A guide to choosing the best sugars, syrups, and sweeteners for you
A guide to choosing the best sugars, syrups, and sweeteners for you
The first WhatSugar–approved sweetener is HERE!
Bear with us as we update our guides for 2025.
ABOUT
At WhatSugar, we're committed to being your go-to destination for navigating the complex world of sugar alternatives. Founded by Adriane Campos, a chemical engineer and food technologist, WhatSugar empowers you to make informed choices, whether you’re managing dietary restrictions or simply pursuing a healthier lifestyle.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SWEETENERS
WhatSugar is the first website to showcase the multitude of sugars and sweeteners available in stores from coast to coast in the United States. It is a much-needed guide to help home cooks navigate the sweetener aisle and make sense of the variety of options.
With more sweetening choices than ever — from coconut sugar and date syrup to allulose, monk fruit, and stevia — choosing the right one among 1000s of products that taste and behave differently can feel overwhelming. That’s where WhatSugar comes in. We’re your one-stop resource on how to choose and use sweeteners in any form—liquid, granulated, sachets, tablets, or cubes.
ABOUT ME
Welcome! My name is Adriane Campos. I’m the founder of WhatSugar and creator of a series of smart kitchen tools — the Sweetener Calculator™, Sweetener Comparer™, and Sugar Swap Tool™.
I started WhatSugar because I’m passionate about helping home cooks overcome the challenges of using sugar alternatives. My goal is to make it easier for you to eat healthier, reduce sugar or go sugar-free — without giving up on the sweet taste. If that’s what you’re looking for as well, you're in the right place. And I’m truly excited and grateful that you’re here!
MY JOURNEY TO WHATSUGAR
I was born and raised in Curitiba (pronounced cu-ri-CHEE-ba), a city in southern Brazil known as one of the most eco-friendly cities in the world. I moved to the U.S. in 1996 to do research at Caltech (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA) in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. There, I worked on developing of a non-enzyme-based glucose sensor under the mentorship of Nobel Prize winner, Professor Frances Arnold.
I hold a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Federal University of Paraná in Curitiba, Brazil, and a Master’s degree in Food Technology. Before moving to the U.S., I spent seven years as a faculty member at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Curitiba, Brazil.
However, it was when I took a break to raise my family in San Francisco that the idea for WhatSugar was born.
People often asked what I did before becoming a mom of two. Without fail, whenever I said that I had done years of research on sweeteners, I always got the very same question: “What’s the best sweetener?” And so, in 2019, I launched the WhatSugar website to finally answer this question.
THE MOST COMMON QUESTION
The fact that I am asked time and time again, "What is the best sweetener?" is not surprising.
The answer, however, is complicated because it varies from person to person and depends on personal priorities and concerns. For some, it's all about taste. For others, it's finding a natural, minimally processed sweetener, free from artificial, synthetic, and genetically modified (GMO) ingredients. Some may be looking for a sugar-free, zero-calories, or a low-carb option to fit their specific diet.
In an effort to begin answering this question, I embarked on a thorough process of going down the sweetener rabbit hole. I gathered information from different sweetener websites. I deconstructed the front and back of sweetener packages — ingredients, nutrition facts, label claims. I contacted manufacturers and sellers to find all the details about their products.
Based on this extensive research, I created a series of educational resources:
• Over twenty sweetener buying guides
• Smart kitchen Tools.
If you too feel overwhelmed trying to find the best sweetener, start HERE.
HOW SWEETENERS BECAME MY FOCUS
My journey with sweeteners began during my master’s thesis, “Effect of Various Nutritive and Non-Nutritive Sweeteners on the Formulation of Jams with Amidated Pectin.” I had so much fun learning about sugars and sweeteners, and realized how many people might benefit from being better informed about these foods that were more common in our lives than ever before.
So, in 1996, a faculty colleague and I wrote a book called "Food for Special Dietary Uses: Dietetics, Sugar Substitutes, Fat Substitutes, Salt Substitutes" published in Portuguese in São Paulo, Brazil by Livraria Varela. Over 1300 references — mainly about sweeteners — along with 40+ charts and tables covering properties, uses, health effects, international regulation, and market — of sixty sweeteners approved worldwide. To this day, it remains a key reference for students, researchers, teachers, the food industry, and consumers in Brazil.
Challenged by having to sort through the plethora of resources, opinions, and controversies about sweeteners, the Public Health Surveillance Agency ("Vigilancia Sanitária") in the State of Paraná, Brazil, invited me to become a member of the Advisory Committee for "Food for Special Dietary Uses" Regulation and Labeling from 1993 to 1999. At that time, no country in South America had regulations for these foods, and Brazilian consumers lacked reliable nutritional information on many food labels. We, the committee, wrote the first-ever draft regulation for these foods in South America.
Fast forward to 2016, after nearly twenty years in the U.S., I saw a need for an impartial resource that was not trying to persuade the public about this one sweetener that is best for everyone. A website that did not contain a personal opinion nor made assumptions about the healthiest sweetener sold in stores across the U.S. Seeing that need, I sought to fill it with WhatSugar.
Sugars and sweet foods are among the most popular and widely consumed foods. That, combined with the widespread confusion over what each sweetener really is, makes it crucial for home cooks to better understand their options. By providing clear, unbiased information, I hope to help you make informed choices and keep up to date with the latest sweeteners to enter the market.
I admit, I'm a little too passionate about sugar alternatives — just check out the first video I ever created on YouTube!
HOW WHATSUGAR GOT ITS NAME
It all starts with the question: What sugar (or sugar alternative) should I use? The name WhatSugar is simple and to the point. It reflects the actual question home cooks want me to answer: What should I use instead?
But WhatSugar is more than just a name. At its core, it's a promise to answer that question thoroughly and honestly.
WhatSugar captures confusion that come with exploring the world of sweeteners. It reflects the moment you flip a package over in the grocery store, trying to figure out what’s inside—not knowing if that's the right choice for you. Here, we go beyond the labels, buzzwords, and marketing claims to give you the clear, honest answers.
WhatSugar is also about discovery: finding out what works best for your health, your recipes, and your taste buds. Whether you’re managing a dietary restriction, exploring natural options, or trying to bake the perfect sugar-free cookie, WhatSugar is here to help you make sense of it all.
Ultimately, WhatSugar is your guide to navigating this complex, ever-growing world of sugar alternatives with confidence and ease.
"Sweetener" Explained: Sugar vs Alternatives
The term "sweetener" means an ingredient that adds sweetness with
or without calories. Sweeteners include familiar options like table sugar and honey, as well as alternatives such as stevia, aspartame, and xylitol. There are 1000s of sweeteners in stores across America. They all fit into one of the two groups below:
1. Sugar
2. Sugar Alternatives
Defining "Sugar" in the WhatSugar World
When home cooks talk about "sugar," they’re usually referring to the one white granulated sugar in their sugar bowls.
On the other hand, according to the Food and Drug Administration, sugar is defined as sucrose derived only from sugarcane or sugarbeet plants and comprises more than forty caloric sweeteners.
However, in the WhatSugar world, "sugar" means a simple carbohydrate from any source and is used to indicate caloric sweeteners. It includes a wide array of sweeteners — nearly seventy in total — from many different sources, not only from cane or beet. Honey is sugar. Maple syrup is sugar. So are agave nectar, coconut sugar, and date syrup. Here, you can browse all sugars or the favorite sweetener among all, refined sugar.
If you want to reduce your sugar intake without eliminating them, check out our Sugar Blends page.
For sugar-free options, you can explore low-digestible sweeteners and zero-calorie sweeteners.
How WhatSugar Can Help You
Discover new types of sweeteners and keep up to date with the latest products and brands to hit the stores. Enjoy having thousands of sweeteners conveniently sorted out, as I spend hundreds of hours researching them, so you don't have to. Explore products and brands you would not have come across otherwise. Choose the best sweetener for your personal preferences, whether you're looking for zero calories, keto-friendly options, diabetic-safe choices, or tooth-friendly alternatives.
How to Navigate WhatSugar
To get started, select Start Here in the main menu bar or visit each sweetener group based on the calories they provide: zero calories, reduced calories, and sugars. For in-depth information about each sweetener, such as its source, production methods, appearance, taste, degree of sweetness, digestion & metabolism, culinary uses, price, safety, and pros & cons, check out my blog posts. The blog is designed for easy reading, often using bullet point format instead of paragraphs to help you quickly grasp the key details.
"Try it" button: Your Quick Link to Products
I group similar sweeteners or comparable brands, and display them here on this website through infographics. You can immediately recognize products by the front-of-the-package image in full color. Each infographic includes ingredients, approximate relative package size, nutrients, sweetness level (household measure/conversion charts or how to measure at home to get the same sweetness as table sugar), glycemic index, net carbs, serving size, and Try it buttons for each sweetener.
If a product catches your interested, click the Try it button to be linked to that product on Amazon. Once there, you can read customer reviews (both positive and negative), view label images, check nutrition facts, and compare prices and package sizes. You can purchase the product if you wish or come back to explore other options. Please note that this blog is reader-supported—when you make a purchase through Amazon links, I may earn a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you, helping to keep this site ads-free and support my work.
Keeping the Sweetener Guides Up-To-Date
The sweetener buying guides are a constant work in progress as I research and sort through every sweetener available to consumers in the United States. I’m constantly working behind the scenes to keep you updated with the latest sweeteners to hit the market. Your feedback is invaluable—please let me know what you find most helpful so I can bring you even more of what you need. The major update for the upcoming year is completed in December of the previous year.
WHY YOU CAN TRUST ME + DISCLOSURE
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WhatSugar is owned and operated by me, Adriane Mulinari Campos. I am a chemical engineer and food technologist. I have the background and credentials to bring accurate, reliable information on sugars and sweeteners sold in stores across the U.S.
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WhatSugar is a science-based and data-driven source. It's impartial — not trying to persuade you, and not making any assumptions about sugars & sweeteners. Every piece of information on this site is built based from an exhaustive, thorough search that I conduct personally.
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WhatSugar is not affiliated with the broader food & beverage industry. Featured brand or product names are patent and/or trademarks of their respective owners. As of 2024, I offer my own line of sweeteners under the WhatSugar-Approved brand. I remain committed to providing impartial and accurate information about all sweeteners.
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Unboxed products featured on this site are purchased all over the country, mainly California, Wisconsin, and Virginia. Some companies may have sent free samples of their products for review or exposure.
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The list of products in infographics is not intended to endorse, advertise, or recommend specific products. I present the listing simply as a service to my readers. I occasionally write about a specific brand or sweetener. I may or may not charge the manufacturer for this service. Note that the payment does not guarantee a positive review.
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WhatSugar is reader-supported. When you buy through Amazon links, this blog may earn a small affiliate commission. This is a one-woman business relying on Amazon affiliate commissions to avoid ads.
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I admit — I have a sweet tooth! I rarely go a day without a slice or bite of something sweet, paired with a sweetened "cafézinho" (a short black coffee). Sweetness brings me pleasure and comfort.
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© Copyright Notice: All images, material, and content of this website are protected by intellectual property laws. Under the U.S. Copyright Law, exclusive rights of their use & copy are granted to the owner, Adriane Mulinari Campos. For licenses or permissions to use any copyrighted work from this site, please contact me directly. Before accessing or using this website, please review the Terms of Service & Privacy Policy here.
Truth and Facts: A Guiding Principle
'When you are studying any matter, ask yourself only, "What are the facts, and what is the truth that the facts bear out?" Never let yourself be diverted, either by what you wish to believe or by what you think would have beneficent social effects if it were believed. But look only and solely at what are the facts.' — Bertrand Russell