Allulose Is a New Kind of Sugar That Doesn’t Count as Sugar 

You’re about to see this one-of-a-kind sweetener everywhere. 
rows of sugar cubes on pink background allulose
jastrijebphoto / Getty










Our bodies actually handle allulose differently than other sugars.





Allulose tastes and acts a lot like regular sugar. (!!!)

Okay, what everyone really wants to know about a sweetener is whether it actually tastes like sugar. Usually that’s a big fat NOPE. But with allulose, “the taste profile and the mouthfeel is really good. It’s a lot like the sugars we’re used to…clean, well-rounded,” Dr. Wyatt says. “And the lack of aftertaste is a big [plus].” (We’re looking at you, stevia.) The main difference you’ll notice? It’s not as intensely sweet Tewksbury says. A widely cited figure is that allulose is about 70% as sweet as table sugar. (Having sampled the stuff by the spoonful, I can confirm both the lack of aftertaste, the fact that it packs a noticeably weaker punch than the usual sugar.)

Good news for home bakers: Allulose also has some of the same physical and chemical properties that make table sugar a magical ingredient in the kitchen. “It cooks well and bakes pretty well,” Dr. Wyatt says. Because you use allulose in a similar volume as regular sugar, it’s more interchangeable in recipes. “It measures like sugar,” Dr. Wyatt says (whereas, say, replacing a cup of sugar with a tablespoon of stevia alters the dry ingredient ratio in the recipe, potentially yielding some weird results.) Granulated allulose also has a texture, structure, and solubility (ability to hold liquid) in line with regular sugar, Dr. Wyatt adds. (Moist muffins, people!)

Another culinary trait unique to allulose among sugar alternatives is the way it reacts to heat: A whole lot like regular sugar. The ingredient browns and caramelizes very nicely, Tewksbury says. “It actually makes a really good caramel,” she explains, which until now has been pretty tricky to do without “real” sugar. (Um, have you ever tried to caramelize Splenda?)

So far, allulose appears to be pretty safe and well-tolerated.

The FDA considers allulose GRAS, which basically means experts agree that the ingredient appears to be safe for its intended use based on the studies so far, despite not having a lengthy history of rigorous testing, Tewksbury says. It just means so far, so good. “We have limited data on it, but the data we do have shows we don’t see any major issues or concerns,” Tewksbury says.

“The studies show it has good digestive tolerance,” Dr. Wyatt says. Although there have been some reports of G.I. upset when people consume a lot of it, “we haven't had many of these larger human trials to know the symptoms or side effects people may have,” Tewksbury says, but the data so far suggest they are “minimal.” Oh, and another bonus: Allulose doesn’t promote dental decay like sugar does, per the FDA.

As amenable as allulose appears to be to our mouths and tummies, though, it’s not a free-for-all just yet. “Yes, it appears safe, but it’s something that hasn’t really been in high volume in our food supply,” Tewksbury says. As an R.D., she says, “We don’t have the level of studies [I] would like to be able to totally endorse something like this just yet.” (More human trials are underway, Tewksbury says.)

To that end, food manufacturers are not just replacing all the sugar in their reduced-sugar/reduced-calorie products with allulose, Dr. Wyatt explains. They’re following FDA-accepted usage guidelines that limit how much allulose various kinds of products can contain. (For example, two manufacturers told the FDA they plan to make low-calorie or sugar-free yogurts containing up to 5% allulose by weight and low-calorie or sugar-free soft candies containing up to 25% allulose by weight.)

“I think it’s very prudent to say, ‘Let’s add it slowly…before [we] make bigger changes,’” Dr. Wyatt says. “But we’re definitely going to be seeing it more and more.”