How to Make Stevia Extract
Primal Edge Health participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs and therefore, may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. This comes at no additional cost to you, and all the prices and availability are accurate at the time of publishing.
Sweeten any dish with homemade stevia extract and keep the carbs and calories low. This is a simple way to preserve fresh or dry stevia leaf with a delicious flavor and no bitter aftertaste. Plus, it’s easy to use in easy keto recipes like smoothies, coffee, cookies, and just about anything else you can think of. This DIY version is budget-friendly too! Why wouldn’t you want to try this out yourself?
This post is sponsored by my friends at Mountain Rose Herbs.
My goal is to use and recommend the highest quality herbal products from companies that I trust and fully support.
Mountain Rose Herbs fits this perfectly! Read my full review on Mountain Rose Herbs to learn why I highly recommend visiting them if you are interested in herbs, spices, teas, essentials oils and all things for DIY homemade personal care, cleaners, and herbal remedies.
Table of Contents (click to view)
Easy Homemade Stevia Tincture
The plant species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as stevia, contains something called sterol glycosides which are
30 to 150 times sweeter than sugar
One of the stunning things about these compounds is that our bodies do not metabolize them at all. This makes stevia a ZERO CALORIE source of natural sweetness!
What a far better option than artificial sweeteners that may do more harm than good.
This recipe tutorial teaches an easy way to preserve this sweet leaf in a simple flavor extract.
With just 2 ingredients you can make a low carb budget friendly liquid sweetener in your very own kitchen. Never buy this from the store again!
How to Make Liquid Stevia Extract
Make sure all your material looks clean before you begin.
It is ok to use the fresh leaf so if you grow your own stevia plant, go ahead and gently pinch off all the best looking leaves for this recipe. Avoid any brown or wilted leaves.
My stevia extract recipe is a great project that shows one idea on how to use stevia leaves.
Coarsely chop the fresh leaves into smaller pieces before placing them in a clean glass jar.
Dry leaves can also make a liquid extract. Crumble the dry leaves into a clean glass jar by rubbing them between your fingertips and thumb.
Cover contents completely with alcohol. I use a locally made punta, which is the Ecuadorian version of moonshine. Vodka or Everclear will work just fine.
Place the lid on and secure tightly. Shake the jar and leave on the counter, out of direct sunlight, for 24-36 hours. Shake occasionally, whenever you pass by.
DO NOT leave the extract to sit for longer than 36 hours. If you do this, the liquid stevia can have a bitter aftertaste. All your effort will be ruined!
Strain the leaves out through a fine mesh cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or coffee filter. Squeeze to remove all liquid.
Pour the extract into a small saucepan and very gently heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring often. DO NOT BOIL. Heat just enough so the alcohol evaporates off and liquid reduces in volume.
Let cool and store in the fridge in a small glass bottle, preferably with a tincture dropper.
The total yield of this recipe varies due to how many leaves you use. 1 cup of the dry, crumbled leaf will fit in a pint-sized glass jar and make about 1 ounce of liquid sweetener.
Now you know how to make stevia extract!
DIY & Budget Friendly
Forget buying keto and low carb sweeteners from the store all the time! This homemade liquid stevia is so easy and budget friendly too.
A 2-ounce bottle of store-bought organic liquid stevia is going to be at least $6.50. You can buy half a pound of dry stevia leaf and make your own at home for that same price!
Once dry, stevia leaves lasts a long time. I have some in my pantry from over a year ago and it’s still flavorful.
Time and time again, at home DIY projects prove to be more affordable and rewarding than buying from the store. It’s very satisfying to learn how to cook from scratch and make simple versions of store-bought items.
Try some of my favorite DIY and budget friendly alternatives:
- Bentonite Clay Toothpaste Recipe
- Toddler Safe Toothpaste Recipe
- Tallow Balm
- Non Toxic Tallow Candles
It’s really fun to explore these options at home. DIY projects are great to do with kids too. Activities like this teach them the value of homegrown and homemade foods while empowering them with skills and knowledge about plants and nutrition.
How do you use stevia extract?
Homemade stevia extract is a smooth, sweet flavor without any grassy or bitter aftertaste.
You can add liquid stevia extract into many recipes. It’s great in hot and cold drinks, puddings, dressings and sauces.
Stevia is a keto diet approved sugar alternative and can even be used in keto baking.
It’s best to store a homemade stevia extract in a tincture bottle with an eyedropper lid. If you save your bottles as I do, you have a great collection to choose from!
If you don’t have a bottle like this, use a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
The eyedropper is very useful for adding liquid sweetness to hot and cold drinks, chocolates, and fat bombs. These kinds of recipes only need a few drops of stevia before they are sweet enough. Keto cookies, cakes, and sweet baked goods usually call for ¼ to ½ teaspoon stevia extract so a measuring spoon will be just fine for this.
Love the idea of making homemade extracts? Add lemon extract as next on your list.
Keto Recipes with Liquid Stevia
My first keto cookbook, The Ketogenic Edge, teaches simple, from-scratch keto cooking at home without the use of any sweeteners, store-bought powders or flours. All 130+ recipes are made exclusively from whole foods ingredients like meat, healthy fats, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and select fruits. You can add this DIY liquid stevia into recipes like Chocolate Keto Mousse, Dark Keto Chocolate, Berry Ice Cream, Double Chocolate Nutella, and more!
You might also like:
- Blueberry Avocado Smoothie
- Keto Green Smoothie
- Keto Coconut Macaroons Recipe
- Energizing Maca Chocolate
- Double Chocolate Mint Chip Chia Pudding
Does stevia have carbs?
The USDA classifies stevia as a non-nutritive sweetener which means there is no nutritional value in stevia. It is a zero carb, zero calorie food.
This makes it an excellent option for low carb and keto dieters. As you see in this stevia extract made at home, there are no hidden carbs or chemical preservatives that can kick you out of ketosis or interfere with fat loss.
How to use Fresh Stevia
The stevia plant, originally from South American, grows well in many climates and may be a good thing to plan in your herb garden. Ask your local garden store if they can get a plant or two for you or grow from seed.
There are a few uses for stevia plant and the dry or fresh leaf.
In addition to this homemade sweetener, you can also use fresh leaves to sweeten beverages. Add a few leaves into your next brew or sweeten a healthy coffee alternative in the morning.
Fresh leaves are not quite as sweet as dry, but they will still get the job done. Taste test your drink to make sure it’s not over or under sweetened.
Homemade Stevia Extract
Ingredients
- 1 cup stevia leaf fresh or dried
- Vodka or Everclear
Instructions
- With fresh leaf: Wash and remove fresh leaves from the stem. Pick through and remove any brown or wilted ones. Coarsely chop the fresh leaves into smaller pieces before placing them in a clean glass jar.1 cup stevia leaf
- With dry leaf: Crumble the dry leaves into a clean glass jar by rubbing them between your fingertips and thumb.1 cup stevia leaf
- Cover contents completely with alcohol. Place the lid on and secure tightly.Vodka
- Shake the jar and leave on the counter, out of direct sunlight, for 24-36 hours. Shake occasionally. DO NOT leave the extract to sit for longer than 36 hours.
- Strain the leaves out through a fine mesh cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or coffee filter. Squeeze to remove all liquid.
- Pour the extract into a small saucepan and very gently heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring often. DO NOT BOIL. Heat just enough so the alcohol evaporates off and liquid reduces in volume.
- Let cool and store in the fridge in a small glass bottle, preferably with a tincture dropper.
Notes
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
This post was updated on March 28, 2020, with more tips and information after being originally published on March 9, 2017.
References
Cardello, H.M.A.B.; Da Silva, M.A.P.A.; Damasio, M.H. (1999). “Measurement of the relative sweetness of stevia extract, aspartame and cyclamate/saccharin blend as compared to sucrose at different concentrations”. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. 54 (2): 119–129. doi:10.1023/A:1008134420339.
Nutritive and Nonnutritive Sweetener Resources, USDA https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/nutritive-and-nonnutritive-sweetener-resources
We have a lot of stevia in our garden. Is there an alternative to using alcohol?
Hello Georgene, I’m sorry but I don’t have experience with alternatives to alcohol.
Hi Jessica,
Just wondering if the finished product needs to remain refrigerated. The one great thing about one of the commercial liquids I use is that I can keep it in my purse and use whenever I want.
Thank you for this great recipe! I’d much rather have home made.
Hi Sherri, Yes, I do recommend keeping the finished stevia extract in the fridge. To get the best of both options, you could use the extract while at home and the storebought bottle from your purse while out and about 🙂 Enjoy!
Can you make this with Stevia powder ? You only mentioned leaves (both dried and fresh).
Hi Thomas, you surely could use stevia powder instead of the leaf. I haven’t tried that myself so I can’t speak to how the ratio of alcohol to powder would change. It might take a little experimenting but should ultimately make a tincture all the same.
Great information! Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad it’s helpful for you! Come visit again for more tips and delicious recipes.
This is so interesting! I’ve never heard of stevia leaf before but it sounds great!
I honestly would never have thought of making it myself. Thanks for sharing!
It is so much fun! I hope you can try it out soon!
What a great idea! I never thought of that. I need to try this soon!
It’s so rewarding to DIY, plus the children love helping out too!
What a great, informative post. I’ve never tried making my own stevia extract before but you’ve made it sound so easy. I’ll definitely give this recipe a go.
I didn’t realize you could make your own Stevia extract! This is simple to make and will be used often.
Thanks! I never knew it’s this easy to make your own stevia. So much cheaper than buying. 🙂
Great information! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for checking it out Julie! Hope you enjoy the recipe.
What a great idea to extract the liquid for the leaves. I always grow this in the summer and use the leaves to sweeten my teas and drinks but this is a game changer.
Yes! It’s a great way to preserve your backyard harvest. Enjoy!
Thanks Jessica for the tutorial =)
How long does the extract keep when inthe fridge?
Thanks for your answer.
As long as your bottle is clean, it should keep for at least a month if not longer.