For something ready to serve, you could consider Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces as an alternative to Dutch spiced biscuits, if speculoos suits you better: Céréal lists 0.4 g of sugars per 100 g. If you want to bake your own Dutch spiced biscuits and choose the ingredients, a recipe title alone tells you nothing about the sugar content of the finished product. Whichever option you choose, check the ingredients and allergens; the packaged option contains maltitols.
You want a biscuit for King's Day that meets the definition of ‘sugar-free’, not simply a version with no added sugars. The Netherlands Bakery Centre sets the limit for solid foods at no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g.
You’re looking for something you can serve straight away with coffee or on a party platter. Before you buy, you’ll want to know which sweetener and allergens are listed on the pack.
For you, the ingredients matter just as much as the sugar content. Céréal lists maltitols; according to Jumbo, this speculoos also contains wheat, almonds, egg, milk and soya.
Choose this if: you want something ready to serve and speculoos with almonds is a suitable alternative to Dutch spiced biscuits for you. Céréal lists 0.4 g of sugars per 100 g.
The trade-off: the ingredients are fixed: Céréal lists 29 g of polyols per 100 g, and the pack contains several allergens.
Choose this if: you want to decide which ingredients to use and have time to bake. Jumbo has published a recipe titled ‘Sugar-free Dutch spiced biscuits’.
The trade-off: Jumbo gives an oven time of around 45 minutes for this recipe. Whether you can call the finished product sugar-free depends on all the ingredients used and its sugar content per 100 g.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar claim | Compare the claim on the pack with the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g. The Netherlands Bakery Centre sets the limit for ‘sugar-free’ solid foods at no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. | If I want a genuinely sugar-free option for the party platter, ‘no added sugars’ isn’t enough. For around 50% of consumers, this strict sugar claim is the top priority. |
| Ready-made or homemade | Check the current ingredients list for packaged biscuits. If you’re baking your own, check which ingredients you’re using and the sugar content of the finished product per 100 g. | Do I want to serve the biscuits straight away, or decide for myself what goes into them? Around 33% of consumers give this choice between convenience and control over the ingredients top priority. |
| Allergens and polyols | Read the full ingredients and allergen information. Céréal lists maltitols and 29 g of polyols per 100 g; Jumbo lists several allergens for this version. | If guests need to avoid certain ingredients or don’t tolerate polyols well, I look beyond the sugar content. For around 17% of consumers, checking the ingredients is the most important factor. |
These claims don’t mean the same thing. A product with no added sugars can still contain sugars, so it may not meet the ‘sugar-free’ limit.
Check the exact claim and the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g. The Netherlands Bakery Centre sets the limit for ‘sugar-free’ solid foods at no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g.
Céréal lists 29 g of polyols per 100 g in its speculoos with almonds. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, consuming large amounts of polyols can cause flatulence and diarrhoea.
Check which sweetener has been used too, and bear your guests’ preferences and portion sizes in mind when serving.
A sugar claim says nothing about allergens or gluten. According to Jumbo, Céréal speculoos contains wheat, almonds, egg, milk and soya, among other ingredients.
Check the current allergen information on each pack you choose. Consider any gluten-free claim separately from the sugar claim.
Céréal offers speculoos with almond pieces labelled ‘no sugars’.
Lotus Bakeries describes Biscoff as a crunchy biscuit with a caramelised flavour.
Albert Heijn lists Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces in its range of biscuits for people watching their sugar intake.
Jumbo lists the packaged Céréal speculoos and also publishes a recipe titled ‘Sugar-free Dutch spiced biscuits’.
Lidl describes Sondey as a brand of cookies and biscuits, and lists baker’s Dutch spiced biscuits separately.
For solid foods, the Netherlands Bakery Centre sets the limit for a ‘sugar-free’ claim at no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. ‘No added sugars’ is a different claim and doesn’t automatically mean a biscuit is sugar-free.
Céréal lists 0.4 g of sugars per 100 g for this speculoos with almonds. If this figure is important to your choice, check the current packaging when you buy it.
Céréal uses maltitols and lists 29 g of polyols per 100 g in its speculoos with almonds. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, consuming large amounts of polyols can cause flatulence and diarrhoea, so check the ingredients and portion size too.
No. The claim refers to the amount of sugars and doesn’t reflect the product’s overall nutritional value. Céréal also lists 20 g of fat and 404 kcal per 100 g for its speculoos with almonds. Read the full nutritional information if you want to compare products.
According to the Government of the Netherlands, King's Day in 2027 falls on Tuesday 27 April. So, if you want to serve the biscuits that day, plan your baking or shopping in advance.
