Best Sweeteners For Keto Baking: Taste And Texture

The keto diet requires followers to give up regular sugar, so what are the best keto-friendly sweeteners to use for baking?

There are many natural sweeteners that are free or nearly free of sugar and are appropriate for a keto diet. These include:

- Stevia

- Monk fruit

- Xylitol

- Erythritol

- Allulose

- Yacon syrup

There are also blended sweeteners available, which mostly combine the ingredients listed above.

Erythritol: a sugar alcohol that's 70-80% as sweet as sugar, with a slight cooling effect

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is 70-80% as sweet as sugar. It is commonly extracted from corn and has a slight cooling effect in the mouth. It is a good alternative to sugar because it has a very small fraction of a calorie per gram and does not affect blood sugar levels. It can be used in baking and cooking and substituted for sugar in a wide variety of recipes. However, it can be tricky to work with because heating it can cause it to crystallize. It also doesn't dissolve as well as sugar, which can leave foods with a slightly gritty texture.

Erythritol is a good option for keto baking because it is a sugar alcohol and is not digested, so it contains very few calories and net carbs. It also has a negligible effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. However, it can cause digestive upset and crystallization issues, so it is important to use it in moderation and be mindful of potential side effects.

Stevia: a natural sweetener that's 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, but with a bitter aftertaste

Stevia is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute that is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar. It is derived from the stevia plant, specifically the sweet compounds stevioside and rebiana found on its leaves.

Because of its extremely sweet taste, only a tiny amount of stevia is needed to sweeten an entire recipe. However, this also means that stevia lacks the "bulk" of sugar, which is important for the rise, texture, and structure of baked goods. Therefore, when using stevia in baking, it is important to add other ingredients to make up for the lost volume of sugar. For every cup of sugar replaced with stevia, add approximately 1/3 cup of liquid ingredients such as yogurt, apple sauce, fruit juice, pumpkin, egg whites, or apple butter.

Additionally, stevia does not caramelize like sugar, so baked goods will not brown in the same way. To achieve a similar colour, some recipes suggest adding a small amount of sugar to the recipe.

Stevia also has a bitter aftertaste, which is more noticeable when using larger quantities. This can be reduced by blending stevia with other sweeteners, like erythritol. The bitterness can also vary among brands and batches, as younger stevia plant leaves tend to have less bitterness.

Monk fruit: a natural sweetener that's 150-200 times sweeter than sugar, often sold with erythritol

Monk fruit is a natural sweetener that's 150-200 times sweeter than sugar. It's a small, round fruit grown in Southern China and other parts of Southeast Asia. It has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, but it has only recently gained popularity as a sweetener in other parts of the world.

Monk fruit sweeteners are made by crushing the fruit, extracting the juice, and then drying it into a concentrated powder. This powder is then often blended with erythritol, a sugar alcohol that contains zero calories, to make it taste and look more like table sugar. The resulting product is a zero-calorie sweetener that is stable at high temperatures, making it suitable for baking.

Monk fruit sweeteners have several benefits. They can help reduce calorie intake, improve glycemic control, and are safe for people with diabetes as they do not affect blood sugar levels. They also have anti-inflammatory properties and are generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

However, it's important to use monk fruit sweeteners in moderation. While it is a good option for lowering sugar intake, it should be consumed alongside a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Additionally, some people may experience gastrointestinal issues when consuming large amounts of erythritol, which is often found in monk fruit products.

Xylitol: a sugar alcohol that's as sweet as sugar, with a strong cooling effect, but toxic to dogs

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is as sweet as sugar and has a strong cooling effect. It is often used as a sugar substitute in baked goods, candies, peanut butters, and other products. While xylitol is safe for human consumption, it is highly toxic to dogs, even in small amounts.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in some fruits and vegetables and can also be derived from wood and corn. It has a crystalline structure similar to sugar, which allows it to incorporate air bubbles into butter and egg whites during baking. This quality makes it a popular choice for creating crisp textures in cookies and other baked goods. Additionally, xylitol is more hygroscopic than other sugar alcohols, meaning it attracts and retains moisture. This property is advantageous for producing soft and gooey textures in ice cream, sauces, and custards.

However, one of the significant drawbacks of xylitol is its toxicity to dogs. When ingested by dogs, xylitol causes a rapid release of insulin from the pancreas, leading to a sudden and severe drop in blood sugar levels, known as hypoglycemia. This condition can be life-threatening and requires immediate veterinary attention. Symptoms of xylitol poisoning in dogs include vomiting, decreased activity, weakness, staggering, incoordination, collapse, and seizures.

To prevent accidental poisoning, it is crucial to keep all products containing xylitol out of your dog's reach. This includes not only sugar-free foods and candies but also dental products, vitamins, medications, and even peanut butter. If you suspect your dog has ingested xylitol, contact your veterinarian or an emergency animal hospital immediately.

Allulose: a rare sugar that's 70% as sweet as sugar, with no cooling effect, and doesn't crystallise when heated

Allulose is a rare sugar that occurs naturally in some foods, including wheat, figs, and raisins. It is a monosaccharide, or single sugar, with the same chemical formula as fructose but a different structure, which means the body does not metabolise it in the same way.

Allulose is about 70% as sweet as sugar, so you may need to use a little more than you would with sugar. However, many people use it as a 1:1 replacement for sugar without noticing a difference. It has a similar taste and texture to table sugar but contains minimal calories and carbs.

Allulose is a great option for those following a keto diet as it is a low-calorie carbohydrate that does not raise blood glucose levels. It is also a good option for those with diabetes as it has little effect on blood glucose or insulin levels.

Allulose is a relatively new sweetener, so there is still some ongoing research into its health benefits and risks. However, it has been added to the list of foods generally recognised as safe by the Food and Drug Administration. It is also approved for use in a wide range of food products, including bakery products, non-alcoholic beverages, confections and frostings, frozen dairy desserts, yogurt and frozen yogurt, pudding and fillings, hard and soft candies, and sweet sauces and syrups.

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