Disclosure: Lakanto sent me their monkfruit sweeteners to try, free of charge, but all opinions are 100% my own. I may receive a small commission if you choose to choose to purchase any of their products through my link.
A couple weeks ago, I received the sweetest box ever in the mail; Lakanto had sent me three of their best-selling monkfruit sweeteners to try and experiment with!
I had never tried monkfruit before, and was excited to give it a taste. I read nothing but rave reviews about it in the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook Groups, so I was curious to see what all the fuss was about.
Lakanto sent me 3 sweeteners:
If you’ve been making my recipes, you know xylitol has always been by sweetener of choice! My reasons for this are:
- xylitol measures almost 1:1 to regular sugar, making recipe conversion easier
- xylitol tastes the most like sugar, in my opinion
- xylitol has a bulky, granular consistency that’s needed for the proper texture in most baked goods
However, xylitol has its downsides, too:
- xylitol can be fatal to dogs
- xylitol can cause digestive distress in some people (we have no problems with this in our family, but I would not serve something made with xylitol to guests, unless they confirmed they were okay with it)
- xylitol is bulkier than regular sugar and takes longer to dissolve
- xylitol has a slight cooling effect, but no bitterness
- though low enough to work in THM recipes, xylitol still has one of the highest glycemic indexes of plan-approved low-carb sweeteners.
A bit about Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit 1:1 Sugar Substitutes
The reason Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit Sugar Substitutes can be substituted 1:1 in baking is because they are not straight monkfruit. Monkfruit by itself is potently sweet (Lakanto also sells monkfruit extract), even sweeter than stevia extract, but mixed with erythritol (a sugar alcohol that isn’t nearly as sweet, but provides the necessary bulk to work like regular sugar), you get an excellent, low-carb sweetener that’s easy to bake with and doesn’t spike your blood sugar.
In comparison to xylitol, this is what I thought of Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit 1:1 Sugar Substitutes.
- Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit 1:1 Sugar Substitutes have the same granular consistency to them as regular sugar. It is finer than xylitol.
- Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit 1:1 Sugar Substitutes are as sweet as xylitol, which is slightly sweeter than regular sugar. I found the substitution to be a scant 1:1.
- Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit 1:1 Golden Sugar Substitute didn’t taste very brown sugar-ish to me. I would compare it more to raw cane sugar in flavor. It was still delicious!
- Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit 1:1 Sugar Substitutes have a lower glycemic index than xylitol, so they’re even easier on your blood sugar. They also have zero calories, and zero net carbs.
- Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit Powdered 2:1 Sugar Substitute replaces traditional Confectioner’s sugar in half the amount. You need half the amount of Swerve (another low-carb icing sugar alternative that measures 1:1 with icing sugar), so it’s a more frugal choice. Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit Powdered 2:1 Sugar Substitute is ideal for frostings (like my Peanut Butter Buttercream!) as it dissolves very well, and dusting (as on these low-carb French Toast Wraps).
- While erythritol is not toxic to dogs, verdict is still out on the effects of monkfruit, but it is certainly not as fatal as xylitol can be, so Lakanto’s Classic Monkfruit Sugar Substitutes are a safer sweetener if you have furry friends.
Conclusion
I think I’ve officially tried all the low-carb sweeteners available now, and I would rate Lakanto’s Monkfruit Sugar Substitutes the highest of them all for:
- versatility
- flavor
- digestibility
- consistency
Xylitol is a close second, but tied for affordability.
HOWEVER!
Lakanto has provided a 15% OFF coupon code for Northern Nester readers! When you make a purchase through any of the links on this page using the Coupon Code: northernnester, you will receive 15% off everything you order!
In my recipes, you can substitute Lakanto’s Classic and Golden Monkfruit 1:1 Sugar Substitutes cup for cup when the recipe calls for xylitol. This easy conversion opens a world of possibilities to Trim Healthy Mamas that can’t tolerate xylitol or are concerned about their furry friends ingesting it.
What’s a review without a recipe to go with it?!
These Cinnamon “Sugar” Cookie Dough Bites are the first things I made with my Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener and they were an absolute hit with the whole family! I hope you enjoy them, too.
Warning! These Cinnamon "Sugar" Cookie Dough Bites are ADDICTIVE! A super easy, high protein snack featuring Lakanto's Classic Golden Sugar Substitute that's free from eggs, dairy, and gluten. THM: S, Keto, GF, DF. Cinnamon "Sugar" Cookie Dough Bites | THM: S, Keto, GF, DF
Ingredients
Instructions
Is thee a sub fir the Mankato sweetener?
I’m glad you like it, the recipe looks good, but I hope you still keep your site mostly No Special Ingredient recipes. That’s what I like so much about it. 😉
I will always keep my recipes free from special ingredients! But for those who prefer monkfruit to xylitol, they can use this brand as a 1:1 replacement!
So when I’ve made caramels with straight alcohol sugars like caramel slice it re crystallises. I realise this is a mix. Have you attempted a caramel sauce with any success?
I made jam with monkfruit and it recrystalized. I have dissolved monkfruit in yogurt (took over an hour at room temp) and mixed it into no bake cheesecake with no problems. I’m doing more research for future jams….
Thanks for sharing – I recently purchased this at the recommendation of my WW leader. I use a lot of THM recipes but need the structure and accountability of WWs, hence why I go. Anyway, she recommended this to me and I purchased it to try out since THM gentle sweet/Super sweet blend don’t always work for me when baking.
I like this product. I have used it in Keto cheesecakes and a few other recipes.
I love monk fruit! Can’t wait to try this recipe! I also use monk fruit to roll my two minute truffles in. It gives a better taste than gentle sweet i think!
Right now I have quite a bit of the Monk Fruit Extract on hand. I use it for everything, 8 drops is the serving size. How could I incorporate the extract into your recipes. Eventually, I could switch to Lakanto. Maybe add water to make up for the volume. What do you think? Thanks.
So if I am reading this correct, the Monkfruit will not hurt the dogs like xylitol will, thats a game changer for as my shepherd wants to eat everything. Along with the stomach issues that xylitol causes.
Mankato also offers a liquid (syrup) that is helpful in many applications. It’s a bit thin, but it does the trick for pancakes, etc.
I don’t normally have coconut flour on hand, so I just made these subbing 2 tablespoons of flax meal and 1 tablespoon of peanut flour. And this is probably the closest protein ball to any sugar laden or full of honey recipe I’ve ever done in the past
How about the nutritional breakdown?
Why does Monkfruit not taste sweet to me when I put it in my coffee or tea?
Not sure… I use it in my coffee every morning… have done so for several months and it’s SO much better and sweeter than regular sugar. Are you using the same amount? Should be a 1:1 substitute (so 1 tsp of sugar is equal to 1 tsp of monkfruit/erythritol blend).
When using Monkfruit in a recipe I have found that the finished product after 2 days becomes very dense and hard. To combat this, use Applesauce in your recipe. Look for the “butter” ingredient and just use that amount for your Applesauce. It’s a win, win, win…all the way!
Are these the protein bites you refer to on Instagram?
I have just been diagnosed with diabetes. I have been searching the internet for a sugar replacement. I am overwhelmed as there are so many out there??? Would you consider sending me samples so that I could try your Monk Fruit sweeteners?? I would love to try them before I purchase all of them. I have friends that have made recommendations for other ones. THANK YOU in advance for your advice and assistance regarding your product!!
Our Dollar Tree has small bags of it. Here it is still everything for a dollar.
Have you noticed any change in baking times using monkfruit? I’ve used it in seveal cheesecakes and it consistently takes 12-13 minutes longer to bake to temp of 150.
I’m doing the Keto diet so I log what I eat on the Myfitness Pal app and this don’t appear from the bar code. I tried logging in the info myself. on the box it says to subtract Fiber and sugar alcohols from carbohydrates. My question is how can you subtract the fiber when its not listed on the package. please clarify for me please.
Thank you for the comparison information
How can you get this sweetener to incorporate with other ingredients and not be granular. Does it ever “Melt”?
Have you used their newer blend that’s recommended for baking in particular? If so, thoughts? https://www.amazon.com/Lakanto-Monkfruit-Sweetener-Substitute-Non-GMO/dp/B07Y5QTGMH/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=lakanto%2Bbaking&qid=1590338027&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRENDWElFRVpTWFBZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzA0NTQ0MkpHNDFKTkhMRVQyWSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTQ5NTQ0MjVHWldCN09CVVBGTCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1#customerReviews
What is mineral salt? I am getting a bunch of varying answers when I google it.