Guide to Buying Stevia | WhatSugar Blog by Adriane Campos

WHAT IS STEVIA?

THE 2025 SNAPSHOT

At WhatSugar, we’re dedicated to helping you navigate the complex world of sugar alternatives—and stevia is one of the trickiest to understand. As of 2025, it’s the most common sweetener in stores, with over 9,000 options available. To make things easier, I’ve created this page with 20 quick bullet points so you can absorb key details at a glance. Want a deeper dive? Check out my Stevia Buying Guide.

GET MY FREE GUIDE

Stevia Basics

Sweeteners commonly referred to as stevia contain extracts of the leaf of a shrub called Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni).
China is by far the main grower in the world, accounting for over 90% of stevia distributed worldwide.
Chemically speaking, the sweet components of the stevia leaf are steviol glycosides, which are 25 to 450x sweeter than table sugar.
The stevia leaf contains more than forty steviol glycosides and the most abundant are shown in the image below.

what-is-stevia-vs-steviol-glycosides-good-or-bad-in-2025.jpg

Pure Extract at a Glance

Highly refined stevia extracts sold in stores are different from the notably bitter whole-leaf or crude extracts, which are NOT allowed as sweeteners as stated by the FDA here.
When you buy stevia sweeteners, they will have one or more steviol glycosides. Stevia may be listed on product labels as stevia leaf extract, stevia extract, steviol glycoside, reb A, reb D, reb M, or stevioside.
The best-known leaf extract is reb A (short for rebaudioside A) or rebiana which is used in most products you find in stores. Pure reb A is 250 to 450 times sweeter than table sugar with a characteristic slightly bitter, licorice-like aftertaste.
Two sought-after extracts, called reb D and reb M, are promoted as being the 'better-tasting' and 'more sugar-like' stevia. We're launching our very own WhatSugar–approved in spring 2025.
With the exception of reb D and M, all other extracts have a distinct taste and work best when combined with stronger ingredients, such as coffee, chocolate, or citrus fruits.

the-best-stevia-how-do-stevia-sweeteners-compare-in-2025.jpg

How to Buy Stevia

Over 9000 stevia sweeteners are available to you in stores across the United States.
Stevia comes in a variety of forms: liquid, granulated, individual packets/sticks, and cubes/tablets.
Some products have pure stevia leaf extract — one ingredient only — which is super concentrated, meaning you need to use just a pinch.
The vast majority of stevia products are blends with bulk sweeteners such as erythritol and allulose. Others might have inulin, sugars, maltodextrin, or xylitol instead. I showcase these blends HERE.

From Pure Stevia to Blends

The Role of Bulking Sweeteners

When Pure Stevia Works Best: Pure stevia extract is perfect when all you need is sweetness. It works well in hot and cold drinks, smoothies, cocktails, yogurt, and sprinkled over oatmeal. It’s also great for on-the-go sweetening as just a tiny amount gives the sweet taste you need.
The Limitations of Pure Stevia: Pure stevia extract offers no bulk — it won’t thicken, bind ingredients, or add viscosity to food. It also doesn’t brown or caramelize, making it unsuitable as the sole sweetener in baking.
What's in the blends? In blends, 99% of the product’s weight typically comes from the bulk sweetener, with only a hint of stevia extract. This raises a common concern: Isn’t it misleading to call the product “stevia” when almost all of its weight comes from something else? Here's a detailed answer.
Why mix with bulking sweetener? While pure stevia extract can boost sweetness in recipes, it needs a bulk sweetener to create a sugar-like texture, especially in baking. Bulk sweeteners are carbohydrates. They are often less sweet than sugar and offer minimal calories to each serving. Here are 3 reasons they're used:

Bulk sweeteners give stevia an overall resemblance to table sugar. It fills the empty space (mass and volume) that pure extracts have for being so concentrated. They make stevia spoonable and pourable.
Bulk sweeteners improve stevia's mouthfeel (that sensation of thicker or "fuller" in the mouth)
Bulk sweeteners improve stevia's taste by masking off-flavors (any non-sweet taste) and the provide sweetness synergy (boost sweetness).

Learn more about bulk sweeteners HERE.

There is A LOT to see, 160 stevia products to be precise. Make your choice below:

Stevia | Pure Extract

Stevia leaf extracts are food ingredients with GRAS status. The leaf extracts go through a great deal of processing and purification until they become palatable and free of impurities. They provides zero calories and are 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar. Find here a variety of brands of pure stevia leaf extract.

Stevia | Liquid

Stevia leaf extracts are food ingredients with GRAS status. The leaf extracts go through a great deal of processing and purification until they become palatable and free of impurities. They provides zero calories and are 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar. Find here brands of liquid stevia. The most common carriers include glycerine, erythitol, alcohol, and cellulose. Some are sold as dietary supplements and allow health claims on labels.

Stevia | with Erythritol

Stevia leaf extracts are food ingredients with GRAS status. The leaf extracts go through a great deal of processing and purification until they become palatable and free of impurities. They provides zero calories and are 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar. Find here a variety of brands of stevia-erythritol blend.

Stevia | with Inulin

Stevia leaf extracts are food ingredients with GRAS status. The leaf extracts go through a great deal of processing and purification until they become palatable and free of impurities. They provides zero calories and are 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar. Find here a variety of brands of stevia-inulin blend.

Stevia | with Sugars

Stevia leaf extracts are food ingredients with GRAS status. The leaf extracts go through a great deal of processing and purification until they become palatable and free of impurities. They provides zero calories and are 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar. Find here brands of stevia-carbohydrates blends. Most common carbohydrates include maltodextrin, glucose, and cellulose.

Stevia | with Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin-based sweeteners that measure like sugar on a 1:1 ratio are included with 'blends with less sugar'. Maltodextrin is not a sugar, but is broken down into sugars (maltose & glucose) in our mouth, stomach, and small intestine, being absorbed as pure glucose.

Stevia | with Xylitol

Stevia | with Rare Sugars

Stevia | with Monk Fruit

Stevia is the term used to refer to steviol glycosides (highly refined extracts from the leaves of the stevia plant) Monk fruit is the term used to refer to mogrosides (extracts obtained from the luo han guo fruit)

Stevia | Cubes and Tablets

Stevia cubes and tablets contain stevia leaf extract plus other ingredients such as erythritol, glucose, or cellulose. Each cube or tablet is as sweet as one teaspoon of table sugar.

Stevia | Dried Leaf

The whole-leaf Stevia is dried, cut, and turn into a green powder. It has a very mild sweet taste and does not dissolve well. Extracts (highly refined with > or = 95% purity) from the leaf are approved by the FDA but the leaves itself are not due to inadequate toxicological information.