How to bake with sugar substitutes
May 10, 2021
Whether you want to make low-calorie recipes to support weight loss, follow a low-carb keto diet, or need to consume less sugar to help control blood sugar levels, you may want to know which sugar substitute is best for your baking needs.
Traditional sugar plays several important roles in baking. In addition to adding flavor and sweetness, sugar can also turn baked goods into golden yellow, increase volume to help cakes and breads expand, and retain moisture, so that you can finally get moist and soft crumbs.
Unfortunately, the amount of sugar used in baked goods increases empty calories. Adding sugar can raise blood sugar levels and is associated with obesity, diabetes and heart disease. This is why the American Dietary Guidelines recommend that everyone limit the intake of added sugars.1 In addition, due to concerns about added sugar intake, the nutrition label has recently been revised to indicate how much sugar is added to a particular food.
good news! There are many sugar-free sweeteners to choose from. They can make delicious foods that provide similar effects to regular sugar without all the extra calories and carbohydrates.In fact, Splenda offers several low-calorie and zero-calorie sugar substitutes that are baked and taste like sugar, including Splenda Original Sweetener, Splenda Stevia Sweetener, Splenda Monk Fruit Sweetener, with Splenda Allulose.
What are sugar substitutes?
Sugar substitutes can be divided into two categories: artificial and natural.
Artificial sweeteners have the sweetness of sugar and do not contain any calories. These are good choices for sweetened beverages such as coffee or tea, but only some can be used for baking, such as Splenda Original Sweetener.
Natural sweeteners can be found in nature. They include maple syrup, honey, agave, brown rice syrup and coconut sugar. Although these sweeteners may look healthier and are often used by health-conscious bakers, they contain as many sugars and calories as traditional sugars, and their performance in the body is basically the same as sugar.
However, stevia, Luo Han Guo extract and allulose are also natural sugar substitutes, but their calories are low enough to be basically negligible. They do not affect blood sugar like other natural sweeteners and are ideal for roasted and sweetened beverages such as coffee and tea. These are perfect for diabetics or anyone who follows a low-carb or keto diet but still wants to enjoy desserts and other sweets.
Here are some tips to help you use these sugar substitutes to bake healthier sugar-free recipes.
Bake with stevia
Stevia, made from the stevia plant, contains no calories or carbohydrates, so it is a ketone-friendly sugar substitute. It can exist in powder or liquid form.
The exact taste of stevia depends on the type of extract. Splenda Stevia Sweetener It is made from an extract called Reb D (Rebaudioside D), which is derived from the sweetest part of stevia leaves without the bitter aftertaste of stevia products made with Reb A extract.
The taste of stevia is also slightly different from sugar, so it is very suitable for recipes containing fruit, which provide flavor and act as a sweetener and filling ingredient.Try to use sugar instead Splenda Stevia Sweetener In fruity pies, banana bread and fruit crisps.
Stevia is suitable for baking delicious biscuits and cakes. Please note that it will not turn brown like sugar. For baked goods that require browning and caramelization like biscuits and muffins, you may want to try allulose because it browns and caramelizes like sugar.
Stevia is soluble in liquid, so you can add it to the wet ingredients like sugar.
Whether it’s baking a pie in the oven, heating a custard in the microwave, or preparing jam filling on the stove, it retains its sweetness when heated.
The most important thing to remember when baking with stevia is that it is not always a 1:1 sugar substitute. The recommended conversion of stevia depends on the stevia product you are using.
Splenda Stevia Sweetener Jar It is a mixture of stevia extract and the same sweet sugar alcohol erythritol. The recommended conversion rate for this product is ½ to 1. This means that its amount is half the amount of sugar required in the recipe. If the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, use a ½ cup Splenda Stevia sweetener jar.
Splenda Stevia Granule Sweetener It is a mixture of stevia extract and tapioca maltodextrin. This sweetener can be baked and measured cup by cup like sugar. The product can be replaced with sugar in equal amounts.
Looking for our delicious recipe for Splenda Stevia?Try these Salty Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Or this Tomato Chocolate Cupcakes.
Monk Fruit Baking
Monk fruit extract is another natural plant sweetener. It comes from the Luo Han Guo plant, which is native to Asia and produces melons and fruits.
Monk fruit extract contains zero calories or net carbohydrates, so it is also a good keto sweetener and does not make blood sugar spikes.
On its own, monk fruit extract is sweeter than white sugar, but lacks most of the traditional sugar.However, when it is combined with another bulking ingredient, such as erythritol Splenda Monk Fruit Sweetener, It can be used at a ratio of 1:1 like sugar. This makes it an excellent choice for natural sugar substitutes for baked goods.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that the body cannot fully digest, so it provides very few calories. It is a little sweeter than traditional sugar, helps to balance the sweetness of monk fruit, and is an ideal sugar substitute.
Both monk fruit extract and erythritol maintain their sweetness when cooked at high temperatures, so this mixture can be used in biscuits, cakes and bread recipes. This sweetener is also suitable for pudding, mousse, gelatin and frozen desserts.
The most important thing about baking with Luo Han Guo extract is that it needs to be completely dissolved to get the best results. Dissolved sweeteners help reduce the transient oral “cooling effect” caused by erythritol.
Simply dissolve Splenda Monk Fruit Sweetener Before adding dry ingredients, in any liquid or fat in the recipe. Heating the liquid in the recipe can help dissolve the sweetener.
Looking for delicious recipes Splenda Monk Fruit Sweetener? Try this Carrot cake Or these Ketose biscuits.
Bake with allulose
Unlike stevia and Luo Han Guo, allulose is not an extract, but a sugar naturally found in certain plant foods, such as figs, raisins, wheat, jackfruit and maple syrup. It is sometimes called “rare sugar” because it is very low in these foods.
The composition of allulose is very similar to that of traditional sugar, but it is formed in a way that our body cannot digest it. According to the FDA, allulose provides 0.4 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram of sugar.2
The taste of allulose is similar to white sugar, but the sweetness is slightly lower. It does not have any bitterness, aftertaste or “cooling effect” like other sweeteners. It also has many of the same baking qualities as ordinary sugar.
Best quality Splenda Allulose sweetener But it can be replaced with sugar at an equal ratio of 1:1, and it is the only ketone-friendly sugar substitute.
When exposed to high temperatures, allulose will caramelize and brown faster than white sugar, so some recipes may need to be modified slightly.
Some tips to help you prevent excessive browning are to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees, shorten the baking time by a few minutes, and cover your recipes with aluminum foil. Paying close attention to baked goods made with allulose will help prevent excessive browning.
Allulose locks in moisture and is perfect for baking chewy biscuits, cakes, muffins and quick breads with tender crumbs. Try replacing heavier fats such as butter and coconut oil with yogurt or milk to make lighter, softer cakes and muffins.
Allulose dissolves into a liquid and becomes sticky when heated, so it is an excellent choice for caramel, sticky candies, chocolate sauce, lemon curd, and jam fillings.
Looking for recipes containing Splenda Allulose sweetener?see this Very vanilla cake Or this Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.
take away
Baking with sugar substitutes may require some practice, but with the right ingredients and expertise, you can enjoy some very delicious ketones and baked goods suitable for diabetics.
If you are just starting to replace sugar in baked goods with sugar substitutes, try these Splenda recipe Designed to use your favorite sweeteners, so you can get used to how each sweetener behaves in different types of recipes.
Before you know it, you will replace these sugar substitutes with sugar in all your favorite recipes.
Explore all the sweet options!View our full range Pinata products.
Written by Sharon Lehman of RDN, Recipe developer and writer.
