A series of gem-dimethyl-bearing C-glucosides were designed and synthesized as SGLT2 inhibitors, with anhydrous aluminum chloride-mediated Friedel-Crafts alkylation to construct the gem-dimethyl functionality being the key step. The in vivo anti-hyperglycemic activity was evaluated with mice oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and all the synthesized compounds showed significant but less potent anti-hyperglycemic activity than the positive control dapagliflozin.