Choose 100% apple juice if you want undiluted juice, but do not read “no added sugar” as “sugar-free”: juice still contains naturally occurring sugars. If sugars per served glass matter more than a 100% juice format, compare apple-based juice drinks and diluted squash by their fruit content, sweeteners and serving instructions; NHS guidance limits fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day.
The useful distinction is between wanting apple juice itself and wanting an apple-based drink with a different sugar figure per serving.
Pressed or not-from-concentrate juice keeps the choice focused on apple juice rather than a drink diluted with water. Check the sugars in the amount you pour: a no-added-sugar message does not mean the juice contains no sugar.
Ready-to-drink cartons and squash offer different ways to serve an apple-flavoured drink. Fruit percentage, sweeteners, portion size and any allergen declaration matter when deciding what fits the household.
A 100% juice, a juice drink and a squash are different products even when each mentions apple and no added sugar. Start with the product description and ingredients, then compare nutrition on the basis of the drink as served.
Choose it when: You want undiluted apple juice rather than a juice drink.
Bear in mind: No added sugar does not remove naturally occurring sugars; Ocado lists 15g sugars per 150ml for Tropicana Pressed Apple Fruit Juice.
Choose it when: You want a ready-to-drink option and are comparing sugars per serving rather than seeking 100% juice.
Bear in mind: Fruit content varies; ASDA Groceries lists water, 6% apple juice, 4% pear juice and sucralose in its Apple & Pear Juice Drink.
Choose it when: You are happy to prepare each glass to the stated dilution ratio.
Bear in mind: M&S Apple & Elderflower High Juice is not plain apple juice; Ocado lists sucralose and sulphites in its ingredients.
Once you have chosen a format, compare the drink you would actually serve at breakfast—not the front-of-pack claim alone.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Drink format | Read the product description and fruit percentage. Distinguish 100% apple juice from a drink containing water or other fruits, and from squash that needs diluting. | I want to know whether I am pouring apple juice itself or an apple-based alternative. |
| Sugars per serving | Compare sugars for the amount served, including the prepared serving for squash. Ocado lists 15g per 150ml for Tropicana pressed apple juice; ASDA Groceries lists 1.8g per 150ml for its Apple & Pear Juice Drink. These are different formats, not equivalent juices. | A lower sugar figure in my glass matters more to me than choosing a 100% juice format. |
| Juice portion | NHS 5 A Day guidance limits fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies to a combined 150ml a day; that amount counts only once towards 5 A Day. Check how much a breakfast glass holds. | If I choose fruit juice, I want to pour a measured portion rather than assume a large glass counts as several portions. |
| Ingredients | Check sweeteners and allergen declarations alongside fruit content. ASDA Groceries lists sucralose in its Apple & Pear Juice Drink; Ocado lists sucralose and sulphites in M&S Apple & Elderflower High Juice. | I would rather check what replaces some of the juice before choosing a drink with a lower sugar figure. |
| Preparation | Check whether nutrition is stated for concentrate or for the prepared drink. Ocado gives a one-part-cordial-to-four-parts-water instruction and a prepared 250ml serving for M&S Apple & Elderflower High Juice. | For a weekend breakfast, I want to know what a finished glass contains and how much preparation it takes. |
Fruit juice still contains naturally occurring sugars. Ocado lists 15g sugars per 150ml for Tropicana Pressed Apple Fruit Juice despite its no-sugar-added description.
Check the sugars for your intended serving and whether the bottle contains 100% juice, a juice drink or squash.
The figures refer to different quantities if one label describes concentrate and another describes a prepared serving.
Follow the dilution instructions before comparing servings. Ocado lists M&S Apple & Elderflower High Juice at 2.5g sugars per prepared 250ml drink when diluted one part cordial to four parts water.
A juice drink or squash may contain a sweetener; Ocado also lists sulphites in M&S Apple & Elderflower High Juice.
Read the ingredients and allergen declaration on the product you buy, particularly if sweeteners or sulphites matter to your household.
A large glass can exceed the 150ml combined daily amount for fruit juice, vegetable juice and smoothies in NHS 5 A Day guidance.
Measure the juice you serve at breakfast if you are using that guidance; a larger carton does not change the advised amount.
These examples show how specific UK listings describe different apple-drink formats; the details apply to the named products, not every drink sold under each brand or by each retailer.
A reference point for shoppers seeking 100% pressed apple juice.
Its Cloudy Apple product is a pressed apple juice option.
Tesco Groceries lists Grower's Harvest No Added Sugar Apple Juice Drink, a juice drink rather than 100% apple juice.
Its apple-juice category offers examples of both pure juice and pressed, not-from-concentrate juice.
ASDA Groceries provides examples of a pressed apple juice and a separate apple-and-pear juice drink.
Its apple products include juice and an apple-and-elderflower squash that is diluted before serving.
These portioned, apple-containing drinks are options for a breakfast juice-drink choice, not examples of plain 100% apple juice or dilute-to-serve squash. Check each product's fruit mix and label before deciding.
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Eight 200ml bottles offer individual servings of an apple-and-blackcurrant drink for breakfast rather than plain apple juice. The product information lists sweeteners and warns that the caps contain small parts; it says the drink is unsuitable for children under 36 months.
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Three 200ml cartons provide portioned apple-and-pear fruit water for breakfast, rather than plain apple juice. Its product information describes it as having no added sugar; check the pack's sugars per serving and ingredients when comparing it with juice.
No. Apple juice contains naturally occurring sugars even when no sugar has been added. Ocado lists 15g sugars per 150ml for Tropicana's 100% pressed apple juice, so check the nutrition information for the portion you intend to pour.
Under NHS 5 A Day guidance, 150ml of fruit juice, vegetable juice or smoothie counts only once in a day. The NHS advises limiting those drinks to a combined 150ml a day, even if you pour more than one glass at breakfast.
No. ASDA Groceries lists water, 6% apple juice, 4% pear juice and sucralose in its Apple & Pear Juice Drink, whereas its pressed apple juice is labelled 100% juice. Read the product description and fruit percentage before comparing their sugars per serving.
Check the ingredients, allergen declaration and dilution instructions for the specific squash. Ocado lists sucralose and sulphites in M&S Apple & Elderflower High Juice, which is diluted one part cordial to four parts water; its product information also says it is not suitable for babies and advises extra water for older children.