How To Sweeten Desserts Using *Only* Stevia #AskWardee 106

Stevia: the sweet-tasting herb with zero calories and no sugar!

It sounds like an ideal choice for baking no-sugar desserts, right?

Well, the answer is yes… and no.

Yes, because stevia is a great choice for many desserts.

It’s also no because it can be tricky.

You see, stevia is super concentrated. A little goes a loooonnnnngggggg way. If you get it wrong, you end up with a dessert that’s either not tasty OR has an awful aftertaste. Yuck either way.

Yet… if you get it right … ding! ding! ding! You have a winner!

This is exciting not only for the yum factor, but because you just made another healthy step toward consuming less sugar.

How do you get it right, though? On today’s #AskWardee, I’m sharing 4 tips for how to sweeten desserts using *only* stevia… so they’ll still taste and turn out great!

Read, listen, or watch below!

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Q: How Do I Sweeten Desserts Using Stevia Only?

Christy S. asked:

My main question about THM [Trim Healthy Mama] is regarding baking. What do I need for sweeteners? Can I do almost everything with just stevia? Or do I need something else?

Why Stevia?

First, stevia is my sweetener of choice for nearly all sweetened foods — cold drinks, hot drinks, smoothies, desserts, sauces, and more. Stevia is an super sweet tasting herb that’s not actually sugar (zero calories). It’s super concentrated — 30 to 200 times as sweet as sugar depending on its form — and a little goes a long way!

A lot of Trim Healthy Mama recipes call for a blend of erythritol — a sugar alcohol that’s considered a sugar-free alternative — and stevia together. We do use that blend in moderation on occasion for special treats. However, for daily use, it’s all stevia in our household! Here’s #AskWardee 080 where I answer: Are Erythritol & Xylitol Healthy?

My favorite brand of stevia is Sweet Leaf* brand: the tablets, liquid, and powder. These are 100% pure products with no aftertaste and processed gently with water.

*The tablets have some cellulose (plant fiber). And some of their products do have other ingredients so be sure to check the labels. We recommend these: for powder, the Organic Stevia Leaf Extract and for liquid, the Sweet Drops. Any of their products that use the word “Sweetener” in the label contain other things beyond pure stevia extract. Like inulin, which for me, causes stomach upset.

I also have a tutorial for making your own stevia extract using the whole herb, if that’s what you prefer.

But, baking with stevia is not simply a matter of subbing it.

First, it’s way too concentrated for that. And second, because you’re using waaayyyyy less of it than any other sugar, it can’t provide bulk in your recipes like sugar can.

So… follow these 4 tips to be successful in sweetening desserts with only stevia!

#1 — DON’T Use Stevia Exclusively In Recipes That Need Whole Sweetener For Bulk

Certain recipes require the bulk of whole sweeteners to create the right texture or end result.

Think of boiling sugar-water for a candy or caramel. You can’t do that with stevia, so it won’t work in those kind of recipes.

#2 — DO Use Stevia In Recipes Where All That’s Needed Is A Sweet Taste

Beverages, smoothies, sauces, cheesecakes, pies, cookies, no-bakes… swap the stevia for sugar and you’re good more often than not. Because in these kinds of recipes, the sweetener is only about taste so you can use stevia instead.

(Though keep in mind the substitution ratio I’ll share below.)

#3 — Start With Less, Then Add More

Stevia is a very concentrated, sweet-tasting herb. A little goes a long way, and if you use too much, you can end up with a super sweet or even bitter aftertaste.

Don’t believe me? Listen to this: the equivalent of 1 cup of sugar is a rounded 1/4 teaspoon of stevia powder*. Yes, 1/4 teaspoon. That’s how concentrated the sweet taste is.

(*The whole green leaf stevia is not as concentrated as this, though.)

Even a drop of liquid stevia can tip a beverage that’s perfectly balanced over the edge to too sweet.

So follow these general guidelines when subbing stevia for sugar*.

• 1 cup sugar = rounded 1/4 teaspoon stevia powder or 2 teaspoons liquid stevia
• 1/2 cup sugar = rounded 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder or 1 teaspoon liquid stevia
• 1 tablespoon sugar = 15 drops liquid stevia
• 1 teaspoon sugar = 5 drops liquid stevia

*What about other sweeteners? Sugar here could mean evaporated cane juice, Rapadura, coconut sugar, maple syrup, etc… They all have slight differences in potency, but generally these guidelines will get you started. Honey, however, is an exception. It’s definitely sweeter than sugar; 3/4 cup honey is about the same as 1 cup sugar.

If you’re subbing stevia for a liquid sweetener, also keep in mind that you have to replace the missing liquid. In some recipes, this won’t matter. In others, you’ll need to add some water or juice to get the right consistency.

#4 — Use Tried & True Recipes

If you’re just getting the hang of baking with stevia, start with tried and true recipes like these 17 Stevia-Sweetened Desserts.

I’m suggesting this for two reasons. First, you’re more likely to be successful since stevia is such a different ingredient from all the other sugars. And second, because you’ll learn a lot about how it works and how things turn out just from trying out a few recipes!

What’s This About Trim Healthy Mama?

I followed Trim Healthy Mama, combined with Traditional Foods to lose more than 30 pounds in a year (and I’m keeping it off to this day).

If you’d like a free 1-week menu plan that I put together that’s a lot like the foods I ate (and still eat), click here to sign up.

If you’d like to know more about Trim Healthy Mama with Traditional Foods (how I do it), check out these posts:

• How I Lost More Than 30 Pounds In 1 Year
• A Baker’s Dozen Of Tips For Doing Trim Healthy Mama With Traditional Foods
• If I Were Starting Trim Healthy Mama With Traditional Foods All Over Again…
• 19 Foods You Need To Start Trim Healthy Mama {the Traditional Food Way}

Helpful Links

• FREE 1-Week Trim Healthy Mama “Purist” Traditional Food Menu Plan
• How I Lost More Than 30 Pounds In 1 Year
• A Baker’s Dozen Of Tips For Doing Trim Healthy Mama With Traditional Foods
• If I Were Starting Trim Healthy Mama With Traditional Foods All Over Again…
• 19 Foods You Need To Start Trim Healthy Mama {the Traditional Food Way}
• Trim Healthy Mama books — original cookbook/planbook, 2nd cookbook + 2nd plan book, 3rd cookbook/planbook (I recommend all 4 but if you can only get one, get the 3rd cookbook/planbook called Trim Healthy Table!)
• 17 Stevia-Sweetened Desserts
• DIY Whole Herb Stevia Extract
• Where to buy stevia — Sweet Leaf pure stevia: tablets, liquid, and powder; or Trim Healthy Mama’s 100% Pure Stevia Extract Powder

Do you sweeten desserts using only stevia? Share your best tips in the comments and/or your tried and true recipes!