Sugar, Stevia & Sugar Substitutes

Sweeteners are essential ingredients for baking, cooking, and creating delicious treats. This category offers a variety of options, from classic sugar to natural alternatives, to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Attributes

• Sweetness: All sugar substitutes provide a level of sweetness.
• Form:

- Sugar: Granulated (most common), powdered (fine and dissolves easily), coarse (larger crystals)

- Stevia: Powder, liquid, drops, packets, blends (mixed with other sweeteners)

- Sugar substitutes: Powder, liquid, granulated (varies depending on the type)

• Color:

- Sugar: White, brown (various shades)

- Stevia: White (powder and liquid), clear (drops)

- Sugar substitutes: White (most common), but some may vary (molasses is dark brown)

• Other: Dissolvable, organic, natural, pure, refined (sugar), unrefined (raw sugar), free-flowing (sugar)

Types

• Sugar:

- Refined sugars: White sugar (granulated, powdered), brown sugar (light, dark), caster sugar (superfine for baking)

- Less-refined sugars: Turbinado sugar (golden crystals), Demerara sugar (large golden crystals), Muscovado sugar (molasses-rich and dark brown)

- Specialty sugars: Icing sugar (powdered sugar with cornstarch to prevent caking), sanding sugar (coarse crystals for decorating), rock sugar (large crystals for candy making), pearl sugar (small round crystals for baking)

• Stevia: A natural, no-calorie sweetener derived from the stevia plant.
• Sugar Substitutes: A wide range of alternative sweeteners offering varying levels of sweetness and calories. Some popular options include:

- Natural: Monk fruit sweetener, erythritol, xylitol

- Artificial: Sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame potassium

- Other options: Sugar alcohols (sorbitol, maltitol), agave nectar, maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, date sugar, molasses, yacon syrup, sucanat

Flavors

• Natural sweetness: The inherent sweetness of sugar, stevia, and some sugar substitutes (monk fruit, erythritol)
• Flavored varieties: Some sugar substitutes come in flavors like vanilla, caramel, maple, honey, molasses
• Other flavor profiles: Brown sugar and some sugar substitutes may have notes of caramel, molasses, or chocolate

Related Terms

• Function: Sweetener, sugar replacement, sugar alternative
• Uses: Baking, cooking, desserts, beverages (tea, coffee, smoothies)
• Applications: Syrup, glaze, frosting, sprinkling, mixing, dissolving, measuring
• Other: Recipe, pantry staple, bulk quantities, single-serve packets, portion control