A Paleo diet avoids many foods that are popular in a typical Western diet such as grains, dairy, and many types of sweeteners. So which sugars and sweeteners are okay for a Paleo diet?
Some of the best sugars and sweeteners for Paleo are:
- Coconut sugar
- Date sugar
- Date syrup
- Honey
- Lucuma powder
- Maple sugar
- Maple syrup
- Monk fruit sweetener
- Stevia
Why are these sweeteners Paleo-friendly, and how do they stack up against each other? Find out the answers next!
Paleo diet basics
A Paleo (short for Paleolithic) diet is an eating style that is meant to mimic what people were able to hunt and gather thousands of years ago before farming began. The Paleo diet (also called “caveman diet”) is meant to mimic what people ate in the Paleolithic era, which was from around 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 B.C.
A Paleo diet excludes all refined and artificial sweeteners (usually including sugar alcohols), which narrows down your choices quite a bit. Don’t worry – we’ve gathered a list of nine of the best sugars and sweeteners for a Paleo diet next!
9 of the best sweeteners for Paleo
- Coconut sugar
Coconut products are popular on a Paleo diet, from coconut flour to coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is made from the flower buds of the coconut palm tree, not the coconuts themselves.
Coconut sugar is among several unrefined sweeteners, meaning it is minimally processed and contains more of its natural nutrients compared to refined sweeteners.
- Date sugar
How do you make date sugar? It’s pretty simple! Pitted dates are dried and ground up into a powder, and viola! Dates contain some fiber, so date sugar is a bit grittier and might not dissolve completely into beverages and baked goods.
- Date syrup
Date syrup is made by chopping and boiling pitted dates, straining the mixture, and then reducing (boiling until the excess moisture is removed) it until syrup is formed.
Date syrup is a good honey alternative for vegan Paleo dieters since vegans don’t consume honey.
- Honey
Speaking of honey – this unrefined sweetener is loaded with antimicrobial properties and is one of the most popular natural and unrefined sweeteners on the market. Who doesn’t love some honey in a cup of hot tea?
- Lucuma powder
This interesting sweetener is made by drying and milling lucuma fruit, which is native to areas of South America. It is low in sugars compared to other sweeteners on this list and is described as having a “maple-like” flavor.
- Maple sugar
You’ve probably heard of maple syrup (we’ll get to that one next), but what about maple sugar? Maple sugar is made from maple syrup by boiling it until it crystallizes. The texture is similar to granulated (table) sugar, so if you love the taste of maple syrup but prefer granules, then maple sugar is the way to go!
- Maple syrup
Did you know that it takes 40 gallons of sap from maple trees to make one gallon of syrup?! This amount changes based on the amount of sugar in the sap, so some types of maple trees require even more than 40 gallons to make a gallon of syrup!
Fun facts aside, maple syrup is not only popular for topping pancakes (paleo-approved ingredients only, of course) but it can be used in coffee drinks like maple lattes and baked goods.
- Monk fruit sweetener
Unlike the sweeteners on this list so far, monk fruit sweetener contains zero calories and doesn’t contain sugar (remember that artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols aren’t allowed on a Paleo diet).
- Steviol glycosides (Stevia)
Stevia is one of the most popular natural low-calorie sweeteners and is okay for Paleo since it comes from a natural source – the stevia plant. It’s also keto-friendly, in case you’re following both diets.
Nutritional comparison of Paleo sweeteners
| Sweetener | Calories | Total carbs | Sugars |
| Coconut sugar (2.5 tsp.) | 40 | 9 g | 8 g |
| Date sugar (2 tsp.) | 22 | 5 g | 4 g |
| Date syrup (2 tbsp.) | 120 | 29 g | 26 g |
| Honey (1 tbsp.) | 60 | 17 g | 17 g |
| Lucuma powder (1 tbsp.) | 60 | 13 g | 2 g |
| Maple sugar (2 tsp.) | 30 | 8 g | 7 g |
| Maple syrup (2 tbsp.) | 110 | 26 g | 26 g |
| Monk fruit sweetener (1 tsp.) | 0 | 0 g | 0 g |
| Stevia (1 packet/1 g) | 0 | 1 g | 0 g |
FAQs:
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, which isn’t generally allowed on paleo. Some people might consider erythritol paleo-friendly, but consumption of sugar alcohols is generally avoided on paleo because it wasn’t available in pure sweetener form in the Paleolithic era (it occurs naturally in small amounts in certain fruits).
Monk fruit sweetener is both paleo- and keto-friendly.
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