SFSat: Sweetener Cost Comparison Chart (draft)

Sugar-free sweet treats can get expensive in a hurry, even when we’re making our own. One of the things we can do, of course, is compare the prices of ingredients and try to find a better balance between money and health.

But comparing the prices of alternative sweeteners is a major pain in the…anatomy. Each type of sweetener is sold in different weights or volumes, and each one is a different sweetness level. If you’re not careful, you won’t just be “comparing apples and oranges”—you’ll be comparing kumquats and potato soup!

And that’s why I’m creating this chart. I’ve put in sugar for comparison. Then I’ve listed some popular alternative sweeteners and looked up the amount that would be needed to replace one cup of sugar. After that, I show the carbs and net carbs for that amount of sweetener, and then list the current price for that amount. 

Because we’re comparing sugar equivalents to sugar equivalents, we now have an accurate price comparison. We are now “comparing apples to apples” (or kumquats to kumquats). And now, finally, we can make some intelligent decisions about sweetener prices in relation to health!

As you can see, I can’t complete this in one day.  I’ll finish filling this out this week, then add notes about my sources. Once it’s done, I”ll take  the word”draft” out of the title and send out a notice that the chart is finished.

Even in its partial state, though, it’s useful. And I would love to make it even more useful. If you don’t see your favorite sweetener on here, leave a comment! I’ll be glad to add it. And if there’s more data you’d like to see, tell me that, too; I’ll see what I can do about squeezing it in!

Sweetener Cost Comparison Chart

*All prices are online prices researched on March 3, 2012. Prices in your area may vary. Online prices will change.