How to Substitute Powdered and Liquid Stevia for Sugar in Baking

What exactly is stevia, you may wonder? Unlike chemically based artificial sweeteners such as "Equal" and "Sweet N' Low", stevia is a plant-derived alternative to sugar. Sold at many health food stores, it is quickly gaining popularity, as it provides a safe no-calorie sugar substitute. One thing to keep in mind though, is that stevia is much sweeter than sugar. In this article, you'll learn the basic sugar to stevia conversions.

Things You'll Need

• measuring spoons
• recipies
• baking or cooking supplies

Instructions

1. When you are substituting stevia for sugar in your recipe, keep in mind that stevia is almost 10 times sweeter than sugar! This means that you'll need to use significantly less stevia than you would sugar.

2. A basic rule is as follows: 1 cup of sugar = 1 teaspoon of stevia.

3. Stevia is available in powder form or liquid form. Here is a basic conversion chart:
   Sugar ------------ Powdered Stevia------------- Liquid Stevia
   1 cup--------------1 teaspoon-------------------1 teaspoon
   1 tablespoon-------1/4 teaspoon-----------------6 - 9 drops
   1 teaspoon---------1/16 teaspoon----------------2- 4 drops

Tips & Warnings

• Using stevia as a substitute for sugar can require some experimentation and tweaking of the recipe, especially with baking. Because sugar can provide a lot of volume and texture , you may need to use other things to make up for what is lost due to stevia use.

• There are many cookbooks available that go into great detail about how to cook with stevia. You can order them online or check with your local library to see if they have them.

• Studies that have been conducted have shown no adverse effects on the body from stevia use, however, as with any new dietary supplement, it may be wise to check with your physician before using.