This post may contain affiliate links which means I will get a commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for details.
When you grab a candy bar, you know you’re indulging in a sweet treat. But what if that seemingly healthy salad or morning coffee contains more sugar than your favorite chocolate snack? A standard candy bar contains between 20-40 grams of sugar, serving as a surprising benchmark for evaluating our everyday fast food choices.
As America’s fast food landscape evolves to include “healthier” options, a disturbing trend emerges. Many popular menu items, from breakfast oatmeal to garden-fresh salads, pack more sweetness than your typical Milky Way or Snickers bar, often catching health-conscious consumers off guard.
Sugar Content in a Typical Candy Bar
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox!
A standard candy bar contains between 20 and 40 grams of sugar. The Milky Way bar (1.84 oz) packs 31 grams, while a Snickers contains 30 grams. Among popular candy bars, the 3 Musketeers ranks highest with 40 grams of sugar. These amounts serve as useful benchmarks when examining sugar levels in fast food items.
McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal: A Sweet Start
McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal contains 31 grams of sugar and 320 calories, surpassing the sugar content of an average candy bar.
This breakfast item gets its sweetness from multiple sources, including maple syrup and dried fruits mixed into the oatmeal. While marketed as a healthy breakfast option, its sugar content matches that of a standard Milky Way bar.
Try This Recipe: Easy Overnight Oats Without Yogurt
Subway’s Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki: A Sweet Secret
The Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich contains approximately 11 grams of sugar – less than a typical candy bar but still a notable amount. The sweet onion sauce stands out as the main source of sugar in this sandwich. While customers might select this option thinking it’s a lighter choice, the sauce adds a significant amount of hidden sugar to their meal.
Try This Recipe: Best Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Bowl Recipe
Burger King’s Hidden Sweet Spot: The Garden Fresh Salad
The Burger King Chicken Apple & Cranberry Garden Fresh Salad appears healthy at first glance, but its sugar content tells a different story. While exact numbers aren’t published, the dried cranberries and apple pieces add substantial sugar to this menu item. These fruit additions, though nutritious, concentrate natural sugars in dried form. The combination of these ingredients likely puts this salad’s sugar content close to that of common candy bars.
Sign up now to receive our exclusive e-cookbook filled with top-rated recipes for FREE!
Wendy’s Apple Pecan Chicken Salad: A Sugary Surprise
Wendy’s Apple Pecan Chicken Salad contains 40 grams of sugar – more than a standard candy bar. This salad packs more sweetness than a Snickers or Milky Way. While the mixture of fresh apples, dried cranberries, and pecans offers nutritional benefits, these ingredients combine with the sweet dressing to create a sugar content that matches a 3 Musketeers bar.
Try This Recipe: Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe
Taco Bell’s Cinnabon Delights: A Candy Bar in Disguise
A four-pack of Taco Bell’s Cinnabon Delights contains 32 grams of sugar, matching the sweetness of a standard candy bar. These warm, doughnut-like treats get their high sugar content from two sources: a sweet cream cheese filling and a coating of cinnamon sugar. While positioned as a breakfast or dessert option, these bite-sized pastries pack as much sugar as a full-sized Milky Way.
Try This Recipe: Moist Apple Cinnamon Bread
KFC’s Potato Wedges: A Salty-Sweet Side
While KFC’s Potato Wedges appear to be a savory side dish, they contain hidden sugars from their preparation process. Though the exact sugar content isn’t published, the seasoning blend and cooking method likely add sweetness to these potatoes. The sugar amount stays below that of candy bars, but the presence of added sugars in this side dish highlights how sweeteners appear in unexpected menu items.
Try This Recipe: Crispy Accordion Potatoes Recipe (Viral Tiktok Recipe)
Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Southwest Salad: Hidden Sugar Source
The Chick-fil-A Spicy Southwest Salad contains 27 grams of sugar, nearly matching the sweetness of a standard candy bar. Multiple ingredients contribute to this high sugar count: the seasoned corn and black bean blend, tortilla strips, and salad dressing. While marketed as a healthier menu option, this salad’s sugar content approaches that of a Snickers bar, which contains 30 grams.
Try This Recipe: Hot Girl Summer Salad
Arby’s Jamocha Shake: A Dessert-Level Sugar Load
The small Arby’s Jamocha Shake contains 82 grams of sugar – nearly triple the amount found in a typical candy bar. This coffee-flavored milkshake’s sweetness comes from multiple sources: flavored syrups, ice cream base, and additional sweeteners. For perspective, you would need to eat almost three Milky Way bars to match the sugar content in this single beverage.
Try This Recipe: Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe
Sign up now to receive our exclusive e-cookbook filled with top-rated recipes for FREE!
Dunkin’ Donuts Frozen Vanilla Chai: A Candy Bar in a Cup
The small Frozen Vanilla Chai from Dunkin’ Donuts packs 68 grams of sugar – more than double the amount in a typical candy bar. This sweet beverage’s sugar load comes from multiple sources: the chai mix base, added sweeteners, and natural milk sugars. One small serving contains the same sugar as eating two Milky Way bars back-to-back.
Try This Recipe: Healthy Peanut Butter Cup Overnight Oats
Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino: A Sugar-Heavy Statement
A Grande Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino contains 66 grams of sugar – equivalent to eating two standard candy bars at once. This coffee-based beverage gets its intense sweetness from multiple ingredients: caramel syrup, frappuccino base syrup, and whipped cream topping. Each sip delivers more sugar than a Milky Way and Snickers bar combined.
Try This Recipe: Apple Crisp Frappuccino
Panera Bread Frozen Caramel: A Two-Candy-Bar Beverage
The regular-sized Panera Bread Frozen Caramel contains 58 grams of sugar – matching the sweetness of two standard candy bars combined. The drink’s high sugar content stems from its caramel syrup base and additional sweetening agents. Customers drinking this frozen beverage consume more sugar than eating both a Milky Way and 3 Musketeers bar in one sitting.
Try This Recipe: Copycat Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte
Sonic Cherry Limeade: Sweet Drink Alert
A medium Sonic Cherry Limeade contains 37-91 grams of sugar – more than two standard candy bars combined. The cherry syrup and limeade mix create this high sugar concentration.
While refreshing, this beverage packs more than double the sweetness of a Milky Way bar (31g) in a single serving. The combination of fruit syrups and sweetened lime mixture makes this drink one of the sugariest options on fast food menus.
Sign up now to receive our exclusive e-cookbook filled with top-rated recipes for FREE!
The Sweet Truth About Fast Food
The comparison between candy bars and fast food items reveals a sobering reality about our modern food landscape. While consumers might feel virtuous choosing a breakfast oatmeal or garden salad over a chocolate bar, the sugar content often tells a different story.
These findings highlight the importance of scrutinizing nutrition labels and understanding that “healthy-sounding” menu items aren’t always what they seem. The presence of hidden sugars in everything from potato wedges to salad dressings demonstrates the pervasive nature of added sweeteners in fast food.
As consumers become more health-conscious, this candy bar comparison serves as a stark reminder that making truly healthy choices requires looking beyond menu item names and marketing claims.
Sources
- How Much Sugar is in a Chocolate Bar?
- MILKY WAY Milk Chocolate Single Candy Bar, 1.84 oz
- Halloween Sugar Chart: How Much Sugar is in Your Kid’s Candy?
- Subway Nutrition Information
- McDonalds Fruit & Maple Oatmeal
- SONIC® Drive-In Menu Nutrition Guide
- Panera Bread® Nutrition Information – US
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
8 Everyday Foods Facing Higher Prices Under Trump’s Tariffs
President Trump’s recent tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China have significantly impacted the prices of many everyday grocery products. With a 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian imports and a 20% tariff on Chinese goods, many household staples are becoming more expensive.
Read it here: 8 Everyday Foods Facing Higher Prices Under Trump’s Tariffs
13 Worst Grocery Store Tricks Designed to Mislead Store Shoppers
Ever walked into a grocery store for just a few essentials, only to leave with a cart full of things you didn’t plan to buy? It’s not your lack of willpower—it’s by design!
Read it here: 13 Worst Grocery Store Tricks Designed to Mislead Store Shoppers
10 Old-School Restaurant Chains That Barely Exist Now
America has seen its fair share of beloved restaurant chains come and go. While some nostalgic favorites have completely disappeared, others are hanging on by a thread, with only a handful of locations left. These restaurants once thrived, serving up classic American comfort food, burgers, and shakes to generations of diners.
Read it here: 10 Old-School Restaurant Chains That Barely Exist Now
Is Walmart+ Still Worth It in 2025? The Truth After 3 Years
Could you be missing out on major savings and life-changing convenience? After three years with Walmart+, I’m sharing the honest truth about what’s worth it—and what’s not. Don’t sign up (or skip out!) without reading this first!
Read it here: Is Walmart+ Worth It? Honest Review 3 Years Later!