Stevia is a relative newcomer to the broad category of added sugars on the market in the United States. Added sugars are considered any sugar added to a food to sweeten it, including baked goods. Typically, table sugar is used in baked good recipes, but stevia can be used too. But because stevia has different chemical properties than table sugar, it may be difficult to achieve the same results when used for baking.
About Stevia
Stevia is considered an artificial sugar even though it's derived from a plant and not artificially manufactured. Some companies dub stevia a "natural" sugar, but the final stevia product is highly refined. Used for decades as a sweetener in Asia, South America and some parts of Europe, it was only approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the U.S. as a food additive in 2008.
General Properties
Common table sugar, also known as sucrose, is considered an added sugar like stevia because it's added to foods for sweetening. Table sugar is what is typically called for in baked good recipes, but it adds calories. There are four calories for every 1/4 tsp. of table sugar, while stevia contains no calories. Stevia also doesn't raise blood sugar since it's not a carbohydrate like table sugar is, a beneficial property for diabetics.
Baking with Stevia
Stevia is much sweeter than table sugar so you need less to achieve the same amount of sweetness. Stevia also can produce a bitter aftertaste if too much is used. Table sugar has certain properties helpful in baking that stevia does not -- the ability to caramelize, add texture, tenderize a batter and aid yeast fermentation. For these reasons, cakes made with stevia may not rise as well as they would when made with table sugar. Cookies made with stevia may also be more crisp.
Tips
For baked good recipes calling for 1 tsp. of table sugar, 1/4 tsp. of stevia should be added. One tbsp. of table sugar requires 3/4 tsp. of stevia and 1 cup of table sugar converts to 12 tsp. of stevia. If cookies made with stevia aren't chewy enough for your taste, adding canned pumpkin, peanut butter or uncooked oatmeal to the recipe may help.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Artificial sweeteners: Understanding These and Other Sugar Substitutes; October 2010
- Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska--Lincoln: Stevia
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Stevia Sweeteners: What you Need to Know
- Pure Via: Sweetnes Conversion Chart
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