Erythritol vs allulose vs stevia: three tools, three jobs
They all replace sugar. None of them replaces it the same way. This is the short comparison for when you are deciding which one — or which blend — belongs in the formula.
The numbers first
| Sweetness vs sucrose | Calories | Beyond sweetness | Best role | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erythritol | 0.6-0.7× | 0 kcal/g | Crystalline body, cooling, non-cariogenic | Bulk + clean taste; masks off-notes |
| Allulose | ~0.7× | 0.4 kcal/g | Maillard browning, freeze behavior | Bakes and freezes like sugar |
| Stevia | 200-300× | 0 | Intense sweetness, tiny dose | Top-up sweetness in a blend |
Sweetness factors are typical commercial values; the food matrix shifts them.
Where each one wins
Erythritol — the bulk worker
At 0.6-0.7x sweetness and zero calories, erythritol is the crystalline bulking agent that makes a sugar-free formula measure and behave like sugar. It is the base of most granulated tabletop products and sugar-free chocolate, and it masks the bitter tail stevia leaves. Where it falls short: it does not brown.
Allulose — the one that bakes
Allulose is the only mainstream sugar replacer that browns like sucrose through the Maillard reaction, and it behaves like sugar in freezing. That makes it the choice for baked crusts, cookies and ice cream. The trade-off is cost — allulose runs a premium over erythritol.
Stevia — the sweetness booster
Stevia is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar in a tiny dose, so it cannot carry bulk or structure on its own. It is the top-up partner that finishes the sweetness a bulk sweetener starts — and it is the reason most blends exist.
The cost logic, honestly
On a per-kilo basis, allulose is the priciest of the three, erythritol sits in the middle, and stevia looks cheap until you remember it is dosed in milligrams, not grams — the cost math always runs through use level, not unit price.
That is why most production formulas do not pick one. They pick a base (erythritol or allulose, for bulk) and a top-up (stevia or monk fruit, for sweetness). The base sets the cost and the function; the top-up sets the sweetness. If you want it to brown, the base is allulose.
Not sure which base you need?
Tell us the application and target sweetness — we'll recommend the sweetener or a blend, with specs and samples.