Have you been wondering how to sweeten Kool Aid without sugar?
It just so happens that recent dietary guidelines suggest that added sugar in anything be cut back at least 10%, so we’re here to tell you exactly where to go from there.
In most cases, sugar is a desired addition to flavorful drinks such as lemonade, iced tea, and in this case, Kool-Aid.
Kool-Aid is world-renowned for its sugary taste and satisfactory, thirst-quenching refreshment, but how can something be deemed sugary without sugar?
Since sugar is such a necessity for people in most cases, it may be better to see what you can substitute that with to achieve your more healthy lifestyle and food consumption goals.
We’re here to help you begin that journey by telling you different ways in which you can replace the sugar in your daily diet with something more healthy and beneficial to the well-being of your day-to-day life and nutritional diet.
You can sweeten Kool-Aid without sugar by using sugar substitutes such as Stevia, brown sugar, syrup, honey, etc.
How to Sweeten Kool Aid Without Sugar – Best Sugar Substitutes
There are many sugar substitutes out there produced for those who have Diabetes or even those who just want to cut back on their overall sugar intake.
Lucky for you, we’re here to list those substitutes to make your sugar intake control a bit more attainable by telling you exactly which sugar substitutes may work best for your Kool-Aid recipes.
First, we’ll start by listing all of the sugar substitutions, and then we’ll get into which ones may be the better choice to make with your Kool-Aid:
1. Stevia
Stevia is probably one of the most well-known, albeit most popular, sweeteners produced to substitute for regular sugar.
It’s a smooth, fine substance meant to mix into anything you may want to incorporate sugar into, whether it be your iced tea, coffee, baked goods, or any other drinks or foods you’d deem fit.
It is a great substitution for those who have Diabetes and need to use something other than sugar all the time in all of their sweet treats.
Stevia tends to be a bit sweeter than regular sugar, so whether you’re all about making things extra sweet or not, Stevia is a good choice for both types.
2. Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like when you think about it. It is the nectar extracted from a coconut blossom after it’s been heated and cooled.
The cooling action creates the hard granulated substance that we think of when we think of sugar.
Of course, this form of sugar substitution will taste a bit more coconutty, for lack of better words, so if you love that tropical, smooth coconut flavor, this may be the substitute for you.
3. Brown Rice Syrup
Brown rice syrup is a natural sweetener produced from hydrolyzing brown rice starch with natural enzymes.
It creates a honey pot agave-like consistency without being as sweet, and it’s the perfect substitute for vegans or vegetarians who also want to cut back on sugar intake.
4. Honey
Although honey may not be ideal for a liquid solution like Kool-Aid, it is still a very viable option.
As most people may know, Honey is produced from flower nectar by bees, and it’s very widely sold and accessible anywhere.
Honey is easy to mix into liquid as it has a very loose consistency instead of a sweetener like molasses or maple syrup.
However, maple syrup is more similar to the consistency of honey than molasses.
It does tend to be quite sweet in nature, much like Stevia, but maybe a little less.
5. Maple Syrup or Molasses
You probably saw this one coming, right? Maple syrup and molasses are two reasonably popular sweeteners as well and good substitutes for sugar.
However, they may not be the best options when you’re trying to make a liquid solution like Kool-Aid or tea.
Maple syrup is more easily accessible than molasses in most cases, and both are typically used for baking or as toppings for pancakes, french toast, and waffles.
6. Rapadura Sugar
Although still extracted from sugar cane, Rapadura sugar tends to have more benefits than those of regular sugar.
Rapadura sugar is produced by evaporating the liquid away from natural sugar cane juice. Rapadura sugar is unrefined.
Thus, it is higher in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus when compared with other sugars.
It is also rich in iron as one teaspoon contains approximately 11 percent of your recommended daily intake, according to Active Beat, a healthy living and diet and nutrition site.
Your Best Bets
Now that we’ve gone over plenty of options on how to sweeten Kool-Aid without sugar, let’s talk about the ones best fit to compensate for the sugar and still provide you with your designated sweet drink:
1. Stevia
Although it is a finer consistency than regular sugar, Stevia still gives you all the best parts of sugar intake without actually intaking sugar.
Stevia is probably the most recommended if you want to replace regular sugar in your Kool-Aid.
Tip: Being that Stevia is, in a sense, sweeter than regular cane sugar, try adding it little by little not to overpower the sugary presence in your Kool-Aid.
2. Coconut Sugar
We did mention the probability of a more coconutty flavor when using this form of substitution.
Still, nonetheless, your Kool-Aid will come out just as flavorful and delicious when using coconut sugar as your cane sugar substitute – and it’s healthier, too!
Tip: Since coconut sugar will provide a more tropically sweet flavor, try using it in the tropical punch Kool-Aid flavor to really intensify that beach-side, sea-breeze feel.
3. Rapadura Sugar
As mentioned, Rapadura sugar gets extracted from sugar cane.
Still, it holds many more benefits and health than your regular, everyday sugar, decreasing your daily sugar intake by 11%.
Rapadura sugar may be the best bet in your sugar intake cut-back if you still want that pure sugary flavor with fewer health consequences.
Tip: To really make sure you’re cutting back on that sugar intake, use Rapadura sugar to replace regular sugar in all of your sweet treats and drinks. It tastes the same, and it’s healthier!
Why Do It?
These days, it seems many more people across the globe are aiming to live a healthier, more nutritious lifestyle by consuming less calories, less sugar, fewer carbs, etc.
Take what you may from this article, but it’s not a bad idea to switch up your food intake from time to time.
Often, many of us tend to get carried away with the food we choose to consume, whether it be sweet, savory, spicy, whatever we prefer, and we tend to look less and less at the impacts they may have on our health later on down the line.
Is Sweetening Kool-Aid With a Substitute Healthier?
Many of us are very much in-the-moment consumers and don’t really care much about the food we put into our bodies, which is perfectly fine, to an extent, of course.
The more food we consume without considering the effects it may have on our health in the future, the less we tend to realize how much our health may be deteriorating in the meantime.
Start Small to Make Healthy Choices
Now, we’re not saying to cut back on all of your food desires, but taking it step by step is most definitely the way to go when you want to start on your path to a healthier, more nutritious, and controlled food journey.
It helps to know where to start, and sometimes, it’s best to start small.
Enjoy What You Love in a Healthy Way
This article aims to get you to start somewhere by still enjoying the things you love.
Limiting your daily sugar intake doesn’t mean limiting your overall diet.
Still, it sure is a great way to begin tracking your dietary journey in a healthier and more attainable manner without jumping into an entirely new diet cold-turkey, so to speak.
Education Yourself on Nutrition
For more nutritional tips and advice, don’t hesitate to read some of our other articles.
We’re simply here to help you help yourself in the most manageable and attainable ways possible based on basic research and human observation.
FAQ’s
Here are some commonly asked questions:
Will my Kool-Aid still taste good without sugar or a sugar substitute?
Yes! Clearly, the easier option, in this case, would be to simply make your Kool-Aid with the Kool-Aid mix and leave it at that with no added sweetener, and that is totally fine!
It’ll still taste good, regardless of the amount of added sweetener you choose to include.
What does Kool-Aid taste like without sugar?
Like any other sweetened drink, the Kool-Aid brand provides customers with their premade signature drink mix.
This mixture, of course, doesn’t require any added sugar, as it already comes sweetened in its packaging.
Although some may prefer to sweeten it up a bit more, it’s unnecessary, and your Kool-Aid will still taste just as good without any added sweetener.
What else could I use the sugar substitutions mentioned in this article for?
It’s important for you to know that sugar substitutions are not only limited to delightful flavored drinks!
The sweeteners mentioned can be used for other things, such as smoothies, sweet treats, and baked goods, as well as for some homemade meals, if you’re willing to branch out and experiment more thoroughly with the options we’ve listed here!
Read Next: Why Do My Eggs Stick to My Non-Stick Pan?
Final Thoughts
So, now that we’ve let you know how to sweeten Kool-Aid without sugar go out there and get mixing!
At the end of the day, your Kool Aid will only ever come out as good as you’re willing to make it, so why not start off by adding in some nutritiously delicious and healthier substances to satisfy your taste buds and still benefit your physical well-being?