Sugar, in the broad sense, undoubtedly makes food sweet and delicious – but it’s also undoubtedly a troublesome ingredient for many. And refined sugar is specifically something that’s consistently frowned upon, within different diets and lifestyles, for different reasons.
For vegans, there tend to be concerns about white sugar due to the way it’s processed – because often, at least in the case of refined cane sugar, animal bone char is used to bleach the crystals and give them their white color.
For those on the keto diet, sugar is extremely limited because it’s a carbohydrate, which threatens the body’s ketogenic state. And for paleo dieters, sugar is considered a problematic ingredient, found in many processed goods, which is to be avoided.
But the good news is that, no matter where you may fall, there are plenty of sugar alternatives available today that make for diet-friendly sweeteners – whether they’re considered natural sugars, artificial sweeteners, alcohol sugars, or something else.
So which sweeteners are friendly choices for vegan, keto, and paleo diets? Let’s sift through all the options.
Popular sweeteners and the diets they fit into
Agave Nectar: Vegan-friendly
Agave nectar is extracted from the sap of the agave plant, a desert succulent. As a natural plant-based sweetener, agave nectar is vegan-friendly.
Allulose: Vegan-friendly, Keto-friendly
Allulose is a naturally occurring sugar that’s found in certain foods like wheat, figs, raisins, maple syrup, and molasses. Allulose is a good vegan-friendly and keto-friendly sweetener, but only specific derivatives are considered paleo-friendly so it’s usually best avoided on a paleo diet.
Beet Sugar: Vegan-friendly
Beet sugar comes from the sugar beet plant, which is the other main source of refined sugar aside from sugarcane. However, the process of refining beet sugar does not require the use of bone char or animal products, so it’s considered a vegan option.
Brown Rice Syrup: Vegan-friendly
Brown rice syrup is a vegan-friendly sweetener that’s made by producing a sugary syrup out of fermented brown rice.
Coconut Sugar: Vegan-friendly, Paleo-friendly
Coconut sugar is made from the blossoming buds of the coconut palm flower, and comes in a crystalized form more similar to refined sugar. Since coconut is a fruit, this sweetener is considered a natural sugar and is both vegan-friendly and paleo-friendly.
Corn Syrup: Vegan-friendly
Similar to brown rice syrup in that it’s made up almost entirely of glucose, corn syrup is a common sweetener that you’ll find on many ingredient lists; it’s derived from corn starch and is vegan-friendly.
Date Syrup: Vegan-friendly, Paleo-friendly
Date syrup, similar to maple syrup, is another minimally processed natural sweetener that’s made by boiling dried dates. This fruit-derived syrup is both vegan-friendly and paleo-friendly.
Erythritol: Vegan-friendly, Keto-friendly
Erythritol falls under the somewhat newer sugar alcohol category; it’s a naturally-occurring compound that’s made from fermented corn or corn starch. It’s considered both vegan-friendly and keto-friendly.
Maple Syrup: Vegan-friendly, Paleo-friendly
Maple syrup is a natural sugar that’s collected from the sap of sugar maple trees, making it a vegan-friendly option as well as a paleo-friendly option.
Molasses: Vegan-friendly, Paleo-friendly
Molasses is vegan-friendly as well. It’s the concentrated syrup that results from the process of making cane sugar or beet sugar – before any animal products or problematic ingredients are introduced. It’s also considered paleo-friendly by most because it’s technically a natural byproduct that isn’t processed.
Monk Fruit: Vegan-friendly, Keto-friendly, Paleo-friendly
Monk fruit is derived from the monk fruit plant, native to China. It’s a no-calorie, no-carb natural sweetener that’s a friendly choice for all three diets. It can come as a granulated sugar substitute or monk fruit extract, which is used in liquid drops.
Raw Cane Sugar: Vegan-friendly
Raw cane sugar, of which there are several variations like turbinado sugar and demerara sugar, is a slightly less processed version of cane sugar which isn’t refined or bleached, so it doesn’t require the use of bone char. This sweetener is vegan-friendly.
Raw Honey: Paleo-friendly
Honey is the natural sweetener everyone knows well, which starts as flower nectar and is created by the work of honey bees. Raw honey, aka honey that’s unrefined and unprocessed, is one of the best paleo-friendly options.
Saccharin: Vegan-friendly, Keto-friendly
Saccharin is the first synthetic or artificial sweetener to be introduced, which you may recognize in products like Sweet’n Low. It’s considered a vegan-friendly, keto-friendly sugar substitute that’s very low in calories and carbs.
Stevia: Vegan-friendly, Keto-Friendly, Paleo-friendly
Stevia is another great option for all three lifestyles (as long as it’s not refined stevia, which is usually blended with sugar), because it’s a plant-based sweetener that contains virtually no calories or carbs. It can come in either liquid form or more of a powdered, granulated texture.
Sucralose: Vegan-friendly, Keto-friendly
Sucralose is another artificial sweetener; this one you probably know best as Splenda. It’s essentially made by modifying the molecule found in white sugar (sucrose). Sucralose is considered both vegan-friendly and keto-friendly.
Xylitol: Vegan-friendly, Keto-friendly
Xylitol is another plant-derived sugar alcohol that’s extracted from corn cobs or birch trees and is often found in gum products. Similar to erythritol, it’s also considered an acceptable sugar substitute for vegan and keto lifestyles.
Yacón Syrup: Vegan-friendly, Keto-friendly, Paleo-friendly
Yacón is a tuber root plant that’s native to Peru; the syrup extracted from the root is high in fiber, offering a plant-based sweetener option that’s vegan-friendly, keto-friendly, and paleo-friendly.
Recap
That’s a lot of sugars and sweeteners to keep track of – but that means your choices are aplenty! In the end, it comes down to what you’re seeking in terms of nutritional value, taste, or usage. But if you follow a vegan, keto, or paleo diet, you’ve got options for sweeteners outside of refined sugar that fit within the guidelines of your specific lifestyle.
Here’s a recap of all sweeteners that are vegan-friendly, keto-friendly, and paleo-friendly.
| Vegan-Friendly Sweeteners | Keto-Friendly Sweeteners | Paleo-Friendly Sweeteners |
| Agave Nectar Allulose Beet Sugar Brown Rice Syrup Coconut Sugar Corn Syrup Date Syrup Erythritol Maple Syrup Molasses Monk Fruit Raw Cane Sugar Saccharin Stevia Sucralose Xylitol Yacón Syrup | Allulose Erythritol Monk Fruit Saccharin Stevia Sucralose Xylitol Yacón Syrup | Coconut Sugar Date Syrup Maple Syrup Molasses Monk Fruit Raw Honey Stevia Yacón Syrup |
Some of the most popular sweetener choices for those on a keto diet are monk fruit, stevia, and erythritol, as all three sugar substitutes contain little to no carbohydrates. However, there are several other low-carb or no-carb sweeteners that don’t break ketosis, including sucralose (or Splenda), xylitol, and yacón syrup.
For a vegan or plant-based diet, natural and plant-derived sweeteners such as maple syrup, date syrup, raw cane sugar, coconut sugar, and agave nectar, and stevia all make for friendly sugar substitutes.
Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols are widely not considered paleo-friendly, because they are considered processed or added sugar. However, natural sweeteners like honey, stevia, and maple syrup are generally allowed on the paleo diet.
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