Xylitol vs Erythritol

[Jennji]

Hi all,

Just wondered what people thought about these and using them in baking? I been doing a bit of reading up and thought about experimenting with them for the odd dessert for myself and the family, using keto type recipes. I’ve read pros and cons regarding reviews of the products but wondered how many of you lot have used either or both and how they tasted, any side effects etc. Luckily for me, I am not a big sweet girl anyway, but I was thinking maybe trying a recipes once or twice a month might be interesting.

I’ve been lucky that my hubby had managed to make some nice (but slightly mor dense) almond rolls for me which worked out as a nice ‘bready’ alternative for me one a week or so. But thought if I could fine a nice alternative dessert for all the family it could be of benefit for everyone.

J

 

[xfieldok]

I won't have xylitol in the house as it can be fatal for dogs.

 

[HSSS]

Initially xylitol tasted more sugar like to me than Erythritol did, particularly in tea and coffee. So I used to use that in hot drinks and erythritol in any baking etc. We have no dogs so that wasn’t a concern. Now I’ve got used to erythritol in drinks. I simply can not adjust to no sweetener despite many attempts and have fewer of these drinks instead, herbal (not fruit) teas instead etc.

Bgl were apparently not effected by either, though xylitol does have a higher GI than erythritol. The only time I’ve wished I didn’t use erythritol was in a keto version of millionaires shortbread in the caramel layer where it had advised xylitol, obviously for a reason, but I subbed it as that was all I had that day.

Erythritol is now my only sweetener as I bulk buy cheaper off amazon. The cost and ease along with lower GI and less chance of digestive issues for myself and others that might eat stuff I bake made my decision.

 

[Jennji]

Initially xylitol tasted more sugar like to me than Erythritol did, particularly in tea and coffee. So I used to use that in hot drinks and erythritol in any baking etc. We have no dogs so that wasn’t a concern. Now I’ve got used to erythritol in drinks. I simply can not adjust to no sweetener despite many attempts and have fewer of these drinks instead, herbal (not fruit) teas instead etc.

Bgl were apparently not effected by either, though xylitol does have a higher GI than erythritol. The only time I’ve wished I didn’t use erythritol was in a keto version of millionaires shortbread in the caramel layer where it had advised xylitol, obviously for a reason, but I subbed it as that was all I had that day.

Erythritol is now my only sweetener as I bulk buy cheaper off amazon. The cost and ease along with lower GI and less chance of digestive issues for myself and others that might eat stuff I bake made my decision.

I don’t drink hot drinks of any kind. I only drink water and because of that, I am not a ‘sweet’ person I don’t actually crave sweets and even before my recent dx, if I had a sweet dessert or sweets I didn’t have many as everything always tastes super sweet to me as I am not used to sweet stuff.

I’ve bought both to try but after reading so many people hace stomach issues, I was wondering how people reacted or how their recipes came out with each. What happened with your millionaire’s dessert?

 

[HSSS]

I don’t drink hot drinks of any kind. I only drink water and because of that, I am not a ‘sweet’ person I don’t actually crave sweets and even before my recent dx, if I had a sweet dessert or sweets I didn’t have many as everything always tastes super sweet to me as I am not used to sweet stuff.

I’ve bought both to try but after reading so many people hace stomach issues, I was wondering how people reacted or how their recipes came out with each. What happened with your millionaire’s dessert?

It was just a bit grainy and had a slightly odd tang to it. Could have ground it down to powder to solve the graininess though. Maybe now I wouldn’t taste it. It was a while ago. For years before diagnosis or low carb even I halved sugar in all recipes and still often use less sweetener than recipes dictate. I think they try and match them with typical tastebuds not our low carb adjusted ones.

 

[ziggy_w]

Hi all,

Just wondered what people thought about these and using them in baking? I been doing a bit of reading up and thought about experimenting with them for the odd dessert for myself and the family, using keto type recipes. I’ve read pros and cons regarding reviews of the products but wondered how many of you lot have used either or both and how they tasted, any side effects etc. Luckily for me, I am not a big sweet girl anyway, but I was thinking maybe trying a recipes once or twice a month might be interesting.

I’ve been lucky that my hubby had managed to make some nice (but slightly mor dense) almond rolls for me which worked out as a nice ‘bready’ alternative for me one a week or so. But thought if I could fine a nice alternative dessert for all the family it could be of benefit for everyone.

J

Hi @Jennji,

I have used both, in this is my experience (plus what I have learned by researching them.

Initially, I have used xylitol, but have now switched to erythritol. In my experience, they both tend to be quite similar.

Each one has advantages and disadvantages.

Xylitol has:
-- some calories (about 2.4 calories per gram compared to sugar, which is 4 calories per gram)
-- is dangerous to dogs as it causes an insulin reponse in them and they may experience deadly hypos (however, this isn't the case in humans and they are safe)
-- may cause a bit of a blood sugar response, though very little (much better than other sugar alcohols except for erythritol),
-- has been shown to be protective for your teeth
-- however, they may have a slightly more gastrointestinal effects than erythritol (however much less than other sugar alcohols),
-- has been used in Finland as a sugar substitute in WW II (made from birch bark) and thus there are more long-term data on its safety.
-- they seem to disolve a bit better than erythritol in dishes such as chocolate mousse in my experience.

Erythritol
-- has zero calories and thus no impact on blood sugar and insulin.
-- is safe for dogs.
-- has very few to no gastrointestinal effects.
-- is usually made from corn and requires a bit more processing.
-- is extracted from the blood by the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
-- fewer data available on long-term safety.
-- is safe for teeth, but does not seem to have the same protective effects as xylitol.

As to taste, in my experience they are quite similar, but you have to judge for yourself. Both occur naturally in trace amounts in fruit.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jennji]

It was just a bit grainy and had a slightly odd tang to it. Could have ground it down to powder to solve the graininess though. Maybe now I wouldn’t taste it. It was a while ago. For years before diagnosis or low carb even I halved sugar in all recipes and still often use less sweetener than recipes dictate. I think they try and match them with typical tastebuds not our low carb adjusted ones.

I see. I bought the Icing Sugar one so it is powdery rather than grainy. I will try them both. I did read people had a ‘menthol’ type response, i.e cooling sensation with it. But If i made say, mint chocolate brownies with it I doubt anyone would notice except my husband who will comment on anything low sugar.

 

[Jennji]

Hi @Jennji,

I have used both, in this is my experience (plus what I have learned by researching them.

Initially, I have used xylitol, but have now switched to erythritol. In my experience, they both tend to be quite similar.

Each one has advantages and disadvantages.

Xylitol has:
-- some calories (about 2.4 calories per gram compared to sugar, which is 4 calories per gram)
-- is dangerous to dogs as it causes an insulin reponse in them and they may experience deadly hypos (however, this isn't the case in humans and they are safe)
-- may cause a bit of a blood sugar response, though very little (much better than other sugar alcohols except for erythritol),
-- has been shown to be protective for your teeth
-- however, they may have a slightly more gastrointestinal effects than erythritol (however much less than other sugar alcohols),
-- has been used in Finland as a sugar substitute in WW II (made from birch bark) and thus there are more long-term data on its safety.
-- they seem to disolve a bit better than erythritol in dishes such as chocolate mousse in my experience.

Erythritol
-- has zero calories and thus no impact on blood sugar and insulin.
-- is safe for dogs.
-- has very few to no gastrointestinal effects.
-- is usually made from corn and requires a bit more processing.
-- is extracted from the blood by the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
-- fewer data available on long-term safety.
-- is safe for teeth, but does not seem to have the same protective effects as xylitol.

As to taste, in my experience they are quite similar, but you have to judge for yourself. Both occur naturally in trace amounts in fruit.

Hope this helps.

As always, thanks for the info. Great breakdown. Much appreciated.

 

[Jennji]

I use Erythritol in all my cooking and if its for the whole family I do 75% Erythritol to 25% Stevia as it tastes more like table sugar. Xylitol increases my BS and as an experiment tested it on my other half who is not diabetic and it increased her blood sugar levels by almost as much,
This is worth watching to see how different sweeteners increase sugar levels in non-diabetics
Ultimate Guide to Low Carb Sweeteners | Blood Testing | Be Sure to Avoid These 3!!

As an aside, I experiment with making my own versions of things that are now 'forbidden' just to see if I can. I make my low carb 'flowers' less dense for cake making by doing a ratio of approx 37% Wheat Gluten ,(Almond flower should be the fine but we don't have any nut products in the house as one of us is severely allergic to them and so have never tried it) 26% White Chia Seeds and 37% coconut flower. I whisk the butter and cream cheese first to add air then gently stir in the dry ingredients. Add the egg yolks one by one. I separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold that in last to increase the airiness. Works a treat. Great for Lemon drizzle cake (my children's current favourite) and Raspberry muffins etc. Had a shop made muffin a few weeks just to see what the texture difference was if any and I was pleased to find that my home made 2g carb muffins were just as good.
All percentages are 'Ish'

Thanks so much for commenting. Sounds interesting. Husband is just experimenting with almond flour. He made me some rolls and they were lovely, with wheat gluten. But Ive bought psyllium husk so will see how that all works in stuff. I like the almond four but did make the bread a bit more heavy. It might work well in cakes, but to be honest, i’ve never been much of a fan of cakes or muffins. I tend to like brownies or things like a chocolate ganache tart, if I were to have anything at all. But thought it might be worth experimenting with thing.

 

[HSSS]

I see. I bought the Icing Sugar one so it is powdery rather than grainy. I will try them both. I did read people had a ‘menthol’ type response, i.e cooling sensation with it. But If i made say, mint chocolate brownies with it I doubt anyone would notice except my husband who will comment on anything low sugar.

Personally I don’t notice the cooling effect and depending on the recipe it might be appropriate even if you do. I doubt your husband will notice if you don’t tell him. No one ever notices in my stuff.

 

[Dari]

I've never used xylitol. I use erithritol when preparing desserts. Not doing it often as I got used to non sweet food mainly.
It's not as sweet as sugar but has non collateral tastes. Good for preparing whipped cream and baked recipes.
I tried tiramisù and semifreddo with it and they were delicious. Also prepared lemon curd but it was much too sweet following the recipe.
Not using anymore in any drinks. I remember it changed coffee taste a little so I gave up using it.