Sweet Treats, Bitter Truth: Crumbl's Shocking Sugar Content

While Crumbl's luscious cookie creations are tempting, they can contain surprising amounts of sugar. Some social media users even call the sugar content in the popular treats "insane."

Crumbl, a dessert company founded in 2017 by cousins Jason McGowan and Sawyer Hemsley, offers highly tempting cookies and cakes packaged in an iconic pink box. Since its first store opened in Logan, Utah, Crumbl has expanded to 862 locations worldwide. Each week, Crumbl's menu changes and features new or improved products, which customers can purchase in-store or order online for home delivery.

The cookie shop and its delectable creations have become a popular topic of discussion among social media users, with some expressing criticism of the brand.

In a recent TikTok post, biotech CEO and anti-aging guru Bryan Johnson, who grew up in Utah, said the calorie counts and sugar content in Crumbl's products are "pure insanity."

Are Crumbl cookies healthy?

According to a Des Moines Register report, each 5.5-ounce cookie measures about 4.5 inches wide. Nutrition facts show that a 30-gram serving of Crumbl's iconic Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie, which is just over an ounce or one-quarter of a cookie, has 140 calories, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 9 grams of added sugar.

However, the entire cookie has a whopping 730 calories. To put it into perspective, runners burn an average of about 100 calories per mile, depending on factors like weight and pace. This means someone would need to run just over seven miles (or more) to burn off the calories from one cookie.

A whole cookie also has 21 grams of saturated fat (104% of the daily value) and 47 grams of added sugar, which exceeds the American Heart Association's (AHA) recommendation of no more than 36 grams of sugar for men and 25 grams for women per day.

According to Nutritionix, a typical chocolate chip cookie measuring 4 inches wide has 221 calories, 3.6 grams of saturated fat, and 15 grams of sugar.

A 30-gram serving of the bakery chain's Mint Mallow Sandwich cookie has fewer calories (120) and slightly less sugar (8 grams) than a serving of the Milk Chocolate Chip cookie. However, the entire dessert has 920 calories, 30 grams of saturated fat, and 60 grams of sugar, amounts exceeding those in Crumbl's chocolate chip version.

A person would have to strap on their running shoes and complete a 15K run to burn off the calories alone.

Other desserts offered by Crumbl vary in calories, saturated fat, and sugar content but still boast high amounts of each.

An expert examines Crumbl

Sandra Vigelienė, BSc, a health researcher at Healthnews, says that with the large size of the Crumbl cookies, it is important to note that they contain several serving sizes, and some people may underestimate the nutritional intake of multiple servings.

Vigelienė says that in a standard 2,000-calorie diet, one Crumbl cookie can provide almost half of the total daily calories per day, making it challenging to stay within calorie recommendations.

Moreover, the high added sugar content nearly reaches the daily recommended limit of around 50 grams per day for someone consuming 2,000 calories.

The American Dietary Guidelines also suggest limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of total daily calories. For an adult consuming 2,000 calories, this would equate to around 22 grams of saturated fat per day.

"In terms of Crumbl reviewed cookies, the saturated fat content per one cookie is high, ranging between 21 to 30 grams," Vigelienė says. "Compared to a standard 2,000 kcal diet, the amount of saturated fats per cookie almost reaches, and in the case of Mint Mallow cookie, already exceeds the daily limits for saturated fat intake."

Crumbl boycott and legal woes

Crumbl recently experienced legal trouble when it was the subject of a federal investigation into child labor violations. The investigation found that 11 stores in six states allowed young employees to work more than the law permits or in hazardous or prohibited occupations. As a result, the company was fined nearly $58,000.

Crumbl came under fire once again after a viral TikTok video suggested that the cookie company fails to repost content from Black content creators who support them.

Some people on TikTok are considering boycotting Crumbl due to the accusations and to push for more diversity in social media marketing.

Moderation is key with Crumbl cookies

Ultimately, the decision whether to indulge in Crumbl desserts is personal and depends on many factors. Since Crumbl cookies are considered a treat, Vigelienė says they can occasionally be enjoyed as part of a healthy and balanced diet without a meaningful impact on overall health.

However, the calories in sweets and desserts like cookies tend to come from added sugar, saturated fat, and other less beneficial nutrients.

"Thus, the calorie content from such foods should be monitored, especially if sweets or desserts are consumed frequently in larger quantities," Vigelienė explains.

This is especially important for individuals who already need to limit their daily calorie, sugar, or saturated fat intake due to specific health conditions.