Cherry Glycemic Index (GI) - Is It High or Low?

by Victoria Mazmanyan | Last updated on August 21, 2024

Medically reviewed by Ani Harutyunyan

We all know how different cherries can taste: from sour to sweet, based on season and sort. That is why the glucose concentration and glycemic index of cherries greatly depend on the types of cherries and their ripeness.

According to the International Tables of Glycemic Index, Canadian sour, raw cherries have a glycemic index of 22, while Australian dark (sweet), raw, pitted cherries have an average GI of 63±6 (1).

Even between two different types of British black cherry yogurts, the GI greatly differs. In the first sample of the yogurt, the GI is 17±3, whereas the second example has a GI of 67±15. The different protein-to-carbohydrate ratios in yogurts explain the variance. On the other hand, the GI of a sour Morello cherry yogurt is 35±6, and a low-fat, black cherry yogurt has a GI of 41±5 (1).

Another study has gotten the result of tart (sour) cherry’s GI to be 46 with a large margin of error of 39, while a tart cherry juice result did not change much with a GI of 45±27 (2).

In conclusion, sour cherries have a low GI value, while sweet cherry GI values average in the moderate category.

Cherries have been proven to have anti-diabetic effects in laboratory conditions (3). Furthermore, the anthocyanins in cherries target insulin sensitivity and potentially modulate diabetes. The glycemic index of raw cherries is lower than that of other widely consumed fruits, such as peach, apricot, grape, etc. This is why cherries are preferable for people with diabetes (4).

You can check the glycemic index values for 350+ foods on our glycemic index chart page.