed Power Waffles have more added sugar (6 grams) than some other waffles, meeting 11% of the daily value. It's also higher in sodium (17% of the daily value), total fat, and calories. The waffles pack in protein and meet 14% of the daily value for fiber.

Good & Gather Whole Grain Blueberry Mini Waffles

Good & Gather is Target's flagship food brand, offering higher-quality products at an affordable price. Good & Gather Organic Whole Grain Blueberry Mini Waffles have a lot of good qualities. They're made with whole grains, are certified USDA organic, and offer a good source of fiber and iron. However, one serving of the mini waffles has 7 grams of added sugar, meeting 14% of the daily value.

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Pillsbury Cocoa Puffs Waffles

Like the cereal it imitates, Pillsbury Cocoa Puffs Frozen Waffles makes a sugary breakfast meal, though not as sugary as you might expect. The serving size on the label is for one waffle, but to compare it to the other waffles on the list, we used the more common two-waffle serving to evaluate nutrition. Two Cocoa Puffs frozen waffles have 8 grams of added sugar, meeting 16% of the daily value. The waffles are made with enriched refined flour with added vitamins and minerals and are a good source of calcium, iron, and B vitamins.

Eggo Thick & Fluffy Cinnamon Brown Sugar Waffles

Eggo has a lot of lower sugar options to choose from, but the brand drops the ball a bit with its Thick & Fluffy line of frozen waffles. A serving of the Thick & Fluffy Cinnamon Brown Sugar Waffles has 10 grams of added sugar per serving, meeting 20% of the daily value. Though the waffles are thicker and fluffier, one waffle equals one serving. If you're used to eating two waffles at a time, you may consume nearly half a day's worth of added sugar at breakfast.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

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Kellogg's Cotton Candy Unicorn Waffles

Kellogg's Cotton Candy Unicorn Waffles doesn't try to hide the sweetness factor. Sugar is the second ingredient, and eating two waffles (the serving size on the Nutrition Facts label is for one waffle) gives you 12 grams of added sugar, meeting 24% of the daily value. The frozen waffles are also high in sodium, meeting 22% of the daily value for two waffles.

Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liege Waffles

Trader Joe's is a popular grocery store with devoted customers who love to shop for items you can't find at other supermarkets. Though the store offers many healthy options, some, like Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liege Waffles, miss the mark. Found in the Trader Joe's bakery section, these brioche-style waffles are under the Sweet Stuff section on its website, which is appropriate since sugar is the second ingredient. One serving has 14 grams of added sugar, meeting 28% of the daily value. The waffle is also high in saturated fat, meeting 35% of the daily value, from palm oil and coconut oil. It's unclear if saturated fat from tropical oil has the same negative effect on health and blood cholesterol as saturated fat from high-fat dairy and marbled meat. Still, watching your saturated fat intake from all sources is best.