Kitchen Science - Keto Sweeteners and Caramelization

For a while I've been promising that I would do a series of kitchen science videos testing out the behavior of sweeteners, thickeners, emulsifiers, etc. to see which perform the best in various circumstances.
For sweeteners, I'll be testing out caramelization, baking, and behavior in liquid (crystallization). In this video, I test out caramelization and I will used the "winner" of this experiment to create a recipe for next week.
Products used in this video:
BochaSweet: amzn.to/3kZnwNa
Swerve: amzn.to/3k15URX
Allulose: amzn.to/3yZGW9A
Induction cooktop: amzn.to/3hgaTvZ
Insta-read thermometer: amzn.to/3DVk137
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[@bethmahoney2233]

Mmmm…you’ve got me thinking peanut brittle, caramel swirl ice cream, caramel chews, cow tails, ketofied Werthers hard candies, and yes, Heath bars

[@SeriousKeto]

most of those passed through my brain as well. I think that allulose is the answer to all of those.

[@sandra.phillips]

I agree Beth Mahoney, it does open a lot of doors. But Steve, my favorite candy bar is Snickers. They don't taste as good as they used to before keto... but I bet your version would taste great. Hint, hint...

[@jn2725]

There is/was a “sugar free” version of a candy called Nips, kind of a creamier version of Werthers. I’ve been on an informal quest to concoct a keto version of that. Maybe this is the foundation.

[@bob.bobman]

Do you have to keep the equal parts butter \allulose for this to work?

[@RRW_HomeGrown.Keto.Cookin]

I make an Allulose caramel with cream & vanilla... that goes onto my Keto Pecan Sticky Buns, or my Keto Turtle Brownies. Both receive rave reviews. I'm also considering developing a Gingerbread- Caramel soft centered holiday truffle, & a Caramel-Coconut Cake recipe, all using that same Allulose caramel sauce.

[@SeriousKeto]

That sounds like a recipe I need. 😋

[@katherinehenry1480]

Please share!

[@sofializzy4519]

OHHHH! That sounds amazing!

[@RRW_HomeGrown.Keto.Cookin]

@@SeriousKeto Oh no! I wrote a whole response, & it disappeared?! Google: 15 minute salted caramel keto & gluten free by gnom- gnom. I find it takes longer to cook, for me (using an enameled cast iron Dutch oven & glass cooktop). I add less salt & a touch of *pure* Monk Fruit powder as the caramel cools ( just a very tiny amount, to taste...1/8 tsp being my go-to). I also store some of my Allulose with a vanilla bean to add that essence, too. Hope this helps!

[@face1647]

@@SeriousKeto unfortunately, I can't use any of them because of being from corn. Can't even use xylitol made from birch tree. To my understanding it doesn't carmelize. The other xylitol is made from corn. Have you tried yucan syrup? Corn affects my joints. Can't use stevia either. It's so hard not to eat something sweet.

[@goodnewsketo178]

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!! I had a feeling Allulose would win this one!!! I LOVE when you do experiments!! Thank you so much for doing these so that we may learn different methods and the ways that products act!! ❤💙💜

[@fleshmoreblood]

still no Allulose in Europe :C

[@leal536]

A few years ago, I came across a recipe for no churn ice cream. I didn't have access to sugar free sweetened condensed milk. So I made my own using heavy cream and allulose. It took quite a while to cook it down to the thickness of sweetened condensed milk though. Then I made ice cream by refrigerating the allulose sweetened condensed milk; whipped a pint of heavy cream to stiff peaks, added the allulose sweetened condensed milk and some vanilla and continued to beat it until all was incorporated. Then I froze it and oh my!! It was the best no churn no sugar ice cream!!! And the best part was that the allulose did not crystallize in the freezing process. I don't make this often because it does take time to make the allulose sweetened condensed milk but when I do I really enjoy it!

[@CreativeLivingwithLisa]

The plant-based label on the allulose makes me laugh, cane sugar is plant -based too. I'm interested in making some butterscotch sauce :)

[@lydialady5275]

Personal sized toffee! I love it. Perhaps now we need a Turtle recipe? It's not far from Thanksgiving, and I used to turn the original sugar stuff into Turkey shapes, with the carmel and chocolate, then I would use pecans for the feathers. Also, just plain good brittle would be simple, but it eludes me with sugar alternatives. I miss my maple walnut brittle.

[@Ethanboy231]

Love the Heath bar - please try to make that. Love English toffee and caramel. Thanks for trying this out so we don't have to.

[@BlackTieKitchen]

Thanks for doing a video that Ive meant to tackle for a long time! I can definitely help on the ice cream part and the different sweeteners - I can basically write a dissertation on it now. Also - allulose sucks for macarons lol

[@DaveInPA2010]

“…you know that there are a ton of *non-sugar sweeteners* out there…“ Except that’s the joy of Allulose. It’s a real sugar. No burnt plastic monkey flavor, no supercooling, no intestinal distress, no weird whatever’s. I had this one guessed before you started the ‘sperament! Sugar for the Win! Looking forward to the next experiments!

[@yvonnepetross7489]

Except, some people DO have intestinal distress from allulose.

[@idoc-2]

@@yvonnepetross7489 Yes, I'm one! I tried allulose three times before I finally threw the bag away, because each time I got "gastrointestinal distress." BochaSweet works well for me.

[@maidenminnesota1]

@@idoc-2 Bocha gives me the trots just as much as allulose, HOWEVER, you have to use it daily for quite some time to get your system used to it (I would imagine it's changing the gut flora), then those side effects begin to subside.

[@HickoryDickory86]

@@yvonnepetross7489 Chances are I would be one of those people. Every single sugar alcohol takes me to task. The only sweeteners I can handle just fine are real sugar, stevia (which just tastes awful), and artificial, toxic garbage. Because allulose is digested in similar ways to sugar alcohols, I'm sure I would be an unlucky one to have horrible results. I'm still gonna give it a try, but I also am not holding out much hope. My gut hates me. 😭

[@mikenyr4life491]

I use Allulose to make Dulce De Leche when I make Keto Flan, I have tried Erythritol, and Stevia blends as well and nothing compares to getting the deep rich Caramel/Dulce De Leche that allulose produces.

[@rchukran]

Very good. My first attempts with caramel sauce for flan was done with Swerve, and I got results similar to Steves. I cooked it according to the color rather than temperature. Very grainy sauce. I will try the allulose based sauce next time I make flan. Any guides on temperature to cook to? I can start with what Steve does with 300F and see where that goes.

[@irishpixierose]

Do you have a particular recipe for your keto flan?

[@mikenyr4life491]

@@irishpixierose I’ve made low carb love and Joe duff’s keto flan and both came out very good

[@bulldog4791]

Great experiment. I so much appreciate these tests as it saves me so much time in figuring out what sweetener to use for different applications. Thanks Steve!

[@SeriousKeto]

I'd love nothing more than to help people trim down their keto pantry, with the knowledge of what ingredients work best for their needs.

[@blackmanlistening7909]

Heath and almond joy are my favorites, oh and toffee fay(cause it to good for kids!).

[@arbonneladyTN]

@@SeriousKeto I have had an awful time with Truvia and Serwve bricking up on me! I put in air tight containers even. We aren’t humid here… can’t figure it out!

[@lindalentz5093]

So great to see you in the kitchen doing experiments for us again ! Thank you! 🙂

[@ldakota66]

Excited about this series with testing various ingredients! Thanks Steve!

[@InspiredByCreation]

Steve, as always, great video and thank you for saving me time in the kitchen!! This is exactly what I have been wanting to know! Looking forward to the rest of this series....

[@healthorbust5890]

Looking forward to this series. Love your experimental videos.

[@shyne41]

This is the type of content that sets your channel apart from rest. Love it, thanks!

[@jacquelineb8778]

I'm excited for your future experiments with allulose especially with holidays coming!

[@dyrinn45]

Oh man... My wife is going to love the results of the upcoming experiments. Great work Steve!

[@francetrudelle]

So cool to see these kinds of tests !! Lets face it. Most of these products cost a pretty penny. So having you figure them out for us is great !! Keep up the great work ! 😊

[@janetrebman3470]

I watched your video this afternoon and knew I had to get to work with the Allulose version. I had all ingredients on hand, so why not? I followed your recipe exactly but at the end, once the temp was up to 130, I added some chopped pecans, stirred them in and poured it all out on a silpat. A couple hours later I checked it and it wasn't toffee at all., It was caramel with pecans! I consider this a very happy accident! I rolled it up into a roll and sliced it into bite size pieces. My oh my!!! It is exactly what my deprived sweet tooth has been needing. I'll have to discipline myself and not allow myself to make this very often because they are going to be very hard to stay out of.

[@Menditha]

Thank you so much for helping me learn about the traits of the different sweeteners!

[@AllisonReece]

I so appreciate your food experiments you take the time and money to do for us! Very interesting. Many of us keto people don't get to see the differences between popular keto ingredients. This was so helpful, since I'm making treats & desserts for the holidays. Thanks for all you do for us!

[@ClaudetteMiss]

Superb! Just the type of video we keto/carnivores need more of. Thanks so much for your dedication to detail and breaking things down so clearly for all of us

[@rikwen96]

I am going to love this series! The science nerd in me is going, oh yeah, chemistry lab, can we blow something up? The baker in me is going, take notes girl, we need to know this stuff when we are cooking. I collect a lot of recipes and tend to put notes all over them when I try them out. The different brands of sweeteners you were testing will give me more to go on to replicate some of my non-keto favorites.

[@wunderwriter1]

Yeah! I just bought out every bag Raley’s had since they were closing out the Allulose. Can’t wait to try whatever recipe you post.

[@PinkLady54]

Heath bar YES! My all time fav also! Though the Fast Break was running close 2nd when it came out 20 yrs ago or so. But that would use the soft caramel. Looking forward to this series a LOT!! Haven't told You in too long - YOU ROCK!!!

[@MikeWoodTruss]

Thanks for the video. I enjoyed seeing the results.

[@tamiam484]

Thank you Steve! I greatly appreciate this. I have all these sweeteners and didn’t realize that each is better in different situations.

[@leslielutz1874]

Perfect timing in that fall is coming. Very very helpful to this one here.

[@marywiggins7411]

Yay! The content we have come to know and love!!!

[@gingercabaniss2465]

Loved this video! Science+food+keto = This gal's attention! Thanks so much and can't wait for the next one!

[@icre8mylife]

Thank you Steve! I always learn something helpful. Enjoy your weekend!

[@daisygirl111975]

Thank you so much for doing these experiments and saving us time. Love your content 👍

[@kitchenclasses]

Thanks Steve-great info. Appreciate you doing the heavy lifting and I/we get to skip ahead to results and a recipe!

[@Reiko1111]

Appreciate you & your time so much for doing this experiment/test!! Looking forward to your next video on this! (2 big thumbsup)

[@cw1626]

Thank you Steve. I like Allulose so glad to see it's a win. Looking forward to your next experiments!

[@SeriousKeto]

Me too 🙂

[@JAdams-jx5ek]

Actual testing - for the win. Thanks for doing this.

[@sunflowerrosem.8651]

Great kitchen science video Steve.👏 I appreciate that you have tested these sugar alternatives for us, as to how they caramelize. Good info to have! 😊 👍

[@kctexan1817]

Absolutely want to see anything and everything you can discover about individual properties of various sweeteners and how they affect baked/cooked goods! Same thing for "flours," liquids, etc. I'm really interested in the science behind ingredients. Your experients on binders have been great!

[@KevinGaeke]

Thanks Steve! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Great video.

[@ricliddle3382]

Great job Steve. I’m lookin’ forward to Heath bars!

[@MichelleK765]

Always a pleasure to learn something new! THanks!

[@janiceduerr620]

Fun experiment. I have found I really don't think about sweet treats much any more especially compared to the beginning of my Keto journey. The first one might be good over ice cream - which is my favorite once in a while treat.

[@gothgirlatheart3545]

Steve what are you doing?!? Your in your way to 200k super quick!!!!!!! I’m so happy for you!

[@rancancookcanoy9768]

Steve, good morning. Enjoyed this video. I appreciate you doing these. I look forward to your English toffee like video. Have a great rest of your Friday and have a wonderful weekend.

[@The_Keto_Klingon]

Appreciate the information Steve

[@Grany4]

I know that Boca Sweet & allulose is the perfect blend for making keto ice cream! It makes great easy scoop ice cream. Been making it with this combination for a long time, friends & family loves it!!!

[@chihuang422]

Yeah, I agree. I tried allulose and monkfruit/erythritol combo in making the ice cream. It came out hard and icy. Allulose alone is way too soft. I haven't tried BochaSweet alone nor different ratios of BochaSweet and allulose. I just did 1 to 1 ratio. Unfortunately, in this ratio, the amount of allulose gives me stomach cramping and bloating if I eat too much ice cream.

[@forced4motorsports]

What is the ratio?

[@Grany4]

@@forced4motorsports for my recipe I use 1/2 cup of boca sweet and 1/4 cup of allulose. I’m guessing it would depend on the recipe you used & how sweet you like your ice cream.

[@JoaBea4]

Would love to see the entire recipe. Is that possible?

[@Grany4]

@@JoaBea4 Strawberry ice cream: In a Blender put: 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream 1 1/2 cups of almond milk 1 cup of chopped strawberries that’s frozen 1 1/2 tsp of strawberry extract 1/2 to 3/4 cups of boca sweet 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Allulose (Adjust the sweeteners according to how sweet you want the ice cream) Blend all until the ice cream base is smooth taste to adjust anything. Then pour into your ice cream maker. Then follow your ice cream maker instructions. I’ve made other flavors with the base. I don’t have the carb count on this so can’t give that.

[@Dana-45]

This is VERY interesting to me... I made a keto creme brulee about 5 years ago, but all I had was erythritol to make the caramel topping, and to my amazement it caramelized, and it wasn't super terrible, but it was very crystalline and very brittle. I will now have to try allulose for my first time ever, and see how this turns out. Thank you for your hard work and creativity!

[@suyapajimenez516]

Thank you Steve for this video. It was necessary.

[@samanthawest2401]

Can’t wait to see the recipes you do!

[@ginacurry4878]

Ooooo, I love heath bars 😋 this will be an interesting next few videos! Thanks for testing this especially with the holidays around the corner!

[@sofializzy4519]

OMG! English toffee! Thank you for doing this - I've been curious about caramelization. It's like you read my mind!

[@raysheely9572]

BUTTERSCOTCH PIE. *cough*. The sweetener we used last tasted great, but the it re-crystalized when cooled making the texture of the filling gritty instead of smooth. It's my favorite pie. It would be nice to have some.

[@canileaveitblank1476]

Look up Keto Upgrade. She’s a trained pastry chef who has mastered many sweets. She’s got a recipe for sweet condensed milk and caramel. I’m sure from there butterscotch pie isn’t too far! ❤️

[@mohkatu]

Use Allulose for the filling, it's much smoother than Erythrotol when it cools down.

[@raysheely9572]

@@canileaveitblank1476 Thank you, I will take a look.

[@martijobarrett4527]

Bocha and butter. Smooth!

[@janicecarey3592]

I am so looking forward to the recipes you develop! I love caramel and toffee. I do not really care for chocolate, but mixed with toffee, it is heaven!

[@deeseiffer]

Allulose is my favorite sweetener. I look forward to your experiments. It makes sense that allulose browns well. An egg white bread recipe I use includes allulose to brown the loaf.

[@vickiharris9403]

I made a double batch to try making these into caramels, and it was a fantastic success! I used a silicone mini ice cube tray, and made them about the same size as those individually wrapped caramels I thought I would never have again. These taste as good as the sugary caramels! Thank you for the recipe. I look forward to seeing other recipes you have in the works.

[@TassieAdams]

Do you mind sharing how you made your caramels, please? Ingredients, temperature, etc…? Thanks!

[@SA-ju1zu]

Well, I had a question, I typed it in and you were there! Thank you, love your channel. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and time you put into this. It shows!😅

[@Shelle200]

Oh so fun I can't wait to see what recipes you come up with

[@ma-ma-mamary3946]

I needed this video in my life! Thank u!

[@laprofessora64]

Heath bar, YES, PLEASE! That and Trader Joe's English toffee are probably my favorite candies (also Almond Roca, which is very close to TJ's). I'd love to see how that goes. I have a bit of Allulose in the pantry already, so rarin' to go.

[@Christineeve]

I appreciate your excellent scientific methodology: Measurable and repeatable.

[@stephaniereed8869]

Thank you. I've been trying to understand the newer sweeteners and seeing some compared is very helpful

[@betha8761]

Thank you!

[@kathleenreyes4345]

Thanks Steve!

[@cherylsplace48]

This looks delish! Yes, love Heath bars. Great video, thank you

[@Paisteboy]

Great video Steve. It's good to see how all of the sweeteners react in this application. I make caramel with Allulose and it is great.

[@davidsquire1098]

I bought allulose on your recommendation for the KFC cole slaw recipe; which turned out delicious! So I was elated to see allulose won this review and when you mentioned HEATH bars my ears perked up! A Keto version of a HEATH bar would be fantastic! I look forward to these videos every Friday! Great job! Great video!

[@clairebillette6051]

Thank you

[@chan58]

Awesome Steve, I love your science experiments! Now to find some Splenda Allulose. Thanks.

[@terry5749]

Just recently found your channel, love it! Already tried a couple of recipes, they worked great! 🎉

[@SeriousKeto]

Glad to have you here. 😊

[@sunflowerrosem.8651]

Over 1,000 views in three hours! 👏👏👏 I think this is going to be a very popular video, Steve! 😊 👌

[@chrystalgreene892]

I love this ! Thank you.

[@2010bblessedbeyond]

Omgoodness Heath is my absolute favorite. I have tried making it and fell. I’ve never tried allulose because I wasn’t quite sure if I would have that same cooling taste or bitterness as some other sweeteners I’ve tried. I just stick to swerve and bocha sweet since they taste just like regular sugar to me. But you have me wanting to give it a try. I’m looking forward to you trying those recipes.

[@gracefaith444]

❤I'm having a serious keto video fest today. I gotta tell you, I absolutely am loving all this testing you do 👍 I am fairly new to keto and I really don't have the money to buy all the "keto" necessities that I would like but your videos are helping me to determine where to start 👍 Thank you so much for this one Steve 😋 I absolutely love Carmel and growing up, the Heath bar was my favorite. Grace and Peace my friend.

[@tammieconnerystephens2379]

Heath bar…. YES YES YES!!!! Please make something with that awesome taste : ) I’m sad the Bocha didn’t work out, it’s my favorite go to keto sugar. However with the cost of it maybe it’s better that it didn’t. LOL. Great job on your testing. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[@willowtreecoachingandconsu7192]

Looking forward to this series. Hoping to learn how best to use Bochasweet. I’ve tried ice cream with it, works great in my experience. Tried pralines, as you demonstrated, it does not caramelize well. Pralines were a fail. Thank you for science kitchen!!!

[@marybenson1583]

THANK YOU!

[@Carol32547]

Thank you steve

[@dianeherrmann6668]

So interesting! Good job Steve

[@miccyt6572]

Yeah Health Bars my favorite! Can’t wait to see your creation. Keep the good stuff coming!🤪👍🏼

[@jleetxgirl]

This test was interesting. All the sweeteners are a maze I have been going through and the lights are off. This comparison helps a LOT! Thank you, Steve!

[@joane8651]

Me too, and l almost quit baking anything since there were too many decisions.

[@jleetxgirl]

@@joane8651 yes, and every youtube keto person has a different favorite they’re selling. 🤨. At least Steve gave some real info on taste and digestive effects.

[@fnub]

The original keto caramel sauce recipe I found a while back was made with allulose. Not much of a surprise that allulose won that experiment. It seems to dissolve much better. Great video. Thanks.

[@cweaver6792]

Another thing to use my Splenda Allulose for! Thanks Steve!

[@Mrsteachspeech]

I really enjoyed this! Thank you!

[@uglyelmo5205]

Heath bar is the BEST bar! My favorite too! Can't wait to see your experiments!

[@angelacross2216]

Thank you. Not just interesting but incredibly helpful.

[@SeriousKeto]

Glad it was helpful!

[@juliebergacker5680]

Hey, thank’s for doing this ! 👏👏👍

[@janisezack1610]

Informative. I enjoy your helpful review of cooking products. 👍

[@elle2368]

Excited for this one. I have a keto pecan cookie recipe I want to try soon. Thanks!

[@katieirish5765]

Love this experiment! I like to make caramel with allulose and pour it over pork rinds. Makes a nice TV watching snack. It has to be eaten in one sitting, though. It does get sticky the next day.

[@1950Archangel]

Costco sells a box of 100 surgical gloves. (I'm like a cat: I HATE getting my paws sticky!) The box seems expensive (or did to one lady I spoke with on line) but it's only 22 cents pair! Depending on what I use them for, I sometimes wash them, like washing my hands, take them off and turn them right side out again, and hang 'em to dry... Cheap and easy!

[@kristinj8271]

Great video! Ty. I'm excited for the others tests as well. Especially the liquid. I have a friend who is addicted to sweet tea. I'm hoping one of these sweeteners will hold up when making unsweet tea into sweet tea. 🤞🏻

[@billriley6649]

Good one!

[@tsimkins1960]

I knew allulose would win this. I use it to make a caramel sauce. I add heavy cream to it. So good!!! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

[@peterbotros5739]

Hi Steve. Great video. Waiting for the sweetener comparisons used in other applications. Thanks 😊👍

[@jslezak57]

Thanks for doing this test! I'll be interested in the further testing. Iake sugar free ice cream (traditional recipe starting with a creme anglaise). So far, every sweetener I tried re-crystalized after freezing and the ice cream got rock hard with the exception of Allulose. The last batch of French vanilla stayed creamy in the freezer even after weeks of storage. I think that these sugar substitutes are really fussy with temperatures. Finally, I've found that in various recipes there's a huge difference in sweetener's behavior between when it's in crystal form or powdered.

[@mymai2792]

I'm commenting & giving a big 👍 before even watching this vid. I just know it's going to be good. Thank you - much appreciated ❤

[@giselesmith7795]

A Heath bar is my favorite too! I will be following your experiments with much interest....

[@greeneyes2256]

We use Allulose for canning anything sweet. It doesn’t crystallize, melts easily, and the price is right, especially from our local health foods store. Nice to have bread and butter pickles again.

[@SeriousKeto]

Speaking of which, I need to do some canning today (pickles and peppers).

[@tulik23]

Great test. I used the allulose for doing Dulce de letche and ice creams 😉

[@tammiehammett5054]

I heard today that allulose is great for anything you want to stay soft like ice cream or cookies or caramels bread or sauces and it will also brown. Apparently it's not so good if you want something like a crunchy cookie. Great video, I'm going to buy some allulose right now.

[@yolandalins4195]

Thanks doing this testing