A keto diet is very low in carbs, making most types of sweeteners off-limits on a keto diet. If you can’t use popular sweeteners like regular sugar, which ones are the best for keto?
Some of the best sweeteners for keto include artificial sweeteners (e.g. Splenda), sugar alcohols (e.g. erythritol), and natural non-caloric sweeteners (e.g. monk fruit sweetener and stevia).
We’ll review 12 of the best keto-friendly sweeteners in this article to give you plenty of options!
Keto diet basics
A keto diet is a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, typically limiting carbs to 50 grams or fewer per day and getting most of your calories from fat.
Most sweeteners that contain real sugar aren’t keto-friendly. Popular sweeteners that are off-limits on keto include regular sugar, honey, agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, and more.
Most artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols are keto-friendly because they taste sweet but don’t contain any carbs (or are very low in carbs).
12 of the best sweeteners best for keto
- Acesulfame potassium
This is an artificial sweetener that doesn’t contain any carbs and a glycemic index of 0, which means it doesn’t impact your blood sugar levels.
If a food doesn’t raise your blood sugar it doesn’t impact ketosis, since ketosis is maintained when your body is burning fat for fuel when carbohydrate intake is very low.
Also called Ace-K, acesulfame potassium is one of the two sweeteners in Equal.
- Advantame
Like acesulfame potassium, advantame is an artificial sweetener with a glycemic index of 0 and no carbs.
- Allulose
Allulose is popular among keto dieters because it doesn’t contain any net carbs. (Net carbs are calculated by subtracting the fiber from total carbs, giving you the amount that has an impact on your blood sugar and ketosis state.)
Allulose is a sugar alcohol found naturally in small amounts in foods like figs, raisins, and molasses.
- Aspartame
Sold under the brand name Equal, aspartame is one of the more well-known artificial sweeteners.
- Erythritol
Erythritol is among one of the favorite keto-friendly sweeteners. It’s a sugar alcohol and can be used in place of regular sugar on keto diets.
- Monk fruit sweetener
If you want a natural keto-friendly sweetener, look no further than monk fruit sweetener. It’s over 100 times sweeter than regular sugar with a glycemic index of 0 since it doesn’t contain carbs.
- Neotame
Neotame is considered a high-intensity sweetener because it’s 8,000 times sweeter than regular sugar (similar to other artificial sweeteners).
- Saccharin
Sweet n’ Low, anyone? While it might leave a bitter aftertaste (according to some), saccharin is an artificial sweetener that is FDA-approved as one of six high-intensity sweeteners and doesn’t contain carbs.
- Steviol glycosides (Stevia)
Like monk fruit sweetener, stevia is a natural low-carb, keto-friendly sweetener. If you’re not a fan of sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners, then stevia is one of your best bets for a keto-friendly option.
- Sucralose
Sold under the brand name Splenda, sucralose is made from real sugar. The chemical structure is changed to make it non-caloric, sugar-free, and keto-friendly!
Sucralose is one of the most common artificial sweeteners used in foods. You’ll find it in sugar-free baked goods, protein powders, and much more.
- Tagatose
Tagatose isn’t a sugar alcohol but has a similar structure as sugar alcohols. It is considered keto-friendly but isn’t as well-known or used as much as other keto-friendly sweeteners.
- Xylitol
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol most commonly used in sugar-free gum. It’s free of carbs, making it keto-friendly.
Nutritional comparison of keto-friendly sweeteners
| Sweetener | Total carbs | Sugars |
| Acesulfame potassium | 0 g | 0 g |
| Advantame | 0 g | 0 g |
| Allulose | 5 g (no net carbs) | 0 g |
| Aspartame | 0 g | 0 g |
| Chicory root syrup | N/A | N/A |
| Erythritol | 0 g | 0 g |
| Monk fruit sweetener | 0 g | 0 g |
| Neotame | 0 g | 0 g |
| Saccharin | 0 g | 0 g |
| Steviol glycosides (Stevia) | 1 g | 0 g |
| Tagatose | N/A | N/A |
| Xylitol | 8 g (from sugar alcohols) | 0 g |
FAQs:
Artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda) and sugar alcohols like erythritol are okay for keto since they don’t contain carbs or sugar.
Coke Zero replaces sugar with artificial sweeteners to make it free of carbs, so it’s keto-friendly.
Both allulose and monk fruit sweetener are keto-friendly. Allulose is said to taste the most like sugar, while monk fruit sweetener is much sweeter than sugar and can be used in smaller amounts.
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