Looking for an all natural and economical sugar-free sweetener that actually tastes good? You need to try my natural sweetener blend! I've found that by using a combination of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia I can save money while enjoying a low carb sweetener that tastes just like sugar.
In this free 5-day email series learn all my tips for incorporating a low-carb lifestyle into the life of your family.
Joy Filled Eats Natural Sweetener Blend - Xylitol, Erythritol, & Stevia - Low Carb, Keto, Trim Healthy Mama, Diabetic Friendly, Sugar Free
When I started the Trim Healthy Mama diet I was leery about all the recipes using stevia because I have never liked it. All of the grocery store varieties and even the flavored liquid drops have a bitter aftertaste to me. In the past when I stopped using sugar on the South Beach Diet I used artificial sweeteners to replace it. Over the years I've read more about the negative effects of artificial sweeteners and I knew I needed to give stevia another try.
I heard that the Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet natural sweetener, which is a blend of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia, was a game changer so I thought I would give it a try. It really changed my perception of stevia. It had no aftertaste or bitterness.
Because we have a strict food budget I became determined to come up with my own blend of erythritol, xylitol, and stevia. I try to save as many pennies as I can when I shop. Making my own sweeteners, baking mixes, seasonings, and cooking from scratch saves the most.
These Tagalong Cupcakes are one use for my sweetener. Don't they look yummy? They are sugar-free! But you would never know. Even my husband who isn't a dessert guy loved them.
You can now mix up your own sweetener that measures just like Gentle Sweet. If you are on a tight budget this helps with this way of eating immensely. I use this sweetener in all my dessert recipes and I've subbed in it recipes from the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook like the Trimtastic Cake.
You can make everything from Sweetened Condensed Milk to Caramel with this recipe and more.
If you grind this in a food processor it works great as a low carb powdered sugar. It is the best out of the low carb and keto sweeteners!
Ingredients in Joy Filled Eats Sweetener
Xylitol is a natural sweetener. It is a sugar alcohol made from birch trees or corncobs. It has 40% fewer calories than sugar and is a 7 on the glycemic index (white sugar is a 64). Please note that xylitol can be fatal to dogs so don't share treats containing xylitol with your furry friends.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol like xylitol. It occurs naturally in some fruits and vegetables It has zero calories and no impact on blood sugar. It is produced from glucose by fermentation with yeast.
Stevia is a plant discovered in South America. To make stevia powder a water extraction method is typically used. Stevia is 100 to 200 times sweeter than sugar so a little goes a long way.
Where Do I Buy Sweetener Ingredients?
My natural sweetener recipe is easy and economical. There are many choices on where to order the ingredients from. And I've used several brands of these products successfully.
I personally order the ingredients for this natural sweetener from amazon, walmart, thrive market, and iherb.
Thrive Market: My Thrive Market Coupon works on everything from sweeteners and baking supplies to vitamins and beauty products! Thrive has great prices on coconut products, spices, organic health items, baby food, and more especially since they often will email codes for an additional 25-30% off your entire order. Head over to this post to see more of the latest deals at Thrive. My favorite deal is always getting Lily's Chocolate Chips for $4 a bag!
iherb:
If you are ordering from iherb you save $5 with my link. Generally, you can get the ingredients to make for under $8 a pound. Free shipping is on orders over $20.
I ordered the ingredients from iherb with free shipping. They have a lot of products that work for Keto, Low Carb, and Trim Healthy Mama eating plans. Other products they have that are compatible with THM are oat fiber, psyllium husks, whey protein powder, coconut flour, almond flour, etc. etc. This link takes you right to iherb so you can start making your own sugar free sweetener! Just put each ingredient into the search bar and add to your cart. It's cheaper to buy the 2.5 pounds but they also have 1 pound bags if you'd like to go small before you commit to a huge bag. It is very very easy.
Amazon:
With free one day and two-day Prime shipping, Amazon is where I order from most often. I can consistently get xylitol and erythritol inexpensively. I buy the largest size stevia and it lasts me about 2 years. And I bake A LOT.
I have tried all of these brands and just buy whichever is the cheapest on the day I order! No big deal.
Walmart:
Over the last year or so I've been buying more and more groceries from Walmart. They offer free shipping over $35 and have many low carb products in addition to having more choices in the store.
Like what you see? Follow me on Facebook! Love this recipe? Leave a comment & 5-star rating right here! Make sure you don’t miss new recipes by getting email updates!
Ingredients
Weight measurements:
- 16 oz xylitol (or allulose)
- 12 oz erythritol
- 2 teaspoon Better Stevia or any pure stevia extract
Cup measurements:
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons xylitol (or allulose)
- 1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons erythritol
- 2 teaspoon Better Stevia or any pure stevia extract
Instructions
Powdered Sweetener
- Process the ingredients in the food processor for a few minutes if you are planning on using it in chocolate, beverages, or icing.
Granular Sweetener
- For baking and candy making, you can just mix the ingredients together by hand.
Notes
- Granular vs Powder: I've only been blending it when needed right before using it in recipes. I put a huge mason jar on my kitchen scale and just pour in the weight amounts of xylitol and erythritol and measure in the stevia. Then I shake it really well.
Nutrition
Gail says
I've made this 2 years ago and I used monk fruit...can you please advise on how much I would use...also if all my friends are against monk fruit...can I use real sugar to please them?
Taryn says
Did you use monk fruit extract? The powder that is super sweet, like pure stevia.
Belinda says
what is the alternative measurement or equal measurement to sugar when the recipe calls for sugar?
Taryn says
You use half the amount. 1 cup of sugar equals 1/2 cup of my sweetener.
Kim says
eww 1 cup sugar is too much for a person and no good for them
Taryn says
Yes. But in general no one eats an entire cup of sugar. One cup of sugar in a baked good is normally for at least 8 servings.
Ava Greenfield says
Hi. I have been using your great sweetener for ages now, but recently had a scare when our precious little Pomchi licked a dish that had cream sweetened with the sweetener, which of course contains Xylitol.
Is there any other product I could replace the Xylitol with and still get the same taste?
Many thanks
Ava
Taryn says
You can use allulose instead of the xylitol.
Ron says
Hi, getting ready to try this sweetner recipe. I don't bake a lot, so I was wondering how long the shelf would be.
Thanks
Ron
Taryn says
Hi Ron, just check the dates on the individual sweeteners. In an airtight container, this will last until the earliest date. Normally a year or two.
Cordelia says
This has been so very helpful as I'm new at this. Thank You!
Lynne says
Perfect sweetener for all of your cooking!
Ava says
Hi there. I use your sweetener all the time for just about everything, but I would like to know if I can make a liquid sweetener out of it or would it crystallize when cooled?
The one I've used for years is no longer available in our supermarket (I'm in NZ), so I thought I may be able to make my own - for coffees, milkshakes etc.
Cheers
Taryn says
You can make it into simple syrup for cold beverages: https://joyfilledeats.com/keto-simple-syrup
I think it would crystallize again pretty quickly if you melt it without adding water.
Carole says
How much honey or other sweetener would you use instead or that in the recipe?