Best Sugar-Free Coffee Syrups
Famous movie director David Lynch once said that “Even bad coffee is better than no coffee at all.” And while it’s hard not to agree with him on this one, drinking coffee you don’t really enjoy is not the most pleasant experience. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution that will make any cup of coffee you make special - coffee syrup.
Indeed, syrups have rapidly grown in popularity in the past few years, with more and more coffee lovers discovering their delicious properties. On top of that, with the introduction of sugar-free coffee syrups, you can stop worrying about calories that might ruin your diet. The thing is, though, not every sugar-free syrup tastes as good as it claims.
With this in mind, we’ve prepared our list of the best sugar-free coffee syrups available, along with a short guide on how to pick the right one. Read on, and learn how to ensure your flavored coffee tastes exactly the way you want it.
Choosing Your Sugar-Free Coffee Syrup
Before we get to our breakdown of the best coffee syrups, there are a few things we’d like to clarify regarding flavor and sweeteners. Knowing more about them will help you make a more informed purchase.
When it comes to flavors, the choice is rather straightforward - you choose the syrup that you like the most. The most popular flavors include hazelnut, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and maple. Things get more complicated with sweeteners, though.
There are many different sugar-free alternatives, and all of them can affect the overall taste. In general, we can divide those sweeteners into two categories - natural and artificial. There are also sugar alcohols.
Natural Syrup Sweeteners
Natural sugar-free sweeteners, as you probably suspect, come from a natural source. More specifically, from plants. When it comes to syrups, the most common natural sweetener sources are monk fruit and stevia.
What’s interesting about these two is that they are over 150 times sweeter than sugar. However, they are entirely carbohydrate and calorie-free. Additionally, they don’t impact blood glucose levels. This, compared with their lack of side effects, makes them an incredibly popular choice among syrup producers and consumers cautious about their health.
Artificial Syrup Sweeteners
Aspartame (Source: Wikipedia)
Typically, syrup producers use the same artificial sweeteners you can come across at other artificially sweetened foods and beverages. The most popular sweeteners are aspartame, acesulfame, neotame, sucralose, and saccharin. All of them vary in sweetness and risk factors. Because of this, they’re commonly used in combinations.
As for the controversies surrounding artificial sweeteners, some studies claim their intake might lead to an increased risk of gut health problems. And while this issue requires more research, it’s fair to say that naturally sweetened products are healthier.
Sugar Alcohols
Many put sugar alcohols in the same category as natural sweeteners, but there are several differences between the two. First and foremost, sugar alcohols add carbohydrates and calories to the syrup. Still, they are considered sugar-free and commonly used in the food and beverage industry.
The most common sugar alcohols are sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol. In general, alcohols used as sugar substitutes usually end in ‘ol,’ making them relatively easy to identify. And as for syrups, you should expect to find mostly erythritol. It’s the lowest-calorie sugar alcohol that comes with practically no aftertaste.
Top 8 Sugar-Free Syrups in 2023
Now that you know how various sweeteners differ from each other, it’s time to get to the main part of this guide. Below, we’ve listed our top eight sugar-free coffee syrups you should try in 2023:
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DaVinci is well-known for their exquisite sugar-free line of coffee syrups. Their caramel flavored syrup, however, is by far the best thing they’ve ever produced. Sweetened with sucralose, DaVinci’s caramel syrup has zero calories and comes with no carbs and fats.
And sure, some people claim the recently changed recipe has made the syrup worse, but frankly, most don’t even feel the difference. One thing is for sure, DaVinci caramel syrup will work wonders when added to your morning espresso, noon latte, or summer iced coffee.
Hazelnut syrup and coffee is a match made in heaven. And when it comes to choosing the right product, you can’t go wrong with Torani syrups. For almost a hundred years, Torani has delivered customers with sweet and delicious syrups, gaining well-deserved recognition among syrup lovers. And their sugar-free hazelnut syrup is amid the best they have ever produced.
Torani utilizes sucralose and acesulfame potassium as sweeteners, meaning the syrup is not only sugar-free but also contains no calories and fats. Most importantly, though, it’s a perfect syrup for any coffee.
Since its first syrups made in 1920, Monin has been the guarantor of quality and taste. With over a hundred years of experience, the French company is one of the largest syrup manufacturers worldwide, and their sugar-free syrups is another proof of why they have such an enormous loyal customer base.
And while their sugar-free line comes with a variety of flavors, their hazelnut-flavored syrup definitely stands out. It combines beautifully with coffee and other drinks, and because it’s sweetened with sucralose instead of sugar, it consists of no carbs and calories.
Jordan's Skinny Syrups line has many great flavors to choose from, including salted caramel and caramel pecan. However, in terms of taste, nothing comes close to their sugar-free vanilla syrup. It tastes delicious with any beverage, combining especially well with a latte.
Jordan uses sucralose and acesulfame potassium to provide that sugar-free sweetness, ensuring the syrup has zero carbs and calories. On top of that, Jordan’s vanilla syrup is gluten-free, kosher, keto-friendly, and non-GMO. Is there more one could wish for from a sugar-free coffee syrup?
Staying with vanilla flavors, this Starbucks naturally flavored syrup is made with coffee in mind. After all, it’s Starbucks we’re talking about here, and if any brand knows a thing about coffee, it’s them.
The syrup combines well with all types of coffee, as well as other hot and cold drinks. Although sweetened artificially with sucralose, the syrup tastes natural. Additionally, it’s very thin, meaning it blends well with beverages. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a more versatile syrup that you want to also use for baked goods, it might be a good idea to pick Jordan’s syrup instead.
If you love maple syrup in your coffee, ChocZero’s sugar-free syrup will soon become your favorite. Sweetened with monk fruit, this syrup is all about natural taste. What’s more, because maple has a powerful flavor itself, the fruitiness of the sweetener is practically undetectable.
The only con is that ChocZero’s maple syrup is relatively high in carbs and calories - 15 carbohydrates and 32 calories per tablespoon. This doesn’t make it an ideal choice if you’re on a keto diet. If you’re not, though, this syrup will provide you with that pure maple flavoring you love in your coffee.
Looking for a sugar-free maple syrup that is both vegan and gluten-free? If that’s the case, this Lakanto’s syrup ticks all these boxes. Much lower in carbs and calories than ChocZero’s syrup, only 1 carb per two tablespoons, Lakanto will add that desired maple flavor to your coffee without ruining your keto diet.
Lakanto uses monk fruit combined with erythritol as a sweetener. And it’s erythritol that lowers the number of carbs and calories. The only downside is that Lakanto’s maple taste is not as rich and sweet as in ChocZero’s syrup.
Name a better duo than chocolate and coffee. Impossible. Those two are perfect for each other and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The only problem is that chocolate and diet don’t go that well together. Luckily, Hershey’s sugar-free chocolate syrup comes to the rescue.
Sweetened with sucralose, this syrup contains zero calories or carbs while maintaining that sweet and inimitable natural chocolate flavor. By adding Hershey’s syrup to your coffee, you’ll be able to enjoy the marvelous coffee chocolate mix without ruining your diet goals.
In Summary
There are a plethora of coffee syrups out there that are worth your attention. With so many different brands and flavors, choosing the best sugar-free coffee syrup seems like an impossible task.
In general, all of the syrups we’ve mentioned are delicious and combine perfectly with almost any type of coffee. What’s more, most of them contain no or few carbs and calories, making them all keto-friendly. Check them out and decide for yourself which flavor and brand suits you best.