Zero Sugar Oreos taste just about the same as normal Oreos. But everything else about them just feels weird.
First, there’s the packaging. Instead of the usual plastic tray, you get a big plastic pouch filled with smaller two-cookie pouches. It’s like a Russian nesting doll for cookies that feel vaguely haunted.
I deem these cookies spooky because there are a lot of shenanigans going on to make these “zero sugar.”
The more I learn about the mad scientist schematics that make these cookies possible, the more I wonder if it would be better to just eat a normal Oreo.
It’s true. Unlike standard Oreos, the Zero Sugar Oreos have no cane sugar and no high fructose corn syrup in them.
But this is not like going from Coca-Cola to Coke Zero Sugar where all of a sudden there are zero calories. As the bag states pretty clearly on the label, this is not a low-calorie food.
No, these Oreos swap out normal sugar for a startlingly complex melange of artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols.
Here’s the craziest part: Oreo goes through all that fuss to trim 8-10 calories off each cookie.
Sugar Free Oreos | Review
So, what is actually in these things? The package proudly boasts that it’s free of aspartame, which is the artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke.
What it does have is a combination of the following:
- Sucralose (AKA Splenda, an artificial sweetener)
- Acesulfame potassium (another artificial sweetener)
- Maltitol (a sugar alcohol)
- Polydextrose (a fiber/sugar substitute)
- Sorbitol (another sugar alcohol)
This is starting to feel like one of those prescription drug commercials where they promise to clear up your skin but have 400 side effects that include “elbow leakage” and “spleen duplication.”
What do you get for all of that trouble? Not much.
A classic Oreo has about 53 calories and 4.66 grams of sugar per cookie. A Zero Sugar Oreo has 45 calories and 3 grams of sugar alcohol per cookie.
A Double Stuf Oreo has 70 calories and 6.5 grams of sugar per cookie. A Double Stuf Zero Sugar Oreo has 60 calories and 4.5 grams of sugar alcohol per cookie.
It just seems like a whole lot of work for a 15% reduction in calories.
What do they taste like?
In terms of flavor, there isn’t a huge gap between these and normal Oreos. If you swapped normal Oreos out for Zero Sugar Oreos, not a lot of people would notice.
But while I ate them, they tasted a little off. The flavors seem a little thinner and flattened. Classic Oreos have a little bit more depth and complexity in terms of flavor.
It’s a pretty common symptom of zero-sugar alternatives. The general idea is still there. But it’s a little like compressing a video or picture. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but it just feels a little flat.
Between the two, I liked the Double Stuf better. Having that extra creme in the middle helps cover up the shortcomings of the zero-sugar sweeteners.
What are the aftereffects?
Nothing in here is bad for you in moderation. But keep in mind that artificial sweeteners eaten in excess are never your friend.
For a lot of folks, zero-sugar foods are a game of roulette. Some people get headaches from aspartame. Others don’t react well to sucralose.
Personally, I felt a little bit of a headache after eating a bunch of these.
As for sugar alcohols, there are a lot of stories out there about them having a laxative effect when eaten in excess.
Can I confirm this? My editors probably don’t want me to go into detail.
All I can say is: Don’t eat a lot of these before getting on a flight.
So are they any good? Where do they rank?
Flavor-wise, these are solid. I enjoyed the Double Stuf Zero Sugar Oreo better than the normal Zero Sugar Oreo. But I just couldn’t shake the specter of something being off about these cookies.
I’m putting these at No. 57 and No. 58 in my ongoing rankings, which have been in the works since 2014.
As always, these rankings are not scientific, but they are correct:
110) Turkey & Stuffing (OREOiD Thanksgiving Dinner Tin)
109) Banana Split Oreo
108) Cream Corn (OREOiD Thanksgiving Dinner Tin)
107) Cookie Dough Oreo (2014 Edition)
106) Cherry Cola Oreo
106) Berry Oreo
104) Limeade Oreo
103) Apple Pie Oreo
102) Reduced Fat Oreo
101) Oreo Thins Piña Colada
100) Oreo Thins Irish Creme
99) Caramel Apple Oreo
98) Key Lime Pie Oreo
97) Fruit Punch Oreo
96) Oreo Thins Pistachio
95) Hot & Spicy Cinnamon Oreo
94) Sour Patch Kids Oreo
93) Gluten-Free Golden Oreo
92) Pumpkin Spice Oreo (2014 version)
91) Mystery Oreo (AKA Fruity Crisp)
90) Chocolate Covered Pretzel Oreo
89) Caramel Coconut Oreo
88) PB&J Oreo
87) Cranberry Sauce (OREOiD Thanksgiving Dinner Tin)
86) Oreo Bites Fudge Dipped Mint Creme
85) Lemon Oreo
84) Oreo Thins Tiramisu
82) Oreo Thins Salted Caramel
81) Coca-Cola Oreo
80) Oreo Thins Lemon
79) Fudge-Covered Oreo
78) Cookies & Creme Oreo
77) Chocolate Creme Oreo (Golden)
76) Salted Caramel Brownie Oreo
75) Post Malone Oreo
74) Oreo Thins Coconut
73) Snickerdoodle Oreo
72) Peppermint Bark Oreos
71) Peeps Oreo
70) Golden Oreo
69) Oreo Thins (Golden)
68) Golden Double Stuf Oreo
67) Neapolitan Oreo
66) Blueberry Pie Oreo
65) Pumpkin Pie (OREOiD Thanksgiving Dinner Tin)
64) Oreo Thins Extra Stuf
63) Jelly Donut Oreo
62) Kettle Corn Oreo
61) Pumpkin Spice Oreo (2022 Version)
60) Caramel Apple Pie (OREOiD Thanksgiving Dinner Tin)
59) Chocolate Hazelnut Oreo
NEW: 58) Zero Sugar Oreo
NEW: 57) Double Stuf Zero Sugar Oreo
56) Oreo Mini
55) Oreo Bites Fudge Dipped Original
54) Oreo Thins Chocolate Ganache
53) Oreo Mini Golden
52) Sweet Potato (OREOiD Thanksgiving Dinner Tin)
51) Caramel Mocha Latte Oreo
50) Cookie Dough Oreo (2026 Edition)
49) Java Chip Oreo
48) Dunkin’ Donuts Mocha Oreo
47) Peanut Butter Creme Oreo
46) Peanut Butter Cup Oreo
45) Reese’s Oreo
44) Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
43) Oreo Loaded
42) Chocolate Creme Oreo
41) Dark Chocolate Oreo
40) Rocky Road Trip Oreo
39) Black & White Cookie Oreo
38) Most Oreo Oreo
37) Mega Stuf Oreo (Vanilla Cookie)
36) Oreo Bites Fudge Dipped Coconut
35) Star Wars Oreo
34) Space Dunk Oreo
33) Gingerbread Oreo
32) Carrot Cake Oreo
31) Cotton Candy Oreo
30) Mint Creme Oreo
29) Most Stuf Oreo
27) Oreo Thins Dark Chocolate
26) Moon Oreos
25) Fireworks Oreo
24) Birthday Cake (Chocolate Cookie) Oreo
23) Triple Double Oreo
22) Maple Syrup Oreo
21) Mystery Oreo (2019 Edition, AKA Churro)
20) Red Velvet Oreo
19) Cinnamon Bun Oreo
18) Apple Pie a la Mode Oreo
17) Oreo Thins (Chocolate)
16) Cookie Butter Oreo
15) Oreo Thins (Mint)
14) Chocolate Marshmallow Oreo
13) Dirt Cake Oreo
12) Blackout Cake Oreo
11) Mega Stuf Oreo
10) Selena Gomez Oreo
Tied 8) Double Stuf Gluten-Free Oreo
8) Double Stuf Oreo
7) Oreo Thins
Tied-5) Gluten-Free Oreo
5) Oreo
4) Hot Cocoa Oreo
3) Golden Birthday Cake Oreo
2) Marshmallow Krispy Creme Oreo
1) S’mores Oreo
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Want more “I Ate It” food coverage? You can follow Nick on Instagram (@NickAteIt) and TikTok (also @NickAteIt)
“I ate it so you don’t have to” is a regular food column about off-beat eats, both good and bad. I picked the name years ago and now we’re sort of stuck with it.
You can send any praise/food suggestions to nomalley@masslive.com. Please send all criticisms and complaints about “zero sugar” foods to lfieldman@masslive.com. You can check out the rest of the series here.
