Stevia leaves on a plant.
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You won't find a more effective sweetener than stevia -- it has 30 times the sweetening power of sugar -- but when you cook with it, you have to substitute for more than sweetness. Sugar adds color, moisture, caramelization, aroma and volume to food, so you have to use stevia in conjunction with a thickener or bulk ingredient. You get the most from stevia when you process the dried leaves yourself into a form suited for the application. Ground stevia works well in baked goods, stevia extract provides a boost to glazes, and stevia syrup works as a finishing ingredient.
Ground for Use in Baked Goods
Step 1
Rinse the stevia leaves in cold water and lay them flat on paper towels. Pat the moisture from the leaves and let them sit out for a few minutes.
Step 2
Break off any stems. Grind the dried stevia leaves to powder using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
Step 3
Scale, or portion, out the dry ingredients -- except for sugar -- for the recipe. Portion 1 tablespoon of ground stevia for every cup of sugar called for in the recipe.
Step 4
Scale out the wet ingredients for the baked good and add an extra 1/3 cup of the primary liquid for every tablespoon of stevia used. For example, if you're making a hot-milk sponge cake -- which calls for 2 cups of sugar -- you would add an extra 2/3 cup of milk because you are using 2 tablespoons of ground stevia to replace the 2 cups of sugar.
Step 5
Mix the batter and examine the consistency. If the batter is too loose from the additional liquid or bulk ingredient, add flour, a teaspoon at a time, until it stiffens to the desired consistency. Bake the baked good at a temperature up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Extract for Sauces and Glazes
Step 1
Rinse the dried leaves in cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Break the stems off and crush the leaves in your hand. Put the crushed leaves in a glass jar.
Step 2
Cover the stevia with vodka and seal the jar. Keep the jar in a cupboard for two days.
Step 3
Strain the vodka through a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth and into a saucepan. Reduce the extract on the stove over low heat until syrupy, about 30 minutes.
Step 4
Transfer the extract to a dark bottle that has a dropper; you're going to use stevia extract by the drop. Keep the extract in a dark pantry or cupboard until you're ready to use it.
Step 5
Prepare the glaze, dessert sauce, fruit sauce or other liquid-based sweetened dish until the point when you would add the sugar. Substitute 2 drops of extract per teaspoon of sugar; substitute 6 drops of extract per tablespoon of sugar; substitute 1/4 teaspoon of extract per 1/4 cup of sugar; substitute 1/3 teaspoon of extract per 1/3 cup of sugar; substitute 1/2 teaspoon of extract for 1/2 cup sugar; substitute 1 teaspoon of extract for 1 cup of sugar.
Step 6
Mix the glaze or sauce and heat it to 180 F in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of powdered agar for every 2 cups of sauce.
Step 7
Stir to incorporate the agar and remove the saucepan from the heat. The glaze or sauce will thicken when it cools to 100 F.
Syrup for Finishing
Step 1
Rinse the stevia and remove the stems. Pat the leaves dry and crush them by hand into a food container or jar. Use 1/4 cup of crushed stevia leaves for 1 cup of simple syrup.
Step 2
Cover the stevia leaves with 1 cup of tepid water. Steep the leaves at room temperature for 24 hours.
Step 3
Strain the syrup through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Add the stevia syrup to taste to drinks, sauces, glazes or any other liquid that needs sweetening at the finish.
Tip
You can find stevia leaves and agar at health-food stores and some supermarkets.
Stevia extract and simple syrup keeps for 30 days. Store extract in a dark place, such as a cupboard, and store syrup in the refrigerator.
FAQs
Pat the leaves dry and crush them by hand into a food container or jar. Use 1/4 cup of crushed stevia leaves for 1 cup of simple syrup.
How do you use dried stevia leaves in baking? ›
You can also grind stevia leaves into a fine powder for baking or cooking. This can be done with a coffee grinder or a blender. I don't recommend using the powder in drinks unless you want it floating at the top of your coffee–not nice. The last way to enjoy stevia is by infusing it and using it as a liquid extract.
How do you use stevia in recipes? ›
If replacing sugar with stevia in baking you will need to use the equivalent amount of something else to make up the volume, such as apple fibre.
- 1 tsp sugar = 2 to 3 liquid drops of stevia OR a 1/4 tsp powdered stevia.
- 1 cup of sugar = 1 tsp of liquid stevia OR 2 tbsp of stevia powder.
The FDA approved only the highly purified steviol glycosides from stevia leaves as safe to use. Products thought to be safe contain words in their ingredient list such as stevia extract or Stevia rebaudiana. If you see whole stevia leaves or crude stevia extracts at your local natural foods store, don't buy them.
How do you extract sweetness from stevia leaves? ›
This method extracts the sweetness from the stevia herb and concentrates it in water for future use. Bring 1 cup of water to a near boiling, add 1/2 cup of lightly crushed stevia leaves. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 40 minutes.
How do you take the bitterness out of stevia leaves? ›
Surprisingly, it has now been found that sodium gluconate is able to reduce or mask the bitterness emanating from natural sweeteners such as stevia extract and erythritol without at the same time affecting the sweetness.
What happens when you bake with stevia? ›
The good news is that stevia is stable at temperatures of up to 392 degrees, making it an ideal sugar substitute for many recipes unlike other artificial sweeteners. Because you'll be using a lot less stevia than you would sugar, adding other ingredients to increase the bulk of your baked goods is necessary.
How does stevia taste in baking? ›
Of the eight glycosides discovered, stevioside, the most prevalent compound in the stevia leaf, is considered the sweetest. These extracts are 250 to 300 times sweeter than a 0.4 percent table sugar solution. More time is required to taste the sweetness of stevioside, but the sweetness lasts longer than sugar.
Why don't we use stevia instead of sugar? ›
Though widely available throughout the world, in 1991 stevia was banned in the U.S. due to early studies that suggested the sweetener may cause cancer.
What are the negatives of stevia leaf extract? ›
Possible side effects include nausea, bloating, low blood pressure, and hormone disruption. Stevia is a non-nutritive or zero-calorie sweetener made of steviol glycosides. These are compounds extracted and refined from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant.
Medications for high blood pressure (Antihypertensive drugs) interacts with STEVIA. Stevia might lower blood pressure. Taking stevia along with medications that lower blood pressure might cause blood pressure to go too low. Monitor your blood pressure closely.
Can you sweeten tea with stevia leaves? ›
Keep in mind that fresh leaves are only about one-quarter as sweet as commercial super-concentrated stevia products. We added a few whole leaves to both iced tea and lemonade. The flavor was sweet, but sometimes had a trace of bitter aftertaste. We found that the best way to use stevia in beverages.
How to use stevia leaves as sweetener? ›
If you have access to a fresh stevia plant (or if you have grown your own), you can use fresh stevia leaves as a sweetener. This helps you to eliminate the presence of additives and save money. To sweeten a cup of hot tea, simply remove 1-4 small leaves from your plant and place them in hot water with your tea bag.
How to use stevia leaves in baking? ›
Scale, or portion, out the dry ingredients -- except for sugar -- for the recipe. Portion 1 tablespoon of ground stevia for every cup of sugar called for in the recipe.
What cancels out stevia taste? ›
Trying also incorporating supportive flavors such as salt, vanilla, almond, coconut or citrus. These help balance out the sweetness spike in Stevia's nature.
How much stevia is equal to 1 cup of sugar? ›
Stevia Conversion Chart for Naturally Sweet Stevia Blend and SweetLeaf Stevia
| Natural Sugar | Naturally Sweet Blend | SweetLeaf Stevia Plus |
|---|
| 1 tsp | 1 tsp | 1/8 tsp |
| 2 tsp | 2 tsp | 1/4 tsp |
| 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp | 3/4 tsp |
| 1 cup | 1 cup | 1.5-2 tbsp |
1 more rowAnd according to a 2009 study, stevia leaf powder may help manage cholesterol. Study participants consumed 20 milliliters of stevia extract daily for one month. The study found stevia lowered total cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and triglycerides with no negative side effects.
How many stevia leaves to use? ›
Use stevia leaves to sweeten tea.
To sweeten a cup of hot tea, simply remove 1-4 small leaves from your plant and place them in hot water with your tea bag.
How do you grind stevia leaves into powder? ›
Using a food processor, grind leaves to a fine powder. Store the stevia powder in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.
