Out of Honey, one case

Can you substitute stevia for honey?

4 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 4 options

Use Stevia packets

2 packets for every 1 tbsp of honey

For sweetness only, yes: in tea, coffee, oatmeal or yogurt, use 2 stevia packets per tablespoon of honey and adjust to taste. In baking it is not a straight swap. Stevia has no bulk, no moisture and no sugar to brown, so a recipe with ¼ cup of honey or more needs the lost volume put back, and it will still bake up paler and drier. Stevia products vary widely in strength, so check the chart on the package.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Start with 1 packet, taste, and add the second if you need it.
Best for —: tea and coffee
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full honey card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Honey substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 tbsp honey	Verdict
1	Stevia packetstea and coffee	2 packetsYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	Liquid stevia dropsiced tea, lemonade and cocktails	1 tsp per cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
3	Cup-for-cup stevia baking blendmuffins, quick breads and cookies	1 ¼ cups + ¼ cup water per cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Sugar-free honey-style syrupdrizzling	1 cup per cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Stevia alone in baking	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option4 options

Stevia packets

sweet with no honey flavor

Most stevia packets are labeled as sweet as 2 teaspoons of sugar each. A tablespoon of honey is about as sweet as 4 teaspoons of sugar, which makes it 2 packets.

Best for: tea and coffee, oatmeal and plain yogurt, smoothies, salad dressings that use a teaspoon or two of honey
Taste: sweet with no honey flavor; a bitter, licorice-like aftertaste if you use too much
Prep: Start with 1 packet, taste, and add the second if you need it.
Where it fails: Anything where honey was the body of the dish: a glaze, a sticky sauce, a drizzle. Stevia sweetens and does nothing else.

Check the box. A few brands label a packet as 1 tsp of sugar, which doubles the count.

Liquid stevia drops

clean at low doses, bitter when overdone

Concentrated extract in water or alcohol. It dissolves in cold liquid and adds no volume at all.

Best for: iced tea, lemonade and cocktails, smoothies, sauces and dressings with enough liquid of their own
Prep: Start with 1 tsp per cup of honey, or 4 to 6 drops per tablespoon, then taste and add a drop at a time. Strength differs by brand; the label gives its own sugar equivalent.
Where it fails: Baking by itself: taking out a cup of honey removes a cup of volume and about ¼ cup of water.

Cup-for-cup stevia baking blend

sweet, sometimes with a cooling aftertaste from erythritol

Granulated stevia bulked with erythritol or a similar filler so it measures like sugar. It replaces the volume of honey that drops and packets cannot.

Best for: muffins, quick breads and cookies, recipes with ¼ cup of honey or more, when you want the batter to look as the recipe describes
Prep: If the bag says it measures cup for cup like sugar, use 1 ¼ cups plus ¼ cup water per cup of honey. If it says twice as sweet as sugar, use half as much.
Where it fails: The bake does not brown, stays pale and dries out faster. Chewy cookies turn cakey.

Keep the oven at the recipe temperature and judge doneness by a toothpick, not by color.

Sugar-free honey-style syrup

sweet and mild; less floral than honey

Bottled syrups made from allulose, monk fruit or fiber syrups, sold as honey alternatives. They pour and cling, which stevia cannot.

Best for: drizzling, glazes and sticky sauces, granola and bars that need a binder
Prep: Use it in the same amount as the honey and check the label for the maker's own conversion.
Where it fails: Brands differ a great deal in sweetness and thickness, and some thin out when heated.

Stevia alone in baking

sweet, flat

A teaspoon of extract can match the sweetness of a cup of honey, but not its volume, moisture, browning or binding.

Best for: nothing where honey is ¼ cup or more of the recipe
Where it fails: Cakes come out short, dense and pale. Granola bars fall apart. Candy, caramel and anything cooked to a temperature does not work at all.

Tips for substituting honey

5 tips

Read the package first. Pure extract, drops, packets and baking blends differ in strength by a factor of several hundred, and each maker prints its own sugar equivalent.
To convert from a sugar chart: 1 cup of honey is about as sweet as 1 ¼ cups of sugar. Look up the amount the package gives for 1 ¼ cups of sugar.
In baking with drops or packets, put the bulk back. Start with 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana or plain yogurt per cup of honey removed, and add more by the tablespoon until the batter looks as the recipe describes.
Under-sweeten, then taste. Too much stevia turns bitter, and you cannot take it back out.
Stevia does not brown. Test bakes with a toothpick at the time the recipe gives; do not wait for color.

Questions

5 questions

How much stevia equals 1 tablespoon of honey?

About 2 packets, for the common packets labeled as sweet as 2 teaspoons of sugar. With liquid drops, start with 4 to 6 drops and taste. Brands vary, so add slowly.

Can I bake with stevia in place of honey?

Only with adjustments. Use a cup-for-cup baking blend at 1 ¼ cups plus ¼ cup water per cup of honey, or use drops or packets and replace the lost bulk with applesauce, banana or yogurt. Either way the bake is paler, less moist and stales faster. Recipes with a tablespoon or two of honey convert most easily.

Does stevia work in yeast bread in place of honey?

The bread still rises, because yeast can feed on the flour, but the rise is slower and the crust browns less. Stevia itself gives the yeast nothing. If the honey was only a tablespoon, the difference is small.

How do I substitute honey for stevia instead?

Go the other way with the same numbers: about 1 tablespoon of honey for every 2 packets, or 1 cup of honey where a recipe used the stevia equivalent of 1 ¼ cups of sugar. Honey adds liquid, so cut another liquid by about ¼ cup per cup of honey and lower the oven 25°F.

Does stevia have sugar or carbs?

Stevia extract itself has no sugar. Packets and baking blends contain fillers such as erythritol, dextrose or maltodextrin, which the label lists. Honey has about 17 grams of sugar per tablespoon.