No, classic POM 100% pomegranate juice has no added sugar, but some flavored POM drinks and blends can contain added sweeteners.
POM Wonderful has a bold flavor, a deep red color, and a long list of marketing claims, so many shoppers stop in the aisle and ask one thing: Does POM Have Added Sugar?
The short answer is that the flagship POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice contains only pomegranate juice and no added sugar, while several POM tea drinks and blends do include added sugars from ingredients such as sugar and honey.
Does POM Have Added Sugar? Label Basics And Quick Answer
When you grab a bottle of POM 100% pomegranate juice, the ingredient list is short: just pomegranate juice from concentrate, with a clear statement on the label that there is no added sugar.
The sweetness in that bottle comes from natural fruit sugars, mainly fructose and glucose, which show up under total sugars on the nutrition facts panel.
Added sugar is different. The Food and Drug Administration defines added sugars as sugars that are added during processing, such as table sugar, syrups, honey, or sugars from concentrated juices that go beyond what you would expect from the fruit itself.
| POM Product Line | Typical Ingredients | Added Sugar? |
|---|---|---|
| 100% Pomegranate Juice | Pomegranate juice from concentrate | No, only natural fruit sugar |
| Super Juice 100% Pomegranate (Canada) | Same 100% pomegranate juice format | No, label states no added sugar |
| POM Juice Blends | Pomegranate juice plus other fruit juices | Usually no added sugar, still high in natural sugar |
| Antioxidant Super Teas | Tea, water, sugar, juice concentrates, flavorings | Yes, sugar and sometimes honey are added |
| Pomegranate Honey Green Tea | Green tea, sugar, honey, pomegranate juice concentrate | Yes, several teaspoons of added sugar per bottle |
| Pomegranate Lemonade Tea | Black tea, sugar, pomegranate and lemon juice concentrates | Yes, labeled grams of added sugar |
| Pomegranate Orange Blossom White Tea | White tea, sugar, pomegranate juice concentrate, flavors | Yes, sweetened |
If you only drink the plain 100% pomegranate juice, you are getting a tart, sweet drink made from fruit alone.
Once you move into bottles that say tea, lemonade, or a flavored blend, you need to expect added sugar unless the label states otherwise.
POM Added Sugar In Different Juice Lines And Blends
POM Wonderful uses several product families, and each one handles sugar in a slightly different way.
The pure juice line, which includes the classic bulb shaped bottles and larger jugs of 100% pomegranate juice, is made only from pressed and concentrated pomegranates.
Juice blends mix pomegranate with juices such as blueberry, cranberry, or cherry. These blends usually skip table sugar, yet the fruit mix still carries a large sugar load because every fruit brings its own natural sugar to the bottle.
The Antioxidant Super Teas mix brewed tea with pomegranate juice, sugar, and sometimes honey or lemonade. On those labels you will see both total sugars and a separate line for added sugars, often close to 30 grams or more per bottle.
This split inside the brand explains why the question “Does POM Have Added Sugar?” rarely has a simple yes or no answer until you name the exact product in your hand.
How To Read POM Nutrition Facts For Added Sugar
Every POM bottle sold in the United States uses the current Nutrition Facts label, which includes a separate line for added sugars underneath total sugars.
On pure POM 100% pomegranate juice you will see grams of total sugar but the line for added sugars lists zero grams, which confirms that the sweetness only comes from the fruit.
On a sweetened POM tea you will see one line for total sugars and a second line labeled includes X grams added sugars, which tells you how much sugar or honey the company adds during processing.
Below the grams you will also see a percent daily value for added sugars, based on a 10 percent cap of daily calories from added sugar in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
That percentage can be high for a single drink, so a full bottle of sweetened tea might use up a large portion of the daily added sugar budget in one shot.
Step By Step Label Check
First, scan the ingredient list. If you see sugar, cane sugar, honey, agave, or other sweeteners listed, the drink contains added sugar.
Next, look at the total sugars line on the Nutrition Facts panel and then at the line directly below it for added sugars. The number next to added sugars shows exactly how many grams were added during production.
Then, note the serving size. Many POM bottles list the entire bottle as one serving, yet some multipacks or specialty sizes might not. If a bottle contains two servings, you would need to double both the total sugar and added sugar numbers for the amount you actually drink.
Last, compare that sugar number with your daily pattern. If a single drink uses up most of your added sugar allowance, you might decide to pour a smaller glass or choose the unsweetened juice instead.
How Much Sugar Is In Pure POM Juice?
Pure POM juice does not contain added sugar, yet it still delivers a concentrated hit of natural sugar from pomegranate arils.
An eight ounce serving of POM 100% pomegranate juice typically sits around 160 calories, almost all from roughly 38 to 40 grams of natural sugar, alongside potassium and polyphenol antioxidants.
That sugar content is similar to many other 100 percent fruit juices such as grape or cranberry blends, and POM juice works best as a small glass or a mixer, not an all day sip.
You can stretch the flavor by pouring half a glass of POM juice and topping it with cold still or sparkling water, which trims total sugar without losing the tart taste.
POM Pure Juice Versus Sweetened POM Teas
To see how fast added sugar can climb, it helps to compare one serving of pure POM juice with one bottle of an Antioxidant Super Tea.
| Beverage | Sugar Per Bottle | Includes Added Sugar? |
|---|---|---|
| POM 100% Pomegranate Juice, 8 fl oz | About 38–40 g total sugar | No added sugar |
| POM Antioxidant Super Tea, Pomegranate Lemonade, 12.5 fl oz | About 35 g total sugar | Yes, around 32 g added sugar |
| POM Pomegranate Honey Green Tea, 12 fl oz | Roughly 32 g total sugar | Yes, sugar and honey added |
| Typical Orange Juice, 8 fl oz | About 21–23 g natural sugar | No added sugar in 100% juice |
| Cola Soda, 12 fl oz | About 39–40 g total sugar | Yes, all sugar added |
This comparison shows that pure POM juice sits close to soda in total sugar, but the source is fruit instead of added sweetener, while the teas combine natural and added sugars in the same bottle.
Why Brands Like POM Add Sugar To Some Drinks
Pomegranate juice on its own tastes tart and slightly astringent, especially for people used to softer juices like apple or orange.
When brands create tea drinks and lemonades, they often add sugar or honey to balance that sharp taste and make the drink feel more like a treat than a tonic.
POM Wonderful positions its Antioxidant Super Teas as ready to drink beverages for people who want antioxidants in a sweeter format, so the formulas lean on added sugar to keep the flavor rounded and familiar.
That approach is common in bottled tea and juice aisles, so POM is not unusual in using sugar; the helpful point is that the label now shows total and added sugars separately, which gives you a clear basis for comparison.
How To Fit POM Into A Lower Sugar Habit
If you enjoy POM juice or tea but want to keep added sugar on the lower side, you do not have to drop the brand entirely.
Start by making the unsweetened 100% pomegranate juice your default choice and treat the sweetened teas as once in a while options.
Pour smaller servings. A four ounce pour of pure POM juice has about half the sugar of a full eight ounce glass, yet still gives you plenty of flavor and color.
Stretch POM with water, seltzer, or unsweetened iced tea. A half and half mix trims sugar and still tastes rich.
Reading labels on cereal, snack bars, and sauces can show whether a sweet POM drink still fits. Many people are surprised how much sugar piles up once juice, dessert, and packaged snacks all land on the menu at home.
Pair POM with meals instead of drinking it on an empty stomach. Sipping juice alongside protein, fiber, and fat slows down how fast your body absorbs the natural sugar.
People who manage diabetes, prediabetes, or other health conditions related to blood sugar should talk with a registered dietitian or healthcare professional before making big changes to juice intake.
Final Thoughts On POM Sugar And Labels
This question about POM sugar starts with a simple concern, and the answer depends entirely on which bottle you bring home.
POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice and its similar Super Juice bottles in Canada do not contain added sugar, only the sugar that comes naturally from pomegranate fruit.
The Antioxidant Super Teas and other flavored drinks under the same brand name do contain added sugar, sometimes in amounts similar to sweet soft drinks.
Once you learn how to read the ingredient list and the added sugars line on the Nutrition Facts label, you can decide when a small glass of pure POM juice fits your day and when a sweet tea is better saved for a dessert style treat at home.