vegan sweeteners

[adamchristopher]

What's a good vegan alternative to sugar? I want to start experimenting with a lot of baking, but simultaneously cut down on my sugar intake. What's a healthy sweetener I can use? What do you guys use? Thanks.

Comments

[jazzbird]

It really depends on what you're looking for-- non-nutritive? low glycemic? whole food? Are you looking to cut down on sugars in general or just processed sugars? If sugar, in general, things like maple syrup are still pretty much pure sugar.

Stevia is non-nutritive, but some think it tastes somewhat bitter-- a little definitely goes a very long way, so try a tiny bit at a time. If simply looking for lower glycemic, date sugar, when used sparingly, doesn't give the body nearly as much of a sugar spike than some, but still has caloric value.

[sinestetici]

date sugar! Why didnt I think about that. What an awesome idea :)

Mmm, dates.

[_unsure]

Stevia is non-nutritive, but some think it tastes somewhat bitter

I think I'm one of those people. I got a little bottle of "Milk Chocolate" stevia liquid sweetener (I contacted the company and they said all their products are vegan) - anyway, it was kind of... not that nice. There was added sweetness and flavor from it, but also this weird aftertaste that I wasn't fond of.

Could just be that brand, though.

[ducksxsayxmoo]

I know what you mean, actually the aftertaste reminds me of Moxie, but doesn't bother me nearly as much. I don't mind it in coffee or tea,
but I wouldn't use it in baking I don't think.

[compostwormbin]

In my experience, stevia works well as a sweetener in some recipes but not others. The key in minimizing aftertaste is to have other strong flavors in the dish and also use a sparing amount, far less than you would of sugar. For example, when a recipe calls for 3 tbsp of sugar, I usually sub no more than 1/2 tbsp of stevia.