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.
Martha Utchenik says
I use NOW Brand stevia, in glycerin. It comes in several flavors, too. If I make one of your recipes that calls for stevia, how would I replace solid stevia with the drops I use?
Elana says
Martha, I haven’t tried that product so not sure :-)
Liz says
Thank you for all the great information on your site. Everyone should also realize that xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, even in small amounts. If you use it be very careful and do not let your pets get even a little bit of it.
For me I can use erythritol in moderate amounts. I also often swap in sugar-free syrup such as Torani (which uses sucralose) instead of agave or other liquid sweetener if I am baking. I know thats chemicals but my insides can deal with it and life is too short to live without a cupcake here and there :).
Elana says
Liz, thanks for your comment! Agree, cupcakes are good :-)
Sherry Bullock says
Hi Elana,
Have you heard of erythritol granules made from non GMO pears in France? The name of the company is MOCU. Would love to hear from you on this. Thanks so much for keeping us informed and healthy.
Elana says
Sherry, that sounds amazing. Still, given that it is a sugar alcohol, not something for me :-)
Donna says
Love your recipes and information! I’m just hearing about Allulose. What are your thoughts? I’m going to try switching to pure Stevia, but wondered about other options too.
Thank you!
Elana says
Donna, my children and husband do really well with it and I am ok having it on occasion. Have you tried it?
Petra Bogaerts says
Dear Elana, I am your follower for years now and on many occasions your advice and recipes saved the day.
I too always about sweeteners. I use pure honey, coconut blossom nectar or birch tree xylitol which is quite expensive but I have severe allergic reaction after digesting corn, gluten or soya. Stevia unfortunately makes my stomach turn. I wonder what’s your opinion about Finnish Xylitol from Birch tree.
I still get allergic reaction time to time which takes days to clear but I am unable to pin it.
Elana says
Petra, thanks for your comment and question! When you use stevia is it in the pure liquid form? Or the powdered type that is in a base of corn? Per xylitol, not really some I can digest but works for some folks :-)
Mary says
I’ve just discovered your recipes and site, Elana. I thought Lakanto would be great for hubbs, newly diagnosed with diabetes and more. I had no idea it spiked blood sugar and could cause digestive issues. It seemed too good to be true, that it’s basically “free sugar” (I’m dairy and refined sugar intolerant, and need to do low-fat.) Now I’ll have to hunt for monkfish powder. I look forward to trying your recipes and I appreciate your insights. Thank you.
Elana says
Mary, thanks for your comment and welcome aboard! The problem with Lakanto is that while it claims to be monk fruit it is primarily made of corn-based erythritol. Unfortunately many products that claim to be made of monk fruit consist of mostly erythritol which is very hard on the gut. LMK if you have any questions about this or other things :-)
Danielle says
Elana, thank you so much for the site and recipes I’ve come to love following you! I wholly agree about Erythritol on my system. Unfortunately I also cannot tolerate stevia. Do you have a conversion you recommend for your recipes for monk fruit?
Elana says
Danielle, so glad to be on this healing path with you! I haven’t used monk fruit, if you do beware and make sure it is pure and does not contain erythritol :-)
Liz says
I use pure monk fruit powder in my baking and 1 teaspoon is equal to 1 cup sugar (be sure to whisk in well with almond flour etc.).
I wish I had seen this post prior to shopping yesterday – I recently switched from paleo to keto and thought I would try Lakanto monk fruit.; I used a little then read the back of packet – only 1% monk fruit (darn!).
Elana says
Liz, I know, isn’t that nuts?!
Liz says
Hi Danielle, I use pure monk fruit extract powder – 1 teaspoon is equal to 1 cup of sugar.
Vanessa Cooper says
Hi Elana, thank you for all your valid info. I find I am very sensitive to sugar alcohols Like Erythritol . Would Steviol glycosides be considered the same as this is in many products . Thanks
Elana says
Vanessa, great question! Since stevia is so very strong and you can only use around 1/2 teaspoon of stevia per recipe I don’t think it’s an issue. The concern for me is eating cups of corn, which I see in so many keto dessert recipes in the form of erythritol that folks claim is monkfruit and such. I see many people very confused about these products and wish they would be clearly labeled as the corn that they are.
Amy says
I found this article while searching for corn free keto sugar substitute. I have celiac and corn allergy. I’ve been doing Paleo for years and feel great and my healthy weight hasn’t changed. But my hubby who eats junk food packed on some pounds recently. Not wanting to buy a new wardrobe for the guy, said I would do keto with him. The first month I felt great even better than Paleo. Lots of energy and even better clarity. Then I thought I’ve done so good. I’ll add in some keto baked goods. Not knowing what I did. I was sicker than sick for 2 weeks. My husband thought it has to be something other than the food. Nothing’s changed. Doing keto but still avoiding dairy. Oh my goodness the erythritol was the thing. Stopped all of that and now back to my healthy self. Hope my story helps someone else. Also to note. I’ve done keto for 6 weeks and haven’t really lost any weight, even being in ketosis. So don’t know what that means, but just an FYI
Elana says
Amy, thanks SO much for sharing about your experience with erythritol. It is very toxic for those of us with gut issues. Glad you figured it out and have recovered :-)
Liz says
As mentioned in an other post I recently switched from paleo to keto (purely for weight loss – I did lose 10kgs in the first two weeks and think it was primarily due to not eating desserts or snacks of any kind (did Diet Doctor 2-week trial). I found that adding desserts (keto recipes) stopped the loss immediately. I also did not eat dairy (subbed coconut cream and goat cheese where applicable).
Elana says
Liz, I know a lot of people who use keto sweeteners like erythritol and report that they spike blood sugar and promote weight gain :-(
Pamela says
Hi, Amy. I don’t know if it’s ok to mention other sites, but I’m finding a lot of great info from Dr. Eric Berg. He has several videos on why you might not see weight loss, even in ketosis. The Intermittent Fasting piece has been important for me, in addition to keto, to help reverse insulin resistance, reduce fatty liver, then lose fat elsewhere. For me, keto was awful, until I learned additional information from Dr. Berg. There’s so much more to it than high fat, low carb, for me, anyway.
I always cross-reference his info with Elana’s, as I have developed a trust with Elana’s site. The recipes and nutrition info have been on target for me for a couple of years now. Thanks, Elana.
Jaclyn says
Omg. I wish I had read all of this 5 hours earlier. We are currently living abroad and I asked a friend to order me Swerve on Amazon. I ordered several different types as so many websites for keto talk about swerve and how it’s a must for a keto pantry. ♀️ I was recently diagnosed with RRMS and truly love your blog. I just started Keto and intermittent fasting. I know that I need to have some Keto friendly treats around to keep me on track. Since I am doing this more for my health than for my weight, I will be giving away my Swerve as soon as it arrives. Health is Wealth! Now I need to figure out where I can get some liquid stevia!
Elana says
Jaclyn, thanks for your wonderful comment and for sharing your health journey with me :-)
QueenJellyBean says
Thanks so much Elana, for speaking about Erythritol in the Keto world. I follow a few Keto recipe blogs and shocked by the hundreds of recipes and commenters who enjoy them, all made with Erythritol. I felt like the only ‘wierdo’ (I’m diagnosed Celiac in 2007) who can’t have any Erythritol. Major gut issues instantly. Thanks for admitting, you can’t digest. Good to know it’s a corn product, also a histamine-producer for me.
Monkfruit: yes, one more vote for Monkfruit. We have a GF/Keto commercial baker who sells incredible pastry at San Diego Farmer’s Markets, and she primarily uses monkfruit, never Erythritol. I get some monkfruit powder from Amazon, it is from China, but I figure I use so little, only sporadically.
Elana says
QueenJellyBean, I love all of your comments! Thanks for being a longtime reader on this healthy path with me. Appreciate your thoughts on erythritol, I know so many people with autoimmune issues and gut issues who have used it for years, unknowingly suffering. Let’s keep spreading the word about this :-)