A guide to choosing the best sugars, syrups, and sweeteners for you
A guide to choosing the best sugars, syrups, and sweeteners for you
1:1 SUGAR REPLACEMENT
• 2024 BUYING GUIDE •
On my quest to discover all zero-calorie sweeteners that measure like sugar on a one-to-one ratio, I found 80 products. Spoon for spoon, they are as sweet as sugar. See here the complete list and how they compare.
What is a One to One Sugar Replacement?
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Zero-calorie sweeteners that measure like sugar on a one-to-one ratio—in volume—offer the same sweetness as sugar. So, you don't have to look for a conversion chart. You can use the same amount of sweetener as you would sugar. One teaspoon of those sweeteners equals one teaspoon of table sugar. One cup has the same sweetness as 1 cup of sugar, and so on. What convenience!​
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When substituting it for sugar, we're expected to measure equal-volume, not equal-weight, because they tend to be lighter than sugar. You will find them labeled as one-to-one, one-for-one, one-by-one, cup-for-cup, spoon-for-spoon, or measure-for-measure sugar substitutes. But before you swap it for sugar, read THIS POST. I list below all the products I found in stores across the country. They're all zero-calories and sugar-free. With the exception of maltodextrin blends, all products you see here will not affect blood sugar levels.
What Are They Made Of?
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One-to-one sugar replacements are blends of a bulk-free and bulk sweetener: Cup–for–cup sweeteners have a bulk sweetener as the predominant ingredient and a minuscule amount of a high-intensity sweetener (aka bulk-free).
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They contain 99% of the bulk sweetener: Bulk sweeteners are mildly sweet ingredients that add body & weight to your recipe, as opposed to bulk-free sweetener that are super sweet and offer a tiny volume. The most common bulk sweeteners are erythritol, allulose, sweet fibers, and maltodextrin. Learn more about bulk versus bulk-free sweeteners HERE.
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They have 1% or less of the high-intensity sweetener: When you buy those sugar replacements, you're essentially getting the bulk sweetener (erythritol, maltodextrin, allulose, or inulin) with just a hint of the high-intensity sweetener. They have a tiny amount of monk fruit, stevia, sucralose, or aspartame. In some cases, the weight ratio is 200 (up to 2000) to about 1. It means that almost 99% of the weight comes from the bulk sweetener, but 70 to 99% of the sweetness comes from the high-intensity sweetener.
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Measuring Cups or Teaspoons?
The advantage of cup-for-cup sweeteners is that you can directly swap the volume of sugar called for in your recipe. Keep in mind that if you measure just one teaspoon (tsp), the calories are minimal, from 1.5 to 2 calories. But if you measure one cup (about 48 tsp), the calories provided vary from 70 to 100. Keep scrolling down to learn more.
Zero Calorie? Not Really
Despite being labeled as "zero calories," all the sweeteners listed above on this page are not entirely calorie-free. I'll explain.
By law, if a sweetener provides <5 cal per serving, those calories may be rounded to zero, and the product claimed as a "no-calorie sweetener". However, when considering larger quantities, such as measuring cups of sweeteners, the colories content becomes more apparent. One cup of those sugar substitutes do offer significantly fewer calories than table sugar — as one cup of sugar provides about 750 calories — but it doesn't offer ZERO calories.
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Let's examine two of the widely available cup-for-cup sugar replacements.
Splenda Granulated, predominantly composed of maltodextrin (4 calories per gram) and a minuscule amount of sucralose, is labeled as a "no-calorie sweetener" because one serving (1 tsp) provides less than 5 calories. However, a closer look reveals that one cup of Splenda, equivalent to 48 teaspoons, actually provides 95 calories
Here's the math for one teaspoon and one cup of Splenda:
• One tsp of Splenda Granulated contains 0.5 grams of maltodextrin x 4 calories per gram = 2 calories.
• One cup of Splenda contains 48 teaspoons x 0.5 x 4 = 95 calories.
Similarly, Swerve Granular, made up predominantly of erythritol (0.4 calories per gram), can claim "zero calories" for one teaspoon, which contains 4 grams of erythritol, providing 1.6 calories. Yet, a cup of Swerve Granular has about 70 calories.
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[Scroll down for a 2024 update on Swerve].
What happened to Swerve? [2024 update]
Until the start of 2023, Swerve was one of the most popular cup-for-cup sugar replacements. However, their customers became upset because there were big changes in the ingredients, and they introduced several new products — probably due to the brand being under new ownership [it used to be a small company].
I noticed something was going on when suddenly, in the spring, I started getting A LOT of questions from my readers about Swerve products and recipe flops. So, if you're not aware, here's the scoop.
The launch of ​Swerve​'s whole new range of sweeteners caused confusion because Swerve is not just a line of sugar-free sweeteners anymore. Instead, some of their new products have refined sugar as the main ingredient. They've also added four monk fruit blends—organic and conventional—and an allulose blend. Plus, they no longer sell the original "granular" and "brown." So, if you're wondering, "What is Swerve sweetener made out of in 2024?" take a look at the image below.
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