Erythritol vs Stevia: FDA Status, Labels and USDA Data

Erythritol vs stevia compares two sugar substitutes that FDA places in different groups: erythritol is a sugar alcohol, and stevia sweeteners are high-purity steviol glycosides from the leaves of the stevia plant. This page sets out what FDA says about each, how each appears on the Nutrition Facts label under 21 CFR 101.9, which FDA GRAS notices cover them, and what USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy lists. It does not rank them. For each sweetener on its own, see our guides to erythritol and stevia.

Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

Erythritol vs stevia at a glance

Every cell in this table restates an FDA source read for this page: FDA’s consumer page on aspartame and other sweeteners, FDA’s public list of GRAS notices, and 21 CFR 101.9.

The sweetness figures explain the different roles in foods. FDA says some sweeteners are much sweeter than table sugar, “and smaller amounts are needed to achieve the same level of sweetness as sugar in food.” By FDA’s figures, a sugar alcohol such as erythritol is no sweeter than sugar, while steviol glycosides are hundreds of times sweeter.

What FDA says about stevia

FDA’s page on aspartame and other sweeteners says steviol glycosides “are natural constituents of the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) Bertoni, a plant native to parts of South America” and that “They are reported to be 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar.” FDA says it has evaluated many GRAS notices for the use of “high purity (95% minimum purity) steviol glycosides,” including Rebaudioside A, Stevioside and Rebaudioside D, and that it has not questioned the notifiers’ GRAS conclusions under the intended conditions of use.

FDA draws a line at less refined forms: “The use of stevia leaf and crude stevia extracts is not considered GRAS, and their import into the U.S. is not permitted for use as sweeteners.” FDA adds that these forms differ from the highly purified steviol glycosides that were the subjects of GRAS notices. In FDA’s public list of GRAS notices, steviol glycoside notices run from examples such as GRN 275, dated June 11, 2009, to GRN 1318, dated July 13, 2026, each with the response “FDA has no questions.”

GRAS stands for generally recognized as safe, and FDA explains that under the law, certain ingredients do not require pre-market food additive approval by FDA when they are GRAS by qualified experts. A company that concludes a use is GRAS may submit its information through the FDA GRAS Notification Program.

What FDA says about erythritol

FDA writes that it “permits the use of sugar alcohols, another class of sweeteners, as sugar substitutes” and lists “sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, mannitol, erythritol, and maltitol” as examples. FDA says “The sweetness of sugar alcohols varies from 25% to 100% as sweet as sugar.” FDA’s public list of GRAS notices shows these erythritol notices:

On a 2023 paper, FDA says it reviewed “possible cardiovascular effects related to consuming erythritol” and determined that “the observational studies cited in the paper did not establish a causal link between consuming erythritol and the observed effects.” FDA adds: “The FDA will continue to monitor and review new information on erythritol, and other sweeteners, as it becomes available.”

Stevia vs erythritol on the FDA food label

FDA’s labeling rule, 21 CFR 101.9, defines total sugars as the sum of free mono- and disaccharides, a group that does not include erythritol or steviol glycosides. Sugar alcohol has its own line: the grams “may be declared voluntarily on the label,” except that when a claim is made about sugar alcohol, total sugars or added sugars and sugar alcohol is present, FDA’s rule says the sugar alcohol content shall be declared. Under the same FDA rule, the name of the specific sugar alcohol may be used in place of the term sugar alcohol, as when a label lists erythritol by name.

Steviol glycosides have no separate Nutrition Facts line in 21 CFR 101.9. FDA’s consumer page says “Consumers can identify whether a product has a sweetener by looking for the sweetener’s name in the ingredient list on the product label.” The ingredient list on a package is the place to check which sweeteners it contains.

What USDA lists for stevia

USDA SR Legacy, the April 2018 release, has no entry for erythritol. It has one stevia entry, FDC 170679, which USDA describes as an herbal sweetener from the stevia leaf, with a single portion of one package. The table shows the values USDA lists.

USDA lists 0 calories and 0 grams of sugars for this entry, and lists “Carbohydrate, by difference” at 100 grams per 100 grams. USDA SR Legacy values are averages for one generic entry; the Nutrition Facts label on a package gives the figures for that product, including any sugar alcohol line under FDA’s rule.

Related sweeteners

• Other sugar substitutes: our guides to monk fruit, which FDA lists among plant and fruit based sweeteners, and allulose.
• Sugars: the guide to types of sugar covers FDA’s total and added sugars lines, and the sibling comparison maple syrup vs honey sets two syrups side by side in USDA data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a health condition. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Maple Syrup vs Honey: USDA Values and FDA Label Facts, Erythritol: Side Effects, the Heart Attack Study and Is It Safe?, Stevia Side Effects: Is Stevia Safe, and How Does It Compare to Sugar?, Monk Fruit Sweetener: Is It Safe, What’s in It and Monk Fruit vs Stevia.