I get a lot of questions from people asking, “what is erythritol sweetener?” (or “what can I use as an erythritol substitute?”), “what is monk fruit?”, and “is stevia natural?” Some people say they want to avoid some or all of these, because they think they are artificial, or want to use different natural and/or low carb keto sweeteners that they have for my recipes.I’ll help you understand the differences between them, their effects on blood sugar (often called glycemic index or GI), benefits and possible side effects, how to use them in baking, ways to swap them (everything from stevia to erythritol substitute options), and more.Plant-Based Sweeteners – Including monk fruit, stevia, and chicory root.You can also see a comparison chart of the best keto sweeteners here – it includes monk fruit, allulose and erythritol.There is some processing involved to achieve the granulated sweeteners you can purchase for home use, but this is no less natural than the processing needed for coconut sugar, maple syrup, or white table sugar.Erythritol sweetener has practically no aftertaste at all, aside from an occasional cooling sensation that can be present if used in large quantities.It occurs naturally in some fruit, but the granulated kind you buy is made by fermenting glucose.If you prefer to avoid corn, erythritol made with birch is a good option, but is more expensive.Because it is not metabolized, erythritol is keto and suitable for low carb diets.Although it’s in the sugar alcohol family, erythritol does not raise blood glucose or cause gastrointestinal distress [*].All other sugar alcohols reach the large intestine instead, which is why they are more likely to cause stomach upset.For any uses where a smooth texture is important, use a powdered (or confectioners) version instead for a good end result.Depending on what you are trying to make, you would need to find an alternate way to achieve the same result.Sukrin Icing (Melis) – powdered blend of erythritol and oligosaccharides.Because it is (mostly) not absorbed, xylitol is great for keto and low carb diets.One of the biggest advantages of xylitol is that it measures 1:1 like sugar in terms of sweetness.Instead, it proceeds to the large intestine, and the reaction between the natural bacteria there and the xylitol is what can cause distress.That being said, the gastrointestinal effects of xylitol are not as pronounced as other sugar alcohols like maltitol or sorbitol.Maltitol, sorbitol, and isomalt are the most common ones used in commercially packaged “low carb” products.Unfortunately, these can actually have a substantial effect on blood sugar and they cause stomach upset more than erythritol and xylitol do.Plant-based natural sweeteners are derived from plants like monk fruit, stevia, and chicory root.Monk fruit, also known as luo han guo, is a round green melon native to central Asia.It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for at least hundreds of years, with applications including treatment of diabetes and respiratory illnesses.For our purposes, monk fruit makes a wonderful low carb sweetener.After removing the skin and seeds, the fruit is crushed and the juice inside is collected.From here it can be suspended in liquid, dried into a pure powder, or blended with other low carb sweeteners.Also like stevia, monk fruit based products tend to be mixed with other sweeteners or bulking agents.This is probably in part because pure monk fruit extract is hard to come by and expensive.This makes it a good choice for people sensitive to the aftertaste of stevia.Steviol glycosides are the active compounds derived from the stevia rebaudiana plant, and can be up to 150 times as sweet as sugar.The sweetness comes from the leaves of the stevia plant and is completely natural.From there, stevia extract can be dried into a powder or suspended in liquid form.In addition to being natural and supporting a healthy diet free of refined sugar, studies have shown that stevia has numerous other benefits.So, people with some level of allergy to ragweed can be allergic to stevia as well, leading to headaches.Pure stevia has zero carbs and does not raise blood sugar in most people.Because pure stevia extract is so concentrated, it is often either suspended in liquid or blended with a granular bulking agent.Instead, either use stevia in its pure form (powder or liquid), or find one where the bulking agent is a sugar alcohol like erythritol or xylitol.The main issue with stevia is that it can have a bitter aftertaste, which is worse when using larger quantities.Younger leaves have less bitterness, so how and when they are harvested will impact the aftertaste that results.If you use pure stevia powder or drops, know that their concentration can make it difficult to use them recipes when converting from sugar.Stevia extract also comes in the form of drops, in which the active compounds are suspended in liquid.Finally, stevia in baking does not work well with foods that are already naturally bitter.It contains soluble fibers called inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), both of which are responsible for sweetening.Inulin and other forms of oligosaccharides are also found in many other plants, but they are most concentrated in chicory root.Chicory root has numerous benefits including stress reduction, improvement in gut health, and prevention or delay of diabetes.Oligosaccharides, including inulin, fructooligosaccharides, and isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO) do not cause stomach upset in most people, when used in reasonable amounts.In fact, these prebiotic fibers can promote beneficial flora in the intestines.A study also showed that people allergic to birch should avoid chicory root [*].There are also other oligosaccharide low carb sweeteners that come in syrup form.This is incredibly useful for cooking applications that can benefit from a liquid sweetener or even a binder.Sukrin Fiber Syrup Clear – pure isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO).Sukrin Fiber Syrup Gold – blend of isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO), malt extract and steviol glycosides.Just Like Sugar Table Top – chicory root fiber with trace amounts of calcium and orange peel.Even though using allulose as a packaged keto sweetener is relatively new, it has been around for a long time, because it’s naturally occurring in fruit, maple syrup and other plants.But unlike other sugars, we can’t process allulose, which means it has zero calories and zero net carbs, and is perfectly keto friendly.In April 2019, the FDA ruled that allulose can be excluded from sugar counts on nutrition labels [*].Allulose occurs naturally in fruits and other plants, but the amounts are small and difficult to extract.For this reason, allulose for us to consume is made just like erythritol, via a natural fermentation process.Allulose sweetener is an excellent choice for keto baking – you can use it pretty much the same way!It’s particularly great for soft baked goods, such as cookies, muffins, cakes, pancakes, etc.I avoid them for this reason, but many paleo followers use coconut sugar, maple syrup, and honey as their sweeteners of choice.On the other hand, using syrups would require modifying other aspects of a recipe, because they affect the ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients.I intentionally did not include a detailed breakdown of artificial sweeteners in my chart and guide, as I cannot advocate using them.We have only had decades, instead of centuries or potentially millenia, to find out how they impact us in the long term.Even in such a short time, there have been conflicting studies about whether the common artificial sweeteners are safe or not.Now that we’ve covered all the different types of low carb natural sweeteners, how do you choose?Whether you need a keto sugar substitute, something to sweeten a moderate or low carb diet, or simply want to reduce your sugar intake, natural low carb sweeteners are the way to go.Although there are other low carb sweeteners, I primarily use erythritol, stevia, monk fruit and xylitol.That being said, most people find that a blend of sweeteners is a great way to avoid any aftertaste or downsides of using one alone.While my personal preference is erythritol, monk fruit and allulose are close seconds.Blends of monk fruit sweetener with erythritol or allulose together taste great and make excellent 1:1 keto sugar substitutes.Xylitol – This won’t solve the issue if you can’t tolerate sugar alcohols, but works if you just ran out of erythritol.– This won’t solve the issue if you can’t tolerate sugar alcohols, but works if you just ran out of erythritol.The natural low carb sweeteners in this article are all pretty mild when it comes to side effects.If you have a sensitive stomach, it’s best to avoid xylitol and prebiotic fiber syrups.Stevia and chicory root may cause headaches for people that are allergic to ragweed, birch, and similar plants.Low Carb Sweetener Consistency for Drinks, Sauces, and Frosting.One big difference between low carb sweeteners and sugar is their ability to dissolve.The most noticeable foods where granulated low carb sweeteners can be problematic are things that are supposed to be smooth – drinks, sauces, frostings, and so on.The number one question I get in baking recipes is people asking if they can use a different sweetener.People often ask if they can replace a liquid sweetener with a granulated one, or vice versa.Another common question is wanting to replace a granulated sweetener, like erythritol, with a very concentrated one, like pure stevia.The problem with these swaps is that it alters the ratio between wet and dry ingredients.If you increase bulk, add some more wet ingredients to absorb the extra dry sweetener.It doesn’t address differences in wet/dry ingredients or bulk, but it does help you convert sweetness levels as a starting point.But, you will likely need a little more of the converted amount of concentrated sweetener, to account for the extra (not sweet) flour.But, you will likely need a little more of the converted amount of concentrated sweetener, to account for the extra (not sweet) flour., add more of the dry ingredients in the recipe to absorb the extra liquid., add more of the wet ingredients in the recipe to balance out the extra bulk from the granulated sweetener.You want to try to maintain the same consistency of the batter or dough that you are working with, while keeping a similar level of sweetness.If you are ever wondering about options for sugar substitutes in one of my recipes, feel free to ask in the comments on that post.Natural Low Carb Sweeteners Guide & Conversion Chart:.Liquid sweeteners and syrups – These are excluded because they do not easily convert from granulated table sugar.The liquid aspect would require other modifications to be made to a recipe using table sugar.The liquid aspect would require other modifications to be made to a recipe using table sugar.I also created a calculator that does the work for you, so you don’t have to figure it out from the sweetener conversion chart!Just bookmark this page to have the keto sweeteners calculator handy anytime you need it….Choose Quantity Choose unit tsp tbsp cups grams What Sweetener - Choose a sweetener - Allulose Besti Allulose Besti Erythritol Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend Besti Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend Besti Powdered Allulose Besti Powdered Erythritol Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend Erythritol Just Like Sugar Table Top Kakato Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener Lakanto Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener MonkSweet Plus Natural Mate All-Purpose Blend NuNaturals NuStevia Liquid Stevia NuNaturals NuStevia Stevia Extract Powdered Erythritol Powdered Sugar Pure Monk Pyure All-Purpose Blend Pyure Confectioners Splenda Naturals Sugar Sukrin:1 Swanson Purelo Lo Han Sweetener SweetLeaf Sweet Drops Liquid Stevia Swerve Swerve Confectioners THM Gentle Sweet THM Sweet Blend Truvia Spoonable Xylitol What sweetener do you want to convert to?Choose Sweetener - Choose a sweetener - Allulose Besti Allulose Besti Erythritol Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend Besti Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend Besti Powdered Allulose Besti Powdered Erythritol Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend Erythritol Just Like Sugar Table Top Kakato Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener Lakanto Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener MonkSweet Plus Natural Mate All-Purpose Blend NuNaturals NuStevia Liquid Stevia NuNaturals NuStevia Stevia Extract Powdered Erythritol Powdered Sugar Pure Monk Pyure All-Purpose Blend Pyure Confectioners Splenda Naturals Sugar Sukrin:1 Swanson Purelo Lo Han Sweetener SweetLeaf Sweet Drops Liquid Stevia Swerve Swerve Confectioners THM Gentle Sweet THM Sweet Blend Truvia Spoonable Xylitol Important note about conversions:.Often times, sweeteners do more than provide sweetness in recipes - they also affect moisture, texture and volume.If you convert two sweeteners that have very different volumes for the same amount of sweetness (for example, if 1 cup is equivalent to 1 tsp), or a different form (liquid versus granulated versus powdered), swapping them in a recipe may require other changes to the recipe.Conversions in the chart and calculator come from product packaging or experience.The above natural low carb sweeteners chart can be helpful, and I hope you’ll bookmark this page to refer back to it
