Is allulose better for you than sugar?
Get this: Allulose meets the chemical definition of a sugar, just like sucrose, glucose, and fructose. It shares the same chemical formula as fructose and glucose, but its atoms are arranged slightly differently, which makes it behave very differently in our bodies. Allulose, much like fructose and glucose, is completely absorbed in the small intestine.

However, unlike traditional sugars, it isn't significantly metabolized, providing just 5 to 10% of their calories. To compare calories per gram — it's 0.4 for allulose versus 4 for table sugar. As opposed to common sugars, it's not associated with an increased risk of dental cavities, weight gain, obesity, and other chronic diseases.
 

Is allulose a zero-calorie sweetener? How many calories in it?
Technically, allulose isn't really zero-calorie like high-intensity sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, stevia, monk fruit). But by law, it can be labeled as such because it provides a small amount of calories — less the 5 —  per serving, which can be rounded to zero. 

Allulose actual amount: 0.4 cal/gram = 1.5 cal/tsp = 70 cal/cup.
Table sugar (sucrose): 4 cal/gram = 15 cal/teaspoon = 770 cal/cup.
 

What's the glycemic index of allulose? What about net carbs?
Allulose has zero glycemic index and zero net carbs. Most of the allulose we ingest is excreted in urine and does not impact blood glucose or insulin levels. Since 2019, the FDA allows allulose to be excluded from "total sugars" and "added sugars" on nutrition facts labels, and enables products to carry the "no added sugar" claim.

If you're tracking your carb intake, here's what you need to know. Allulose is technically a carbohydrate and counts towards the "total carbohydrates" on the nutrition facts label. However, because it’s not digested or converted into glucose, it has zero net carbs. Net carbs means digestible carbs that break down into glucose and so, raise blood sugar levels.​
 

Does allulose affect hunger hormones?
My inbox has been flooded with questions about a 2024 rat study claiming that allulose can boost GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), a hormone that helps control hunger and reduce impulsive eating. While the study suggests promising effects of allulose, it's important to approach these findings with caution, given the significant conflicts of interest disclosed by the authors.

I’m digging deeper into this study for a comprehensive blog post, similar to the one I wrote about erythritol. Stay tuned—I'll share all the details and insights when it’s published in January 2025.
 

How to use allulose?
Touted as the perfect sweetener, allulose delivers the culinary benefits of regular sugar with fewer calories. It browns, looks, and dissolves like table sugar. It offers bulk (body & weight) to recipes and so, called a bulk sweetener. As said before, you can typically use the same amount as table sugar to achieve desired results in your recipes, but they will be less sweet. In baking, allulose makes a great substitute for table sugar, resulting in soft, moist baked goods—but don’t expect crispy textures.

Excited by all the benefits? Great! What's not to love? Scroll down to "What Are the Disadvantages of Allulose?" to find out. For practical tips on using allulose in your everyday recipes—like cookies, ice cream, bars, cheesecake, and more—check out my Sugar Swap Starter Kit.
 

Where can I buy certified organic allulose? Is it worth it?
Organic sweeteners must be processed, handled, and packaged according to a long list of strict rules set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture—the National Organic Program (NOP). These include being sourced from plants grown on farms using practices that maintain or enhance the soil and water quality while conserving wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife—among many other requirements. So, is it worth it? Absolutely!

Until the summer of 2023, certified organic allulose wasn't available in stores. As one manufacturer told me, one reason was that allulose was refined using ion-exchange and absorption resin processes to filter. But ion-exchange filtration may not be used in the processing of organic foods, unless in exceptional cases. A second reason was that certified organic allulose cannot come from processes that involve genetically engineered microbes. However, in October 2023, that changed. Two companies introduced the first organic allulose: Pyure and Slender Zero.
 

What are the advantages of allulose?
Allulose has no aftertaste and provides almost zero calories per serving (one teaspoon). It offers bulk to recipes, browns, and caramelizes. It dissolves quickly (even faster than table sugar), making it perfect for drinks and cocktails. Allulose works well in recipes that require refrigeration or freezing, helping create smooth, scoopable ice cream. It does not recrystallize like erythritol.
 

What are allulose's disadvantages?
Allulose is less sweet than sugar, so to maintain the same sweetness, requires using about 1/3 more, unless you opt for the blends (see them below), which are designed to match sugar's sweetness. Additionally, allulose is significantly more expensive, costing over 10 times as much as table sugar.

Allulose browns and caramelizes faster than white sugar, so you might remove your cookies & cakes from the oven before they are fully baked OR get an overly brown baked good. It results in softer, puffier cakes and cookies. It does not crisp up your baked goods like table sugar.​ And then there's one more potential downside.
 

Digestive Issues and Misleading Certifications
Allulose is a FODMAP—an acronym for carbohydrates associated with negative gastrointestinal effects such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, and nausea. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has even petitioned the FDA to require a warning label for this reason. 

Some allulose brands, such as this, carry a "FODMAP Friendly" certification logo, which means the product has been lab-tested by this program to have minimal levels of specific FODMAPs — fructose, fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides, sorbitol, mannitol and lactose. The key caveat, however, is that this certification does not test for allulose itself. As a result, even certified products may still cause digestive upset.