If you’re looking for healthy ways to sweeten your coffee, you’ve come to the right place.
No doubt drinking coffee opens you to a lot of health benefits. But not all are fans of black coffee which is the best way of consuming coffee.
What Is The Healthiest Way To Sweeten Coffee?
To make black coffee taste better, you can sweeten it. The most common choice among people is sugar.
But using white sugar for sweetening your cup of coffee can do more harm than good. It can increase the calorie intake significantly and can also cause several other issues.
So here is a list of 17 healthy sugar alternatives for coffee.
Honey
Honey is a fantastic way to sweeten coffee without worrying about your health.
People usually adding honey with tea, but it tastes great with coffee too. Honey has been with us for nearly 8,000 years, but we’re still not sure when we added to our cup of joe first.
To be fair, sugar comes with fewer calories when compared to honey. But honey brings in a horde of health benefits that will be useful for a lot of people.
Raw honey is rich in anti-oxidants, comes with anti-bacterial properties, and has a lot of vitamins and minerals.
Also, there are a lot of options in the market when it comes to honey. You can choose anything between Acacia (the sweetest) and Blue Gum (most dense).
Stevia
Stevia is another alternative to table sugar that picked steam in the 2000s.
This miracle sweetener comes with an excellent taste and is a lot sweeter than sugar. You will have to use only a tenth of how much sugar you’ll use, and even that could be overpowering depending on your preference.
A big advantage of Stevia is that it is completely natural. It comes with a plant that is native to Brazil and Paraguay, and there is nothing artificial about that.
It also has zero calories making it a solid choice for people working on cutting calories.
Maple Syrup
For pancakes, the most obvious option most prefer is maple syrup.
The good news is you can also use it on your coffee. Pure maple syrup is a natural and healthy alternative to sugar.
You will get a smooth sweetness in your coffee with just a little amount of the syrup. You might want to watch how much you use as it comes with a solid amount of Sucrose.
Butter
Adding butter to your coffee has been a recent trend, and we do have to agree that it’s a good one.
If you want a rich and creamy texture in your coffee, then there is no foul in trying out the butter in your coffee. This may not be as sweet as sugar, but it opens you to new avenues when it comes to adding stuff to your coffee.
Butter is also quite healthier than sugar as it can improve your energy levels and improve your overall metabolism.
Dates
Dates are a great way to sweeten your coffee and you will find it as an excellent sugar alternative.
Dates are very sweet in nature and can make your coffee go rich when it comes to sweetness. Also, this is suitable even for people on certain diets like Paleo and Vegan.
Adding dates to your coffee is as simple as it can get. You need to make a paste out of dates and then add this paste to your coffee (as per your liking) to make it sweet.
We recommend making your own paste from dates and not getting date syrups from stores.
Almond Milk
Almond milk is a great choice for those who want an alternative to dairy milk. Whether you’re a vegan or not, this one’s pretty good for you.
You can also use almond milk as an alternative to sugar in your coffee. It comes with a rich texture and has less dietary fat when compared to regular milk.
Almond milk can sometimes curdle in your coffee, so you need to be a bit careful with your coffee’s acidity and the temperature at which the mixing happens.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is an excellent way to improve your coffee without adding any sugar or calories to it.
Cinnamon is not particularly sweet but it does impart a pretty good flavor to your cup of coffee. It can help in improving your metabolism and can reduce inflammation.
If you’re not a fan of the flavor it adds, you can just dust it on top of your coffee to add it just the right amount.
Coconut Cream
Coconut cream or coconut milk is a great way to sweeten your coffee. It is not as expensive as your regular coffeecreamer and gives you a rich texture that’s awesome.
It is also plant-based which means it is a great choice for vegans and others who have diet restrictions. It also brings its fair share of healthy fats and potassium to the table.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is a delicacy. If you feel the same way, then adding a square of dark chocolate to your iced coffee (or hot brew) can bring a smooth and dense taste that you’ll love.
The creaminess of the coffee will also be a treat. Furthermore, you will also get the health benefits like anti-oxidants, reduce blood pressure, and can even help to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Vanilla Extract
Vanilla extract is not that sweet in its natural form. But adding it to your coffee does bring that vanilla flavor that some people love.
All you have to do is add a couple of drops of vanilla extract to your coffee and taste the magic.
Another advantage of adding vanilla extract to coffee is that you reduce the number of calories that sugar would have brought in.
Creamers
Adding creamers to coffee is nothing new. You’ve probably tried it a lot of times. But it is a simple yet powerful way to avoid refined sugar in your coffee.
Also, if you’re going to make your coffee, you can control the amount of creamer you add to your coffee which is a lot better than getting a cup from Starbucks or other outlets.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Adding unsweetened cocoa powder to your coffee can give you a brisk flavor to your cup of joe.
Cocoa powder will not sweeten your coffee like some of the other items on this list, but it will give you a nice mocha-like effect that some people enjoy.
It goes without saying that you will also get all the anti-oxidant benefits of cocoa and coffee when trying this out.
Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar is now becoming a popular sugar substitute in coffee.
Thanks to its low glycemic index, people prefer it over regular sugar. It is also rich in minerals like iron, zinc, potassium, and calcium.
But it does come with a high dose of fructose which can create some bother in some people who are overweight or obese. The moderate use of coconut sugar is ideal even as an alternative. You can also use coconut cream as well.
Agave
Agave is a natural sweetener that can be used in place of added sugar.
With a honey-like consistency, we get agave nectar from the agave plant which is native to Latin America and the southern part of the United States.
A lot of people recommend agave nectar due to its low glycemic index. However, we would suggest using this lightly as it comes with a lot of fructose content.
Fructose will not increase your glycemic index but can cause damage to your metabolic health, create insulin resistance, and even contribute to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Xylitol
Xylitol is another sweetener that is natural and acts as a great alternative. It comes with zero calories and is great for people trying to lose weight.
The fact that Xylitol comes with a low glycemic index makes this a good choice for diabetics. There is also a debate of whether this truly is a natural alternative to sugar, so do use it conservatively.
Splenda
Splenda is the most popular sweetener available as an alternative to sugar.
Made of sucralose, Splenda comes with zero calories and is widely advertised as one that can help you with reducing your calorie intake.
While this is an option, we would recommend going with a natural alternative from the list.
Aspartame
Aspartame is another zero-calorie sweetener that we find in diet beverages and other health syrups.
It can make your coffee very sweet so make sure to add only a tiny amount to your coffee pot. Be aware that this is one of the chemical artificial sweeteners and once again, we recommend choosing a natural alternative from the list to sweeten your coffee.
Healthy Sugar Alternatives For Coffee – Wrap Up
A day without coffee could drive us crazy. Drinking your coffee black is the best way to do it, but finding a healthy way to sweeten your coffee can take things a long way.
We have given pretty much all the healthy sugar alternatives that you can add to your coffee. Whether you love a hot brew, a cold brew coffee, or even a healthy iced coffee, the sugar alternatives we’ve suggested can fulfill any coffeedrinker.
If you’re a fan of all things natural, then you’ll find a lot of options available that can help you stay away from artificial sweeteners. Pick one that suits your style and enjoy your cup of joe without the guilt of sugar.