Sugar, Aspartame, Sucralose & More vs Allulose: What's Actually Better?

Allulose is often compared to monk fruit and stevia, but how does it stack up against the sweeteners most people actually grew up with — table sugar and artificial options like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin? Let’s line them up.

Table Sugar (Sucrose)

The reference point. Sugar tastes great and bakes perfectly, but it delivers about 4 calories per gram and can raise blood glucose. For anyone watching their weight, blood sugar, or dental health, that’s the challenge allulose and monk fruit are trying to address.

Aspartame

Aspartame is an intensely sweet artificial sweetener used in many diet sodas. It is very low in calories in the amounts typically used, but it is not ideal for high-heat cooking and baking. It also remains a topic of discussion among shoppers, particularly those looking for a simpler ingredient list.

Sucralose

Sucralose is derived from sugar and modified to create an intensely sweet, low-calorie sweetener. It is heat-stable enough for many cooking and baking applications, although some people notice an aftertaste. It is classified as a high-intensity sweetener rather than a naturally derived sweetener.

Saccharin

One of the oldest high-intensity sweeteners, saccharin is effective and highly concentrated. However, some people find that it has a bitter or metallic aftertaste.

Where Allulose Fits

Allulose sits in an appealing middle ground. It is a naturally occurring rare sugar that has a similar taste and functionality to regular sugar, while providing far fewer calories.

Where Monk Fruit Fits

Monk fruit is a fruit-derived, very low-calorie sweetener that offers an alternative to artificial high-intensity sweeteners. One thing to check is what it is blended with, as some monk fruit products combine monk fruit extract with other sweeteners or bulking ingredients.

Sweetener	Natural?	Calories	Blood Sugar
Sugar	Yes	High	Raises blood glucose
Aspartame	No	Very low	Minimal
Sucralose	No	Very low	Minimal
Allulose	Rare sugar	Very low	Minimal
Monk Fruit	Fruit-derived	Very low	Minimal

If your goal is to reduce added sugar and avoid artificial high-intensity sweeteners, an erythritol-free monk fruit sweetener can be an option worth considering.

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Sweeten with confidence. Sweet Eden Monk Fruit Sweetener is formulated with monk fruit extract and no erythritol. Available as a 1:1 powder and ultra-concentrated liquid drops.

Try Sweet Eden Monk Fruit Sweetener →