Loaded with sweetness but no added sugars, this Keto Simple Syrup Recipe is so easy! Perfect for a sweet treat on the keto diet, this liquid sweetener is the best way to sweeten and add flavor to your favorite cocktails, and hot keto drinks, or make it into pancake syrup for breakfast.
❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Easy recipe: All you need to do is simmer the ingredients in water and then allow it to cool! So simple!
- Quick: It takes 5 minutes to make this sugar-free classic simple syrup recipe, then just allow it to cool.
- Health benefits: As we use natural sweetener instead of regular sugar, this is a great way to cut down on carbs and is much better for your blood sugar level as the glycemic index is much lower. Allulose and erythritol have a GI of zero, Xylitol has a GI of 7, and pure sugar has a GI of 65. Xylitol is also good for your teeth!
- Shelf life: These low carb sugar free simple syrups last for 2 weeks (or more!).
- So many uses: This is a great replacement for traditional simple syrup in your favorite drinks. It’s the perfect way to sweeten cold drinks like low carb cocktails or hot drinks like coffee. You can also make a pancake or waffle syrup out of it.
- Very low carb: With zero total carbs and zero net carbs per serving, what’s not to love?!
🗝️ Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sugar substitute: You will need to use sugar-free sweetener for this recipe. I’ve made instructions for allulose, erythritol, and xylitol for this post. They’re all a little different. Allulose is the easiest to use as it doesn’t tend to crystalize, but xylitol and erythritol can also work too. If you’re using granulated monk fruit sweetener or stevia, check the other ingredients as they tend to either be mostly erythritol or allulose based, so follow the instructions for the main ingredient.
- Liquid sweetener: If you’re using erythritol or xylitol, adding a few drops of liquid stevia or monk fruit is required to bring the sweetness level up. These two sweeteners need to be diluted with more water than allulose to remain in liquid form. This will give you a less sweet syrup without the drops.
- Water: Still water, ideally distilled water as it will give the best results, although I have used tap water and it has worked well for me.
- Xanthan Gum: This key ingredient thickens the liquid to a syrup-like consistency so that it’s just like regular simple syrup. Otherwise, it’s quite thin, more like sweetened water than syrup. You can skip the xanthan gum if you’re not bothered about the consistency.
🥣 How to make Sugar Free Simple Syrup
Using erythritol:
1. Begin by mixing the erythritol with the xanthan gum. This minimized lumps later as xanthan gum tends to be a little clumpy.
2. Carefully add the erythritol and xanthan mixture to a small saucepan along with the water and liquid sweetener, and turn on the heat.
3. There is no need to mix it yet, just allow it to heat up and you will see the erythritol beginning to melt.
4. Bring the saucepan up to a boil, and allow it to boil for 1 minute, whisking as it boils. This activates the xanthan gum.
5. Remove the pot from the heat, place a lid on top, and allow the keto simple syrup to cool to room temperature.
Using xylitol:
1. Begin by mixing the xylitol with the xanthan gum. This minimized lumps later as xanthan gum tends to be a little clumpy.
2. Carefully add the xylitol and xanthan mixture to a small saucepan along with the water and liquid sweetener, and turn on the heat. Try your best to keep the xylitol crystals in the water and not on the sides of the saucepan.
3. Do not mix it, just allow it to heat up and you will see the xylitol beginning to melt.
4. Bring the saucepan up to a boil, cover it with a lid, and allow it to boil for 1 minute. This activates the xanthan gum.
5. Remove the pot from the heat, keep the lid on top, and allow the keto simple syrup to cool to room temperature.
Using allulose:
1. Begin by mixing the allulose with the xanthan gum. This minimized lumps later as xanthan gum tends to be a little clumpy.
2. Add the allulose and xanthan mixture to a small saucepan along with the water, and turn on the heat.
3. Bring the saucepan up to a boil, reduce the heat, and stir it frequently as it simmers for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the pot from the heat, and allow the keto syrup to cool to room temperature.
🫙 Storage Instructions
Allow the sugar-free syrup to cool completely before storing. All 3 versions of this recipe should be stored in an airtight container like a jar.
- Erythritol: Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Xylitol and Allulose: Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Ratios for different sweeteners
This is a handy key for the ratios of water to sweetener:
- Xylitol and erythritol: 1 part sweetener to 2 parts water (1:2).
- Allulose: Equal parts water and sweetener (1:1).
🪄 Recipe Notes & Tips
- Pet safety: Xylitol is not safe for dogs so keep this away from your furry friends! There isn’t enough evidence to tell whether or not it’s safe for cats or other pets, so it’s best to keep it away from them as well.
- Putting a lid on it: This is an important step for erythritol and xylitol. The lid creates steam within the pot, which will gather any rogue sweetener crystals that are on the sides of the pot and drip them back into the liquid. Why does this matter? If the liquid comes into contact with one piece of granulated sweetener, it will recrystallize leaving you with a gritty syrup.
- Cooling: Allow the syrup to cool naturally to room temperature. Crystallizing can happen if it is cooled too quickly.
- Storing erythritol: Erythritol is a little fragile when it comes to liquid form, and refrigerating it will usually cause crystalization in my experience. Keep it at room temperature for the best results.
- Cloudy color: The sugar free keto simple syrup will most likely have a cloudiness to it and not be crystal clear like regular simple syrup. This is because the xanthan gum makes it a little cloudy. It’s perfectly safe and still delicious!
🍹 What drinks can I add homemade sugar-free simple syrup to?
- Black coffee
- Latte
- Frappe
- Iced coffee
- Frappuccino
- Hot Chocolate
- Hot tea
- Iced tea
- Homemade Lemonades
- Keto cocktails
- Christmas Gin Drink Recipe
- Frozen Cherry Margaritas
- Mulled Wine
- Mocktails
✨ How to make flavored homemade simple syrup
Yes, you can easily make different flavors with this homemade keto simple syrup recipe.
- For bottled flavoring (for example, vanilla essence, orange essence, or maple for maple syrup): After the syrup has cooled, begin by adding 1 teaspoon of flavoring. Mix well and taste it. Add more flavoring as needed, tasting as you go.
- For infusing flavor (for example, cinnamon sticks, allspice, cardamom, lemon zest, fresh ginger, strawberries, blueberries, rosemary, mint): Begin by boiling 1.5 cups of water with 1 cup of fruit, herbs, a couple of cinnamon sticks, and/or 2-3 tablespoons of spices. You will need the extra water as some will evaporate while it boils. Allow it to simmer for 20 minutes and then strain the ingredients with either a slotted spoon or through a strainer. Take care not to press down on any fruit if you want the syrup to remaining clear. Then follow the recipe adding your sweetener of choice and xanthan gum.
😋 More sweet keto recipes you will love
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📖 Recipe
Keto Sugar-Free Simple Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
For Erythritol and Xylitol
- 1/2 cup sweetener
- 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum optional for thicker syrup
- 1 cup water
- 10-20 drops liquid sweetener
For Allulose
- 1/2 cup allulose
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum optional for thicker syrup
Instructions
Erythritol
- Begin by mixing the erythritol with the xanthan gum. This minimized lumps later as xanthan gum tends to be a little clumpy.
- Carefully add the erythritol and xanthan mixture to a small saucepan along with the water, and turn on the heat.
- There is no need to mix it yet, just allow it to heat up and you will see the erythritol beginning to melt.
- Bring the saucepan up to a boil, and allow it to boil for 1 minute, whisking as it boils.
- Remove the pot from the heat, place a lid on top, and allow the keto simple syrup to cool to room temperature before storing or using. *see note 4
Xylitol
- Begin by mixing the xylitol with the xanthan gum. This minimized lumps later as xanthan gum tends to be a little clumpy.
- Carefully add the xylitol and xanthan mixture to a small saucepan along with the water, and turn on the heat. Try your best to keep the xylitol crystals in the water and not on the sides of the saucepan.
- Do not mix it, just allow it to heat up and you will see the xylitol beginning to melt.
- Bring the saucepan up to a boil, cover it with a lid, and allow it to boil for 1 minute.
- Remove the pot from the heat, keep the lid on top, and allow the keto simple syrup to cool to room temperature before storing or using. *see notes for storage instructions
Allulose
- Begin by mixing the allulose with the xanthan gum. This minimized lumps later as xanthan gum tends to be a little clumpy.
- Add the allulose and xanthan mixture to a small saucepan along with the water, and turn on the heat.
- Bring the saucepan up to a boil, reduce the heat, and stir it frequently as it simmers for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and allow the keto syrup to cool to room temperature before storing or using. *see notes for storage instructions
Notes
- Pet safety: Xylitol is not safe for dogs so keep this away from your furry friends! There isn't enough evidence to tell whether or not it's safe for cats or other pets, so it's best to keep it away from them as well.
- Putting a lid on it: This is an important step for erythritol and xylitol. The lid creates steam within the pot, which will gather any rogue sweetener crystals that are on the sides of the pot and drip them back into the liquid. Why does this matter? If the liquid comes into contact with one piece of granulated sweetener, it will recrystallize leaving you with a gritty syrup.
- Cooling: Allow the syrup to cool naturally to room temperature. Crystallizing can happen if it is cooled too quickly.
- Storing erythritol: Erythritol is a little fragile when it comes to liquid form, and refrigerating it will usually cause crystalization in my experience. Keep it at room temperature for the best results.
- Cloudy color: The sugar free keto simple syrup will most likely have a cloudiness to it and not be crystal clear like regular simple syrup. This is because the xanthan gum makes it a little cloudy. It's perfectly safe and still delicious!
Storage instructions
All 3 versions of this recipe should be stored in an airtight container like a jar.- Erythritol: Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Xylitol and Allulose: Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
I did the erythritol version and was so happy that it didn’t crystalize for once!!