Is a sweet life without sugar possible? People who have made the switch to stevia certainly believe that it is!
A calorie-free, carb-free option that’s up to 150 times sweeter than sugar, stevia has become a staple on kitchen tables and chef counters everywhere.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that stevia is a brand name. While many “alternative sweeteners” of the past were identified by brand names, this isn’t the case with stevia. Stevia is actually the name of the plant that is used to make stevia sweeteners.
Many different brands offer stevia sweetener products.
If you’re wondering how to find the best one, continue reading and take a look at the sweet truth behind this plant-based sugar alternative.
Our recommendations for Best Stevia Sweeteners:
- Best Organic Stevia Sweetener: Micro Ingredients Pure Stevia Powder
- Best Liquid Stevia Sweetener: NatriSweet Stevia Liquid Drops
- Convenient Single-Serving Stevia: Stevia in The Raw Sweetener Packets
- Best Stevia Leaves: Dried Green Stevia by Whole Organic Leaves
- Best Flavored Stevia: NOW Foods Better Stevia Cinnamon Vanilla
- Best Stevia With Inulin: NOW Foods Stevia Balance
A Look Behind the Leaf: Why Stevia Sweeteners Are Popular
Why are so many people making the swap from sugar to options like agave syrup and stevia? Health is the main reason.
More and more people have made the decision to cut out sugar in recent years in response to worries over health issues like obesity and diabetes. Stevia helps people keep sweetness in their lives without some of the dietary worries that go along with sugar.
What Is Stevia?
Stevia is a sweetener that comes from a leaf. While it’s considered a newer sensation in North America, the fact of the matter is that people in many countries have been using stevia to sweeten teas for centuries. The stevia plant is native to South America.
Advantages of Stevia:
- Stevia is essentially a calorie-free food.
- Due to the fact that it won’t raise blood sugar, stevia is considered a good sugar alternative for people with diabetes.
- Free of carbs, stevia is considered compatible with a ketogenic (keto) diet.
- According to a 2021 scientific review exploring the use of stevia as a nutraceutical, it provides beneficial effects against various diseases. Stevia contains sterols and antioxidants that may offer health protection by way of their anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
- The purified form of stevia that is sold by mainstream retailers has FDA approval. Stevia does not pose any health risks when consumed in moderation.
- You can use stevia for sweetening your coffee or tea while fasting.
Types of Stevia Sweeteners
The “online aisles” are full of different stevia blends!
You don’t have to have experience with measuring cups or droppers to get proper stevia dosages.
Here are the most common types of stevia products available on the market:
Pure Stevia Powder and Liquid Extract: These unadulterated stevia products are extracted from the non-bitter, sweet components of the stevia plant. During production, the sweet compounds of stevioside, rebaudioside A and rebaudioside D are extracted from the leaf to create sweetener products.
Stevia With Other Sugars: Many brands make sugar-substitute blends that combine xylitol, erythritol, dextrose, or fructose. These products are mostly used for sugar-free baking. While stevia is adequately sweet, it doesn’t necessarily have the bulk to create “convincing” baked goods. Many chefs find that stevia blends offer sugar-like results that taste more authentic and provide a taste that is comparable to sugar-sweetened baked goods.
Stevia Leaves: Some people prefer to use whole, dried stevia leaves as “taste adders” for sweet teas, lemonades, or sauces. Others will use them to make their own powders or syrups. Keep in mind that whole stevia leaves that you can purchase online may not have the full FDA approval that has been given to pure stevia extract products.
Flavored Stevia: Due to the popularity of stevia, many brands now sell flavored stevia drops that can be added to water. The wide range of stevia flavor drops available include berry, citrus, cola, pumpkin, English toffee, and caramel. These drops can also be used when making flavored coffees and desserts.
Finding your perfect stevia match all comes to deciding how you want to use stevia. Stevia products on the market today offer options for everything from squeezing some flavor drops into a water bottle to whipping up decadent sugar-free and carb-free keto desserts.
Next, take a look at the options to have on your radar when shopping for the best stevia sweetener for your tastes!
Reviews of the Best Stevia Sweetener Brands & Products
Whether you are looking for pure stevia powder, whole stevia leaves, or flavored stevia extract, you can find the best products below.
All stevia sweeteners reviewed in this guide are free of maltodextrin and other filler substances. Just choose one that best suits your taste and purpose!
Best Organic Stevia Sweetener: Micro Ingredients Pure Organic Stevia Powder
A top pick for keto living, this ultra-pure, vegan-friendly stevia powder is free from any GMO ingredients. This is also a great introductory product for anyone interested in learning how to flavor and bake using stevia for the first time.
- Amount: 8 oz
- Type: Pure Organic Stevia Powder
- Ingredients: Organic Stevia Powder
Product Highlights:
- Easy to scoop into shakes, smoothies, and more.
- A top pick for baking.
- Quick absorption.
- Gentle on the stomach.
With this 100% pure stevia powder, there’s no need to deal with complicated measurements or equations. The product can be used to easily follow recipes calling for pure stevia powders.
Simply scoop your measurement without the need to fuss with packets. The no-fuss, unadulterated nature of the product means that one teaspoon gives you as much sweetening power as a whole cup of sugar!
If you’re adding stevia to your diet because you’re interested in antioxidant and anti-cancer properties, this pure form offers a naturally higher concentration that provides quick absorption while still being gentle on the stomach.
Best Liquid Stevia Sweetener: NatriSweet Original Stevia Liquid Drops
Offering more than 1,800 drops per bottle, this natural, vegan-friendly stevia product is free from additives, fillers, and binders. While you’re getting a high concentration of sweetness, the flavor that you’re tasting is a completely natural flavor that does not contain any artificial sweetness.
- Amount: 8 oz
- Type: Liquid Stevia Sweetener
- Ingredients: Water, Stevia Extract, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Citric Acid (Preservative)
Product Highlights:
- Ample amount — 1,800 drops in total!
- Just 4 drops are needed per cup of liquid for full flavor.
- Strong flavor and concentration with zero aftertaste.
- The easiest, neatest option for flavoring foods and beverages with stevia.
- Made in the USA.
The convenient dropper bottle makes NatriSweet’s stevia drops ideal for self-sweetening your beverages on the go. You can easily tuck it into a purse or bag to ensure that you’re never stuck searching for hard-to-find stevia products at coffee shops and restaurants.
At home, these high-concentration drops offer the perfect way to add pops of sweetness to recipes for cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and frosting.
For those looking for the easiest way to enjoy stevia, this is a hassle-free way to get your stevia without dealing with scoops, powder spills, or storage.
Convenient Single-Serving Stevia: Stevia in The Raw Sweetener Packets
What if you want to enjoy the convenience of classic sugar packets when you’re hosting company?
These single-serving stevia packets make the sweet life the easy life by giving you perfectly portioned packets that you can dump into coffee, tea, or other beverages.
- Amount: 600 Packets (1 gram each)
- Type: Stevia Sweetener in Single-Serving Packets
- Ingredients: Dextrose, Stevia Leaf Extract
Product Highlights:
- Single-serving sweetness without any thought.
- One packet delivers the sweetness of two tablespoons of sugar.
- Great for coffee vendors looking to offer sugar alternatives in a cost-effective way.
You’ll love the fact that you can preserve freshness by avoiding the need to open a big container of sweetener that will be left in your cupboard.
The small packages are convenient in the house and great for traveling. Use them to sweeten your morning coffee at home or pack some sweetness on the go.
This option also allows you to avoid unnecessary spills or leaks inside your cupboard.
Best Stevia Leaves: Dried Green Stevia Leaf by Whole Organic Leaves
These organic, non-GMO stevia leaves offer the raw, real deal. While they are completely natural and unaltered, they have been cleaned and inspected to ensure that you don’t end up with debris like stems, rocks, and bugs in your batch.
- Amount: 2 oz
- Type: Whole Stevia Leaves
- Ingredients: Whole Dried Stevia Leaves
Product Highlights:
- Full, whole stevia leaves in their natural form.
- Handpicked.
- Imported from South America.
- Quality controlled to remove rocks, stems, and bugs.
Expect a rich, healthy color when you open the bag. This lets you know that these are handpicked leaves.
While some people simply add these whole leaves to teas and beverages for garnishment with a pinch of flavor, others go the whole-leaf route because they are going to do their own processing using natural means.
These leaves can be used to make everything from powders to syrups when you use methods like boiling or grinding. Or why not try adding a few leaves to your glass jar while making sun tea!
Don’t be put off if you don’t experience a sweet smell when you open the bag. While the flavor of these leaves is sweet, you’ll actually notice an odor that is similar to black tea when you catch a whiff. This is perfectly normal.
However, keep in mind that odors can vary from batch to batch due to the fact that these leaves are not processed in any way.
Best Flavored Stevia Sweetener: NOW Foods Better Stevia Cinnamon Vanilla Flavor
This flavored stevia product adds instant taste to beverages and foods using certified-organic stevia leaf extract combined with natural cinnamon-vanilla flavor. It’s a great option for someone trying to get away from using sugars or flavored creamers in their morning coffee.
- Amount: 2 oz
- Type: Flavored Liquid Stevia Sweetener
- Ingredients: Vegetable Glycerin, Natural Cinnamon Vanilla Flavor (in an Alcohol Base), Organic Stevia Leaf Extract
Product Highlights:
- Satisfying cinnamon-vanilla flavor.
- Easy-to-store bottle.
- Great way to flavor coffee and tea with zero calories.
- Made with certified organic stevia extract.
While this product does contain more ingredients than pure stevia products, the ingredient list on this zero-calorie sweetener is relatively clean and short.
Consider it a top pick if you’re trying to wean yourself off of sugar without necessarily feeling deprived.
Best Stevia With Inulin: NOW Foods Stevia Balance with Inulin and Chromium
This health-boosting sweetener option mixes your daily natural sweetener with prebiotic and trace mineral synergy to support a healthier body, brain, and gut.
- Amount: 3.9 oz (100 Packets)
- Type: Stevia Sweetener in Single-Serving Packets
- Ingredients: Organic Stevia Leaf Extract, Chromium (from Chromium Chelavite), Inulin (from Ci´hicory Root), Silica
Product Highlights:
- Easy-to-use packets are great for single servings.
- Contains a prebiotic called inulin for better gut health.
- Contains a trace mineral called chromium that aids with insulin control and macronutrient absorption.
- Contains certified organic stevia extract.
- Sweet with no aftertaste.
What makes this product stand out among stevia options is that it contains inulin and chromium.
A dietary fiber, inulin is linked with improved digestive health, diabetes control, and weight loss. Chromium is an essential trace mineral known to aid insulin action in the body. It is thought to help the body metabolize macronutrients from protein, fats, and carbohydrates to provide fuel to the brain and muscles.
Each convenient tear-and-pour packet contains 90 milligrams of stevia leaf extract.
Best Stevia With Xylitol: Stevita Stevia With Xylitol Supreme
These sweetener packets offer a carb-free way to sweeten up coffee, tea, and other beverages on the go. The best thing is that xylitol is totally teeth-friendly and is proven to reduce plaque buildup and tooth decay.
- Amount: 7.2 oz (200 Packets)
- Type: Stevia Sweetener in Single-Serving Packets
- Ingredients: Xylitol, USDA Certified Organic Stevia
Product Highlights:
- Contains xylitol that boosts dental health.
- Comes in convenient, measured packets.
- Fine crystals with a nice “weight” to them.
- Produced by a small cooperative of family farmers using sustainable methods.
- Made with USDA-certified organic stevia extract.
- Keto, kosher, paleo, gluten-free and non-GMO.
This combination of stevia and xylitol offers a fine powder that has a good weight to it. In addition to being stirred into drinks, you can sprinkle it over sauces and salads that need some sweetness to balance other flavors.
These packets offer a very economical way to enjoy stevia because there’s never any waste. They are small enough to simply throw in your bag or purse to ensure that you’re never stuck with options you can’t use at restaurants and coffee shops.
Your sweetener also stays fresh because you’re opening each packet just before use instead of having to fuss around with storing a larger container.
Best Stevia Brands – Final Thoughts
If you have relied on sugar for sweetening and baking your whole life, now might be the right time for a healthier alternative like stevia, raw organic honey, or blackstrap molasses.
Stevia allows you to enjoy sweetness without consuming calories or using artificial sweeteners. It’s a plant-based sweetener that’s packed full of granules of promise for healthier eating!
