Keto Sugar-Free Maple Syrup

Low Carb Keto Maple Syrup is made with only a few ingredients making it so taste just like the real thing. Ready in less than 10 minutes, this sugar-free maple syrup doesn’t have all the carbs or calories like regular syrup, but it is the perfect complement to your low carb breakfast or dessert recipes.

Growing up I always hated real maple syrup, I was much more into the fake stuff that was full of corn syrup and loaded with sugar. Those were the days of being young and stupid and not really knowing that stuff was bad for you. 

Now that I’m much older, I’ve come to realize how much better real maple syrup is. In fact, one of our neighbors taps his own trees and makes maple syrup, and gives them to all of our neighbors. 

However, seeing that I’m not eating much sugar these days and I’m trying to help the Keto and low carb world, we wanted to come up with our own homemade keto maple syrup. It’s super easy to make and is ready in only minutes, with 6 ingredients. 

It has the same consistency as real maple syrup, the same color, and honestly the same taste! I hope you are as happy with this sugar-free maple syrup recipe.

What is Maple Syrup?

Maple syrup is a natural sweetener that essentially comes from maple tree sap. In the early spring, maple trees are tapped, then the sap is collected, then cooked down until it gives you a rich and flavorful syrup. 

Vermont, other states in the northeastern U.S., and the eastern region of Canada are known for their homemade maple syrup.

Maple syrup is often used for breakfast food like waffles and pancakes. But it also can be used when cooking sauces, glazes, or even savory dishes.

Is Maple Syrup Healthy?

Maple syrup is a very popular natural sweetener that is claimed to be more nutritious and healthier than sugar. While maple syrup does contain small amounts of vitamins and minerals it is still very high in sugar and should not be consumed in large amounts. 

Maple syrup is a less bad version of sugar, similar to coconut sugar, but still isn’t what you call super healthy, especially when eating a keto and sugar-free diet.

Is Maple Syrup Keto?

I’m sure you probably know this but most maple syrups are NOT ok on Keto. They are FULL of sugar and loaded with carbs. 

That being said there are a few new brands out there that offer a keto-friendly syrup. Or the other easier option is to make your own keto maple syrup. It tastes just like real maple syrup and takes less than 10 minutes to make.

How Many Carbs are in Sugar-Free Maple Syrup?

Let’s talk about how many carbs are in our sugar-free maple syrup and then let’s compare it to regular maple syrup and you’ll see why making your own keto syrup is well worth it. 

• 2 Tablespoons of our homemade Sugar-Free Pancake Syrup is 0.1 NET CARBS and only 1 CALORIE. 
• 2 Tablespoons of Regular Maple Syrup is 26 NET CARBS and only 104 CALORIES.

What a HUGE difference!!! Besides being basically zero carbs it basically has no calories either.

Why Not Just Buy Keto Syrup?  Why Should I Make It?

Should you make homemade keto maple syrup or buy Keto syrup? Well, you could do either but there are a lot of pros to making a keto maple syrup recipe.

Homemade Keto Maple Syrup:

Pros – 

• Takes less than 10 minutes to make.
• You know exactly what ingredients go into it.
• Cheaper.

Cons – 

• It only lasts 2 weeks in the fridge, compared to a store-bought keto-friendly syrup. 

So as you can see I only came up with 1 con for making keto syrup and more pros. So, in my opinion, making it yourself is definitely the best option.

What Ingredients are Sugar-Free Maple Syrup?

• Water  – 2 cups of water, it’s our base. 
• Low Carb Sweetener – Golden Monk Fruit is what I chose. It gives not only great taste to our keto maple syrup but also it gives the right the perfect maple syrup color. 
• Xanthan Gum – This is what we need to thicken this sugar-free maple syrup recipe. But you only need VERY little. ½ tsp is all it takes. 
• Maple Extract – A key ingredient in order to give us the true maple taste. 
• Vanilla Extract – Optional…but I like the extra flavor it adds. 
• Salt

Best Sweetener for Keto Syrup?

My personal favorite is Lakanto Golden Monkfruit, it’s a raw cane sugar replacement perfect for keto, diabetics, and those on Paleo. I found that it dissolved really well and didn’t leave it tasting gritty or grainy at all. 

I know others have used powdered sweetener like Swerve and have really liked that because of the way that it dissolves. 

Feel free to use either one or any of these options below: 

• Monk Fruit
• Allulose
• Stevia
• Bocha Sweet
• Xylitol 
• Erythritol

Turning a Granular Sweetener Into a Powdered Sweetener?

Did you know that you can turn granular sweetener into a powdered sweetener? When you need powdered but only have granular in the house, it’s ok we can fix that. 

1. For starters, you need to make sure that your blender is super dry…I mean completely dry. If there is any moisture in the blender it will not work the way it should. 
2. Add your granular sweetener to the blender. 
3. Pulse about 10 times, or until the sweetener has turned into a powder. 

See how simple that is? I do always tend to buy both powdered and granular sweeteners, but this method works when you run out of powdered and need it in a pinch.

Best Thickener for Keto Pancake Syrup

I ended up using Xanthan Gum to thicken my batch of keto pancake syrup. However, a word of caution when using xanthan gum is that if you either add too much or even if you cook it too long it will thicken too much and can end up more with a gummy or gel texture. 

That was my mistake the first time I made it. So the second batch I made had less xanthan gum and it came out perfect. 

Xanthan gum binds to what ingredient it’s added to. The best way to use it in this Keto maple syrup recipe is to combine the xanthan gum with the sweetener first, then add the sweetener slowly to the simmering water. That will help to prevent any lumps. 

The general rule for xanthan gum I like to use is about ¼ tsp for every 1 cup of hot liquid. So in this sugar-free pancake syrup, we used 2 cups of liquid and ½ tsp of xanthan gum.  

Another option for thickening your keto syrup is using Glucomannan. I didn’t know what that actually was until now. But glucomannan is a food additive used as a thickener and emulsifier. It’s used a lot in hot recipes like syrups, gravies, and even in soups. 

When not knowing how much Glucomannan to use, the rule of thumb is for 1 cup of hot liquid use about ½ tsp of Glucomannan. It will dissolve in the hot liquid and shouldn’t clump at all.

Tools You Need

What tools do you need to make this delicious sugar-free pancake syrup? 

• Pot
• Whisk
• Measuring Spoons and Cups
• Mason Jar or Syrup Container 

Nothing fancy required, it’s that easy!!

How to Make Keto Sugar-Free Maple Syrup from Scratch

Follow these few simple steps to make the best sugar-free maple syrup. 

Step 1: In a small bowl add the golden monk fruit, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir together and set aside.

Step 2: Pour 2 cups of water into a saucepan and turn on low heat, bring it to a simmer. You do NOT want it to boil at any point.

Step 3: Now we need to add the sweetener to the water. I recommend adding it one tablespoon at a time. It dissolves better and prevents any clumping. Continuing stirring for about 3-4 minutes. You don’t want it to thicken too much. You still want it to be liquidy enough to pour.

Step 4: Take off the heat, then add the vanilla and maple extract. Stir again.

Step 5: Let cool then transfer to your jar of choice.

Making Keto Pancake Syrup with Glucomannan Powder

If you don’t want to use xanthan gum and want to use Glucomannan Powder instead that ok. Follow these instructions: 

• Step 1:  Pour 2 cups of water into a saucepan and turn on low heat, bring it to a simmer. You do NOT want it to boil at any point. 
• Step 2: Add the sweetener and the salt to the water and stir. 
• Step 3: Once the sweetener has been dissolved, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Glucomannan powder into the liquid and stir until the powder is completely dissolved. 
• Step 4: Take off the heat, then add the vanilla and maple extract. Stir again. 
• Step 5: Let cool then transfer to your jar of choice.

Best Tips for Low Carb Syrup

• DO NOT BOIL THE MAPLE SYRUP….COOK ON A LOW SIMMER.
• Mix the xanthan gum with the sweetener before adding it to the water. By doing it this way will help it from getting gummy when it comes in contact with the liquid on the stove. 
• Just use a spoon to stir the syrup on the stove, it doesn’t need to be whisked or even mixed with a blender. It can change the consistency. 
• Store in the fridge for 2 weeks. 
• If you add lemon juice or citric acid it will help preserve the sugar-free maple syrup for up to 4 weeks instead of 2 weeks. 
• You can add 1 tsp of Glucomannan Powder instead of the Xanthan Gum. 
• You can repurpose an old glass maple syrup bottle or you can buy cute syrup bottles on Amazon. I thought these are nice...

What Should the Consistency Be Like?

I hate trying to describe what the consistency should be in recipes. It’s so hard to describe it exactly, which I guess is why we take a lot of photos. 

But I will say the first batch I made I added too much xanthan gum and it ended up being way too thick and gummy. The texture just wasn’t right. 

The second time was a charm! I used less xanthan gum and actually only cooked it for about 3-4 minutes. You don’t want it to thicken up too much. It still needs to be liquidity enough to easily pour. Keep in mind that it may thicken up a little bit more while it’s cooling, so don’t think that it needs to be too thick.

How to Thicken Keto Syrup?

The xanthan gum or glucomannan powder is what will thicken this keto syrup. But don’t go too crazy with it. You only need small amounts of whichever one you choose.

How Can I Make It Sweeter?

I really found that 1 ⅓ cup of golden monk fruit was the perfect amount of sweetener used to make the best sugar-free maple syrup. But if you want to make it sweeter, up the sweetener amount to 1 ½ cup instead. It should be plenty.

How to Get the Lumps Out

Keep stirring the maple syrup as it’s simmering to get the lumps out. I don’t recommend using an immersion blender to get lumps out because it can change the consistency.

Different Variations of Sugar-Free Syrups

There are other flavors of sugar-free syrups you can make instead of just a keto maple syrup. 

• Butter flavored syrup 
• Strawberry Syrup
• Vanilla Syrup 
• Banana Syrup – this one I really want to try.

Other Diets This Recipe is Good For

This Keto Maple Syrup Recipe is perfect for pretty much every diet!

• GLUTEN-FREE 
• DAIRY-FREE
• NUT-FREE
• EGG-FREE
• CANDIDA-FRIENDLY
• VEGAN
• PALEO

What Maple Syrup Can I Buy that is Keto-Friendly?

If you do want to buy a keto-friendly there are a few out there that are good. Amazon sells some, and if you are familiar with Thrive Market, they also have some available. 

The two that I recommend are:

• Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup
• ChocZero Maple Syrup. The nice thing about this one is they have several different flavors including Vanilla, Strawberry, Maple Pecan, and right now the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Syrup.

How to Serve Keto Maple Syrup

The most common way to serve this keto maple syrup is over a stack of pancakes! And just because you are on a low carb diet doesn’t mean that you still can’t enjoy a short stack! 

In fact, there are several kinds of low carb pancakes you can enjoy including our new and super delicious Keto Pumpkin Pancakes or Low Carb Blueberry Pancakes! 

It’s the perfect time of year to whip up a batch of keto pumpkin pancakes, some sugar-free maple syrup, and enjoy a delicious hot cup of coffee. Throw in a side of oven-baked bacon and it sounds like the perfect morning to me!

Another great recipe to try this sugar-free syrup on is Chaffles! They are a combination of cheese, egg, and a low carb flour in the form of a waffle. A perfect breakfast to try with this syrup.

Other ways to use keto maple syrup can be in some recipes for certain baked goods, and even in some savory dishes.

What Can You Use Instead of Syrup for Pancakes?

Believe it or not, some people don’t like syrup on their pancakes….I know weird right?! That being said, if you don’t want to use this keto pancake syrup then you can just top your pancakes with some butter. 

Or add some Keto whipped cream and some fresh berries…..Mmmm sounds so good!

How to Store Keto Pancake Syrup

Once you have made the best sugar-free maple syrup now what should you do with it? Store it in your container of choice, then keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

• TIP: If you added any lemon juice or citric acid to the syrup then it should last up to 4 weeks. It will help preserve the keto syrup and will give you a longer timeframe.

Best Jars for Sugar-Free Syrup

Once you make this Keto syrup recipe I have a feeling that you will be making it a lot more often. So if you want to invest in some cute syrup bottles then I say go for it. But if you don’t have any syrup bottles then you can use a mason jar just as easily. 

My neighbor made us a bottle of his homemade maple syrup last year and I kept the bottle and poured my keto syrup recipe right into it. Worked like a charm and I didn’t have to spend any extra money.

Can You Freeze Sugar-Free Syrup?

Technically you can freeze this sugar-free pancake syrup, but to be honest I really don’t think you need to. In the amount of time it takes to thaw, you could have already made a fresh batch of this keto-friendly syrup. It’s so easy and quick to make, I always prefer making it fresh. 

If you do want to freeze it, place it in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer for up to a month. 

Other Low Carb Recipes

If you’re in the mood for some other Keto-friendly recipes, check out our:

• Almond Flour Blueberry Pancakes
• Keto Pumpkin Pancakes
• Easy Keto Chaffles
• Sugar-Free Keto Whipped Cream Recipe
• BEST Keto Ice Cream

All of them are Keto-friendly and low carb, and will have your friends raving!

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