When I first started keto, I quickly realised that sugar was one of the hardest things to let go of — not just because of the cravings, but because it seemed to be everywhere. Suddenly, there were dozens of sugar substitutes to choose from, all claiming to be “keto-friendly.” It was confusing, expensive, and honestly, a bit overwhelming.
Over time, I decided to keep things simple. Instead of trying to replicate every single sweet treat I used to have, I chose to focus on enjoying the foods I can have — and discovering how naturally satisfying they can be. These days, I use erythritol for nearly everything, a little stevia here and there, and that’s enough for me. This post isn’t about chasing perfection or expensive alternatives — it’s about finding balance and flavour, one spoon at a time.
Once I let go of the idea that keto meant finding substitutes for every old favourite, things became much simpler — and a lot more enjoyable. I realised that I only needed a few reliable ingredients to make everyday cooking work. Sweeteners were no different. There was no need for five kinds of syrups or fancy blends; I just had to learn how the ones I could get behaved in my kitchen. Over time, erythritol became my go-to — affordable, easy to measure, and good enough for nearly everything I make. Occasionally I’ll add a few drops of liquid stevia for a touch of extra sweetness, but for the most part, I keep it simple.
1. My Go-To Sweetener: Erythritol
Erythritol is the one sweetener I always have in my kitchen. It’s a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in some fruits, but what I like about it is its clean taste — no bitterness, no strange aftertaste, and it doesn’t upset my stomach. It’s about 70% as sweet as sugar, but I use it 1:1 in recipes, and that works just fine for me.
It mixes easily into sauces, puddings, and mug cakes, though it doesn’t caramelise or brown like sugar does. You might notice a faint cooling effect in cold desserts, but I’ve found that in creamy dishes it’s hardly noticeable. And if it clumps, a quick blitz in the blender turns it back into a smooth, fine powder that dissolves beautifully.
2. Stevia – Small but Mighty
Stevia is one of those ingredients that can feel a little intimidating at first. It’s so concentrated that a single drop or tiny pinch can completely change the sweetness of a dish. But once you get used to it, it’s incredibly handy to have around — especially when you just want a light touch of sweetness without measuring or melting anything.
I use liquid stevia mostly for cold desserts — a few drops in a chia pudding, or even stirred into Greek yogurt. It blends in instantly, doesn’t crystallise, and adds just enough sweetness to take the edge off.
That said, it’s worth knowing that stevia has a very distinctive taste. Some people find it slightly bitter or herbal, especially if they use too much. I’ve learned to start small and build up — one drop at a time. Once you find your sweet spot, it’s easy to adjust, and a small bottle lasts forever.
I think of stevia as a supporting player in my kitchen, rather than the star — not for baking or sauces, but for those small everyday touches where you just want a little something sweet without fuss.
3. Other Sweeteners You Might Hear About
Once you start reading keto recipes online, you’ll notice a whole new vocabulary of sweeteners — monk fruit, allulose, and endless blends of both. It can feel like you need a chemistry degree just to choose one! The truth is, most of these sweeteners behave a bit differently, and not all of them are easy to find or affordable, especially here in South Africa.
Monk fruit is probably the best known of the “newer” sweeteners. It’s derived from a small melon grown in Asia and is naturally very sweet — around 150 to 200 times sweeter than sugar. Because it’s so concentrated, it’s almost always sold blended with erythritol or allulose. It has a clean taste, no cooling effect, and works beautifully in baking or hot drinks. The downside is price and availability; if you find it locally, it’s often quite expensive.
Allulose is another interesting one. It’s technically a rare sugar, but your body doesn’t metabolise it as glucose. What makes allulose special is that it browns and caramelises almost like sugar — a small miracle for anyone who misses caramel or crème brûlée. It also has no cooling aftertaste and gives baked goods a lovely texture. Unfortunately, it’s still imported and priced accordingly, so it’s more of a “special occasion” ingredient than an everyday staple.
You may also see blends combining erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit, which are designed to balance each other’s strengths — smoother sweetness, better texture, less aftertaste. They can work well, but you’ll need to experiment, as each brand has its own ratio.
For now, I’m quite happy sticking to my trusty erythritol and the occasional drop of stevia. But I do keep an eye on what’s becoming available. One of the nice things about keto cooking is that it keeps evolving — and so do we.
My Journey with Sweeteners
I’ve been strongly against artificial sweeteners for as long as I can remember. I never liked the taste, and the more I read about their possible health effects, the less I trusted them. So when I started keto, I was torn — I didn’t want sugar, but I didn’t want chemicals either.
For a while, I went without any sweeteners at all, and that helped me reset my palate. But eventually, I missed the occasional gentle sweetness — especially in sauces or chia puddings. Discovering erythritol was a game changer. It gave me a way to add sweetness without the artificial aftertaste, and without feeling like I was compromising the whole-food approach I care about.
Erythritol felt like a quiet middle ground — not a chemical trick, but a simple tool that lets me enjoy real food without going back to sugar.
A Quick Word on Artificial Sweeteners and “Sugar-Free” Products
When first starting keto, it’s easy to assume that anything labelled sugar-free must automatically be fine — but it isn’t that simple. Many familiar brands and diet products use artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose (found in Splenda), or acesulfame-K (found in Canderel and Equal). They may not contain table sugar, but they’re still highly processed, and they don’t behave neutrally in the body.
Artificial sweeteners can sometimes confuse your metabolism. Your body tastes sweetness and expects sugar, which can trigger an insulin response even when no real sugar arrives. They may also disrupt gut bacteria and keep cravings alive, making it harder to adjust to a lower-sugar way of eating.
Even more importantly, many powdered versions are bulked up with maltodextrin or dextrose — starches that digest very quickly and can raise blood glucose almost as much as sugar. So, while they’re “sugar-free,” they’re not always blood-sugar-friendly.
I’m not telling anyone what to do — I buy a piece of Canderel chocolate now and then myself, and I can see what it does to my blood sugar. My goal here is simply to share clear information so you can make your own choices, knowing what’s really in those “diet” products.
For me, choosing erythritol felt like finding a middle ground: a clean, natural option that lets me enjoy the occasional sweetness without the blood-sugar spikes or the chemical aftertaste.
4. The Elusive Keto Syrups
If you’ve ever searched for keto maple syrup or honey alternatives, you’ll know they’re not easy to find — and when you do spot them, they usually cost a small fortune. I’ve come across a few imported brands online, but by the time you’ve paid for shipping, you could have bought half a week’s groceries.
Many of the more affordable “sugar-free syrups” on the shelves are unfortunately not very keto at all. They often contain maltitol or sorbitol, which can still raise blood sugar levels (and can be hard on the stomach, too). So for me, they’re not worth the risk or the expense.
Instead, I’ve learned to work around it. When I need something syrupy — like for drizzling over pancakes, or glazing a piece of chicken or roasted vegetables — I simply make a thin erythritol syrup. I dissolve erythritol gently in a bit of water over low heat, sometimes adding a pinch of xanthan gum to help it thicken slightly. It won’t stay liquid forever (erythritol tends to recrystallise as it cools), but it works beautifully when used warm or freshly made.
Most of the time, though, I find that a little creamy sauce or fruit reduction adds more depth than sweetness ever could. Once you stop expecting everything to taste like sugar, it’s surprisingly freeing.
5. How Sweet Is Sweet? (Mini Conversion Guide)
Different sweeteners vary in strength and taste, so it helps to have a rough idea of how they compare to regular sugar. The table below gives you a general guide for everyday cooking and baking. (It’s worth noting that brands vary slightly, so these are ballpark figures.)
| Sweetener | Relative Sweetness | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Table sugar (sucrose) | 1.0 | Baseline for comparison |
| Erythritol | 0.7 | Clean, neutral taste; slight cooling effect; doesn’t caramelise |
| Stevia | 200× | Highly concentrated; best for drinks or light desserts |
| Monk fruit | 150–200× | Usually sold blended; smooth and heat-stable |
| Allulose | 0.7 | Caramelises like sugar; soft texture; low availability |
| Xylitol* | 1.0 | Sweet like sugar, but can raise insulin slightly; toxic to dogs |
Note: Xylitol should never be used in households with pets — it’s extremely dangerous to dogs, even in small amounts.
When converting recipes, I tend to use erythritol 1:1 for sugar, and then adjust to taste. For stevia or monk fruit drops, it’s best to start very small — a few drops can go a long way. If you’re experimenting with blends, check the packaging for the equivalent sweetness ratio to sugar, since it can vary between brands.
A Note on Sweetness and Taste
Over time, I’ve noticed that my palate has changed. I used to crave that intense, sugary sweetness that’s everywhere in modern food — now I find it overpowering. Using erythritol at around 70% of sugar’s sweetness feels perfect for me.
It’s easy to forget how much sugar we’re surrounded by until we step away from it. Once you do, your sense of taste resets. You start to notice the quiet, natural sweetness in ingredients themselves — roasted vegetables, fresh cream, caramelised onions, even nuts. Food begins to taste more balanced, more alive.
That’s one of the unexpected gifts of keto for me: learning that I don’t need things to be very sweet to enjoy them. I just need them to taste real.
Practical Note: Granulated vs. Powdered Sweetener
You’ll often see keto recipes calling for either granulated or powdered sweetener — and the difference is mostly about texture, not type.
If a recipe calls for granulated sweetener, that’s simply your regular crystal erythritol — the same one I use every day. It measures 1:1 with sugar and works perfectly in sauces, marinades, and most desserts.
Powdered sweetener, on the other hand, just means erythritol that’s been finely ground, like castor sugar. You don’t need to buy a special version — you can easily make your own by blitzing granulated erythritol in a blender or food processor until it’s soft and powdery. (Let the dust settle before opening the lid — it gets everywhere.)
I keep a small jar of homemade powdered erythritol on hand for when I want a silky texture — things like cheesecake fillings, creamy frostings, or smooth sauces where graininess would stand out.
Note on Swerve
If you read a lot of keto recipes, you’ll often see Swerve listed as the sweetener. It’s simply a brand name for a blend of erythritol with natural flavour enhancers (like oligosaccharides and sometimes stevia). It behaves almost exactly like erythritol, so your regular granulated or powdered erythritol can replace it 1:1 in any recipe.
If you come across “Swerve Brown,” you can mimic it beautifully by adding a tiny bit of blackstrap molasses — about ½ teaspoon per ¼ cup of erythritol — to recreate that warm, brown sugar flavour.
So, no need to hunt down Swerve or import it. If you have erythritol and a little know-how, you already have everything you need.
If you’re curious about how to recreate that rich, brown sugar flavour naturally, I’ve written a separate post all about it: That Brown Sugar Taste – Recreating Warmth and Depth Without Sugar
6. Keeping Perspective
At the end of the day, keto cooking isn’t about chasing perfect imitations — it’s about learning to enjoy food that truly nourishes you. A touch of sweetness can make a meal feel special, but it’s not the star of the show anymore.
I’ve learned that balance is far more satisfying than restriction. A little erythritol in a sauce, a few drops of stevia in my chia pudding — that’s all I need. Once you stop trying to replace sugar in every recipe, you discover that real ingredients have a quiet sweetness of their own.
For me, keto isn’t about endlessly recreating sugar-laden desserts — it’s about cooking and eating in a way that feels real, wholesome, and sustainable. You don’t need a cupboard full of exotic sweeteners to make that happen. Just a few good basics, some curiosity, and a willingness to experiment are all it takes to make keto cooking simple — and genuinely enjoyable.
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