Keto Maple Syrup

The best keto syrup recipe to make at home in 15 minutes and use top of your keto pancakes or keto crepes! Bonus, this keto maple syrup recipe contains zero net carbs and zero calories.

 

I love syrup on my keto pancakes, and when I started the keto diet, I had so many questions about liquid sweeteners! 

 

What syrup can I use on keto? Can you have maple syrup on keto? Is maple syrup keto-friendly?

Unfortunately, NO, maple syrup is pure sugar, so it’s out of the question to use this on keto. And since most sugar-free syrups from the store are not keto-friendly either, I came up with my own keto syrup for pancakes to enjoy a safe, keto-friendly syrup.

But before sharing this keto simple syrup recipe, let me answer a few questions that you probably have about keto and syrup.

Is Starbucks’ sugar-free vanilla syrup keto-friendly?

No, I am sorry to tell you that, but on a keto diet, you shouldn’t ask for Starbucks’ Sugar-free syrup in your drinks.

The sugar-free syrup from your favorite coffee store contains a combination of artificial sweeteners that increases your blood sugar levels and can take you out of ketosis.

These are the sugar-free artificial sweetener present in sugar-free Starbucks syrup or most store-bought sugar-free syrup. It contains a combination of:

• Sucralose – Sucralose is keto-friendly in the sense that it has no carbs and a glycemic index of 0. But this is only if used on its own and not mixed with a real sugar like maltodextrin. Also, keep in mind that sucralose is quite controversial, with suspected gut damage, etc.
• Maltodextrin – it’s an artificial sweetener made from starchy plants like rice, corn, etc., and it contains the same amount of carbs and calories as sugar.

To learn more about sweeteners, read my article on the top 4 keto-friendly sweeteners.

Starbucks’ sugar-free syrup combines sucralose with maltodextrin. When both ingredients are combined, the glycemic index goes up to 80 – sugar is 65!

So next time you order a drink from your favorite coffee store, think about these extra pumps of sugar-free syrup! Is it worth adding this sugar-free syrup when you can order a keto-friendly drink asking for safer ingredients like a touch of:

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• Unsweetened heavy whipped cream
• Almond milk – most stores have an almond steaming milk option.
• Stevia packet
• Sprinkle cinnamon for flavoring.

Because remember that even if consumed in small amounts, the sugar-free syrup from Starbucks will impact your blood sugar level and can kick you out of ketosis.

Or, simply order a black coffee or brewed coffee with no additives! This is the safest option.

Are all sugar-free syrups keto-friendly?

Not all sugar-free syrups can be consumed on keto. As mentioned above, sugar-free syrups made of artificial sweeteners like maltodextrin and sucralose can take you out of ketosis.

However, there are some safe keto-friendly maple syrups on the market from brands like:

• Choc zero – sweetened with Monk fruit extract.
• Lakanto – sweetened with safe keto sweeteners, including Monk fruit and erythritol.

How to make keto maple syrup at home?

Now that I’ve answered all your questions about keto and syrup, you probably want to know how to make your own keto syrup recipe in your kitchen.

Ingredients

The ingredients you need to make a keto-friendly syrup for pancakes at home are pretty simple:

• Xylitol – if it’s your first time making your own keto syrup, you must know that the 3 most common keto sweeteners have different properties, especially different melting points! Xylitol is the only keto sweetener that can melt below the water boiling temperature – it melts at 92C/197F. Therefore, it’s the best choice to make an easy, clear keto syrup without fancy kitchen tools like a thermometer.
• Unflavored beef gelatin powder – most recipes use xanthan gum in their syrups, but I don’t recommend this option. In fact, most of the time, xanthan gum coagulates and creates a jelly-like texture in your syrup. The best option for a keto syrup with no lumps is unflavored beef gelatin powder. Plus, it is good for your health on keto, providing benefits to your joints and bones.
• Water
• Pure maple extract – this is the key ingredient to adding a maple flavor to your simple keto syrup.
• Vanilla extract

Heating the sweetener to its melting point

Making syrup is pure science and chemistry. It is not difficult to make keto syrup at home, but if you want to achieve a clear syrup with no crystals, you must use xylitol as a keto sweetener.

In fact, the first step in making a keto syrup is to melt the sugar alcohol, bringing it to its melting point.

There are three keto-friendly sweeteners that can be used in most keto recipes: erythritol, xylitol, and allulose. However, these three sugar alternatives have very different melting points, as listed below.

Keto sweeteners melting point

• Allulose – 110C (230F)
• Xylitol – 92C (197F)
• Erythritol – 121C (249F)

Water boils at 100C (212F), so xylitol is the easiest sweetener to use in a keto syrup recipe. It melts and dissolves fast, even before the water boils, and it ensures that the syrup won’t re-crystallize when cooling down.

Erythritol and allulose can be used too. But if you want to avoid crystallization when the syrup cools down, you must control the melting process with a kitchen thermometer, making sure the syrup stays for 5 minutes at its melting point listed above.

Thickening the syrup

The next step consists of thickening your syrup. There are two keto-friendly thickening agents possible for keto staples like keto condensed milk recipe or keto syrup.

• Unflavored gelatin powder – that’s the best thickener for keto syrup! It creates the best texture, clear slurry with no clumping. First, dissolve the gelatin in water before adding to the syrup, then bring back to medium heat, stir until your sugar-free maple syrup lightly thickens.
• Xanthan gum – it’s not my recommended option for a keto syrup because it’s very hard to prevent xanthan gum from clumping in liquids that don’t contain fat.

Flavoring the syrup

To make a sugar-free maple-flavored syrup, you must use pure maple flavor. It not only adds flavor but also a lovely brown color to your syrup.

How to store keto maple syrup?

You can store this keto syrup in a sealed glass mason jar in the pantry for up to 1 month.

Troubleshooting your keto maple syrup

Are you struggling to make your own keto maple syrup? Get your answers below!

Why is my syrup forming crystals?

This happens if you didn’t reach the melting point of your sweetener in the first step of the recipe.

If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, always use xylitol, it melts before the water boils, so it’s easy to know that you have passed the melting point without checking the temperature.

Why is my syrup clumping?

This happens if you used xanthan gum as a thickener or you didn’t pre-dissolve the beef gelatin powder in cold water before adding to the syrup.

How to fix a crystalized syrup?

If your keto syrup has crystallized when cooling down, don’t worry. Microwave the entire batch, or bring it back to a saucepan under medium heat.

Don’t stir at any point. Let the heat melt the crystal again, and use it immediately.

How does this syrup taste?

This homemade keto syrup has a strong maple flavor like any classic maple syrup. It’s a bit runnier, less stick or thick than a store-bought version, but it coats keto pancakes or keto crepes to perfection.

More keto pantry staples

If you love to make your own keto pantry staples, I have plenty of other recipes for you to try below:

Have you made this sugar-free syrup recipe?

Leave me a review or comment below. I love to hear your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest for more keto recipe inspiration.

XOXO Carine