The Best Tasting Stevia for Low-Cal Sweetness in 2024
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Whether you’re cutting calories for weight loss, trying to eat less sugar or managing your blood sugar levels, stevia is a great way to add a little sweetness to your food or drink without the extra calories. It’s a zero-calorie sugar alternative that doesn’t negatively affect blood sugar levels, and it’s naturally sourced from the stevia plant. Here are our favorite brands of stevia sweeteners in 2024.
This content is meant to be informative, but should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention or treatment of health problems. Always speak with your doctor before starting any new supplement or exercise regimen.
Our Picks for Best Stevia in 2024:
- Best Granular Stevia: Micro Ingredients Pure Organic Stevia Powder
- Best Stevia Packets: Whole Earth Stevia & Monk Fruit Plant-Based Sweetener
- Best Liquid Stevia: NOW Foods Better Stevia Liquid
- Best Stevia Dropper: Sweetleaf SteviaClear Sweet Drops
- Best Stevia for Baking: SPLENDA Stevia Zero Calorie Sweetener
- Best Stevia with Monk Fruit: NuNaturals Organic Sweetener Stevia & Monk Fruit
Best Granular Stevia: Micro Ingredients Pure Organic Stevia Powder
Micro Ingredients
Key features & specs
- Certifications: USDA Organic, non-GMO
- Best for: People who prefer organic, people who want to avoid fillers
- Price per serving: Less than $0.01
With a single ingredient (organic stevia powder), this product from Micro Ingredients is the best pure stevia extract available. Because of its concentrated sweetness, it contains over 1,400 servings per bag. However, it’s not a one-to-one replacement for sugar, so it’s best for adding to drinks, smoothies or yogurt—not for baking. Reviewers say it tastes good and packs a lot of sweetness into a tiny amount.
Pros:
- Organic and non-GMO
- Contains only organic stevia powder
- Provides 1,400+ servings per container
Cons:
- Not an appropriate sugar substitute for baking
Best Stevia Packets: Whole Earth Stevia & Monk Fruit Plant-Based Sweetener
Amazon
Key features & specs
- Certifications: Non-GMO Project Verified
- Best for: Those who prefer packets, those who need a portable stevia option
- Price per serving: $0.04
If you prefer packets for their convenience or portability, these Whole Earth natural stevia sweetener packets are a good choice. Each packet sweetens as much as 1.5 teaspoons of sugar. However, it’s not pure stevia—this blend contains erythritol and monk fruit extract, which are two other naturally-sourced sweeteners.
Reviewers like it and say that it doesn’t have a strong aftertaste, which can be a common complaint for stevia that isn’t mixed with other sweeteners.
Pros:
- Convenient packets
- No artificial ingredients
- Highly rated
Cons:
- More expensive than other forms
Best Liquid Stevia: NOW Foods Better Stevia Liquid
NOW Foods
Key features & specs
- Certifications: Non-GMO Project Verified
- Best for: Sweetening beverages and cooked foods
- Price per serving: Less than $0.01
A liquid form of stevia is ideal for sweetening drinks like coffee or tea and foods that are already prepared, like smoothies or yogurt. This liquid stevia from NOW Foods contains over 1,800 servings per bottle.
Reviewers like the taste, but say that it can be difficult to dispense directly from the original package. Many customers put the liquid in another container.
Pros:
- Mixes easily into foods and beverages
- Non-GMO Project Verified
- Contains over 1,800 servings
Cons:
- Reviewers say the container isn’t the best for dispensing the liquid
Best Stevia Dropper: Sweetleaf SteviaClear Sweet Drops
Sweetleaf
Key features & specs
- Certifications: Non-GMO Project Verified
- Best for: Sweetening beverages, those who prefer pure stevia
- Price per serving: $0.02
A dropper makes it easy to dispense small amounts of liquid stevia into your drinks or any food that needs some extra sweetness. According to SweetLeaf, just five drops of their SteviaClear can sweeten like a teaspoon of sugar. This product also contains just three ingredients: water, natural flavors and organic stevia leaf extract.
Amazon reviewers like the taste of this stevia and the convenience of the small bottle and dropper. However, it’s slightly more expensive than powdered or granulated versions.
Pros:
- Non-GMO Project Verified
- No artificial ingredients
- Contains over 500 servings per container
Cons:
- More expensive than other forms
Best Stevia for Baking: SPLENDA Stevia Zero Calorie Sweetener
SPLENDA
Key features & specs
- Certifications: Non-GMO Project Verified
- Best for: Baking, people on a budget
- Price per serving: $0.07
For a high-value stevia that’s available at most grocery stores, this Splenda brand sweetener is a good choice. It’s totally free of the artificial sweetener sucralose (which is sold as Splenda), and instead contains a combination of stevia and the sugar alcohol erythritol. It’s also formulated to be a one-to-one substitute for sugar, so it can be used in baking projects.
Reviewers say it tastes similar to sugar, and that the small container is easy to pack when traveling. The main complaint (besides not realizing the product contains erythritol until after ordering) is that people wish the product was even sweeter. Most reviewers rate this product well, though, and it has 4.7/5 stars with 4,136 ratings on Amazon at the time of writing.
Pros:
- Non-GMO Project Verified
- Can be used in baking
- One-to-one sugar substitute
- Available online and in most grocery stores
Cons:
- Budget-friendly container has fewer servings
Best Stevia with Monk Fruit: NuNaturals Organic Sweetener Stevia & Monk Fruit
NuNaturals
Key features & specs
- Certifications: Non-GMO Project Verified
- Best for: Organic shoppers, people avoiding sugar alcohols
- Price per serving: $0.13
For organic-conscious shoppers, finding certified organic products is important—but it can also be a struggle. Fortunately, these packets are USDA Organic and feature just three organic ingredients: erythritol, monk fruit extract powder and stevia.
Although erythritol isn’t featured on the front of the package, it’s actually the largest ingredient by volume—which is a bit misleading. Still, reviewers generally like the taste of this product, giving it 4.3/5 stars on Amazon (at the time of writing).
Pros:
- Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified
- Convenient packets
- Highly rated for taste
Cons:
- More expensive than other brands/forms
- Contains more erythritol than stevia
What Is Stevia?
Stevia is a sugar alternative that’s free of calories and carbs. It’s an attractive alternative to artificial sweeteners, since it is derived from the stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) plant. It’s also keto-friendly, gluten-free and vegan.
Its sweet taste comes from various compounds in the plant called steviol glycosides, which are up to 300 times sweeter than table sugar without affecting your blood sugar levels. This makes stevia a good choice of sweetener for people who are trying to lose weight or manage their blood sugar levels.
However, calling stevia products “natural” is slightly misleading. Although they come from a natural plant source, they are still highly processed and may contain added ingredients such as the fillers maltodextrin or dextrose, or other sweeteners, like the sugar alcohol erythritol.
Benefits of Stevia as a Sugar Replacement
Stevia can help you reduce your calorie intake and manage your blood sugar levels. It contains zero calories, so it can be used to reduce the calorie content of sweet foods like sodas, baked goods, syrups and jams. This could be helpful if you’re trying to lose weight, because it allows you to include sweet sugar-free treats in your diet while simultaneously slashing your calorie intake.
Additionally, stevia is carbohydrate-free, so it doesn’t affect your blood glucose levels or levels of insulin, a blood sugar-regulating hormone. For this reason, it’s a good, low-glycemic sweetener choice for people following a diet for diabetes.
Overall, stevia is preferred over artificial sweeteners because it comes from a natural source, rather than being completely lab-created.
Finally, stevia offers several other potential benefits, such as reducing blood pressure, improving kidney function, reducing inflammation and supporting cellular health.
Stevia Side Effects
According to most studies in humans, stevia has no major side effects. The biggest drawback of stevia is that it has a bitter aftertaste. That's why it’s often combined with other zero-calorie sweeteners, like monk fruit or erythritol.
How to Choose the Best Stevia for You
To choose the best stevia for you, it’s first important to think about what you’ll be using it for. If you’re using it for baking or cooking, a granulated stevia or stevia blend that can serve as a one-to-one replacement for sugar is the best choice.
However, if you’ll be adding it to coffee or using it to sweeten other beverages or foods that are already cooked (like oatmeal or yogurt), a liquid is best. With liquids, you can also choose from an assortment of flavors.
Finally, it’s important to consider quality. Do you prefer a product that is organic or non-GMO? This will also impact the price.
Types of Stevia
Like other sweeteners, stevia is available in multiple forms:
- Granulated: This form is best for baking. Often, granulated stevia is mixed with other types of sweeteners. If not, it normally contains added fillers in order to be suitable as a 1:1 replacement for sugar.
- Liquid: Liquid stevia is a good option for sweetening beverages. It comes in a variety of flavors, and in squirt bottles or dropper bottles.
- Dried: For a truly natural sweetener, you can also purchase dried stevia leaves and then grind them up to add sweetness to foods.
How We Chose the Best Stevia
We chose the best stevia products based first on ingredient quality. These stevia products are free of potentially harmful, highly processed fillers. We also included a variety of forms, such as granulated, stevia blends and liquids. Additionally, we chose only products that were highly rated by customers.
Stevia FAQs
Is stevia O.K. for diabetics?
Yes, stevia doesn’t impact blood sugar levels, so it’s appropriate for people with diabetes.
What is the healthiest stevia?
The healthiest, least processed form of stevia is dried stevia leaves. You can grind them to use as a sweetener, although they wouldn’t be ideal for baked goods.
What ingredients should be avoided in stevia?
It’s good to look for stevia products that are free of artificial additives like fillers, colors and flavors. Some stevia baking blends may contain fillers in order to be used as a one-to-one replacement for sugar. To avoid these fillers, look for one-to-one sugar replacements that contain stevia mixed with other sweeteners that aren’t as intense.
What is the daily recommended amount of stevia?
There is no daily recommended amount of stevia. However, like all foods, it’s important to consume stevia-containing treats and beverages in moderation.
Takeaway: Is Stevia Worth It?
Stevia is a popular sweetener choice because it’s very sweet, free of calories, has no effect on blood sugar and is naturally sourced from the stevia plant. However, it’s important to remember that stevia products are still highly processed and not necessarily a “natural” food.
The best stevia products are free of unnecessary fillers, even if it means they are blended with other naturally-sourced sweeteners so they can be used as a one-to-one replacement for sugar.
Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.
