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Pairs nicely with
Sweetened by a leaf.
Stevia: is it better than sugar?
What it actually is, whether it’s safe, how it stacks up against sugar and the other sweeteners, and the honest bit about the aftertaste.
Reviewed 24 October 2026 by the Spruce team. General information, not medical advice.
The short answer.
Stevia is a sweetener made from the leaves of the stevia plant. It’s approved in the UK and EU as E960 (steviol glycosides), has no sugar and virtually no calories, and is so sweet that a tiny amount does the job. Swapping sugary drinks for sugar-free ones is one of the easiest ways to cut down on sugar.
Where it comes from.
From leaf
to glass.
Stevia starts life as Stevia rebaudiana, a leafy green plant from South America, where people have sweetened drinks with its leaves for generations.
- 01 · The plantA leafy green shrubNative to South America.
- 02 · The leafNaturally sweetIts leaves contain steviol glycosides, the compounds that taste sweet.
- 03 · The sweet bitExtracted and purifiedThose compounds are drawn out and cleaned up into a sweetener.
- 04 · Your glassJust a pinchSo sweet that a tiny amount, balanced with real fruit, does the job.
On an ingredients list you’ll see it as steviol glycosides, stevia or E960. On our packs it reads: Natural Sweetener (Stevia Glycosides as Stevia).
The two-minute sugar swap.
How much sugar
would you swap out?
Find the sugar per 100ml on your usual drink, or pick a band, and see what a sugar-free swap saves.
01Sugar per 100ml
02Your glass and your day
03What you’d swap out
Swap to a stevia-sweetened sachet
0gsugar a glass
Same drinks a day, with real fruit and none of the sugar.
Bands: “sugar free” and “low sugar” are the legal claim limits for drinks (no more than 0.5g and 2.5g per 100ml). Soft drinks with added sugar pay the UK levy from 5g per 100ml, and a higher rate from 8g. One sugar cube here is 30g ÷ 7, as the NHS describes 30g as roughly 7 sugar cubes.
Know what’s sweetening it.
Stevia, sugar
and the rest.
Every sweetener on this list is approved for use in Great Britain. We’re not here to bash anyone’s. We just know what we want in our glass.
Show the comparison table
| Feature | Sugar | Sucralose | Aspartame | Acesulfame K | Stevia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| On the label | Sugar, sucrose | E955 | E951 | E950 | E960, steviol glycosides |
| Comes from | Sugar cane or sugar beet | Made from sugar | Made from two amino acids | Made synthetically | Leaves of the stevia plant |
| Sugar | Yes, counts as free sugar | None | None | None | None |
| Calories in a drink | About 4kcal a gram | Virtually none | Virtually none | Virtually none | Virtually none |
| Teeth | A big cause of tooth decay | No sugar for bacteria to feed on | No sugar for bacteria to feed on | ||
The NHS says high sugar intake raises the risk of tooth decay, and that using no-calorie sweeteners in products without sugar can help reduce that risk. Fizzy drinks can wear teeth whatever they’re sweetened with.
The honest bit.
What about
the aftertaste?
Stevia is very sweet, and in big doses some people pick up a slight liquorice or bitter note at the end. It’s the number one reason people say “I tried a stevia drink once and never again.” The fix is balance.
- Just enough steviaSweet enough to enjoy, never so much that it’s all you taste.
- Real fruit leadsFruit powder does the heavy lifting on flavour.
- Find your water levelToo strong and you’ll taste the sweetener. Start at 500ml, then tune.
- Ice coldCold water tastes cleaner and crisper.
Myth, meet fact.
Four things people
get wrong about stevia.
Tap a card to flip it.
Where Spruce fits.
Sweetened by a leaf.
Flavoured by fruit.
Every sachet, stevia onlyGlow: Raspberry & ElderflowerReal raspberry, sweetened with stevia, zero sugar. Biotin and zinc contribute to the maintenance of normal hair and skin.Try Glow ↗
Lime & MintRevive
Pineapple & GrapefruitVitamin D + C
Black CherryFocusLess wondering. More water.
Quick
questions.
The things people ask about stevia.
Is stevia bad for you?
Stevia (steviol glycosides, E960) is an approved sweetener that has passed a safety assessment in Great Britain, with an acceptable daily intake set by EFSA. Enjoy it as part of a varied, balanced diet.
Is stevia better than sugar?
It has no sugar and virtually no calories, so swapping sugary drinks for stevia-sweetened ones is an easy way to cut down on free sugars. Adults are advised to have no more than 30g of free sugars a day.
Is stevia natural?
It comes from the leaves of the stevia plant, and the sweet compounds are extracted and purified. You’ll often see it labelled as a natural sweetener, which is how it appears on Spruce packs.
Why does stevia sometimes taste bitter?
In larger amounts some people notice a slight bitter or liquorice note. Real fruit and the right amount of water balance it out.
What is E960?
E960 is the code for steviol glycosides, the sweet compounds from the stevia leaf, as an approved food additive.
Does Spruce use artificial sweeteners?
No. Every Spruce sachet is sweetened with stevia, with zero sugar.