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.
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!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Joy Filled Eats
Joy Filled Eats Natural Sweetener - Low Carb, THM, Sugar Free
Ingredients
Weight measurements:
- 16 oz xylitol (or allulose)
- 12 oz erythritol (or allulose)
- 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 (or allulose)
- 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
Nutrition
Sandra says
Would it be possible to make a sweetener with no stevia that would work similarly? I can't use it, but I can use xylitol and would prefer to use more of it if it will work. (Also, coconut sugar is a good real-food choice although it is of course still a type of sugar not a substitute.) Thanks in advance for any non-stevia tips. Also, do you find that the erythritol causes any digestive trouble if used in any significant quantity? My husband tends to be sensitive to the -ols other than xylitol.
Taryn says
Hi Sandra, I would just leave the stevia out and sub this 1:1 for cane sugar. For any of my recipes you will need to sweeten to taste. It will probably take 1.5-2 times the amount listed without the stevia. I do not have yummy trouble with erythritol. It is more gentle than some of the other sugar substitutes like malitol.
I have used coconut sugar in the past. I ate paleo during my last pregnancy but am trying to stick to lower glycerin index sweeteners now. 🙂
Sandra says
Thank you! I will give it a try.
Mallerie Hendrix says
Hi Taryn!!! I do not yet have a food processor. Can I use my blender?
Taryn says
Yes, in small batches. If you are going to bake with it or melt it for something like caramel you can skip the blending and just mix it. For icing or skinny chocolate it helps to blend it finer.
Jessica lea says
Would you tell me how to make the copy cat version with pyure stevia and xylitol?
Thanks!
Taryn says
Hi Jessica, I'm sorry but I don't have measurements for that. I would try equal parts pyure and xylitol in something small like a mug cake. Pyure is erythritol and stevia already. You might have to play around with the measurements.
Stef says
Made orange/lemon/carrot/pineapple marmalade with this and it completely fooled my friend Steve, who until then was CONVINCED he could tell the difference. Good on you guys! Thanks.
Amber G says
Hi there! I wanted to give you a heads up... I think your affiliate links for iherb aren't working correctly right now. I used them a couple months ago to purchase the Gentle Sweet ingredients (which turned out GREAT, btw. Thanks so much for the copycat recipe)... today when I clicked on them, instead of an affiliate link, it just took me to iherb for each of them. Thought you might wanna look at them 🙂 Thx again for the wonderful recipe!
Etta Jacobs says
I just made this and processed in my blender. I must of don't something wrong as this as a terrible aftertaste. Gentle Sweet does not. What did I do wrong?
Taryn says
Hi Etta, what brand products did you use? Maybe the stevia you used was bitter? I use this and the THM gentle sweet interchangeably in desserts and beverages. I'm pretty sensitive to sweeteners but I've never had an aftertaste from this recipe.
Diane says
I am confused about the recipe for the Gentle Sweet. Can you please clarify what the first ingredient is for the first and second line. Is this two different recipes?
12 oz. OR 1 1/2 cups plus 2 T. erythritol
16 oz. OR 2 cups plus 2 T. xylitol
2 tsp. Better Stevia
Taryn says
Hi Diane. Gentle Sweet is a combination of xylitol, erythritol, and stevia.
Jan says
Diane, she is just saying you can measure out 1 1/2 cups plus 2T erythritol, or weigh out 12 oz.
The same with the xylitol, weigh it, OR measure it
Kathy says
I processed mine in the food processor for about 5 minutes. it is somewhat powdery but not like Gentle Sweet. Should I process longer?
Taryn says
Hi Kathy,
I wasn't going for copying the consistency of GS as much as the taste and sweetness. I like blending it so it dissolves easier in drinks, icing, and skinny chocolate but you don't have to. My food processor blade broke last month so for my last batch I just mixed the ingredients.
Linda says
Can this be made without the xylitol? I'm afraid to have that in the house with dogs, especially with labs who always beg. I had a friend whose dog ended up in intensive care because he licked it off the floor when she spilled some.
Taryn says
Yes, but I'm not sure of the ratios. I would try 1 cup erythritol with 1 tsp stevia and then try it in a very small recipe like a mug cake to see how it works. You might need more stevia because erythritol isn't very sweet.
joyce says
1 cup erythritol and 1 tsp stevia is the recipe on the thm sweetener chart for making your own blend of the thm super sweet blend....
Sara says
THANK YOU! I live in Japan and to get ANY official THM products I have to send it to my in-laws, then wait for it to get here. Maaaaajor shipping expenses! iHerb ships here for free too, so this is definitely going to be my substitute. Thank you so much!
Gale says
Just found your link.....amazing.....thank you. One question, I have the stevia from THM. Would it compare to your stevia?
mercyandgratitude says
I think so. I would try making it with the amount listed and trying an easy recipe (like a microwave cake) to see if the sweetness is right.
Kari says
So is it cheaper to make your own? How much did all those ingredients cost to make gentlesweet copycat? I was thinking to try making my own too.
Jennifer says
I found great prices on the xylitol and erithrytol at XylaUSA which is out of Colorado. Their products are non-gmo and I could buy larger packages. The shipping is flat rate, so best if you can order a larger amount of split it with someone. I found it to be the cheapest that I could get and am very happy with it.
Crystal says
What is their website, Jennifer?
mercyandgratitude says
It is definitely cheaper to make your own. I am happy ordering from iherb because they have competitive prices and have free shipping over $20. I really dislike having to pay for shipping so I try to order from places that offer it free. You can make 5 pounds for about $32 with my coupon link. The THM gentle sweet sells for $10 a pound plus shipping.
Janet says
Hello on your gentle sweet copycat recipe - do you have to weigh the ingredients or can you use a measuring cup for the ounces? I want it just right. Lol! Thanks!
mercyandgratitude says
Either! I have weights and volume amounts posted.
mercyandgratitude says
Or maybe I don't. Hmm.. it looks like my update never posted. I'll add it later today.
Kayla says
Thank you for clarifying! 🙂
Kayla says
Could you tell me if you used weight measurements (on a scale) or measured the ounces with a measuring cup (liquid or dry)? Thank you! 😀
mercyandgratitude says
Both. The weights listed were with a scale. The measurements listed were with dry measuring cups.
When I first made this I used full 12 & 16 oz. bags from the manufacturer so the second time I measured out the volume of each ingredient.
Katz says
When you process this in a blender is it supposed to come out like a HEAVY confectioner texture? I might have over blended! But it isn't sweet enough! Which of the 3 ingredients would I add in to make it sweeter? I'm not sure which of the 3 is the best one that won't make it bitter in baked goods? I'm going to try your new "local" bb.
Jennifer says
After commenting above about the stevia conversion, a little research led me to find a very large difference in the sweetness of stevia by brand. Once I found the conversion for my brand to the brand in the recipe, the flavor was perfect. I have not tried the official Gentle Blend, but this recipe creates a sweetener with no aftertaste and substitues cup for cup in the recipes from the book. All of this to say, if your taste is off, it is probably the stevia amount that is off.
mercyandgratitude says
Yes. Having it a texture like confectioners sugar helps it dissolve in drinks and skinny chocolate. You can add more stevia to make it sweeter. I tried to mimic the sweetness of the gentle blend thm sells. I've used the same amount of both my blend and theirs in skinny chocolate and mim successfully. In some recipes like the trimtastic zucchini cake I find using the amount they request makes it too sweet. It might just be a personal preference. I would add 1-2 more teaspoons of stevia and see if you like it.
katz says
Thank you. I will try that.
Jennifer says
I have a different brand of stevia and am trying to compare, since it has inulin fiber. It says that 1/8 teaspoon equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. Do you know how that compares to Better Stevia? I can't find an equivalency chart for the Better Stevia and since I have never actually used the Gentle Sweet, I am not sure how to compare, but don't want to have to fool with every recipe to get the correct sweetness. Thanks for any help!
mercyandgratitude says
Sorry, but I have no idea. Maybe you could contact Better Stevia directly and ask? My guess is you will need to triple or quadruple the account I have listed to get to the same sweetness.
Kayla says
I'm in your same boat with having Stevia with inulin. Here's how I'm going to attempt to adjust. I hope this helps and isn't coming too late.
So I went to my search engine and typed in Better Stevia conversion chart. I did the same for my Sweetleaf Stevia. Then I compared the first measurement they (Better Stevia) have for their stevia powder which was 1/2 cup = 1 tsp. Then I compared that to the 1/2 cup measurement for Sweetleaf (type I have: Shaker) which says 1/2 cup = 1 Tbsp. So I will use 2 Tablespoons since her recipe calls for 2 tsp Better Stevia. I hope this makes sense... its seems difficult to explain. Happy making and baking! 🙂
Kari says
What whey protein do you buy from
This site?
mercyandgratitude says
Hi Kari,
I bought this one: http://www.iherb.com/jarrow-formulas-100-natural-whey-protein-powder-unflavored-16-oz-454-g/40612?rcode=fqm372
It does have soy but I'm only planning on using it once or twice a week. I've never used a protein powder before so I wanted something inexpensive to try it out. Next time I think I'll buy this one instead: http://www.iherb.com/now-foods-eggwhite-protein-1-2-lbs-544-g/547?rcode=fqm372
Laura says
How does this taste compared to Gentle Sweet? I've made my own Sweet Blend but it doesn't compare at all to the sweetness of the THM Sweet Blend.
mercyandgratitude says
I've used my blend in muffin mug recipes and skinny chocolate and didn't notice a difference.
Lauren wonders says
Oh thank you! I find that I'm blowing through my gentle sweet like crazy! Free shipping! Count me in!