How to Sweeten Chai and Coffee Without Sugar

In a cup of chai or coffee, sugar's only job is sweetness, so this is the easiest place to stop using it. You have two options: a powder that measures like sugar (one spoon for one spoon) or drops (2 to 3 drops for each teaspoon of sugar). Add it once the chai or coffee is made, stir, taste and adjust. That is the whole method; the rest is detail.

Powder or drops?

If you already know how many spoons of sugar your family takes, the powder needs no new habits. Drops are easier to carry to the office or on a trip. For the background on each sweetener, see monk fruit vs stevia vs allulose.

How do I make masala chai without sugar?

1. Boil water with crushed ginger, cardamom and your usual masala.
2. Add tea leaves and simmer to the strength you like.
3. Add milk and bring it back to the boil.
4. Take it off the heat, then stir in the sweetener: 1 spoon of powder for each spoon of sugar you used to add, or 2 to 3 drops per cup.
5. Strain, taste and adjust the next cup.

Adding the sweetener at the end lets you taste before you serve. Cardamom and cinnamon read as sweet on their own, so a well-spiced chai often needs less than you expect. For a caffeine-free option, the traditional monk fruit drink is luo han guo tea.

What about filter coffee and instant coffee?

For South Indian filter coffee, mix the decoction and hot milk first, then add the sweetener and do the traditional pour between tumbler and dabarah to mix it through. For instant coffee, stir the powder or drops into the hot water or milk before you top up. Strong coffee masks sweetness, so a dark brew may need a little more.

Can I sweeten cold coffee and iced tea?

Yes. Drops dissolve instantly in cold drinks. The powder dissolves too, but give it a good stir, or dissolve it in a splash of the hot coffee or tea before adding ice and cold milk.

What about green tea, lemon tea and nimbu pani?

Light drinks show off a sweetener's own taste, so start small: 1 or 2 drops in green tea, 2 to 3 in a glass of nimbu pani. Lemon's sourness needs a little more sweetness than plain tea. Monk fruit drops also balance the tartness of sea buckthorn pulp diluted in water.

Why does my sugar-free chai taste wrong?

• Too much stevia. The common stevia sweetener rebaudioside A was rated noticeably more bitter than sugar in a consumer panel (Tao and Cho, 2020). Use fewer drops.
• A cooling aftertaste. That usually comes from erythritol, the bulking agent in many monk fruit powders: see why we do not use erythritol.
• Not sweet enough. Add one more drop, or a little more powder, next time. How sweet people like their chai varies a lot, so the dose is yours to set.

How much for a pot of chai for guests?

With the powder, use exactly what you would use in sugar: for six cups that take one spoon each, add six spoons. With drops, add 2 drops per cup to the pot, taste, then add more one drop per cup at a time.

To see how much your home would use each month and what it would cost, try the Sugar Calculator.

Our options for chai and coffee: the monk fruit and allulose powder in a 400 g box or resealable 400 g jar, monk fruit drops and stevia drops. All are in natural sweeteners, and none contains erythritol.

This article is general information about food ingredients, not medical or nutritional advice. If you manage diabetes or any other medical condition, talk to your doctor about your overall diet.

Sources

1. Tao R, Cho S. Consumer-based sensory characterization of steviol glycosides (rebaudioside A, D, and M). Foods, 2020. doi:10.3390/foods9081026