Out of Sugar, one case
How to substitute xylitol for sugar
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Xylitol
1 cup for every cup of sugar
Use xylitol cup for cup: it is as sweet as sugar and measures the same. It works in cakes, muffins, soft cookies and drinks, but it does not caramelize or feed yeast, and bakes brown less. Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs even in small amounts, so do not bake with it in a home where a dog could get at the food or the crumbs.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Measure it like sugar. Start checking bakes a few minutes early and judge by a skewer, since the crust browns less.
- Best for —
- cakes, muffins and quick breads
One casethe full sugar card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup sugar | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xylitolcakes, muffins and quick breads | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Half xylitol, half sugarcookies that should spread and crisp | ½ cup sugar + ½ cup xylitolTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Erythritolhomes with dogs | 1 1/3 cupsYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Allulosecaramel sauce | 1 1/3 cupsTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Xylitol in yeast bread, caramel or hard candy | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Xylitol
very close to sugar, with a mild cooling note
A sugar alcohol, usually made from birch or corn cobs, with the same sweetness as sugar, about 40 percent fewer calories and a similar crystal.
- Best for
- cakes, muffins and quick breads, soft cookies and brownies, coffee, tea and sauces
- Prep
- Measure it like sugar. Start checking bakes a few minutes early and judge by a skewer, since the crust browns less.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- It will not caramelize or reach hard-crack for candy, yeast cannot ferment it, and it holds moisture, so cookies stay soft and spread little. More than a few tablespoons in a day can cause gas or a laxative effect.
Highly toxic to dogs. Store it, the batter and the finished bake out of their reach, and label anything you give away.
Half xylitol, half sugar
close to the original
Keeping half the sugar brings back browning and crisp edges, and halves the amount of xylitol in each serving.
- Best for
- cookies that should spread and crisp, layer cakes, anyone new to sugar alcohols
- Where it fails
- Not sugar-free.
Still unsafe for dogs.
Erythritol
clean, with a stronger cooling effect than xylitol
The sugar alcohol to use where xylitol is ruled out. It is about 70 percent as sweet as sugar and has close to zero calories.
- Best for
- homes with dogs, crisp cookies and shortbread
- Prep
- Use 1 1/3 cups per cup of sugar, or 1 cup of a blend sold to measure like sugar.
- Suits
- vegan, keto
- Where it fails
- It dries bakes out and recrystallizes in syrups and ice cream. It does not caramelize or feed yeast.
Allulose
close to sugar, no cooling
For the jobs xylitol cannot do: allulose browns and makes caramel.
- Best for
- caramel sauce, ice cream, soft, well-browned cookies
- Prep
- Lower the oven 25°F, because it browns much faster than sugar.
- Suits
- vegan, keto
- Where it fails
- Crisp bakes: it keeps everything soft.
Xylitol in yeast bread, caramel or hard candy
not applicable
These depend on sugar fermenting or cooking to a stage.
- Best for
- nothing here: keep the sugar
- Where it fails
- Yeast cannot use xylitol, so dough sweetened only with it rises poorly: keep the 1 to 2 tsp of sugar that feeds the yeast. Xylitol does not turn amber or set into brittle, toffee or caramel.
Tips for substituting sugar
5 tips- Smaller measures match sugar exactly: 1 tsp for 1 tsp, 1 tbsp for 1 tbsp, ¼ cup for ¼ cup.
- Dogs: a small amount of xylitol can cause a dangerous drop in blood sugar and liver failure. If a dog eats any, call a vet or an animal poison control line at once. Do not wait for symptoms.
- Xylitol pulls in moisture. Bakes stay soft for days, which suits cake and muffins, and cookies will not crisp. For crisp cookies, replace only half the sugar.
- If you are new to xylitol, start with small servings. Tolerance varies, and a large slice of a cake made with a full cup can upset the stomach.
- Whisk it into warm liquid for drinks and sauces. It dissolves well, a little more slowly than sugar in cold liquid.
Questions
5 questionsIs xylitol a 1:1 substitute for sugar?
Yes. Xylitol is as sweet as sugar and has a similar crystal, so 1 cup replaces 1 cup, and 1 teaspoon replaces 1 teaspoon. It is the simplest of the sugar-free sweeteners to convert.
Can I substitute xylitol for sugar in baking?
Yes, cup for cup, in cakes, muffins, quick breads, brownies and soft cookies. The bake will be paler and softer than with sugar. It does not work for yeast breads that rely on sugar to rise, for meringue-style crispness, or for caramel and candy.
Is xylitol safe around pets?
No. Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs, even in small amounts, and it is found in some sugar-free gum, candy and peanut butter as well as in home baking. Keep the bag and anything made with it out of reach, and call a vet at once if a dog eats any.
Does xylitol have calories or carbs?
It has about 2.4 calories per gram, against 4 for sugar, so roughly 40 percent fewer. It contains no sugar; labels list it as carbohydrate from sugar alcohol, about 4 grams per teaspoon.
Does xylitol have an aftertaste?
Very little. Most people notice a slight cooling sensation, weaker than erythritol's, and no bitterness. That is why it is common in sugar-free gum and mints.