Top 10 Foods Highest in Carbohydrates (To Limit or Avoid)

Written by Daisy Whitbread, BSc (Hons) MSc DipIONPowered by USDA Nutrition Data

Last Updated: October 7th, 2020

Top 10 Foods Highest in Carbohydrates (To Limit or Avoid)

Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients required by the body for proper functioning and good health. The main function of carbohydrates is to provide energy to the body including the brain, which also runs on glucose.

Healthy high carb foods like whole grains, plus fruits and vegetables (which are also classed as carbohydrates) are an essential part of a balanced diet and eating plenty of these foods reduces the risk of many diseases, including heart disease, type II diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. On the other hand, excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates like sugar or corn syrup, can increase our risk of the same diseases.

Unhealthy high carbohydrate foods include pancakes, soft pretzels, bread products, ready to eat cereals, milkshakes, ice-cream, cereal bars, cake, pies, muffins, sweetened canned fruits, sugary drinks, fruit juices, corn chips, potato chips, and candies. Healthy high carbohydrate foods include whole grains, beans, vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts, and seeds. The daily value (%DV) for carbohydrates is 300 grams. For more healthy high carbohydrate choices see the list of healthy high carb foods.

Below is a list of foods highest in carbohydrates, for more see the extended list of carb rich restaurant foods.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Top 10 High Carb Foods to Avoid
Printable
Restaurant Foods High in Carbs
Nutrient Ranking Tool
Related
Feedback
References

Top 10 High Carb Foods to Avoid

#1: Fast Foods (Hot Cakes with Syrup)

Carbs per 3 Pancakes	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
101.8g (34% DV)	46.1g (15% DV)	33.9g (11% DV)

Nutrition Facts for McDonalds Pancakes. (Source)

See the full list of fast foods high in carbs.

#2: Soft Pretzels

Carbs in 1 Large	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
101.6g (34% DV)	71g (24% DV)	41.2g (14% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Soft Pretzels. (Source)

Other Refined Bread Products High in Carbs

72g (24% DV) in a slice of French bread
49g (16% DV) in a pice of naan bread
25g (8% DV) in a hamburger roll
25g (8% DV) in a hotdog roll
25g (8% DV) in a flour tortilla

#3: Ready to Eat Cereals (Familia)

Carbs per Cup	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
90g (30% DV)	73.8g (25% DV)	38g (13% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Familia Swiss Muesli Cereal. (Source)

See the full list of 200 cereals high in carbs.

#4: Milkshakes

Carbs per 12oz Cup	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
86.1g (29% DV)	25.6g (9% DV)	30.2g (10% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Blended Soft Serve Ice Cream With Cookies. (Source)

More Unhealthy Dairy Foods High in Carbohydrates

168g (56% DV) per cup of dulce de leche
69g (23% DV) per serving of soft-serv ice-cream
33g (11% DV) per ice-cream sandwich
27g (9% DV) in a cup of hot cocoa
20g (7% DV) in a cup of eggnog

See the complete list of dairy foods high in carbohydrates.

#5: Cereal Bars (Nutri-Grain)

Carbs per Bar	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
84.4g (28% DV)	72.8g (24% DV)	39.4g (13% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Nutrigrain Mixed Berry Cereal Bar. (Source)

Other Cereal Bars High in Carbs

45g (15% DV) in a Quaker Oatmeal Bar
39g (13% DV) in a Mars Marathon Protein Performance Bar
39g (13% DV) in a South Beach Protein Bar
33g (11% DV) in a Slim Fast Omptima Meal Bar
30g (10% DV) in a Snicker's Marathon Bar

Note: There are some healthy cereal bars available if you check the ingredients and choose wisely. Look for bars made of whole grains such as oats, and bars containing nuts, seeds, dried fruit. Be sure there are no added sugars, sweeteners, or chemical additives.

#6: Cake with Frosting

Carbs per Slice	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
79.7g (27% DV)	55.4g (18% DV)	29.2g (10% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Yellow Cake With Chocolate Frosting. (Source)

More Baked Confections High in Carbs

71g (24% DV) per slice of white cake with coconut frosting
43g (15% DV) per slice of blueberry pie
39g (13% DV) per chocolate cookie
36g (12% DV) per piece of gingerbread
36g (12% DV) in a small muffin

See the list of baked foods high in carbohydrates.

#7: Canned Fruits (Sweetened Peaches)

Carbs per Cup	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
67.2g (22% DV)	25.3g (8% DV)	52.1g (17% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Pears Canned In Syrup. (Source)

More Canned Fruits High in Carbs

65g (22% DV) per cup of prunes canned in heavy syrup
54g (18% DV) per cup of sweetened canned apricots
54g (18% DV) per cup of sweetened canned blueberries

Note: Look for fruits canned in fruit juice instead and eat fresh fruit whenever possible.

#8: Sugary Drinks (Cream Soda)

Carbs per 16oz Bottle	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
65.7g (22% DV)	13.3g (4% DV)	52.2g (17% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Cream Soda. (Source)

Other Sugary Drinks High in Carbs

66g (22% DV) per 16oz glass of orange juice
60g (20% DV) per 16oz bottle of Ocean Spray Cran-Pomegranate.
60g (20% DV) per 16oz glass of sweetened lemon black tea
60g (20% DV) per 16oz glass of V-8 V-Fusion Strawberry Banana
60g (20% DV) per 16oz bottle of orange soda
51g (17% DV) per 16oz glass of cola soft drink
51g (17% DV) per 16oz glass of root beer
42g (14% DV) per 16oz glass of ginger ale

See the complete list of drinks high in carbohydrates.

#9: Snacks (Corn Chips)

Carbs per Cup	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
50.5g (17% DV)	57.4g (19% DV)	20.6g (7% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Extruded Corn Chips. (Source)

Other Snacks High in Carbs

46g (15% DV) per cup of tortilla chips
36g (12% DV) per 2oz bag of Utz Veggie Chips
36g (12% DV) per 1.9oz bag of kettle chips

See the complete list of high carbohydrate snacks.

#10: Candies (Jelly Gumdrops)

Carbs per 10 Pieces	Carbs per 100g	Carbs per 200 Calories
35.6g (12% DV)	98.9g (33% DV)	49.9g (17% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Jelly Gumdrops. (Source)

See the full list of sweets and candies high in carbs.

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A printable list of the top 10 foods highest in carbs to avoid.

Restaurant Foods High in Carbs

Food	Serving	Carbs
#1 Sweet and Sour Chicken (Source)	per order	56% DV (168.5g)
#2 Vegetable Lo Mein (Source)	per order	50% DV (149.4g)
#3 Fast Foods (Applebees Onion Rings) (Source)	per order	47% DV (140.6g)
#4 Fast Foods (Hot Cakes with Syrup) (Source)	per 3 pancakes	34% DV (101.8g)
#5 Carrabbas Italian Grill Spaghetti With Pomodoro Sauce (Source)	per order	30% DV (91.1g)
#6 Olive Garden Spaghetti With Meat Sauce (Source)	per order	30% DV (90.2g)
#7 McDonalds McFlurry With Oreo Cookies (Source)	per 12oz shake	29% DV (86.1g)
#8 Taco Bell Taco Salad (Source)	per order	27% DV (80.5g)
#9 TGI Fridays French Fries (Source)	per order	23% DV (67.9g)
#10 Dennys Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (Source)	per order	21% DV (62.1g)

From the Nutrient Ranking Tool

View more food groups with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

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Data Sources and References

U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central

MyFoodData provides nutrition data tools and articles to help you organize and understand the foods you eat. Read more...