Nutrition Diet: What artificial sweetener tastes just like sugar?

October 17, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the Cleveland Clinic, allulose is a rare sugar found naturally in some fruits that closely mimics the taste of real sugar with minimal calories. For those seeking to reduce sugar intake without compromising on flavor, finding an artificial sweetener that tastes just like sugar is the ultimate goal, but the reality involves nuanced differences in taste, texture, and aftertaste.

Quick Summary

Allulose and erythritol are considered among the top sugar substitutes for replicating the taste and texture of real sugar. Allulose offers a clean, neutral sweetness, while erythritol can produce a cooling effect. Other options like sucralose and blends may also replicate a sugary flavor, but often with more noticeable aftertastes.

Key Points

Allulose is the closest match: This rare sugar offers a clean, neutral sweetness with no aftertaste, making it the top contender for mimicking sugar's taste and baking performance.
Erythritol is also highly comparable: As a sugar alcohol, erythritol is popular for its very low-calorie content and sugar-like flavor, though some people may notice a mild cooling aftertaste.
Blends often provide the best results: Many consumers prefer products that blend sweeteners like erythritol with monk fruit or stevia to mask aftertastes and create a more balanced flavor profile.
Not all artificial sweeteners taste alike: Sweeteners like saccharin and pure stevia often have distinct off-flavors, such as metallic or bitter aftertastes, that are less sugar-like.
Baking performance varies greatly: Some sweeteners like allulose and erythritol are heat-stable and functional for baking, while others, like pure aspartame, lose their sweetness when heated.
Individual palate sensitivity matters: Aftertaste perception is highly personal, so experimenting with different sweeteners is the best way to find your preferred option.

The Quest for the Perfect Sugar Dupe

Many people turn to artificial sweeteners to manage their caloric intake, blood sugar levels, or overall health. However, the experience of taste can vary dramatically from one sugar substitute to the next. While table sugar provides a clean, satisfying sweetness, many replacements are notorious for unpleasant aftertastes, often described as chemical, metallic, or bitter. Finding a substitute that truly provides that 'just like sugar' experience requires understanding the unique properties of different options.

Allulose: The Rare Sugar Sensation

Allulose, a monosaccharide or "rare sugar," has emerged as a top contender for mimicking the taste of sugar. It is found in small quantities in fruits like figs and raisins and is commercially produced from fructose. What makes allulose stand out?

Closest to sugar's taste: Allulose is about 70% as sweet as sugar but provides a remarkably clean, smooth flavor profile with no bitter aftertaste. A 2019 study published in Food Chemistry found that an allulose-sucrose mixture had a taste profile very similar to pure sucrose.
Low caloric impact: At only 0.4 calories per gram (about 10% the calories of sugar), it offers a sweet taste without the caloric load.
Excellent for baking: Unlike some other sweeteners that lose their sweetness when heated, allulose is heat-stable and browns and caramelizes like sugar. This makes it a great choice for a wide variety of baked goods, syrups, and sauces. It also helps retain moisture, resulting in soft and tender baked goods.
Potential downsides: Allulose is newer to the market and can be more expensive. High consumption may also lead to gastrointestinal distress like bloating or diarrhea.

Erythritol: A Popular Sugar Alcohol

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol found naturally in some fruits, though it's typically produced commercially. It's a zero-calorie sweetener that is absorbed by the body but not metabolized, so it doesn't affect blood sugar or insulin levels.

Sugar-like flavor: Erythritol is approximately 70% as sweet as sugar and offers a clean taste. Many people find its flavor to be very similar to sugar, making it a popular choice for baking and general sweetening.
Cooling sensation: Some individuals notice a distinct cooling sensation on the tongue when consuming erythritol, especially at high concentrations.
Blends well: Erythritol is often blended with other high-intensity sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit to create a more balanced flavor and eliminate aftertaste.

Monk Fruit: The Natural Zero-Calorie Option

Derived from a fruit native to China, monk fruit extract is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener. The sweetness comes from compounds called mogrosides.

Zero-calorie and keto-friendly: It is a popular choice for those following keto or low-carb diets because it has zero glycemic impact.
Potential aftertaste: While some find monk fruit's taste to be clean and fruity, others may detect a distinct aftertaste. For this reason, it is often blended with erythritol or allulose in commercial products.

The Importance of Blends

Many consumer products sold as "natural sweeteners" are actually blends of different components. Combining sweeteners is a strategy to improve the overall taste profile and mask unwanted aftertastes. For example, a mixture of stevia and erythritol can leverage the intense sweetness of stevia while using erythritol to provide bulk and a more sugar-like texture, masking stevia's bitterness. Some brands use a combination of allulose and monk fruit to combine their beneficial properties. This blending is key to why some products achieve a much more palatable flavor than their pure counterparts.

Comparison of Top Sugar Substitutes


Feature	Allulose	Erythritol	Sucralose	Stevia	Monk Fruit
Sweetness (vs. Sugar)	~70%	~70%	~600x	~200-400x	~100-250x
Taste Profile	Clean, very similar to sugar	Sugar-like, can have a cooling effect	Very sweet, can have a chemical or metallic aftertaste	Often bitter, licorice-like aftertaste	Fruity, sometimes with a bitter aftertaste
Aftertaste	Minimal to none	Minimal, but some detect a cooling sensation	Possible chemical or metallic	Often present and noticeable	Can be present, especially in high concentrations
Baking Suitability	Excellent, browns and caramelizes	Good, stable under heat, may produce crispy texture	Stable under heat, but lacks bulk and structure	Stable under heat, but needs fillers for bulk and texture	Stable under heat, needs fillers for texture
Sourced From	Figs, raisins (commercially from fructose)	Fruits (commercially from fermentation)	Chemically modified sucrose	Stevia rebaudiana plant leaves	Monk fruit (Siraitia grosvenorii)

Which Sweetener is Right for You?

Choosing the best sweetener ultimately depends on your specific needs. If your primary goal is to find a single ingredient for baking that replicates the taste and functional properties of sugar as closely as possible, allulose is often the top recommendation. Its ability to caramelize and provide a soft texture is a significant advantage. For general sweetening in beverages or recipes where bulk and browning are less critical, erythritol is a budget-friendly option with a very clean taste. However, if you are sensitive to its cooling aftertaste, you may prefer a different option or a blend.

Many consumers also find success with blended products that combine the best of different sweeteners. These are specifically formulated to mask individual off-flavors and provide a more balanced sweetness. Ultimately, experimentation is often the best way to discover which sweetener or blend works best for your personal taste buds and culinary applications. While the quest for a perfect 'just like sugar' alternative continues, options like allulose offer a very close and satisfying experience.

Conclusion

While no artificial sweetener is an exact clone of sugar, allulose currently stands out as the most comparable option for a clean, sugar-like flavor and performance in baking. Erythritol is another strong contender, though its cooling effect is a potential drawback for some. For those sensitive to aftertastes, exploring blends of different sweeteners, such as erythritol and monk fruit, can often yield the best results. The optimal choice depends on your specific dietary needs, cooking applications, and palate. For the most sugar-like experience, many find allulose to be the new gold standard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Allulose is widely praised for its clean, smooth taste that is very similar to sugar with virtually no aftertaste. Erythritol also has a sugar-like flavor but is known to leave a mild, cooling sensation on the tongue for some people.

Yes, allulose is an excellent choice for baking because it is heat-stable and mimics sugar's ability to brown and caramelize at lower temperatures. It also helps baked goods retain moisture for a softer texture.

The aftertaste from stevia and monk fruit is due to the activation of bitter taste receptors by certain compounds (steviol glycosides in stevia and mogrosides in monk fruit). This effect is often minimized when these sweeteners are combined with others in a blended product.

Sucralose, sold under the brand name Splenda, is approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar and is often praised for its clean taste. However, some people may detect a chemical or artificial aftertaste, which is why sucralose is often used in combination with other sweeteners to improve flavor.

No, non-nutritive artificial sweeteners like allulose, erythritol, and sucralose are generally not absorbed or metabolized by the body in the same way as sugar, so they do not significantly impact blood glucose or insulin levels.

Yes, high consumption of some sugar alcohols, like erythritol, can cause digestive upset, such as bloating and gas. Additionally, some individuals may be more sensitive to the aftertaste of certain sweeteners.

Look for products containing pure allulose or blends of allulose and monk fruit. These are derived from natural sources and are known for their minimal aftertaste and functional properties that closely resemble sugar.