Here’s a question I’m often asked: What’s the Best Sweetener for Keto? Everyone is looking for the best zero calorie, low-carb, keto sweetener.
What’s the Best Keto Sweetener?
We’re all bio-chemical individuals with unique makeup, which means our bodies react differently to the same stimuli. In other words, what works for me may not work for you and vice versa.
My Favorite Sugar-Free Keto Sweeteners
If you read my post, What’s the Best Milk for Keto, then you know I don’t believe in one size fits all diets or dietary ingredients, and so here I share a number of options for sugar-free keto sweeteners.
Healthy Keto Sweeteners for Dessert Recipes
Most Keto Diet recipes call for sugar alcohols like xylitol or erythritol (that’s what Swerve and Lakanto are made of) to sweeten low-carb desserts.
Those types of sugar alcohols are not an option for me as I can’t digest them. If you can tolerate sugar alcohols that’s great.
Is Erythritol Safe?
Do you have an autoimmune disorder (MS, Celiac Disease, Hashimoto’s thyroid disease, diabetes, etc) or any type of gut issue?
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If so I would be incredibly careful using sweeteners like Swerve and Lakanto, or anything else made of erythritol.
Is erythritol keto? Yes. Is it safe for someone like me? No. To start, for those of us with autoimmune issues, minding our microbiomes is a top priority. Research shows that a healthy gut is the key to a healthy immune system.1
Sugar Alcohols and Gut Health
Why are sugar alcohols so disruptive to gut health? The reason is two-fold.
First, these zero-calorie sweeteners are polyols (4-carbon sugar alcohols). They can be very difficult for some people to break down, disrupting digestion and causing severe gut dysbiosis. Second, this type of sweetener contains corn.
Swerve and Lakanto Contain Corn
The majority of sugar-free keto diet sweeteners, like Swerve and Lakanto are made from corn, a food that is highly allergenic and incredibly hard on my system.
Corn-Based Sweeteners
I think it’s interesting that so many folks who used to be on a grain-free Paleo Diet, have switched over to the Keto Diet and are now consuming desserts made with large amounts of corn-based sweeteners.
If you’re one of those people I’d love to hear from you about this change and if it was positive or negative for you.
Sugar-Free Xylitol
Xylitol is a zero-calorie sugar-free sweetener often made from birch. I like that it’s a corn-free keto sweetener option (be sure to check the label to make sure the xylitol you buy is derived from birch, not something else).
This sugar alcohol is very hard for me to digest, so I don’t use xylitol. Some people say that this sugar-free sweetener has a cool aftertaste.
Monk Fruit
Some people like to use monk fruit for their sugar-free keto desserts. It’s another good option but not a low-carb sweetener that I have used much.
If you do buy it and want to use pure monk fruit, check the label to make sure it does not have erythritol. The pure Monk Fruit Sweetener that I recommend is made by Julian Bakery and can be bought online.
What’s the Best Sweetener for Keto Diet?
For me, the best sweetener for the Keto Diet is stevia. I’ve found that stevia doesn’t cause digestive distress when I use a pure form that does not contain inflammatory items like corn, erythritol, and other highly processed ingredients that are difficult to digest.
My keto recipes using stevia, are a hit with family, friends, and fans, and you’ll find several of them below!
Which Keto Sweetener Tastes Best?
I use stevia in very small amounts. In recipes sweetened with stevia, a little goes a long way! Although sugar-free stevia is fantastic, it is not perfect. The main issue with stevia is that some people find it has a bitter aftertaste.
If you are wondering which sweetener has the least aftertaste, stevia won’t be the best choice for you. However, when I pair stevia with strong flavors like coffee, chocolate, or citrus I can mask that aftertaste very effectively.
Sugar-Free Keto Dessert Recipes with Stevia
There you have it! If you’re wondering what’s the best sugar-free, low-carb sweetener, for me it’s stevia. If you have an autoimmune disorder, it’s perfect for you. Here are some of my healthy low-carb recipes sweetened with stevia!
Keto Bread with Blueberries
My Keto Bread with Blueberries is the most amazing low-carb bread and I sweeten it with stevia. If you’re in the mood for something plain, try my regular Keto Bread.
Both of these keto breads are amazing toasted and smothered in ghee, which is the perfect low-carb spread.
Sugar-Free Keto Mojito Popsicles
Keto Mojito Popsicles are one of my favorite desserts! I can’t go a single day in the summer without having a batch of these in my freezer.
For this popsicle recipe, I use plain stevia. The mint and lime flavor profile is so incredible and also masks any stevia aftertaste.
Chocolate Chia Pudding
I created my Chocolate Chia Pudding recipe when my awesome mother-in-law (MIL) asked me to create and customize a healthy chocolate chia pudding for her special diet.
This Keto Chocolate Chia Pudding is not only amazingly tasty, with five ingredients it’s super easy to make. My sugar-free Chocolate Chia Pudding is sweetened with vanilla stevia.
3-Ingredient Keto Chocolate Pudding
Creating no sugar keto desserts can be quite challenging, but it’s one I love. When I make a sugar-free dessert, it’s not only free of refined sugar, it doesn’t contain high-glycemic sweeteners like honey or maple syrup.
You’ll love that I sweeten my 3-Ingredient Keto Chocolate Pudding with vanilla stevia.
Sugar-Free Keto Brownies Recipe
My Sugar-Free Keto Brownies recipe is a labor of love for my readers on low-carb high-fat (LCHF) Keto Diets. If your digestion is at all compromised, be careful because the recipe contains erythritol in addition to stevia.
Sadly, because of the sweetener, they are not something I can eat, but Mr. Pantry loves them!
My incredible Keto Nut-Free Zucchini Bread recipe is another one of those recipes that I’ve created for those of you on a sugar-free diet, but that I myself don’t eat.
My Favorite Keto Sweeteners
Now that you have my favorite keto sweetener list. I’d love to hear from you. What is your favorite keto sweetener?
This post is an oldie but goodie from the archives, I first shared What’s the Best Sweetener for Keto in 2019.
Kim says
Hi Elana: Thank you for sharing your information and recipes. You are one of the first websites I check when I have questions from food to EMFs! I too tried Swerve and find it very disruptive to my gut as well. I prefer to use Stevia but use liquid Stevia Glycerite. I find it to be less bitter. And, as the previous person wrote – less is better; I find I taste the bitterness if I use too much. Sometimes if I can’t get something sweet enough with the SG and I’m afraid of it turning bitter, I will add a bit of Swerve which I only have because it’s expensive and I won’t throw it out, but I am adding Julian’s Bakery Monk Fruit to my shopping list! Thanks.
Elana says
Kim, thanks for sharing the details of your sweetener journey here! It will help so many people :-)
Nechama says
I find an aftertaste with Stevia. What happened to Yacon syrup? Has anyone tried Now Foods organic (liquid) Monk fruit? I’ve used only one or two drops which do the trick. But mostly try to do without, except for almond flour bread and muffins or cookies. What is the secret to not using the sweetner granules in baked recipes? What in the recipe needs to change to avoid the granules?
Elana says
Nechama, yacon if great too, but, it is not a zero-calorie sweetener :-)
Lisa says
What is your favorite brand of stevia?
Elana says
Lisa, thanks so much for asking! I’ve updated the post to provide that information :-)
Carol says
Krissy,
Do you have a brand of pure monk fruit that you could recommend?
Elana says
Carol, Julian Bakery makes the most pure form of monk fruit (not adulterated with erythritol like many brands) from what I’ve heard!
Carol says
I have been doing quite a bit of reading on this issue. I find what you have posted very helpful. I cannot tolerate Erythritol either. My problem is that I don’t like the flavor of stevia in general. Do you have a certain brand that you like?
Thanks for all of your work. I love your recipes and articles!
Elana says
Carol, thanks so much for your question! I’ve updated the post with that information at the bottom of it :-)
Carol Grey says
It took some experimentation to realize that cane sugar as well as Stevia and Xylitol all give my husband migraine headaches, so I stay clear of all of these. I, too, like others who have replied, use Monk Fruit. I also use palm or coconut sugar. My husband tolerates these sweeteners without any adverse side effects.
Elana says
Carol, thanks for sharing your and your husband’s experience with sweeteners here!
Terri K says
I feel differently about the sweeteners you have just mentioned. I like “Lakanto’s” monk fruit the best for baking, tea, it has “0” after taste and it is so good for you. You need less in most recipes. If a recipe calls for 1 c. sugar then a;; I need to use of monk fruit is 1/3 c. We really don’t need all that sweet stuff in our desserts and just in tea too. I cook for a few people and they want me to only use monk fruit. Is it more expensive but so much healthier for you. I am worth the extra cost of monk fruit.
Elana says
Terri, thanks so much for your comment and I totally agree! Everyone has different likes and dislikes when it comes to sweeteners. I wish I could use Lakanto, but since it is more than 90% erythritol (a corn derived, sugar alcohol) it’s not something I can digest :-)
Krissy says
Julian Bakery’s pure monk fruit is what our family uses, it is only monk fruit nothing added. It tastes great!
Elana says
Krissy, thanks for pointing this out! I’ve also heard that this is the only pure monk fruit available :-)
Holly says
Wow, thank you so much for this helpful information! I’ve been keto for 2 1/2 years, but I’ve been having gut issues lately and now I’m wondering if it was the Swerve that was contributing to it!! I’m going to eliminate that and see if it helps!!!!
Elana says
Holly, you’re welcome! I hope you’ll stop back by to keep me posted on your progress :-)
Judi says
I have used Stevia for years and upon hearing the complaints about it tasting bitter
i experimented to see if I could create this sensation. What I found is that if I use
too much of it, it becomes bitter. I use the liquid Stevia with a dropper and only
use enough drops to get to the sweetness that I want.
Elana says
Judi, that’s what I do too :-)