Varieties of Stevia

Stevia comes in many forms. Make your choice based on the amount of sweetness you want (white extract powders are the sweetest) and how well a particular recipe or beverage will be complemented by the licorice-like flavor of less-refined forms. Tip; You can’t replace sugar or honey on a cup-for-cup basis with stevia — the herb is much sweeter.

Fresh Stevia Leaves
This form of stevia is the herb in its most natural, unrefined state. A leaf picked from a stevia plant and chewed will impart an extremely sweet taste sensation reminiscent of licorice that lasts for quite a while.

For stevia to have a more practical application as a tea or sweetener, the leaves must be dried or put through an extraction process, which makes the sweet taste even more potent.

Dried Leaves
For more of the flavor and sweet constituents of the stevia leaf to be released, drying and crushing is necessary. A dried leaf is considerably sweeter than a fresh one, and is the form of stevia used in brewing herbal tea.

Dried stevia leaf may come in bulk or packaged like tea bags. You can also get it finely powdered. It has a greenish color and can be used in a wide variety of foods and beverages, including coffee, applesauce and hot cereals. You also can use it to make an herbal tea blend. Its distinctive flavor is reminiscent of licorice, which will blend very well with different aromatic spices, such as cinnamon and ginger.

Stevia Extracts
The form in which stevia is primarily used as a sweetener in Japan is that of a white powdered extract. In this form it is approximately 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar (by weight).

This white powder is an extract of the sweet glycosides (natural sweetening agents) in the stevia leaf.

Not all stevia extract powders are the same. The taste, sweetness and cost of the various white stevia powders will likely depend on their degree of refinement and the quality of the stevia plant used. You may find that some powders have more of an aftertaste.

Since extracted stevia powder is so intensely sweet, we recommend that it be used by the pinch (or drop if diluted in water). Once mixed, this solution should be stored in the refrigerator.

Liquid Concentrates
These come in several forms. There’s a syrupy black liquid (that results from boiling the leaves in water), which can enhance the flavor of many foods. Another type is made by steeping stevia leaves in distilled water or a mix of water and grain alcohol. You can also find a liquid made from the white powder concentrate mixed with water, and preserved with grapefruit seed extract.

{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }

Roger Hackler March 5, 2023 at 1:18 am

I was looking up different types stevia that come from different countries.

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Janet August 14, 2018 at 8:44 pm

I would like to buy Stevia seeds and plant them. I’ve read that the plant is way heathier than any of the extracts or powders. Is this true? Also, are there any harsh side effects in using Natural Stevia Leaves?

Thanks for any help you have 🙂

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Carol July 29, 2018 at 6:05 pm

I have used Stevie in white powder form for over 25 years. The company, Kal (red and white jar) is in my opinion the best brand to use. Over time it can loose it’s strength so it is best to buy the smaller size. Vitamin Shop carries this brand. Try to stick with small amounts although it is good on everything be careful to limit the amount each day. My side effects were to some degree a circulatory problem.Just use the tiny spoon inside the jar. You may not need even this much.Its great just for coffee or tea alone and I feel safe using it now that I’m limited to sugar. I am a cancer survivor.

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Priscilla June 1, 2018 at 3:32 am

Nice and informative site.. I just purchased a plant..

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Kathy February 8, 2018 at 10:39 pm

Is Stevia in the Raw the same as plain Stevia. Im not supposed to have items that have hidden sugars nor am I to have the artificial sweetners. I can only find Stevia in the Raw, but notice it has Dextose. Isnt that a sugar?

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Md.nor hashim January 3, 2018 at 11:10 am

May l know there are now many species of Stevie plant & which type is the people use?tq

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kathy wilson May 20, 2017 at 7:30 pm

I am confused as to when I should use stevia powder when I should use stevia liquid? Also wanting to make a sugar free fudge using stevia not sure what to use any ideas? Also wanting to make sugar free macaroons what kind form of stevia should I use?

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Mo September 30, 2017 at 4:02 am

In my experience, stevia powder is better used in warm liquids ’cause it dissolves easier then, so I guess the liquid is for in those cases that stevia wouldn’t dissolve that easily or if you just feel like having something syrup like.
I don’t know much about the baking part, but my sister tried out tons of recipes and came to the conclusion that stevia misses the caramelization which sugar has while being baked, which caused her stevia cakes to be a bit harder than their sugar counterpart. Her solution to this was experimenting with diminishing the amount of sugar and replacing it with stevia (obviously the amount of grams for the stevia can’t be the same as the amount of sugar you reduced as stevia is a lot sweeter than sugar 😉 )

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Shayna Walsh November 11, 2016 at 1:40 am

I am highly allergic to Strawberries, but struggling with my weight. I need to know if I can switch from artificial sweeteners to Stevia?

Is this plant from the strawberry family?

Let me know,
Shayna

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Anita Smith June 28, 2016 at 12:47 am

I have found two different stecia plants at Local stores each with a different biological name. Which plant is the sweetest?

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Donna Pokorra October 7, 2015 at 2:20 am

I recently purchased 3 “sweet herb” and was told that they are stevia. First of all is that true. Second they have very long single or double stalks with lots of dark green sweet leaves (bought them at end of season for 30 cents) should I prune them and how

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Sara August 31, 2015 at 4:53 am

How do I make a liquid stevia extract using 100% pure stevia leaf powder????? How much filtered water do I use? How much stevia leaf powder do I add to the water? What is the next step? I can’t afford to keep buying the bottled stevia extract like Body Ecology. I purchased the Stevia Leaf Powder and need to know how to use it to make a liquid so that I can use drops to sweeten my herbal teas. Using the powder results in an undissolved grittiness that is quite unpleasant. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!

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James Owiti August 27, 2015 at 4:11 am

How can I be able to get seeds or surplant for the Stevia. I am a sugarcane farmer who wants to farm a better yield crop and can also get processing method of the plant

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Sharon May 16, 2015 at 11:52 am

Hello…i want to plant stevia but am not sure if our climate conditions are favourable..am in Uganda and we have to dry seasons in Dec to Feb and June to August with temperatures goin as high as 28°c/82°f and as low as 16°c/61°f and 27°c/81F°f and as low as 16°c/61F° respectively ..
and 2 wet seasons march to may and Sept to November with temps as high as 28°c/82°f and as low as 16°c/61°f but the September to November season has less rain…so would the stevia survive and thrive in these conditions..
thank u

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Brenda Bullock January 21, 2015 at 4:40 pm

Is stevia and stevia in the raw the same. I have a recipe that calls for 2/3 cup of stevia. this just sounded like a lot of Stevia.?

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Liz January 30, 2015 at 7:17 pm

No, I think Stevia in the raw is cut with dextrose and other things. On the box it says 1 cup of sugar equals 24 packets of stevia in the raw.

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Sandi October 15, 2014 at 1:58 am

I would like to know is Skinny girl liquid stevia with white clover honey is any good or just another cover up for processed crap?

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James Crabtree July 19, 2014 at 12:44 am

People keep saying that the stevia they find in “the stores” all has dextrose. I question at what stores they are finding it. I personally don’t know of any grocery stores here in the states that sell it. Yes, they sell a dextrose/stevia blend. That isn’t stevia! That is a blend! And, yes, some so called health food stores will also sell blends along side the real thing. After all, folks should be able to make informed choices. But many sell what is advertised as (and the label says is) 100% pure stevia. I sincerely doubt that will all the legal attention given to stevia over the years the artificial sweetener folks will let anyone get away with a lie of that proportion.

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JGG September 10, 2014 at 5:40 pm

look for ORGANIC icon and read labels for complete info look up Swansons

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Kathy February 8, 2018 at 10:41 pm

I could only find Stevia in the Raw! In Harris Teeter supermarket.

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Boom Boom October 21, 2019 at 4:58 am

“Sweet Life” is a brand of stevia sweetener that comes in small packets that equal the sweetness of 2 tsp. of sugar. The ingredients are: Inulin(which is a prebiotic and used as a filler because stevia is so much sweeter than sugar), Organic Stevia Leaf Extract, and Silica(to prevent caking). I get it at Schnucks Supermarkets in St. Louis, MO. Love it in my coffee. Look it up on Google.

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Amanda Nel October 13, 2011 at 12:43 pm

How safe is Stevia for Candidiase sufferers?

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b.l.h. December 20, 2011 at 6:04 pm

My nutritionists said it is the only ‘sweetener’ she would recommend using for a Candida sufferer. She added that any form of sugar feeds the illness and artificial sweeteners are poisons.

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Patty July 12, 2011 at 2:18 pm

I grow my own stevia. I simply steep the leaves in boiling hot water for a few minutes. I then strain the liquid and put the “syrup” in the ‘frig to use with my tea. I’be found that I can re-steep the leaves a few times with added cold water which also can be saved for “syrup”.
In canning, sugar is often used as a preservative. Stevia will not serve this purpose. I would guess it will not do much to keep texture or color in fruits as sugar does. I do a lot of canning and freezing. I do not use stevia for either.
I do not like it in coffee!

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HILLMAN October 2, 2011 at 12:52 am

It is great in iced tea.
TIP: Always be careful not to buy the liquid Stevia from a manufacturer that uses sugar alcohols in it. . . sugar alcohols are not good for you.

I have heard that Stevia should not be used in baked goods, I wonder if that is true AND why it would be true.

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Sally July 26, 2012 at 2:13 pm

I would like to use stevia leaves when making iced tea. What is the best way to do this? add the whole leaves to the tea & boiling water or dry the leaves, crush them then add to the brewed tea? Thanks in advance for advice.

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Jason July 15, 2015 at 6:15 pm

I have been using Stevia when I make hot tea in a press, I have a bag of ground up leaves. I just put a pinch or two in with the tea leaves, seems to work out really well.

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Debbie October 16, 2012 at 9:08 pm

We grow stevia and use it to sweeten almost everything. It is very easy to grow ,dry and process. Even a container gardner could keep a few plants.

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Sandy June 22, 2011 at 2:49 am

Has anyone canned with stevia

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HILLMAN October 2, 2011 at 12:56 am

It’s fine used in preserves and guilt-free too. I also make my own quick jam with it (using the Bullet blender).

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Debbie October 16, 2012 at 9:10 pm

It works fine in freezer jam recipes. I use homemade green stevia powder in my freezer jam.

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Pamela March 8, 2016 at 4:03 pm

Hi Sandy, have you canned with Stevia? If so, can you give me some tips?

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David Newby February 27, 2011 at 5:05 am

What I am finding at the stores has detrose. Are your products free from sugars.

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Michelle Miller February 5, 2011 at 5:12 pm

What kind of stevia powder do you use in your chocolate chip recipe? All stevia is not equivalent! Please advise.

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HILLMAN October 2, 2011 at 12:59 am

I use the pure dried leaf Stevia in my baking….

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