Is stevia a better alternative to sugar?
- Stevia sweeteners don’t have calories and are a good choice for people trying to lose weight.
- They generally don’t raise blood sugar levels, so they’re a good sugar alternative for people with diabetes.
- They’re available in liquid, granule, and powder forms.
How to easily get used to the taste of stevia?
What to Make with Stevia Leaf
- Homemade Green Stevia Powder. To make a green stevia powder that can be used in baking recipes, take the dried leaves and put them in a powerful blender or food ...
- Stevia Sweetened Tea. Use fresh or dried stevia leaves to sweeten tea. ...
- DIY Liquid Stevia Extract. Making an extract involves adding the stevia leaves to a liquid to draw out the flavors. ...
How to make your own pure stevia and liquid stevia?
Instructions
- Wash the leaves and remove them from the stem. ...
- Place the leaves into a clean, glass jar. ...
- Fill the jar with vodka, making sure the leaves are completely covered.
- Place the lid on securely, and give it a good shake and set it aside.
- Let the leaves steep in the vodka for around 48 hours. ...
How to mask the taste of stevia?
Tips to Fix the Stevia Taste Problem
- Don't Go Cold Turkey. It seems like a good idea but it isn't (for most people). ...
- Buy a Good Brand. Stevia extracts are not created equal. ...
- Be Patient. I've mentioned that most people find that stevia has a distinctive taste. ...
- Combine with Other Sweeteners. This tip works really well. ...
- Stay Committed. ...
- Freeze It. ...
Different Ways to Make Stevia Liquid Extract
There are several ways to make your liquid stevia, which can be used by the drops or dropper-full in drinks and recipes. To create these solutions you can basically choose between three different solvents or combinations of all three:
How to Make Stevia Extract Using Alcohol
Alcohol tinctures can be created using either the fresh, dried or powdered green leaf or refined extracts. We tend to use fresh and dried leaves only when making alcohol-based solutions.
How to Make Stevia Extract Using Water
To make a stevia liquid solution using straight water, we tend to use either the green powder or a white powdered extract. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
How to Make Stevia Extract Using Glycerin
To make glycerin stevia tinctures we use dried leaves but you can also use the fresh leaf, powder or white extract. Vegetable glycerine, or glycerol, is a clear, odorless liquid with a sweet taste and the consistency of a thick syrup. It is commonly used among herbalists as an alcohol replacement when tincturing herbs.
Commercial vs Homemade
Commercial liquid stevia is more shelf-stable and this homemade recipe can separate. It could get cloudy, however, if this happens all you need to do is reheat the stevia liquid in a pot, let it cool, and put it back into your container. I recommend that you store this in the refrigerator.
Easy and Sweet
I have included links to the glass bottles I use for this. They are amber and don’t let the light in. I have found that this is the best way it should be stored (the same way the bottle that you get from Amazon is darkened plastic). I prefer to use the glass bottle with a dropper for easy use.
This calorie-free, sugar-free Stevia Simple Syrup is the perfect way to sweeten up your cocktails, mocktails, and other beverages only using natural sweeteners
This quick and easy Stevia Simple Syrup is just one way I lighten-up my cocktails. You’re gonna wanna check out these 10 other Smart Drink tips I use all the time to make sure all my drinks are guilt-free, even when I’m ordering from the bar.
What can Stevia Simple Syrup be used in place of?
I mostly use Stevia Simple Syrup in recipes that are calling for plain old syrup. Generally cocktails and mocktails. Or any drinks that are adding maple syrup, sugar, or agave. With a stevia simple syrup on hand, it’s easy to add just a splash to get the sweetness you’re looking for.
What is Stevia?
Also known as “sweet leaf” or “sweet herb”, stevia has zero calories and no impact on blood glucose levels. It is native to the altitudes of Paraguay and Brazil in South America, and has been used as a sweetener for hundreds of years. Traditionally, it was used to sweeten teas, and for its medicinal properties.
Buying a Stevia Plant
Stevia plants are now available at many garden centers or through online nurseries and retailers. If you’re selecting plants in person, look for those that are compact, with tops roughly equal to or less than the size of the pot. You also want good leaf color and no obvious signs of stress, like brown leaf tips or dry soil.
When to Harvest Your Stevia Plant
The most important tip for harvesting your stevia plant is to pick the leaves before the small white flowers appear. Once the plant starts putting energy into flowers, the leaves become less sweet. (You’ll find this with most garden plants, such as other herbs and lettuce. Flowers = bitter lettuce and less fragrant herbs.)
How to Make Stevia Extract
Making stevia leaf extract is easy. You can use fresh or dried stevia, although I've read that extract from the dried leaves tends to be more bitter. I prefer alcohol based extract, since it has a longer shelf life.
Using Your Stevia Plant
Most recipes call for dried powder or liquid extract so that the flavor spreads more uniformly through the substance being sweetened, but feel free to experiment with fresh leaves. They work well in tea blends, smoothies and fruit salads.
Starting Stevia Plants from Seed
Start Stevia seeds much the same as any other garden seeds. Visit my post on starting seed indoors for more details on lighting and tips for success. The book “ Growing and Using Stevia ” states that darker seeds tend to have higher germination rates. The instructions given below are based on those detailed in the book.
How to Transplant Stevia into the Garden
When seedlings reach around 5 inches tall, trim 1-2 inches off the main shoot to promote branching. (You may use these leaves for sweetening.) Move the seedlings to 4-5 inch pots.
What can Stevia Simple Syrup be used in place of?
We use Stevia Simple Syrup in recipes that are calling for plain simple syrup. In this case, it is our cocktails and mocktails. You can also use it in any drinks that are adding maple syrup, sugar, or agave. With a stevia syrup on hand, it’s easy to add just bit to get the sweetness you’re looking for.
Stevia Simple Syrup
This stevia syrup is super helpful for keeping your cocktails low calorie. Great for a cocktail and doesn't change the flavor, so easy to make!
How Growing Stevia Saved My Life
After I gave birth to my son, my hormones got all messed up and I felt awful. I went to talk to my doctor about what could possibly be making me so tired, puffy, sluggish, and craving food all. the. time.
All About the Stevia Plant
There used to be controversy around stevia, particularly in the United States where it was banned because there were not enough studies to say whether or not it was safe to consume. Even products like aspartame and other artificial sweeteners (oh, and sugar) were deemed safe to be sold on the market.
How to Grow Stevia
Grow green stevia in full sun in containers or in loose, loamy, well-draining soil. Space plants 18” apart so they can fill out and grow 12-36″ tall. Like basil, if you continue to pinch the plant back and use the top leaves it will become bushier and fuller with stronger stalks.
What to Make with Stevia Leaf
Now that you have your stevia plant harvested and dried—what do you do with it? Here are a few options to try.
What is Stevia?
Stevia, or stevia rebaudiana, is a tropical to semi-tropical plant that is from South America. Although fairly new to us here in the US, it has actually been used for over 1,500 years as a sweetener. You can get seeds for it, but it is just as easy to get starts from many local garden centers. I even saw it at Walmart and Lowe’s this spring!
How to Use Stevia
Learning how to use stevia is important, because sometimes it can be used like any other sweetener, other times not so much.
Growing Stevia
Learning how to use stevia is not always simple. But growing stevia is simple… very simple!
Preserving your Stevia Harvest
There are several ways you can preserve stevia for using during the winter months.
Substitute Stevia for Sugar
When attempting to substitute stevia for sugar, it is recommended for best results to only remove half of the sugar in place of stevia. This is due to the moisture, browning and rising effects that sugar contributes to.
Tips for Baking With Stevia
There are a few adjustments that should be made to substitute stevia for sugar. When baking cookies, stevia is best used in recipes for crisp cookie types such as shortbread. If you are making chewy cookie types, it is best to add some bulk and moisture in the form of pumpkin, applesauce, uncooked oatmeal or nut and seed butter.
