DIY Additive-free Monk Fruit Liquid Sweetener – Paleo, Keto, Low carb
Monk fruit, also known as Luo Han Guo, is a miraculous fruit hailing from China. Named after the Buddhist monks who cultivated it, it is treasured for its super sweet flavor and potential health benefits. Its calorie-free sweetness is appreciated by some in the paleo community, as well as in diets that reduce sugar such as: ketogenic, diabetic, low carb and HCG.
Personally, I love monk fruit extract for its ability to sweeten culinary delights with just a pinch of powder, or with drops of homemade liquid. The best part about it is there is no strange chemical or overpowering aftertaste. You know how stevia can get ya in the back of the throat? Gaggggg. (If you really do like stevia, though, you will LOVE this stuff. No gag, SRSLY.) It really tastes…well, just SWEET! I do feel that I taste the sweetness more toward the back of my tongue than toward the front (where I taste real sugars), and this can take a little bit of getting used to for monk fruit beginners.
When purchasing monk fruit extract, be sure to steer clear of blends that contain non-Paleo and gut-harming ingredients. Some of the major brands contain ingredients such as:
Maltodextrin (corn product, quite often GMO)
Erythritol (hard on the gut, can cause GI damage)
Sucralose (neurotoxin, addictive)
Fortunately there are a few different PURE powders out there that contain no ingredient other than, you guessed it, Monk Fruit. What you are looking for when purchasing a pure powder are “mogrosides.” Monk fruit mogrosides (which have been shown in studies to have antioxidant properties) are generally shown as a percentage, and the higher the percentage the sweeter your powder is going to be. This is why a tiny little bitty container may cost you about $17, and a big one can cost ya $25 or so. That little jar probably has a higher mogroside percentage than the big guy does. Its really up to you how sweet you need the powder, and you may want to consider what recipes you will mainly be using the powder in before you spend dat cash.
I use this one by LC Foods due to its 40% mogroside content (click pics below for buying options):
And I recently tried this medium-sized jar by NuNaturals and was very pleased as well (reviews stated the mogrosides were about 40%, but I haven’t been able to verify this other than by tasting it, and it is just as sweet as the above product): Last but (mayyyybe) not least is Swanson’s brand. Its touted in Paleo Magazine as being one of the pure ones, but I did not buy it yet due to not being able to find the mogroside content, and I do not know how well it dissolves to make the liquid.
For this recipe, I’ve used both of the smaller jars. They both seemed equally as sweet, but I do believe I prefer the flavor of the NuNaturals. Not that I disliked the LC Foods brand. I would still purchase it again…good stuff.
Here’s the method I use to make the liquid (before I talk your ear off summore about the monk fruitness in all of its glory):
I fill a 2 oz dropper bottle about 1.5″ from the top with filtered water. This ensures proper measurement, as well as leaves space for adding the powder and the dropper.
Depending on the mogroside strength of your powder, and also how strong you want your CUSTOM (eeeeep!) liquid to be, add anywhere from 1/8 to 1/2 tsp of monkfruit powder to a measuring cup. Pour in your measured water from the dropper bottle.
Whisk. And whisk. Then whisk summore til its dissolved. WHISKWHISKWHISK and away!
*tap*tap* Your monk fruit liquid is now ready to pour into your dropper bottle. If you need to use a funnel, that is just fine, sweetie. My hands are not always stable enough to aim correctly, and a funnel is one of my best friends in that situation.
The reason I made a liquid was because the powder is difficult to measure in a hurry, and this makes for expensive messes during the morning rush! Plus, I had previously used a liquid version (before I realized it had maltodextrin it…UGH) and had been pleased with the ease of dispensing the drops. Sometimes the powder can be difficult to dissolve into liquids that are too hot or too cold, or to get a teeny little 1/8 tsp to evenly incorporate into a huge batch of cookies or so. The liquid just seems to work fabulously for my needs.
Both mentioned in Paleo Magazine, Mark Sisson and Jane Barthelamy discuss the Paleo-ishness of monk fruit:
“I’d say it’s worth a shot if you’re looking for a non-caloric, natural sweetener. Verdict: Primal.” – Mark Sisson
“It’s delicious! A favorite healthy Paleo sweetener. Hooray!“ – Jane Barthelemy
The Paleo Mom isn’t so convinced about any non-nutritive sweetener, though, no matter how natural it may be:
“Monk fruit stimulates Th2 cells so it’s an immune stimulator. “ – Sarah Ballantyne.
Sarah has also mentioned before that non-nutritive sweeteners can stimulate the adrenal gland.
The moral of the story is: Use your best judgment; research for your body type and specific dietary needs; and if it feels right for you, give monk fruit a try!
Photo credits: https://pixabay.com/en/buddhist-monk-buddhism-meditation-737275/ https://pixabay.com/en/hydrosol-bottle-aromatherapy-939216/
17 Comments
Tammie R F Goodall
You mention adding monk fruit sweeter to cookies. Do you have a recipe for this? Or ANY dessert using monk fruit powder?
Samantha Jo Teague
Hi Tammie, Currently I don’t have any recipes published with monk fruit other than just a sweetener option recommendation. But the pure powder/liquid is such a concentrated ingredient that you could add it to virtually any recipe in place of another sweetener. You would just need to play with the measurements a bit. Ie: sugar is dry and has a lot of volume, and honey / syrups create moisture, so you would need to sub in a bit more dry ingredient or liquid, respectively, to replace those sweeteners. Ie: more flour or fat. I hope this helps!
Wanda
Peace be unto you. What sweeteners do you currently use?
Samantha
Hello there Wanda,
I hope you are feeling blessed today. <3
I currently use honey and maple syrup, just in small quantities. 🙂 Date syrup or date paste is also very delicious in moderation!
Naomi
Hi, just found your site and this neat idea for monk fruit. I currently use Pure Monk and have the same messy problem with using it so I can”t wait to implement this. Just one question, How long will this last does hydrating it give it a shelf life I wonder, maybe that’s a silly question. Thanks so much.
Samantha Jo Teague
Hi there Naomi, Yeah its no fun when the powder from a $25 jar of powder flying all over the counter (I’ve been there!). Ha ha. I had used mine up in about a month with no problems. I have seen monk fruit liquids available at the store, but I think they have citric acid acid added to them for longer shelf stability. Plus, they usually have xylitol or erythritol added for more sweetness, which I avoid as they irritate my gut. If you want longer storage, you could keep it in the fridge and it should last even longer. 🙂
Naomi
Thanks for the quick response, just subscribed to your site. Look forward to your upcoming discoveries. Just made my first batch of liquid and a smaller size for my purse. yay!
Samantha Jo Teague
You’re welcome! You’re like me, better to have two. ??? Thanks for subscribing Naomi. Many more goodies to come!
Shari
Your variance of 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon is pretty big. What do you typiccally use and then can you suggest, based on that, how many drops to be equivalent in sweetness to a teaspoon of sugar? I realize everyone’s taste and sweet-tooth are different, but it will give me a better starting point. Thanks so much for this post and your help!
Samantha Jo Teague
Hi Shari! You are correct, it is a large measurement jump there! It depends on the strength of the monk fruit powder brand you are using and how potent you would like the liquid to be from the 1/8 to 1/2 tsp. I personally like to have more control over the sweetness of the liquid, so I opt for less powder. I use the lower strength version, and add 4 drops to a large (12oz-ish) decaf coffee and it brings the sweetness to what I would consider about 1 tsp of sugar. If you make the higher strength version I would recommend starting with one drop in a large drink and doing a little taste test. 🙂 I hope this helps!
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Colleen Hamson
I like your website. You helped me out. Love the humor.
Samantha
Heya Colleen,
Aw thank you hun! So glad to be able to help out. 🙂
Have a stellar day,
Sam
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Marie H
Hi, I am planning to try your liquid monk fruit recipe. I am purchasing NuNaturals (40% mogrosides) monk fruit powder. Can you please tell me if I use 1/8 teaspoon (is this too much?) in 1.5 oz of water how many drops will equal 1 teaspoon of sugar? I have been using Lakanto brand liquid monk fruit drops but they are very expensive. I plan to reuse these bottles to make your recipe. Any advise is appreciated.
Thanks, Marie
Samantha
Hi Marie,
I’ve found when I make my own drops at home, that 2 drops tastes similar to 1 tsp of sugar in my coffee. 🙂
Since different brands may have different levels of sweetness, you may wish to make a tiny test batch first, then make note of that ratio for when you make a larger batch.
I hope this helps!
-Sam