Snacks Without Corn Syrup

This hub rounds up snacks that skip both corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). That includes the obvious sweet stuff—caramel glazes, sticky coatings—but also some sneaky places where syrup shows up as a binder or to keep things soft. You’ll see plenty of options here sweetened with cane sugar, fruit juice concentrate, or non-nutritive sweeteners like stevia or allulose—or no sweeteners at all (hello, plain rice cakes and corn thins). Real talk: “no corn syrup” doesn’t automatically mean low sugar or more nutritious. A caramel rice snack sweetened with cane sugar can still deliver a decent hit of added sugar; it’s just not from corn syrup. Texture can differ too—without syrup, some snacks are crisper and less sticky, which many people prefer, but they might stale faster. Price-wise, products that call out “no HFCS” can run 10–30% higher than conventional; that said, mainstream brands and store brands increasingly offer syrup-free flavors, so you don’t have to shop only at specialty stores. Nuance matters. Corn thins and corn crackers obviously contain corn—the grain—but not corn syrup. If you’re avoiding all corn derivatives (dextrose, maltodextrin), you’ll need to read labels more closely because those aren’t technically corn syrup. If your goal is simply to dodge corn syrup and HFCS, this hub keeps that line clean, while giving you plenty of crunchy, sweet, and tangy options.

Key Benefits

• Avoids sticky corn syrups while keeping crunchy textures many people prefer.
• Often shorter ingredient lists, which makes label reading quicker and easier.
• Useful for recipes where syrupy binders change texture or flavor.
• Helps reduce exposure to HFCS without eliminating sweet snacks entirely.
• More compatible with some dietary preferences and school snack policies.