What Sweeteners Should We Use?

A ketogenic lifestyle should be focused on whole, natural, low carb foods. While keto sweet treats are not physically necessary, for many they make this lifestyle more sustainable. It’s much easier to say no the free donuts at the office if you know you can make keto donuts at home. Just keep in mind that eating sweet treats, even keto ones, several times a day isn’t healthy for anyone, whether they are trying to lose weight or not. Often these treats are pushing more nutritious food, like meats, off your plate.

How often you should have keto treats can vary widely from person to person. Some suffering from food addiction can be derailed by consuming any sweet foods, even keto ones. For them, sweet treats should be limited to special occasions or even eliminated completely. Many others can have a keto treat once a day, even if they have a goal of losing weight. If having these treats helps you stay on track, then don’t feel guilty about them, if they fit into your macros for each day and you are achieving your goals. If you have been keto for more than three months and are still struggling with intense cravings and unrelenting hunger, you might want to try eliminating all sweeteners for a few weeks to see if that helps.

Now that you know how sweet treats can fit into a ketogenic lifestyle, you might be wondering what types of sweeteners are good to use, and which ones should be avoided. I’ve made some lists for you. Keep in mind that there are new sweeteners coming out all the time, and it is impossible for me to list them all. If there is a specific sweetener you are wondering about, and you don’t see it here, please ask me in the comments and I will investigate it for you!

Natural Sweeteners I recommend:

• Stevia: a natural sweetener made from a plant. It is available as a powder or a liquid. Stevia is very concentrated, and some find it to have a bitter aftertaste. Because it is so concentrated, stevia is often mixed with bulking agents to make baking with it easier. Take care to use products that contain only stevia or stevia mixed with other natural keto-friendly sweeteners. For baking, stevia lacks the bulk of erythritol or blended sweeteners, so substituting in pure stevia may cause some problems with the recipe.
• Stevia Glycerite: a thicker liquid form of stevia. It is less sweet than powdered or liquid stevia and has less of a bitter aftertaste. It still lacks the bulk of erythritol or blended sweeteners, so for baking using only stevia glycerite may cause some problems with the recipe.
• Monk Fruit: also known as lo han guo. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar. It is available as a powder or a liquid. Because it is so concentrated, monk fruit is often mixed with bulking agents to make it easier to bake with. Take care to use products that contain only monk fruit or monk fruit mixed with other natural keto-friendly sweeteners. For baking, monk fruit lacks the bulk of erythritol or blended sweeteners, so substituting in pure monk fruit may cause some problems with the recipe.
• Erythritol: a natural sugar alcohol found in some fruits. It is about 75% as sweet as sugar. If you purchase a granulated form, I recommend grinding it to a powder before use to prevent crystallization in your recipes. It may give a cooling sensation when eaten, and in rare cases it may cause digestive discomfort. Erythritol is not digested by the body, so you may subtract all erythritol carbs when you are figuring out your macros.
• Blended sweeteners: combinations of keto sweeteners. These usually contain erythritol plus another sweetener. Some common ones are Swerve (erythritol and oligosaccharides), Pyure (erythritol and stevia), Lakanto (erythritol and monk fruit), and Sukrin:1 or Sukrin Icing (erythritol and stevia). If you purchase a granulated form, I recommend grinding it to a powder before use to prevent crystallization in your recipes. Note that some of these measure cup for cup like sugar and others are twice as sweet as sugar, so you only use half as much. Since the carbs in these are coming from erythritol, they may be subtracted when you are figuring out your macros.
• Xylitol: a naturally occurring sweetener found in fruits and vegetables. It has a minimal effect on blood sugar for most people. Xylitol has been known to knock some people out of ketosis, so monitor its usage closely until you know how it affects you. Xylitol carbs are at least partially digested by the body, so they may NOT be subtracted when you are figuring out your macros. Also, xylitol is fatally toxic to dogs and cats, even in very small amounts. Keep all xylitol and xylitol-containing products away from pets.
• Yacon syrup: a thick syrup pressed from the yacon root that tastes a bit like molasses and adds a bit of a syrupy mouthfeel to sauces. It is half as sweet as sugar. Yacon syrup should be used very sparingly because it contains carbs, including fructose.
• Allulose: a natural sweetener that is chemically very similar to sugar, however it is indigestible by the body. Since it is indigestible you may subtract its carbs when calculating your macros. It is about 70% as sweet as sugar, so you would need to use more of it than a blended sweetener. My favorite use for Allulose is to replace about half the blended sweetener in an ice cream recipe with Allulose. This helps keep the ice cream softer in the freezer. Allulose has been known to cause digestive issues for some people, especially when used in large amounts, so monitor its usage closely until you know how it affects you.

Since most keto-friendly sweeteners have some sort of an aftertaste, many people have good results by combining sweeteners. For example, to replace one cup of sugar you could use ½ cup of Swerve, 1 tsp stevia glycerite, and 10-15 drops of liquid monk fruit.

I’ve found that different people are more sensitive to the aftertastes and possible digestive disruptions of different natural keto sweeteners. So, if you try one and don’t like the taste or it causes you digestive distress, try a different one. It may take you lots of trial and error to find the perfect one for you.

Conversions:

This table shows conversions for the sweeteners I mentioned. Each entry in the table has a sweetness equivalent to 1 cup of sugar.

*With these very concentrated sweeteners, you may need more or less depending on the brand and your personal tastes. The key is to use the smallest amount possible to get to your desired sweetness. The more you use the more likely it is to be bitter. I suggest adding a little bit at a time and tasting as you go.

Sugar should be avoided in all its forms, including:

• Anything called sugar (coconut sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar, raw sugar, etc.)
• anything ending in -ose such as fructose, dextrose, glucose, etc. (except Allulose – more info on that below)
• Maltodextrin
• Isomalt
• Honey
• Agave
• Any type of syrup such as corn syrup, brown rice syrup, malt syrup, etc.
• Dehydrated cane juice
• Dextrin
• Sorghum
• Treacle
• Rice Malt
• Concentrated fruit juice
• Monosaccharide
• Disaccharide
• Polysaccharide

Artificial sweeteners should all be avoided, including:

• Aspartame
• Acesulfame potassium (or Acesulfame-K)
• Saccharin
• Sucralose
• Splenda
• Equal
• Nutra-sweet
• Sweet-n-Low

Some low-calorie or zero-calorie natural sweeteners to avoid:

• BochaSweet (it must be processed by the liver, just like fructose, which is very hard on the liver)
• Maltitol (raises blood sugar and causes digestive distress)
• Sorbitol (raises blood sugar and causes digestive distress)
• Other sugar alcohols besides erythritol (words ending in -ol)