Sugar amino acids (SAA) belong to the class of hybrid molecules which contain both the structural pattern of carbohydrates and functional groups characteristic for amino acids. Numerous applications of SAA in medicinal chemistry and in the synthesis of foldamers have initiated various synthetic approaches towards these structurally interesting and functional group – rich molecules. This review covers the past decade’s achievements in the synthesis of one distinct subclass of SAA: tetrahydrofuran amino acids (furanoid sugar amino acids).