16 Foods That Are Sweet

✔ Updated October 19, 2026 · regrouped by type + fact-checked, new sweet snack board

Foods that are sweet range from fresh fruit and vegetables to cakes, candy and ice cream. This list covers 16 sweet foods, grouped by type: naturally sweet fruits, sweet vegetables, desserts and sweets, and sweet spreads and drinks. For the opposite end of the flavor scale, see our list of sour foods.

Each one comes with a short note on why it tastes sweet and how it's usually eaten. At the end there's an easy snack board that puts several of the naturally sweet foods on one platter.

What's in This Guide

• A quick table of all 16 sweet foods and what makes each one sweet.
• Four categories: sweet fruits, sweet vegetables, desserts and sweets, and spreads and drinks.
• An easy snack board made from the naturally sweet foods on the list.

16 Sweet Foods at a Glance

Sweet food	Type	Why it tastes sweet
1. Mango	Fruit	Ripe flesh is rich in natural fruit sugars
2. Dates	Fruit	Roughly two-thirds sugar by weight
3. Grapes	Fruit	About 23 g of natural sugar per cup
4. Watermelon	Fruit	Mild sweetness in a very juicy fruit
5. Sweet corn	Vegetable	Bred to hold its sugars instead of turning them to starch
6. Japanese sweet potatoes	Vegetable	Starch turns to sugar as it roasts
7. Candy	Sweets	Made mostly of sugar
8. Chocolate	Sweets	Cocoa sweetened with sugar
9. Cakes	Desserts	Sugar in the batter and frosting
10. Cookies and bars	Desserts	Sugar, butter and often chocolate
11. Sweet rice cakes	Desserts	Sticky rice cooked with sugar or sweet fillings
12. Pastries	Desserts	Sweet fillings, glazes and icing
13. Ice cream	Desserts	Sweetened cream and milk
14. Jams and jellies	Spreads	Fruit cooked with plenty of sugar
15. Fruit juices and smoothies	Drinks	Concentrated fruit sugars
16. Sweet coffee drinks	Drinks	Syrups, sugar and toppings

Naturally Sweet Fruits

Fruit is the most natural way to satisfy a sweet tooth, and it brings fiber, vitamins and water along with its sugars. Ripe mango is my weakness.

• 1. Mango: ripe mango is juicy, fragrant and intensely sweet. The Philippine Carabao mango has been listed by Guinness World Records as the sweetest mango. One cup of sliced mango also supplies about two-thirds of the daily value for vitamin C, plus vitamin A. If yours is still firm, here's how to ripen a mango.
• 2. Dates: dates, especially soft Medjool dates, are among the sweetest fruits by sugar content, at roughly two-thirds sugar by weight. That's why they're blended into energy bars and date paste as a natural sweetener. A few go a long way.
• 3. Grapes: sweet, juicy and easy to snack on, with about 23 grams of natural sugar per cup. Try them frozen for a candy-like treat, or halved in salads for sweetness and color.
• 4. Watermelon: watermelon is over 90% water, so its sweetness is light and refreshing rather than rich. It's a summer favorite in slices, salads and our watermelon popsicles.

Sweet Vegetables

Some vegetables are sweet enough to eat as dessert, especially once they're roasted or grilled. Roasted sweet potatoes are my favorite proof.

• 5. Sweet corn: sweet corn varieties carry genes that slow the conversion of sugar into starch, so the kernels stay sweet and tender. The sugars still start turning to starch after picking, which is why freshly harvested corn tastes sweetest.
• 6. Japanese sweet potatoes: these sweet potatoes have purple-red skin and pale flesh that turns golden when cooked. Roasting them slowly lets natural enzymes turn starch into sugar, so they come out creamy, sticky and caramelized. In Japan, roasted sweet potatoes are a popular snack.

Desserts and Sweets

These are the foods most people think of first when they hear the word sweet. I’ll take a slice of cake over candy any day.

• 7. Candy: hard candies, gummies, caramels, fudge and lollipops are made mostly of sugar. Early sweets combined honey with fruits, nuts and spices, and boiling sugarcane juice down into solid sugar was developed in ancient India. Sugar-free candy uses sugar alcohols such as isomalt, maltitol and sorbitol to stay sweet.
• 8. Chocolate: chocolate is made from roasted, ground cacao beans. Dark chocolate combines cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar, and tastes sweet but slightly bitter. Milk chocolate adds milk, which makes it sweeter and creamier. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar and milk but no cocoa solids. Ruby chocolate has a pink color and a fruity, berry-like flavor.
• 9. Cakes: sugar does more than sweeten a cake. Creamed with butter, it helps trap air so the cake rises, and it holds onto moisture so the crumb stays tender. Every culture has its own, from German Black Forest cake and Australian pavlova to Chinese mooncakes and the King Cake served around Epiphany and Mardi Gras.
• 10. Cookies and bars: made from ingredients similar to cake, cookies are shaped individually, while bars and brownies are baked in a pan and cut into squares. They're usually denser than cake, and there are endless versions, from chewy chocolate chip cookies to fudgy or cakey brownies.
• 11. Sweet rice cakes: across Asia, glutinous (sticky) rice is cooked with sugar, coconut milk or sweet fillings to make rich, chewy desserts. Japanese mochi and daifuku, Filipino suman wrapped in banana leaves, and Chinese New Year cake (nian gao) are just a few, and many are served at weddings, harvests and Lunar New Year.
• 12. Pastries: eclairs, profiteroles, Danish pastries, baklava, cinnamon rolls and strudels all count. The main pastry doughs are shortcrust, puff, flaky, choux and filo. Pies and tarts use shortcrust with sweet fillings, turnovers are often made with puff pastry, and choux pastry makes cream puffs and eclairs.
• 13. Ice cream: ice cream is made from cream, milk, sugar and flavorings, churned while it freezes so it stays smooth. Make it even sweeter as a banana split, an ice cream cake or one of our milkshake recipes, or serve vanilla ice cream with warm apple pie. For flavor ideas, see our list of Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavors.

Sweet Spreads and Drinks

• 14. Jams and jellies: jam is crushed or chopped fruit cooked with plenty of sugar, which helps it set and keeps its color. Jelly is made from fruit juice, sugar and pectin, so it's clear and holds its shape. Both are spread on toast or baked into tarts and pastries.
• 15. Fruit juices and smoothies: juice concentrates the natural sugar of several pieces of fruit into one glass, without most of the fiber. Smoothies keep the whole fruit, fiber included, but can still be high in sugar and calories, so they work best as a treat or a meal rather than an extra drink.
• 16. Sweet coffee drinks: flavored lattes, mochas and blended frappes often get syrups, sugar, whipped cream and chocolate on top, which makes some of them closer to a liquid dessert than a cup of coffee. Make your own lighter versions with our Starbucks copycat recipes.

Make a Naturally Sweet Snack Board

Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.

Tips for Success

• Pick ripe fruit. A ripe mango gives slightly when pressed and smells sweet at the stem end. Watermelon should feel heavy for its size with a creamy yellow patch where it rested on the ground.
• Roast sweet potatoes low and slow for more sweetness. Enzymes in the potato turn starch into sugar as it heats, so a longer roast tastes sweeter than a quick microwave.
• Eat sweet corn soon after buying. Its sugars start turning into starch once it's picked, so the freshest ears are the sweetest.
• Balance the board. Pair very sweet foods like dates and chocolate with juicy, lighter ones like watermelon and grapes, and add a little salt or nut butter for contrast.
• Keep portions sensible. Dates, dried fruit, juice and sweet coffee drinks are concentrated sources of sugar, so they go a long way.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are 5 examples of sweet foods?

Five classic examples of sweet foods are mango, dates, chocolate, cake and ice cream. Others include grapes, watermelon, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, candy, cookies, pastries, jam and fruit juice.

What is the sweetest fruit?

By sugar content, dates are one of the sweetest fruits, at roughly two-thirds sugar by weight. Among fresh fruits, ripe mangoes, grapes, figs, lychees and cherries taste especially sweet. The Philippine Carabao mango has been listed by Guinness World Records as the sweetest mango.

Which vegetables taste sweet?

Sweet corn, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, green peas, butternut squash and onions all have a natural sweetness. Roasting or caramelizing them brings out even more of it.

What makes food taste sweet?

Sugars such as sucrose, glucose and fructose activate the sweet taste receptors on the tongue. Some sugar alcohols and low-calorie sweeteners activate the same receptors, which is how sugar-free sweets still taste sweet.

What are some naturally sweet foods?

Whole fruits like mango, grapes, berries, bananas and watermelon, dried fruits like dates and raisins, and vegetables like sweet potatoes and sweet corn are all naturally sweet. Honey and maple syrup are natural sweeteners too.

Can I make the snack board ahead?

You can roast the sweet potato and stuff the dates up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Cut the mango and watermelon close to serving so they stay juicy, then assemble the board just before eating.