Best Overall Award: Walmart's SPLENDA Naturals Stevia Sweetener
"Contains no artificial ingredients, colors, or flavors, and is also non-GMO."
Best Tasting: Amazon's Truvia Natural Sweetener Spoon Jar
"Zero calories per serving, gluten-free, and a safe choice for diabetics."
Best for Baking: Walmart's Truvia Baking Blend
"Made by blending Truvia's regular stevia sweetener with a small amount of regular sugar, providing you with an excellent alternative."
Best for Diabetics: Amazon's Sweet as Sugar
"You can eat or drink it, and even those most intolerant to sugar can rest assured it's safe."
Best Keto Product: Amazon's HaleFresh Erythritol Sweetener
"A great choice for those with digestive issues."
Best Natural Food: Walmart's Original Zero-Calorie Stevia
"Has the same sweetness as processed white sugar, with no calories."
Best Budget: Walmart's Aspartame Sweetener
"Each packet is equivalent to two teaspoons of sugar."
Best Overall Rating: SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener
If this is your first time trying to sweeten, we recommend purchasing this natural stevia sweetener from Splenda. You may already be familiar with Splenda, but this version goes beyond its typical yellow packet sweetener. Their natural sweetener contains no artificial ingredients, colors, or flavors, and is also non-GMO.
Nearly 2,000 five-star reviewers on Walmart.com love this formula made with all-natural ingredients, and it doesn't leave any strange aftertaste like traditional Splenda formulas and other stevia sweeteners. Most stevia sweeteners are made from a part of the stevia plant called Reb A, which can leave you with a bit of a bitter aftertaste, but Splenda's formula is unparalleled in its smooth sweetness due to the inclusion of Reb D, another part of the stevia plant. Splenda Naturals comes with 80 packets per box, making it a low-cost way to provide alternatives for your family.
Best Tasting: Truvia® Natural Sweetener 9.8 oz. Spoon Jar
One of the most important things to consider when purchasing sugar substitutes is the taste. You don't want to buy a whole box of something that will leave you with a strange taste or alter the flavor of your everyday foods and drinks. Finding this isn't very difficult. Truvia is made with zero-calorie heat per serving, is gluten-free, and is a safe choice for diabetics.
We love that this Truvia sweetener comes in an easy-to-use spoon jar, so you don't have to fuss with opening and pouring packets every time you use it.
Best for Baking: Truvia® Baking Blend
When you reduce sugar from your diet, the hardest part is giving up your favorite baked goods. You don't have to quit your favorite desserts cold turkey; you just need to swap out regular processed white cane sugar for this Truvia Baking Blend sweetener.
This baking blend is actually made by combining Truvia's regular stevia sweetener with a small amount of regular sugar, providing you with an excellent alternative that has 75% fewer calories than white cane sugar. This sweetener is great for baking because it keeps the flavor, taste, and texture of baked goods unchanged (not all sugar substitutes do this) while reducing the amount of artificial sugar.
This baking blend is also gluten-free, so you can enjoy baked goods that are celiac-friendly. This 1.5-pound bag is perfect for those who want to bake without using white sugar.
Best for Diabetics: Sweet as Sugar
When you have diabetes, it's important to be confident in the foods you choose, as you don't want to eat something that will completely spike your blood sugar. To meet your daily sweetening needs, we recommend purchasing this stevia-based sweetener from Good Good.
This 100% natural sweetener does not affect blood sugar levels, so you can eat or drink it, and even those most intolerant to sugar can rest assured it's safe. The formula is also vegan and non-GMO, so you can be sure it is not made from any strange animal byproducts or genetically modified ingredients.
Best for Keto: HaleFresh Erythritol Sweetener Natural Sugar Substitute
When you are on a Keto diet, you know the limitations of choices can be incredible, especially regarding carbohydrates. Since sugar is a carbohydrate, choosing a sweetener can be very difficult. In those times when you really need to satisfy that sweet tooth, we recommend using HaleFresh erythritol. If you've never heard of erythritol, it's a sugar alcohol that is about 70% as sweet as sugar. According to HaleFresh, erythritol is all-natural and occurs naturally in fruits like pears, watermelons, and grapes. It can even be used as a 1:1 substitute for regular white sugar in baking and cooking.
Due to its high digestive tolerance, HaleFresh is an ideal choice for those with digestive issues. Each batch of HaleFresh erythritol is non-GMO, gluten-free, and kosher certified, making it perfect for those with dietary restrictions. Plus, with zero calories per serving, you don't have to feel guilty about getting that desired sweetness.
Best Natural Food: Original Zero-Calorie Sweetener from Stevia
If you want to swap your daily sugar intake for something much less processed, we recommend purchasing this zero-calorie sweetener from In The Raw. The natural stevia sweetener comes from the stevia plant, which has a history of over 400 years. It has the same sweetness as processed white sugar, with no calories, and can be used for all the same purposes.
Reviewers love that this sugar substitute has no weird taste, so they can use it just like regular sugar without worrying about bad flavor. The stevia in the raw is made from 100% natural stevia, so you can be sure it contains no irritating chemicals or fillers.
Best Budget: Aspartame Small Pack Value Sweetener
We know that eating healthy can seem like a huge extra expense, but it doesn't have to be, especially when you make small and effective swaps. If you're on a budget, we recommend using this zero-calorie sweetener from Great Value. It's made with aspartame (think Sweet'N Low) but costs only a small fraction of it.
In addition to mixing into hot and cold drinks, Great Value also suggests sprinkling this zero-calorie sweetener on a variety of foods, from cereals to fresh fruits. Each packet is equivalent to two teaspoons of sugar, making it easy to convert into baking recipes.