6 Best Sugar Substitutes When You're Out of the Sweet Stuff

Top of mind in considering sugar substitutes may be a conscious decision to cut back on refined sugars, but it's important to remember that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Even alternative sweeteners should be used in moderation, as though there may be trace amounts of nutrients—compared to refined sugars, which have zero nutritional value—or other health benefits, you would need to consume a significant amount for it to make any difference, thus obliterating any so-called nutritional benefits.

Now that we've addressed the health-conscious elephant in the room, onto the sweet stuff! From various pie fillings to Ree Drummond's homemade lemonade, it's a cinch to use any of these sugar substitutes below as a sweetener, but when baking with plans to swap in a sub, it's always worth a deeper dive. Granulated sugar is used in batters or doughs to provide both moisture and aeration while also impacting the final shape and color of baked goods, meaning that a suitable substitute will need to cover all the bases that a recipe requires.

 (This is true of brown sugar substitutes, too.) When swapping in liquid sweeteners (like corn syrup substitutes and honey) in baking recipes, plan on reducing any added liquid in the recipe by about 1 tablespoon for each 1/4 cup of sweetener used; if the recipe does not call for an added liquid, increase the flour by about 1 tablespoon for every 1/4 cup of sweetener used. Ahead, try the best sugar substitutes for when you want to sweeten things up with something new! (Thepioneerwoman)