Who are these options for?

Shoppers with a strict sugar-free requirement

You want to check the sugar content of a packaged biscuit and are happy to choose a biscuit or coconut cookie even if it isn’t a classic spritz.

Christmas bakers who want to choose for themselves

You want to decide on the ingredients, flavour and shape of your Christmas biscuits, and are open to baking with a sweetener.

Fans of traditional spritz biscuits

You’re looking for the familiar shape and buttery flavour for your Christmas table. Bear in mind that the standard spritz biscuits discussed here aren’t sugar-free.

What should you look for when choosing?

Decide what matters most for your Christmas biscuits: a verifiably low sugar content, the familiar spritz shape or control over the recipe.

Packaged biscuits with no sugars

Choose this if: you want a packaged biscuit whose sugar content per 100 g you can check.

The trade-off: the options discussed are biscuits or other cookies, not spritz biscuits. Also check the ingredients and warnings on the packaging.

Traditional spritz biscuits

Choose this if: the spritz shape and buttery flavour matter more to you than a sugar-free option.

The trade-off: according to their product information, Verkade NoboSprits Original and AH Spritsen contain 24,2 g and 28 g of sugars per 100 g respectively.

Bake your own biscuits

Choose this if: you want to decide on the shape and ingredients yourself for Christmas.

The trade-off: baking takes time, and using a sweetener doesn’t automatically make the finished product sugar-free. Jumbo’s recipe for shortbread biscuits with sweetener is also not a spritz recipe.

What to consider What to check when buying Who it matters to
Sugar-free Check ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g: according to the Diabetes Fonds, the threshold for sugar-free is no more than 0.5 g. Don’t confuse this with ‘no added sugars’. If I’m looking for a packaged biscuit for Christmas, I want to be able to verify the sugar-free claim against the nutritional information. Around 42% of consumers make this their priority.
Spritz experience Check whether it’s a spritz biscuit, a biscuit or another type of cookie, and check the sugar content even for a standard spritz. If you mainly want the familiar spritz shape and buttery flavour on the table, decide whether that matters more than choosing a sugar-free option. Around 33% of consumers prioritise the spritz experience.
Ingredients and allergens Check the allergen information and any warnings about polyols. If you’re baking from scratch, check all the ingredients you use. When I bake or serve biscuits to guests, I want to know what’s in them and which warnings apply. This is the main priority for around 25% of consumers.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming a standard spritz is sugar-free

    A search result doesn’t change the nutritional value: Verkade lists 24,2 g of sugars per 100 g for NoboSprits Original, while Albert Heijn lists 28 g per 100 g for AH Spritsen.

    When doing your Christmas shopping, check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g before choosing a spritz.

  • Confusing ‘no added sugars’ with ‘sugar-free’

    A biscuit with no added sugars may still contain sugars from its ingredients. And baking with a sweetener alone tells you nothing about the sugar content of the finished biscuit.

    For a packaged product, check the nutritional information per 100 g. For homemade biscuits, don’t call them sugar-free unless you’ve established the nutritional value of the finished product.

  • Looking only at ‘0% sugar’ on the front

    Sugar information doesn’t tell you which allergens a biscuit contains. Céréal Kokos and AH Digestive 0% suiker also carry a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.

    Check the ingredients, allergen information and warnings on the packaging, especially if you’re serving biscuits to guests.

Brands to consider

Céréal

The Céréal coconut and speculoos biscuits discussed here contain no sugars and offer an alternative for anyone who doesn’t need a classic spritz shape.

  • According to PLUS, the Kokos variety contains 0 g of sugars per 100 g; Jumbo lists 0,4 g per 100 g for the Speculoos variety.
  • These aren’t spritz biscuits. Check the allergens and warnings for each variety; the Kokos variety carries a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.

Albert Heijn

The AH Digestive 0% suiker discussed here is a biscuit for anyone happy to choose an alternative to spritz.

  • Albert Heijn lists 0,3 g of sugars per 100 g for AH Digestive 0% suiker.
  • It isn’t a spritz and contains wheat and polyols. According to the product information, excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. AH Spritsen contain 28 g of sugars per 100 g.

Verkade

NoboSprits Original is a traditional spritz for anyone looking for that particular type of biscuit, not for those with a strict sugar-free requirement.

  • This product is a good fit if you prefer a traditional spritz to a biscuit.
  • Verkade lists sugar as an ingredient and 24,2 g of sugars per 100 g for NoboSprits Original.

Related Joybuy products

Related products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

When can you call a packaged biscuit sugar-free?

According to the Diabetes Fonds, sugar-free means no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. So, when checking biscuits, look at ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g in the nutritional information, not just the wording on the front of the packaging.

Does ‘no added sugars’ mean the same as sugar-free?

No. Ingredients can contain naturally occurring sugars, even if no sugar has been added. If sugar-free is a condition of your purchase, check the final sugar content per 100 g.

Why do some biscuits carry a warning about a laxative effect?

The product information for Céréal Kokos and AH Digestive 0% suiker warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. If a biscuit contains polyols, read the warnings and serving information on the packaging.

Are homemade biscuits with sweetener automatically sugar-free?

No. The other ingredients also affect the sugar content of the baked product. Jumbo has a recipe for shortbread biscuits with sweetener, but that doesn’t automatically make the biscuits sugar-free or turn them into spritz biscuits.