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Keto Simple Syrup (Erythritol Simple Syrup)

Keto Simple Syrup (Erythritol Simple Syrup Recipe)

Look, I know I’m the Southwestern gal on Food Network, and I know I should probably stay in my lane— but when a good thing comes along I have a hard time covering it with a blanket and pretending it doesn’t exist.

My husband started Keto 2 months ago and has lost 30 POUNDS! (Update: 40 lbs!  And he wasn’t even that overweight to begin with.) And now that I have (basically) an underwear model walking around my house, I find it difficult not to share our secret life of Keto. 😀

So from here on out, I hope you’ll enjoy some of the best recipes that I share on our Keto journey… starting today with this Keto Simple Syrup.

It seems that the internets have had a lot of trouble with this recipe.

So today, let me share with you my recipe and workaround for Keto Simple Syrup, since it’s probably the first time I got to pull out my food science books since culinary school.  And if you love your cocktails as much as I do and still want to be as Keto as possible, you’re going to thank me for sharing my Homemade Strawberry Vodka Recipe with you!

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)


Keto Simple Syrup (Erythritol Simple Syrup Recipe) - comparing recipes

First off, What is Simple Syrup?

Simple Syrup is a syrup made from boiling equal parts sugar and water, used by bartenders to make and sweeten cocktails. The tricky thing is it doesn’t just add sweetness. Due to the sugar molecules being distributed densely in the water molecules, it provides a sensation called “mouth feel”,  which refers to the denseness and viscosity it contributes to cocktails.

Consider the margarita: The best recipe for margaritas is tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and simple syrup, shaken with ice. Why are good margaritas a little thick if those ingredients are all water based?

Answer: Simple Syrup

So put that in your pocket and hold on to it while we talk about erythritol

Erythritol for Calorie Free Skinny Simple Syrup Recipe

Erythritol in the Keto Diet

In my opinion, one of the main reasons the Keto diet is so successful is it’s promotion of the sugar alcohol, erythritol. Keto diet icons didn’t invent erythritol, it’s actually been around for over 100 years used mostly to sweeten protein drinks and fitness supplements. Erythritol is 70% as sweet as table sugar with virtually no caloric intake, and here’s the thing… to most people it TASTES LIKE SUGAR.

This is coming from a family that despises Truvia, Splenda, Stevia— you name it, we hate it!

Before the Keto diet became wildly popular, erythritol was not widely available to home consumers. ..it wasn’t stocked in grocery and nutrition stores, it was simply an additive for sugar-free gum and diet food makers. Keto cookbook authors and writers brought this ingredient to the forefront and consumers insisted erythritol be stocked in stores. Now it’s virtually everywhere… and it’s delicious. 🙂

But it does have one problem….erythritol will not dissolve into water in equal parts, without immediate crystallization upon cooling.

It’s chemistry and there’s no getting around it. (We tried… a lot!)

So there is our challenge folks… How can we simulate the mouthfeel of simple syrup, using the palatable sweetness of erythritol, while staying within the boundaries of the Keto diet?

Click here to get the Erythritol that my family and I swear by!

To the lab we go!

I visited a chemist to find out what would be the threshold for dissolving Erythritol in water, before crystallization would ultimately take place.

Answer: 50%!

They also recommended Distilled Water, which after being steamed (through the process of distillation) has no impurities which can trigger crystallization. (Urban Cowgirls know all about that anyway after learning to make bacon fat caramels.) 🙂

So, our recipe begins there…

With 50% Erythritol to Distilled Water we have the beginnings of our recipe..

1 C. Distilled Water : 1/2 C. Pure Erythritol

I boiled this and it’s as thin as water, though still pretty sweet. Now we need to add additional sweetness and mouthfeel.

The usual thickeners of the kitchen are not keto friendly— cornstarch, flour, even arrowroot powder, are all “no-nos” on the Keto diet. So, I picked up a packet of Xanthan Gum (a thickening agent used in everything from toothpaste to salad dressing) and got to work experimenting with several different measurements.

Though all of these are featured on Instagram and Youtube in video form I suggest a 1/4 of a 1/4 teaspoon (aka 1/16 teaspoon).

1/4 t. of Xanthan Gum made a simple syrup with the consistency and thickness of dish soap… This would be useful in making a fully Keto Maple Syrup Alternative, with just a few drops of maple extract added…

Anything less than 1/4 of a 1/4 teaspoon was too thin to say it successfully solved the Keto Simple Syrup problem.

Click here to get your Xanthan Gum!

keto simple syrup in jars of different thickness

How to Bump the Sweetness

To bump the sweetness without adding additional Erythritol, I recommend alternative Keto sweeteners such as Truvia or Stevia brand, Sweet Drops. These are eyedropper drops of liquid Truvia or Stevia that allow you to add controlled doses into your simple syrup. And before you get all cray and say you hate the taste and tingly sensation of Stevia, just know… I DO TOO. You don’t taste it because of all the Erythritol. Keto cookbook authors constantly recommend using a combination of several keto sweeteners in 1 recipe because together they create a more realistic alternative to sugar.

Sweet Drops added to the Keto Simple Syrup boost the sweetness

For me personally, I’ll stick with a good brand of Erythritol for all my baking needs, but in this specific recipe, Sweet Drops can allow you to gradually bump the sweetness of your Keto Simple Syrup, without the overt taste of Stevia.

Click here to get the Sweet Drops that we use.

Here is the recipe for the Keto Simple Syrup

(Erythritol Simple Syrup)

If you make the recipe, post it to social media and tag Urban Cowgirl!

I’d love to see how it turns out!

If you enjoyed this recipe and you’re looking for more tips on the Keto diet, check out my article, How to prepare for the Keto Diet!

And if you’re already into the Keto diet and looking for some of my best Keto recipes, check out my Easy Keto Meatballs w/ Ricotta & Marinara as well as my Easy Keto Pizza WITHOUT a Cauliflower Crust!


Yield: 1 jar

Keto Simple Syrup (Erythritol Simple Syrup)

Keto Simple Syrup (Erythritol Simple Syrup)

This erythritol simple syrup was created to mimic the mouthfeel and sweetness of traditional simple syrup while providing a zero carb, zero-calorie alternative for low carb and keto drink enthusiasts!

Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Inactive Time 20 minutes
Total Time 26 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 c. Distilled Water
  • 1/2 c. Erythritol
  • 1/4 OF A 1/4 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum (powder)
  • 5-10 Sweet Drops (Truvia or Stevia in eyedropper form)

Instructions

  1. Place the distilled water into a saucepan, along with the erythritol.
  2. Take a 1/4 teaspoon measurer and fill it up on a 1/4 of the way with xanthan gum (this is a dry powder). Pour this into the saucepan and whisk well. NOTE: This is 1/16 of a teaspoon.
  3. The xanthan gum will want to clump up, but do your best to whisk it into the erythritol and water mixture. Heat the mixture over medium to high heat and continue to whisk now and then. (Note: Eventually when the simple syrup is made and cooled you can shake up the bottle and any little clumps of xanthan gum will be shaken into the mixture.)
  4. As it comes up to a boil, drop in 5 drops of sweet drops. In the final mixture, this will slightly increase the sweetness of the keto simple syrup without tasting like Truvia or Stevia, which many people do not think tastes as close to sugar as erythritol does.
  5. As it reaches boiling, the xanthan gum will cause the mixture to thicken to the consistency of simple syrup. Let it boil for 45 seconds and then pull off the heat and cool. You can taste it and add more sweet drops if you desire a super-sweet simple syrup.
  6. When cool, place in a mason jar and shake well to remove any specks of xanthan gum.
  7. This sugar-free erythritol simple syrup lasts indefinitely and will not crystalize. It can be added to all sorts of keto cocktails.

Notes

We have had a few comments on the syrup crystallizing for people who put it directly into the refrigerator.

After fully cooling, my family and many of my readers do refrigerate this every week with no problem.

If you encounter issues, consider leaving the syrup out on the shelf. We're still trying to track down if a certain brand of erythritol is to blame for this problem, which we see pop up ever so often given the vastly different climates of our readers.

Monkfruit sugar can be substituted for erythritol.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 3Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 5mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

This nutritional information is provided as a courtesy as an estimate only. Consult with a dietician for precise estimates.

Susie

Saturday 14th of September 2024

Hi. I am not in the USA but in Spain so your measures are not familiar to me. Please, what is a 'c'? What does that correspond to in millilitres?

Oliver

Tuesday 15th of October 2024

@Susie, 1 c would be 1 cup (250ml or 25 centilitres)

Mitch

Wednesday 3rd of July 2024

Thank you for this!

Sarah Penrod

Thursday 1st of August 2024

You're very welcome Mitch!

TerryG

Friday 15th of March 2024

Great video!!

Steve

Wednesday 10th of January 2024

Before anyone uses Erythritol as a sugar substitute, they should be aware of the following, and if anyone knows of an updated, or more recent study, it should be posted here.

An American study from 2001 found that people who used erythritol as a sweetener had a three-year increased risk of major adverse cardiac events – defined as non-fatal heart attack or stroke. While this was an incidental finding – meaning that the erythritol did not necessarily cause or contribute to their cardiac issues – it highlighted the need for more research to determine if using it as a sugar substitute predisposes a person to higher heart attack or stroke rates.

A 2021 study examined people who consumed erythritol or a similar sugar alcohol, xylitol. The results found that ingesting erythritol as a sugar substitute caused a spike in blood levels and increased the stickiness of the volunteers’ platelets. Platelets help the blood to clot if we cut ourselves, but if they are sticky, the risk of blood clots in the body increases, raising our risk of heart attack, stroke or other vascular issues.

While the findings still do not definitely prove that erythritol directly increases the risk for cardiovascular issues, the results indicate it may be best to avoid it until we have more evidence to suggest that it is, or is not, safe.

Rebecca

Tuesday 15th of November 2022

Hi, I used 1:1 ratio of keto sugar (Erythritol + mock fruit) to water and Xanthan Gum. The simple syrup looks fine when it's done and all sugar looked dissolved. But when it cools down, all sugar granulated at the bottom; did I use too much sugar and I can I fix this by adding more water and reheating it?

Please help. Thanks

The Viking

Saturday 11th of February 2023

@Sarah Penrod. Definitely not rare. In fact, I continue to fail to get it to ever work. My recent attempt was making a 1 to 2.5 ratio using distilled water. Prepared the syrup before sleeping (looked just fine) and then next morning, when cooled (still fine), I added it to 2000ml of liquor to maker limoncello. It has just been sitting for a week before bottling but looking at the bottom of the jar, lots of crystallization at the bottom. This is the 3rd time I've tried making limoncello with a sugar free simple syrup and just can't get it to work. This is actually the first time it crystallized at room temperature. Previous attempts it at least waited until it was frozen. Wish someone could really figure it out for us that are struggling! Appreciate your efforts here Sarah!

Sarah Penrod

Thursday 17th of November 2022

Hi Rebecca, sorry for the delay we all had the flu. You can reheat it and fully melt all of those crystals again and try again. You may need to add 2 tablespoons of water due to evaporation. Hopefully this resets it the correct way. Every once in awhile we get a rogue simple syrup that doesn't want to cooperate but it's usually pretty rare!!

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