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10 Trim Healthy Mama Stevia Tips

March 25, 2015 By Gwen Brown 18 Comments

stevia tips img

Stevia extract can be really tricky. It took me a couple of months of using it before I became comfortable. Now that I’ve been using it for over 2 years, I’m really very comfortable with it. But I have occasional flashbacks to the not so edible concoctions of my early days with stevia extract. So these are my top 10 tips for using stevia. If you’re new to using stevia, or if you’re used to a different brand, I’ve included some tips for the new THM Pure Stevia (affiliate link to the Amazon). The texture is a bit different, and it’s super intensely sweet. Which makes it a great bargain and it’s got a great flavor.

Just to be super clear: these tips apply to the *super* concentrated stevia extract (which I’ve reviewed here.) You can also use a blend of stevia with erythritol or xylitol (brands like THM Sweet Blend or Truvia). The blends measure more like sugar, and are a little easier to use when you’re just learning. Because the extract is so concentrated, it’s less expensive but a little trickier. Hence this top 10 list!

10 Trim Healthy Mama Stevia Tips

  1. Tap the bag before opening to settle the powder.  THM stevia is VERY powdery (think powdered sugar or baking powder.)  So it can ‘poof’ when the bag is opened.  Tapping it will help to shake the contents down and prevent the powder poof.
  2. Shake it! I missed the ease of shaking my stevia like the old New Naturals (their formula was granulated, so it wasn’t as clumpy). I prefer to store the THM stevia in an alternative container, since the bag doesn’t reseal very well, and it’s so fluffy & powdery.  I have a  glass spice jar (affiliate link) similar to this:It’s hard to see in the photo, but one side flips up to pour and the other side has larger holes like a parm cheese shaker. The bigger holes allow me to shake the clumpier/powdery stevia, or I can use the measuring spoon (doonk) on the bigger opening.  My jar is a bit smaller and is an Olde Thompson style spice jar, but same concept…I love still having the shake option to add sweetness to my tea or yogurt. However, shaking on extract is an advanced move. 🙂 Which leads me to tip number 3…
  3. Use the “doonk” when measuring stevia extract…it’s the teensy spoon that they enclose in the packages.  This takes the guesswork out of measuring stevia extract, as all of the official THM recipes will be converted to ‘doonks’ instead of shakes.  I’m not cool enough to know how to pronounce “doonk.” I prefer to use Sweet Blend (or a homemade version of stevia mixed in a base of erythritol or xylitol) because using tiny doll house sized measuring spoons is a little too complicated for me. But on the occasion that I *do* need to measure stevia extract, I love this set of stainless steel mini measuring spoons. (affiliate link) The “smidgen” spoon is = a “doonk” or 1/32 tsp. THM stevia
  4. Level off (flatten) the stevia in the doonk by smushing or scraping it against the top of the bag…don’t use heaping doonks. A tiny bit extra adds a LOT of extra sweetness, so you want to be as accurate as possible. This stuff is VERY concentrated and VERY powdery as you can see, and a LOT sweeter than other stevias…possibly twice as sweet? Which brings us to the next tip…
  5. Always err on the side of ‘less’ with any stevia, but especially with the THM stevia!  It’s far easier to add more than to take out ‘too much’.  Start with the least amount recommended in the recipe and then taste as you go. If the sweetness is not quite there, add a bit more. The main rule with learning to use stevia is this: test, taste, adjust. 🙂 You’ll get so much more comfortable in being able to ‘eye it’ down the road once you find your happy place with stevia.
  6. Stir WELL. Nothing is worse than noshing down on a clump of undissolved stevia. So stir your concoctions well. The THM stevia does dissolve well but it can also be a little hydrophobic and clump in liquids at first. You’ll want to stir vigorously to make sure it’s well incorporated.
  7. Add a pinch of salt: if you get a “hollow” sweetness that is not pleasant, I find that adding a pinch of salt helps a lot. I’d go so far as to say *always* try a tiny pinch of salt in any stevia recipe. It makes that much of a difference. If you really love specific measurements, then I’d do a half a doonk of salt for every doonk of stevia. Taste, test, adjust.
  8. Don’t start with chocolate recipes! Start out sweetening things like ice tea and yogurt.  Both really meld beautifully with the sweetness profile of stevia.  Here’s a favorite of mine:sugar free fruit on bottom yogurt recipeRecipes with cocoa are much more challenging as stevia isn’t as good at covering the bitterness of cocoa…I reserve my THM Sweet Blend (or any blend of stevia and erythritol or xylitol) for recipes featuring cocoa powder, and had to change brands of cocoa to fall back in love with chocolate baking. (I love Rodelle cocoa– Amazon affiliate link, but I buy it at Costco)
    If you’re a chocoholic, and you just can’t love the stevia versions, try a couple squares of 85% chocolate as your fix while you get the hang of chocolate recipes.
  9. Go a tad sweeter…there are times when you want to go a *little* past “perfect” sweetness level. Heat & certain ingredients tend to dull the sweetness of stevia. This is why I always taste a bit and go a little past the pleasant point if you’ve got any of those factors going on:
    • heat: baking or cooking a recipe makes it “need” a bit more sweetness
    • added fats/oils or gluccie: this dulls the flavors a bit, and you’ll need more sweetness to compensate.
    • cocoa: the bitter flavors of cocoa are not masked well by stevia alone. I recommend a blend, and using a bit more (especially if you’re heating/baking the recipe)
  10. DON’T give up! Stevia has such different properties than ‘regular’ sugar, that it can be frustrating to make the switch at first. Give yourself time. Your taste buds will adjust, and before you know it, you’ll be sweetening things with confidence, it will feel second nature, and you’ll be rejoicing in the benefits of your healthier lifestyle!
Full Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Disclosure Page

Did I cover all of the tips? What’s your best tip for just getting started with stevia extract?

Favorite Stevia Recipes

Here are some of my favorite “just starting out with stevia” recipes:

sugar-free-sweet-tea

Southern girl approved Sweet Tea

Cheesecake Berry Crunch

Cheesecake Berry Crunch!

Low-Carb-Lemon-Yogurt

luscious lemon yogurt

To pin these tips!

stevia tips pin

Filed Under: Trim & Healthy, Trim Healthy Mama Tips

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  1. Bonnie says

    March 25, 2015 at 12:02 PM

    Gwen, I’ve been seeing print ads for a new stevia call Zing (they say it’s Ama-Zing!). Any word on whether it’s on-plan for THM?

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      March 25, 2015 at 1:18 PM

      I’d have to look into it! 🙂 If it’s stevia extract or maybe mixed with erythritol then it’s probably on plan. The ones with maltodexterin are not though. It’s best to check ingredients.

      Reply
      • Gwen Brown says

        March 25, 2015 at 8:24 PM

        I checked it out…they’re using Dextrose in the packets (a no-no on THM) and sugar in the baking mix. So it wouldn’t be on plan for THM.

        Reply
  2. Kim Fahrni says

    March 25, 2015 at 11:19 PM

    I have used stevia for a couple of years but since starting THM, have considerably upped my intake and am now dealing with mouth soars. I switched to truvia with the same results…Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      March 26, 2015 at 6:52 PM

      I would personally switch off for a couple of weeks to a different sweetener and see if it clears up. Some people don’t do well with non-glycemic options, and others do well with anything but stevia. 🙂 I’ve used Monk Fruit extract with good results.

      Reply
      • Ronda says

        March 24, 2016 at 12:57 AM

        I’m allergic to Stevia, any recipes you have using monk fruit would be greatly appreciated. I’m having a hard time converting recipes from stevia to monk fruit.

        Reply
        • Gwen Brown says

          April 20, 2016 at 3:37 PM

          Hi Ronda,
          I love Monk Fruit extract too! 🙂 With low carb sweeteners, you just have to experiment, as they vary really widely in sweetness and flavor from one brand to another. So even among stevia brands, it’s impossible for me to give specific measurements for each brand. I can tell you that I find the Monk Fruit blends (with erythritol) to be approximately as sweet as Truvia. When experimenting with a new ingredient, I choose a recipe that I have lots of experience with, and then start with a smaller measurement of the new sweetener, working up to where I enjoy the taste. The chocolate milkshake recipe is a great one to practice with! Once you know approximately how much you’ll need, you can gauge better for future recipes.

          Reply
  3. Kristin says

    April 7, 2015 at 3:04 PM

    Have you tried the Sweet water version of Stevia? I saw it on a board (I forget where though, either pintrerest, FB, etc). and it is absolutely the best way for me to use Stevia.

    You take the following and let it sit on the counter uncovered for 48 hours:

    1TBS of pure stevia extract (powder form)
    4 Cups of water

    Stir until water is completely clear, and let it sit undisturbed for 48 hours.

    I use it almost everything – for a quart of GGMS, I usually use 1Tb of the sweet water, and it tastes amazing – – no bitter aftertaste!

    Also, when making desserts, I use the sweet water as replacement for liquids and then I can use either erithrytol or other THM plan approved sweetener without having to worry about the bitter aftertaste of using too much stevia. 🙂

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      April 7, 2015 at 10:14 PM

      I have seen it but haven’t tried it. Thanks SO much for sharing! I’ll have to give it a shot. 🙂 Do you store it in the fridge after the 48 hours?

      Reply
  4. Laura Lane of Harvest Lane Cottage says

    April 20, 2015 at 11:59 AM

    Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Jen says

    February 8, 2016 at 2:50 AM

    Found this post while looking for tips on using stevia as I’m just beginning THM. So encouraging as I just made one of the chocolate brownie recipes off pinterest using stevia and truvia and it was truly terrible. All these THM chocolate recipes look amazing, but I was beginning to wonder if I just didn’t have the tastebuds to do the desserts on this plan. Glad to hear the advice to try and steer clear of the stevia in the chocolate recipes. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      February 9, 2016 at 2:26 PM

      You *can* enjoy chocolate recipes, but it takes a little extra practice with baking with stevia…definitely not what I’d be trying first. 🙂 Hope you find some REALLY yummy treats!

      Reply
  6. Lanette says

    March 26, 2017 at 7:25 PM

    Is there a conversion list for gentle sweet and super sweet to NOW brand Better Stevia anywhere? I can’t do sugar alcohols so I have to use pure stevia. I don’t think THM brand is as sweet as THM, because they say to use doonk to 1 tsp. of Super Sweet.

    I’m new to THM so any help would be appreciated.

    Reply
  7. Cynthia says

    April 3, 2017 at 1:30 PM

    Thanks for this very helpful post! When you say “your tastebuds will adjust”, do you mean that Stevia is an “acquired taste”? Will I ever think, “yum!” when I eat it? I have been using the TMH brand pure stevia for about a week and I still abhor the aftertaste. I so want to like it because the other THM sweeteners give me digestive problems. Thanks again for your very generous, helpful blog!

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      July 20, 2021 at 4:21 PM

      OK, so this is a tough one. Pure stevia is VERY VERY concentrated, so it’s difficult to get the hang of using it at first.

      I do like it in coffee, tea, and yogurt, but in TINY amounts. Try the lemon yogurt recipe and the sweet tea recipe and see if you can make friends.
      I do actually enjoy it! It’s just trickier to work with if it’s not cut into the other sugars, because it’s SO darn concentrated.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Day 7 – 10 | The Quirky Hen says:
    February 10, 2016 at 6:41 PM

    […] our sugar addition.  Gwen’s Nest has a great page with tips for using Stevia here:  https://gwens-nest.com/stevia-tips/  and here is the sweetener conversion […]

    Reply
  2. BTK Product Review Roundup and Giveaway - Nana's Little Kitchen says:
    January 11, 2017 at 9:54 AM

    […] and I can’t think of anyone better to explain it all than this lady. Gwens-nest on stevia: 10 Trim Healthy Mama Stevia Tips […]

    Reply

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