Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream as it’s often called in the United States is primarily made with just cream. It is essential the fatty portion of cow’s milk that has been skimmed off.
It is an uncommon practice for dairy manufacturers to add sugar to heavy cream. The only other ingredients that typically may be in heavy cream are thickeners, emulsifiers, or stabilizers such as gellan gum, polysorbate 80, carrageenan, mono and diglycerides.
While heavy cream doesn’t commonly have added sugar, it does contain a small amount of natural sugar.
Heavy Cream Sugar Content
So, how much sugar is in heavy cream?
We reviewed the sugar content of popular heavy cream products as displayed in the table below. As you can see, these brands have little or no sugar. In fact, none contained added sugar.
| Heavy Cream | Serving Size | Total Sugars(g) | Added Sugars(g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 365 By Whole Foods – Organic Heavy Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Alexandre Family Farms – A2/A2 Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Clover Sonoma – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Dairy Pure – Heavy Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Good & Gather – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Great Value – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Guernsey Farms Dairy – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Horizon Organic – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Kemps – Simply Craft Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Knudsen – Heavy Chipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Kroger – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 1g | 0g |
| Land O Lakes – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 1g | 0g |
| Lucerne – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Mayfield Dairy Farms – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 1g | 0g |
| O Organics – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Organic Valley – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Publix – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
| Shamrock Farms – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 1g | 0g |
| Simple Truth Organic – Heavy Whipping Cream | 1 tbsp (15mL) | 0g | 0g |
Type of Sugar In Heavy Cream
The sugar in heavy cream is from lactose. Lactose is the natural sugar present in milk, giving it a slightly sweet taste. It can be a bit tricky for some people to digest, leading to discomfort in those who are lactose intolerant or sensitive to dairy.
Most of the heavy cream products listed above likely have a trivial amount of natural sugar or lactose. This sugar would typically be reflected in the “Total Sugar” amount listed in the nutrition facts on the label. However, the amount in the serving size of one tablespoon is too insignificant to require disclosure in the nutrition facts.
The information below is what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Database indicates are the type of sugars in heavy cream. As you can see, the FDA confirms that the only sugar in heavy cream is natural lactose.
Heavy Cream Sugar (100g Serving Size)
Keep in mind that the serving size for sugar content provided by the FDA Food Database is 100 grams or about 6.7 tablespoons. This is a much larger serving size compared to the one tablespoon for the products listed in the initial table. That is why the total sugar or lactose is 2.92 grams versus the 0 grams reflected in the first table.
Be sure to read our article on the lactose in heavy cream if you are interested in learning how the lactose in it compares to other dairy products.