The keto diet is a variant of the original Atkins plan, which goes way back to the 1970s. And unfortunately, pure sugar products like maple syrup are banned! The key to keto is being low-carb in your food and drink choices. 

If you're looking for keto-friendly gifts or want to know which keto skinny syrup to try that won't bust your carb allowance, we've got you covered. We will run through all the answers to those questions here.

Why Is Maple Syrup Not Suitable For Keto?

As much as we love it, maple syrup is about as far from low-carb as it gets. But you may be frantically wondering, is maple syrup keto-friendly at all?

We're sorry to say that it isn't. 

Maple syrup is one of those pantry staples you'll find in nearly every US kitchen. Indigenous people first developed it when they turned maple tree sap into sugar roughly four hundred years ago.

There are stacks of nutrients in the syrup, which include:

• Six percent of our recommended calcium intake per day.
• Eleven percent of the zinc an average person should consume.
• A healthy dose of potassium and magnesium.

Many diets advocate for maple syrup as a natural sweetener alternative preferable to pancake syrups. However, it's not close to being keto-approved.

Why? It's all down to the carbs. 

One tablespoon has about fifty-two calories, made entirely of natural sugar. So it's not precisely unhealthy, but it will stop you from reaching ketosis in one mouthful.

Are Sugar-Free Barista Coffees Okay On Keto?

Here's where it gets even more confusing. If you're in a popular coffee chain, product descriptions might trick you into thinking that sugar-free syrup is your go-to replacement!

The problem here is that most of these syrups are full of artificial sweetener compounds that get you further away from that all-important ketosis goal.

Let's look at maltodextrin as a quick example. (Check the ingredients on your favorite coffee chain site, and it'll crop up soon enough!):

• This sweetener comes from high-starch plants, like rice and corn.
• It contains as many calories as sugar, so no diet gold stars there.
• Maltodextrin is also equal in carbs to sugar, so it's inappropriate for keto followers.

We hear you. Why would you choose a sugar-free sweetener with the same calories and carbs?

The main benefit is that an artificial sweetener doesn't contain actual sugar, often essential for people managing blood sugar conditions. But it's not the best solution for keto.

Which Natural Sweetener is Keto Approved?

Stevia is the answer, which has a glycemic index (GI) of zero and no carbs at all. 

But this natural sweetener must be used alone or only with other low-carb ingredients to be keto-friendly.

Take your stevia, combine it with maltodextrin, and that impressive GI rating soars to eighty!

Skinny Mixes recognized this issue and how so many commercial sugar-free syrups consist of synthetic sweeteners that make them terrible for keto. So we made it our mission to develop our unique recipe!

Here are our powerhouse keto-friendly sweetener ingredients:

• Stevia: an intense natural sugar substitute made from plant leaves.
• Monk Fruit: a small green fruit that grows in Southeast Asia, and Buddhist monks have been using it since the thirteenth century!
• Erythritol: a healthy sweetener with seventy percent of the sweetness of sugar but just six percent of the calories.
• Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil has an added perk! This oil provides energy, helps to manage an array of health conditions, and can even protect your heart.

Keto syrups that are authentically low-carb are distinctly preferable over purportedly sugar-free coffee house syrups and work harmoniously with your low-carb intake to ensure you get the best results.

Alternatives To Maple Syrup On A Keto Diet

If you're keen to replicate your most decadent coffees, there are many things you can use in place of milk and sugar to complement the keto syrup flavor of your choice!

• Unsweetened heavy whipped cream is fully keto-friendly.
• Almond milk or another milk variant (including coconut or flaxseed) are great swaps.
• Cinnamon also works well in lattes and cappuccinos with an extra kick of taste and sweetness.

Not sure whether a keto syrup would taste as rich as a full-calorie coffee?

Try it yourself and see! 

Our Keto Mocha Syrup makes an incredible Mocha Latte, or you can order a Salted Caramel Cold Brew Coffee box to have a lovely cold brew on tap in your fridge, with just two carbs and ten calories a glass.

The beauty of keto syrups is that they're just as versatile as maple syrup itself.

Sprinkle syrup on your pancakes, use it as a baking ingredient, or add some zest to your keto smoothies— and live life guilt-free!