ALLULOSE
2025 BUYING GUIDE
In my quest to sort through the dizzying number of sugar alternatives, I came across over 1000 allulose products. Often called "the real sugar without the calories" or "the sugar-free sugar," allulose is a game-changer. Below, you'll find the most comprehensive guide to allulose sweeteners and how they compare. [Don't miss the section at the bottom for other sugars that behave like allulose]
WHAT IS ALLULOSE?
If you've never heard of allulose, you’re not alone. Allulose is a relatively new zero-calorie sweetener on the market that has been getting lots of buzz for its culinary benefits and natural origin. In this guide, we'll take a closer look at it and answer all your questions.
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Is allulose a natural or artificial sweetener?
Also called D-psicose, allulose belongs to a group of carbohydrates known as rare sugars. As the name suggests, rare sugars exist in nature in tiny amounts. They have a mild sweetness.
Allulose is found in raisins, figs, kiwi, brown sugar, molasses, wheat, and maple syrup, but only in minuscule amounts.
Because these sources contain too little allulose for extraction, store-bought allulose is not derived directly from them. Instead, for large-scale production, it's synthetically made from corn or other fructose sources, such as sugar beets.
The Food and Drug Administration classifies allulose as natural because it exists in nature AND is derived from natural materials. While the FDA acknowledges that some natural ingredients can be "manufactured artificially", here at WhatSugar, we refer to allulose as a synthetic sweetener for clarity. Read more about this HERE and HERE.
Synthetic is not the same as artificial, which refers to sweeteners "not found in nature" [We have an artificial sweetener buying guide HERE]. Allulose derived from corn is not considered artificial as it’s indistinguishable from the allulose found in fruits.
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How is allulose made?
Most store-bought allulose comes from corn, produced in China. The process involves four key steps:
(1) Starch extraction – Starch is isolated from corn
(2) Hydrolysis – Enzymes break down starch into glucose
(3) Isomerization – Glucose is converted into fructose by enzymes
(4) Epimerization – Enzymes convert fructose into allulose.
In this guide, you'll see the front of package of zero-calorie allulose products and brands. Because we have so many choices, I sorted them based on their ingredients—from pure allulose to blends.
ALLULOSE PURE VS BLENDS
Before we dive in, it’s important to know that allulose is sold in two forms:
• PURE ALLULOSE is less sweet than sugar, so you need to use more than sugar. If a recipe calls for a cup of sugar, you need at least 30% more of allulose to match sugar’s sweetness.
• ALLULOSE BLENDS measure like sugar on a one-to-one ratio—by volume, not weight—offering the convenience of a direct swap. No need for conversion charts or tricky math. If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of sugar, you simply use a teaspoon of these sweeteners. One cup of sugar? Swap it for one cup of a 1:1 sugar replacement.
New! WhatSugar-Approved Sweeteners
After years of analyzing sweeteners, I’m bringing you the best in 2025. WhatSugar The Sweetener Co. is my new line of certified organic sugar alternatives—handpicked for exceptional quality from a small USA-based business you can trust. And the first one just launched! Want updates on allulose blends? Email me at info@whatsugar.com.
PICK YOUR ALLULOSE
Brands and Products
There is A LOT to explore here. Scroll down to see it all, or if you're short on time, jump straight to what you need by clicking a category below:
Click the TRY IT button of each sweetener to be linked to Amazon
where you can read reviews, labels, Q&As, and prices.
Affiliate links help keep this content free (Full disclosure)
PURE ALLULOSE
PURE ALLULOSE EXPLAINED
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How sweet is allulose? Does allulose have an aftertaste?
Pure allulose tastes almost identical to table sugar, offering no aftertaste but less sweetness. It's 70 percent as sweet as table sugar, so you'll need to use about 1/3 more to maintain the sweetness level.
You can typically use the same amount as table sugar to achieve desired results in your recipes, but they will be less sweet. Because of allulose's mild sweetness, you'll often find it blended with high-intensity sweeteners such as monk fruit and stevia. Keep scrolling down to see the allulose blends infographics.
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What's the difference between granulated, crystallized, and powdered allulose?
Chemically speaking, there is no difference. They differ by the size of the crystals. Crystallized allulose usually has the same fineness as granulated allulose. Granulated allulose crystals are slightly smaller than table sugar but larger than powdered sugar.
Powdered allulose, as the name implies, looks a lot like powdered sugar as it has smaller crystals than granulated allulose. Since it dissolves more easily, it gives a smooth texture to icing, glazes, frosting, fillings, and sauces.
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Is organic allulose worth it?
Yes—Absolutely! Especially when it comes to allulose. I list 15 reasons why in THIS post, but here are the top three:
1. Greater scrutiny than conventional
Organic allulose must be processed, handled, and packaged according to a long list of strict rules — far beyond what’s required for a non-organic.
2. Farming practices that focus on a healthy environment
Organic farmers must use practices that maintain or enhance the soil and water quality while conserving wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife — minimizing exposure to synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
3. If it's organic, it's non-GMO
Organic allulose cannot be derived from genetically modified seeds — GMO corn is not allowed — or processes that involve enzymes from genetically engineered microbes.
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Is allulose GMO? Is it made from genetically modified corn?
Many people wonder whether allulose is genetically modified. Allulose itself is GMO-free. The allulose molecule is identical whether it comes from GMO plants or not.
Allulose made in China is from non-GMO corn. Truvía is made in the USA from GMO corn using enzymes from genetically engineered microbes, but once refined, it no longer has any traces of GMOs in it. Europe produces allulose from non-GMO sugar beets.
If you're worried, choose certified organic allulose. The USDA strictly prohibits the use of GMOs, including processes that involve genetically engineered microbes or plants.
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Which brands of allulose are extracted from figs or raisins?
Be cautious of misleading claims. Some brands falsely claim their allulose comes from figs, raisins, or jackfruit, such as THIS and THIS. In reality, commercial allulose is not extracted directly from these fruits.
ALLULOSE 101
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Is allulose better for you than sugar?
Allulose is technically a sugar — just like sucrose, glucose, and fructose — and even shares the same chemical formula as glucose and fructose. But its atoms are arranged slightly differently, which makes it behave very differently in your body. Like fructose and glucose, allulose is absorbed in the small intestine, passes into the bloodstream, but instead of being used for energy, it's excreted intact in the urine.
Unlike traditional sugars, about 30% of allulose passes into the large intestine, where it may be fermented or excreted. So, even though we cannot metabolize it, bacteria in the lower digestive tract can. Because of this, it provides only 5 to 10% of their calories of common sugars. To compare calories per gram — it's 0.4 for allulose versus 4 for table sugar.
It also doesn’t contribute to cavities, weight gain, obesity, or other chronic diseases the way common sugars can.
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Is allulose a zero-calorie sweetener?
Allulose isn't truly zero-calorie like high-intensity sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, stevia, and monk fruit. But by law, it can be labeled as zero-calorie 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.
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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. In other words, it won’t impact your carb count.
So, allulose is a great choice for low-carb and keto diets, or to anyone trying to manage their blood sugar levels for health reasons.
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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.
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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. I cover all the do's and don'ts of allulose so you can skip the guesswork and get sweet results.
ALLULOSE PROS & CONS
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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.
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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.
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Digestive Issues and Misleading Certifications
A portion — about 30% — of the allulose we eat reaches the large intestine, where it may be fermented by the microbiota (healthy bacteria in the gut), resulting in adverse digestive issues such as discomfort, bloating, stomach rumble, flatulence, diarrhea, and even nausea.
Allulose is not an officially recognized FODMAP—an acronym for a group of carbohydrates associated with negative gastrointestinal effects.
Still, allulose is commonly associated with similar digestive side effects, especially when consumed in large amounts and by those with a sensitive GI tract. For this reason, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has petitioned the FDA to require a warning label.
Monash University in Australia, which is considered the leading authority on identifying and testing foods for FODMAP content, has not yet tested allulose.
That said, some allulose brands, like this, carry a "FODMAP Friendly" certification logo. This 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. But here's the key caveat: this certification does not test for allulose itself. So, even certified products may still cause digestive upset.
Worried about side effects? My Sugar Swap Starter Kit includes helpful tips on how to use allulose while minimizing digestive issues.
ALLULOSE BLENDS
BLENDS EXPLAINED
Pure allulose has two major drawbacks: it’s expensive and less sweet than sugar. This often frustrates people who wonder, "I have to pay 10x more and still use more than sugar?!" That’s where blends come in.
Because allulose is 30% less sweet than sugar, you’d need about 1/3 more to match sugar’s sweetness. To solve this, manufacturers blend allulose with just a pinch of high-intensity sweeteners like monk fruit or stevia, which are 20 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. These blends offer a key advantage: you can measure them just like sugar, using the same one-to-one ratio with your regular kitchen tools—no extra math required!
Blending allulose with other sweeteners doesn’t just address sweetness and cost; some blends enhance its culinary performance. In my Sugar Swap Starter Kit, I go into the benefits of each blend, and which are best for specific needs. I even provide step-by-step instructions to make your own blend at home, helping you save money while getting optimum results.
BLENDS TO REPLACE BROWN SUGAR
What's a Brown Sugar Replacement?
With Allulose
Brown sugar replacements are designed to replicate the aroma, sweetness, and texture of regular brown sugar—but with fewer calories and zero sugar. They work as one-to-one substitutes for light brown sugar in recipes.
Those blends contain allulose combined with erythritol, monk fruit, stevia, or sweet fibers (oligosaccharides or inulin). They also have a pinch of glycerin, molasses, or malt extract to help give the overall resemblance to regular brown sugars, providing moisture and allowing them to pack. Want to dive deeper? Visit my Brown Sugar Replacement page.
BLENDS TO REPLACE POWDERED SUGAR
What's Powdered Sugar Replacement?
With Allulose
Allulose sweeteners come in various crystals sizes—granulated, crystallized, and powdered. The terms granulated and crystallized are often used interchangeably by sellers, and both typically refer to crystals resembling table sugar, making them ideal replacements for regular sugar.
On the other hand, powdered allulose, as the name suggests, is a one-to-one substitute for regular powdered sugar, with fine crystals similar to confectioners' or powdered sugar. It’s perfect for recipes that require a smooth texture or that final decorative touch. The powdered allulose below contains finely ground allulose in pure form or combined with a pinch of monk fruit and stevia extract. Want to learn more about powdered sugar replacements? Check out my detailed guide HERE.
ZERO-CALORIE SUGARS
Beyond Allulose
RARE SUGARS AS SWEETENERS
Rare sugars, as the name implies, are rare in nature and typically less sweet than table sugar. Our bodies can easily break down and digest common sugars, but not rare sugars.
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The Digestive Effects of Rare Sugars. Like sugar alcohols (polyols), rare sugars are classified as low-digestible carbohydrates. Some of the amounts we ingest pass INTACT into our large intestine, where it may be fermented by gut bacteria and may act osmotically by drawing water from the body, causing loose stools or diarrhea.
While one of their main downsides is that they can cause digestive issues, they may also act as prebiotics, promoting the growth of healthy gut bacteria — a beneficial digestive effect. Common side effects of having unabsorbed sweeteners entering the large intestine include bloating, cramps, flatulence, or laxation.
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Rare sugars can be promoted as zero-calories and zero glycemic. Even though we cannot metabolize rare sugars, bacteria in the lower digestive tract can. The low caloric value attributed to rare sugars like allulose, is because microbes metabolize it, and we obtain their energy indirectly. And that's why they provide a small amount of calories, not zero; it's about 1.5 cal/teaspoon—versus 16 cal for table sugar. They don't brake down into glucose, so have no effect on blood sugar levels.
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Besides allulose (listed first on this page), I've found sweeteners containing the following rare sugars: D-xylose, and D-tagatose.
Xylose is made from hemicellulose and is also known as wood sugar or coconut shell powder. It's about half as sweet as sugar. I wrote about xylose on another page as it's used to produce the sweetener xylitol.
Tagatose is made from lactose, is about 90% as sweet as sugar, and provides about 30% of the calories of table sugar (1.5 cal per gram). Unlike allulose, which isn't currently approved in the UK or EU, tagatose has long been approved in the US, UK and EU.
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The main disadvantage of rare sugars: Consuming them alone on an empty stomach or in large amounts can lead to adverse gastrointestinal effects.
Ready to Skip the Sweetener Guesswork?
You don't have to go through trial and error with different sweeteners, wasting time, pricey ingredients, and not to mention ruined recipes.
That's why I created the Sugar Swap Starter Kit — your shortcut to choosing and using sugar alternatives with confidence. It is designed for home cooks who want to understand how different options stack up, find the best ones, and get practical tips to use them. This kit offers a quick way to get all your questions answered — all in one easy-to-follow resource!
SAFETY
IS ALLULOSE SAFE?
Yes, allulose has been approved in the United States as a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) ingredient. It's not a food additive. The FDA refers to allulose as a non-traditional sugar.
Allulose is also permitted in Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and South Korea. In 2024, Australia and New Zealand approved allulose as a novel food and safe ingredient.
However, Health Canada, the EU, and the UK don’t allow it yet. As of February 2025, allulose is banned in some major natural & organic foods grocery stores in America, such as Whole Foods Market.
Is allulose a natural or artificial sweetener?
Allulose is considered a natural sweetener by the FDA because it's both derived from a natural source (corn or sugar beets) AND found in nature. As the FDA explains, ingredients "found in nature can be manufactured artificially and produced more economically, with greater purity and more consistent quality, than their natural counterparts."
So, contrary to popular belief, allulose is not an artificial sweetener like some others that do not occur in Nature.
The allulose sold in stores is a "natural-like" ingredient — a synthetic copy of the allulose found in plants. The FDA compares to vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which can be derived from an orange or artificially produced via fermentation. The same applies to allulose. In both cases, the chemical structure is exactly the same as its naturally occurring counterpart [allulose that is intrinsic and intact in plants].
Manufacturers do not extract allulose from natural sources — such as raisins, figs, kiwi, brown sugar, molasses, wheat, and maple syrup —because they contain minuscule amounts of allulose. So, production on a large scale from them would not be cost-effective.
Looking for more details on how allulose is made?
Refer to each GRAS notice submitted by manufacturers for FDA review HERE — for each one, click "D-psicose" on the "Substance" column, and then download the PDF.
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