Sugar-free snack seekers
You want a cream-filled biscuit for gaming and need to check whether the specific product qualifies as sugar-free, rather than relying on a range name or a no-added-sugar description.
Who is this choice for?
Custard-cream fans
You would rather keep the familiar vanilla sandwich biscuit. The sugars per 100 g and per biscuit on the chosen pack can help you decide what to serve, without mistaking a smaller portion for a sugar-free product.
People sharing snacks with dietary requirements
You need the allergen information for the exact biscuit being served. Sainsbury's describes its Free From custard creams as milk- and gluten-free, but lists 24.9 g sugars per 100 g: those are separate considerations.
What should you check?
Start with the distinction that decides this purchase: whether the biscuit must be sugar-free, or whether it must taste like a custard cream. Then check the portion and ingredients of the exact product you intend to share.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar-free claim and flavour | The sugar-free criterion published by legislation.gov.uk is no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g. Read the exact product's figure, then check whether it is a custard cream or a different sandwich biscuit. | I want to know whether sugar-free is essential, or whether the familiar custard-cream flavour matters more. Diablo's cocoa-and-vanilla biscuit lists 0.4 g sugars per 100 g, according to Diablo Sugar Free; it is not a custard cream. |
| Portion information | Compare sugars per biscuit where a serving is stated, as well as per 100 g. For other cream-filled biscuits, read the energy and polyols figures too: Diablo Sugar Free lists 459 kcal and 17 g polyols per 100 g for its 44 g product. | If a pack will be open during a gaming session, I want to judge the amount I might eat from the serving information, not assume that a sugar-free label describes the biscuit's whole nutrition profile. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current pack's ingredient and allergen declarations for the exact variant. A Free From label identifies specified exclusions; it does not establish that the biscuit is sugar-free. | When other people are sharing the snacks, I need to check their relevant allergens. Diablo Sugar Free identifies wheat, milk and soya in its cocoa-and-vanilla biscuit. |
Common mix-ups to avoid
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Treating Free From, no added sugar and sugar-free as the same claim
They answer different questions. Sainsbury's lists 24.9 g sugars per 100 g for its Free From custard creams, while the checked Joybuy listing for Gullón Zero Cookies & Cream says no added sugars but lists 2.4 g sugars per 100 g.
Check the sugars per 100 g on the exact pack and read any ingredient-exclusion claims separately. The Gullón manufacturer's sugar-free wording conflicts with the checked Joybuy nutrition figure, so do not rely on the wording alone for that listing.
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Assuming a sugar-free substitute is the same biscuit
Diablo's Extra Dark Sandwich Cookies have cocoa-flavoured biscuits and vanilla filling, rather than custard-cream biscuits. Diablo Sugar Free also lists 459 kcal and 17 g polyols per 100 g for this product.
Check the flavour, nutrition panel and allergens before choosing it in place of custard creams.
Brands and biscuits to compare
These are references for specific biscuits and their listed recipes, not claims about every product a brand makes.
Tesco
Tesco lists both classic and Free From custard creams, allowing a comparison of those two named products.
- The 400 g classic listing declares 28.3 g sugars per 100 g; the checked 125 g Free From listing declares 19.9 g per 100 g.
- Neither figure meets the sugar-free criterion. Tesco advises checking the pack because recipes can change.
Crawford's
A conventional vanilla-filled custard cream for readers who want the familiar biscuit.
- Tesco's checked 300 g Crawford's listing declares 30.7 g sugars per 100 g.
- That listing identifies wheat and milk ingredients; check the pack if either matters to the people sharing it.
Sainsbury's
Its checked classic and Free From custard creams address different ingredient preferences, not a sugar-free choice.
- Sainsbury's lists 26.5 g sugars per 100 g for its 200 g classic product and 24.9 g per 100 g for its milk- and gluten-free 125 g product.
- Free From does not mean sugar-free; read each product's nutrition and allergen information separately.
M&S
Its Extra Cream Custard Creams are a custard-cream variation for readers focused on the filling rather than a sugar-free claim.
- M&S describes extra vanilla cream in the checked 165 g product.
- M&S lists 40.2 g sugars per 100 g for that product; the figure does not describe its other biscuits.
Gullón
Zero Cookies & Cream is a no-added-sugar cocoa sandwich biscuit, not an identical custard cream.
- The checked Joybuy listing describes no added sugars and lists 2.4 g sugars per 100 g.
- Gullón's UK page also calls the product sugar-free, which conflicts with that Joybuy figure. Check the pack before relying on either description; both pages identify maltitol and wheat and soya ingredients.
Diablo
Extra Dark Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla Cream offer a different-flavour cream-filled biscuit.
- Diablo Sugar Free lists 0.4 g sugars per 100 g for its checked 44 g product.
- The same listing declares 459 kcal per 100 g and identifies wheat, milk and soya; these details apply to this biscuit, not the whole range.
Joybuy biscuit options
This Joybuy option is a cream-filled sandwich biscuit for readers willing to consider a different flavour from custard creams. Check its current pack before relying on a sugar-free claim.
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Oreo Zero Sugar Sandwich Cookies, 97g
A cocoa-flavoured sandwich biscuit to consider if cream filling matters more than custard-cream flavour. Check the current pack's sugars per 100 g and allergen declaration before deciding whether it meets your requirements.
Questions about biscuit labels
Does no added sugar mean sugar-free?
No. Check sugars per 100 g against the sugar-free criterion of no more than 0.5 g per 100 g published by legislation.gov.uk. The checked Joybuy listing for Gullón Zero Cookies & Cream says no added sugars but lists 2.4 g sugars per 100 g, despite sugar-free wording on Gullón's UK page.
How should I keep an opened pack of custard creams?
For its classic custard creams, Tesco advises a cool, dry place and an airtight container once opened. Follow the storage instructions on the pack you buy.
Does sugar-free mean a biscuit falls outside less-healthy-food advertising rules?
No conclusion about a biscuit's advertising classification follows from its sugars figure alone. The Department of Health and Social Care describes separate product-scope criteria for the UK's less-healthy-food TV and online advertising restrictions; the particular product and advertising activity need to be assessed against those criteria.