Out of all of the sweeteners you can choose from, my favorite are pure erythritol and stevia (or a blend of them) because they are both naturally occurring, typically don’t cause blood sugar or insulin spikes, and sweeten just perfectly.
There are a bunch of low-calorie sweeteners on the market now, but just because they are advertised as low carb, low sugar, or low calorie doesn’t mean they are keto-friendly. For example, many “zero carb” sweeteners contain fillers, like maltodextrin, dextrose, and polydextrose, that can cause spikes in blood sugar levels. Other low carb sweeteners like maltitol can also cause insulin spikes that may kick people out of ketosis.
When you purchase any sweetener, make sure to take a look at the ingredients on the packaging. Avoid all of the fillers that we mentioned above. Also, make sure you avoid other sugary sweeteners like sugar, high fructose corn syrup, coconut sugar, fruit juice, honey, maple syrup, and agave syrup. Just because some of these sweeteners are marketed as being natural and healthy doesn’t mean that they actually are — especially when it comes to keto dieting.
For a comprehensive look at all of the best and worst sweeteners for keto, click here. In this article, we break down every popular sweetener along with its carb content and glycemic index to give you a better idea of what you should use and what you should avoid.