A guide to choosing the best sugars, syrups, and sweeteners for you
A guide to choosing the best sugars, syrups, and sweeteners for you
YOUR SWEETENER BUYING GUIDE
By Adriane Campos
1:1 SUGAR REPLACEMENT
• 2023 BUYING GUIDE •
On my quest to discover all zero-calorie sweeteners
that measure like sugar on a 1:1 ratio (spoon for spoon, they are as sweet as sugar),
I found 80 products. 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 a bulk sweetener: Cup–for–cup sweeteners have a bulk sweetener as the predominant ingredient and a minuscule amount of a high-intensity sweetener.
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They contain 99% of the bulk sweetener: Bulk sweeteners are mildly sweet ingredients that add body & weight to your recipe. The most common include erythritol, allulose, sweet fibers, and maltodextrin. Learn all about bulk 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.
Click the Try it button of each sweetener to be linked to Amazon
where you can read reviews, labels, Q&As, and price.
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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, from1.5 to 2 calories. But if you measure one cup (about 48 tsp), the calories provided vary from 70 to 100.
Zero Calorie? Not Really
Most sweeteners labeled as "zero calories" are not entirely calorie-free. 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".
How about if you measure cups of sweeteners? 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 is not "zero." Refer to the examples below.
Splenda Granulated is made up predominantly of maltodextrin ( 4 cal per gram) and just a hint of sucralose. By law, it may be labeled as "no-calorie sweetener" because one serving (1 tsp), which is as sweet as 1 tsp of table sugar, provides less than 5 cal.
One tsp of Splenda Granulated contains 0.5 grams of maltodextrin and 2 calories. Those calories can be rounded to zero in the Nutrition Facts label. On the other hand, a cup of Splenda, which has about 48 tsp, provides 95 calories.
The image below shows another example. Swerve Granular is made up predominantly of erythritol (0.4 cal per gram). One tsp of Swerve Granular contains 4 grams of erythritol, providing 1.6 cal, which may be rounded to zero and labeled as "zero calories." Keep in mind that a cup of Swerve Granular has about 70 calories.
TAKEAWAY
Sugar substitutes that are suggested by the manufacturer to be measured in cups or as a cup-for-cup substitute for table sugar are in fact "reduced-calorie sweeteners", not zero calories. But note that, by law, they can be labeled "zero-calorie".
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The list above is not intended to endorse, advertise or recommend products.
We present this listing simply as a service to our readers.