Here’s a question I get asked a lot: what’s the best sweetener for keto? Everyone is looking for the best low calorie, low carb keto sweetener.
What’s the Best Keto Sweetener?
We are all biochemical individuals with unique makeup, which means that 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 like my post “What’s the Best Milk For Keto?” If you read it, you will know that I don’t believe in one size fits all diets or dietary ingredients. So I’m sharing a number of sugar-free keto sweetener options here.
Healthy keto sweeteners for dessert recipes
Most keto diet recipes require sugar alcohols like xylitol or erythritol (which are what Swerve and Lakanto are made up of) to sweeten low-carb desserts.
These types of sugar alcohols are not an option for me as I cannot digest them. If you can tolerate sugar alcohols, that’s great.
Is Erythritol Safe?
Do you have any autoimmune disease (MS, Celiac Disease, Hashimoto’s Thyroid Disease, Diabetes, etc) or any type of bowel problem?
If so, I would be incredibly careful with sweeteners like Swerve and Lakanto or anything else made from erythritol.
Is erythritol keto? Yes. Is it safe for someone like me No. For those of us with autoimmune problems, taking our microbiomes into account is a top priority. Research shows that a healthy bowel is key to a healthy immune system
Sugar Alcohols and Gut Health
Why are sugar alcohols so disruptive to intestinal health? The reason is twofold.
First, these calorie-free sweeteners are polyols (4-carbon sugar alcohols). For some people, they can be very difficult to break down, disrupt digestion, and cause severe bowel dysbiosis. Second, this type of sweetener contains corn.
Swerve and Lakanto contain corn
Most keto sugar-free diet sweeteners like Swerve and Lakanto are made from corn, a food that is very allergenic and is incredibly stressful on my system.
Corn based sweeteners
I find it interesting that so many people who used to be on the grain-free paleo diet have switched to the keto diet and are now consuming desserts made with large amounts of corn-based sweeteners.
If you are one of those people, I would love to hear from you about this change and whether it has been positive or negative for you.
Sugar-free xylitol
Xylitol is a calorie-free, sugar-free sweetener often made from birch. I like that it is a corn-free keto sweetener option (be sure to check the label to make sure the xylitol you buy is from birch, not something else).
This sugar alcohol is very difficult to digest for me, so I do not use xylitol. Some people say this sugar-free sweetener has a cool aftertaste.
Monk fruit
Some people like to use monk fruit in their sugar-free keto desserts. It’s another great option, but not a low-carb sweetener that I’ve used a lot.
If you want to buy it and use pure monk fruit, check the label to make sure it doesn’t contain erythritol. The pure monk fruit sweetener I recommend is made by Julian Bakery and can be purchased online.
What’s the Best Sweetener for the Keto Diet?
For me, stevia is the best sweetener for the keto diet. I’ve found that stevia doesn’t cause digestive problems when I use a pure form that doesn’t contain inflammatory substances like corn, erythritol, and other highly processed ingredients that are difficult to digest.
My stevia keto recipes are a hit with family, friends, and fans, and you can find some of them below!
Which keto sweetener tastes best?
I use stevia in very small amounts. A little is enough in recipes sweetened with stevia! While sugar-free stevia is fantastic, it’s not perfect. The main problem with stevia is that some people find that it has a bitter aftertaste.
If you’re wondering which sweetener has the least aftertaste, stevia is not the best choice for you. However, when I combine stevia with strong flavors like coffee, chocolate or citrus fruits, 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, stevia is it for me. If you have an autoimmune disease this is perfect for you. Here are some of my healthy low-carb recipes that have been 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 fancy something simple, try my regular keto bread.
Both keto breads are amazingly toasted and smothered in ghee, which is the perfect low-carb spread.
Sugar Free Keto Mojito Popsicle
Keto Mojito Popsicle is one of my favorite desserts! I can’t go a single day in summer without having a bunch of them in my freezer.
I use simple stevia for this popsicle recipe. The mint and lime flavor profile is incredible and also masks any stevia aftertaste.
Chocolate pudding with chia seeds
I created my chocolate chia pudding recipe when my great mother-in-law (MIL) asked me to create and customize a healthy chocolate chia pudding for her specific diet.
This Keto Chocolate Chia Pudding is not only incredibly delicious, with five ingredients it is super easy to prepare. My sugar-free chocolate chia pudding is sweetened with vanilla stevia.
3-ingredient keto chocolate pudding
Not making sugar keto desserts can be a big challenge, but I love them. When I make a sugar-free dessert, not only is it free of refined sugar, it also doesn’t contain any highly glycemic sweeteners like honey or maple syrup.
You will 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 love affair for my readers on low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) keto diets. If your digestion is compromised at all, be careful as the recipe includes erythritol in addition to stevia.
Unfortunately they are not something I can eat because of the sweetener, but Mr. Pantry loves them!
My Incredible Keto Nut-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe is another recipe I made for those of you on a sugar-free diet that I don’t eat myself.
My favorite keto sweeteners
Now that you have my favorite keto sweetener list. I would love to hear from you. What’s your favorite keto sweetener?
This post is an oldie, but a goodie from the archives. First time in 2019 What is the best sweetener for keto?
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