Do you love Liquid Stevia Drops but don't love the price? Here's how to make your own Homemade Liquid Stevia and save loads of money.
I've been using stevia for a long time now--ever since I knew that I had candida. I personally think that stevia is one of the safest "alternative" sweeteners and I think you can grow to like it even if you didn't when you first tried it.
I know it can be hard to know how to use it, but here's a guide to help you use stevia get you inspired.
One of my favorite stevia products is liquid stevia drops.
They are little dropper bottles full of flavored liquid stevia that you can add to your favorite beverages (like sugar-free lemonade and coffee substitute) and sweet treats (like raw brownies and almond joy® bars) without:
- feeding candida or
- adding calories
I love them and with the amazing variety of flavors out there you can really go to town.
The only problem is, they are really pricey.
Of course...being the type who tries to DIY or MYO processed foods like Homemade Powdered Sugar Substitute, Homemade Egg Replacer (like Ener-G), Easiest Almond Milk, Easiest Coconut Milk, Homemade Taco Seasoning, and Homemade Vegetable Broth, I sought to see if I could make my own liquid stevia blend.
And--it worked!
While I love all of the flavors that I've tried, vanilla liquid stevia remains one of my favorites.
So, it only makes sense that I tried making my own vanilla liquid stevia first.
And I was really pleased with the results!
Maybe if I work at it enough, I can come up with some other fancy flavors, but for now, this is fitting the bill.
I've used it in my Rich, Delicious and Healthy Coffee Substitute and it can be used to sweeten any beverage.
There are loads of low glycemic recipes that call for liquid stevia drops as well. Now you know how to make it yourself!
I know it is possible to use the stevia plant to make stevia extract, but being super busy, I wanted a super quick and easy way to do this.
Maybe I'll venture out and try the "from plant version" next time!
How much will you save with these Homemade Flavored Liquid Stevia Drops?
Well, liquid stevia varies in cost.
This vanilla liquid stevia from NuNaturals currently costs $12.52 on Amazon.
This one from Sweet Leaf costs $9.09.
The total cost for my 2 oz bottle?
It's a little variable and took some intense calculating to figure out, since I purchase my stevia in bulk (maybe you should too :-)?) but here goes:
Stevia extract (I currently use this brand.): $1.03
Vanilla extract (I used this brand. Here is another brand with no sugar.): $1.05
Dropped bottle (mine was free since I saved a leftover one from stevia, but you can purchase one on Amazon (this is a handy-dandy set of 6 dropper bottles, so you can make all kinds of stevia drop blends.)
By the way, stevia is pretty hard to measure. These stainless steel mini measuring spoons from Amazon are super duper handy.
The 2nd smallest is the size of 1/32 of a teaspoon so you can easily measure your stevia powder.
Total Cost of Flavored Liquid Stevia Drops:
Without dropper bottle: $2.08
With dropper bottle: $3.58 (plus shipping on the bottle, of course, but you can reuse it.)
So if you don't need a bottle, you can save up to 84% by making your own vanilla liquid stevia.
At these savings, I guess you won't be buying any more liquid stevia drops, eh? Well, with a few exceptions.
There are some flavors that would be pretty hard to replicate. One of them is this really great Root Beer Flavored stevia drops.
Add these to sparkling water and you've got a great Sugar-Free Root Beer!
Recipe Notes and Substitutions for Liquid Stevia
- Stevia Brand: I link to NuNaturals stevia in the recipe card since that is the brand I recommend in general, but I have heard that NOW stevia works well for this recipe.
- Stevia Crystals: I have gotten reports that some people get stevia crystals on their dropper after making this and placing it in the fridge. I'm not sure why that is, but hopefully we can figure it out.
- Stevia Flavors: If you would like your liquid stevia to have a different flavor, you can try different extracts in place of vanilla. Options include:chocolate extract, cherry extract, lemon extract, peppermint extract, and butter flavor. I haven't tried any of these but I think they should work!
Easiest Homemade Flavored Liquid Stevia Drops
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons stevia extract (I have heard that this NOW stevia extract works well for this recipe)
- 7 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour water into a small saucepan.
- Warm over medium heat. Add stevia extract.
- Heat and stir until stevia is dissolved.
- Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract or other extract if desired.
- Pour into a small glass bottle with dropper. Note: There will be a little too much to fit into the bottle. Just keep it in another bottle or container and use it first. I chose these measurements for ease of use.
- Store in the fridge. Thanks to a reader's inquiry, I now know you should keep your liquid stevia in the fridge for the flavor to last longer. It won't spoil but you may need more drops to have the same amount of flavor if you leave it at room temperature. Love my readers!!!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
What's your favorite way to use flavored liquid stevia drops?
What's your favorite flavor?
Thank you for the fantastic recipe. I am going to make it ASAP. I’m eating Keto and I was making liquid Sucralose But, I heard some people don’t lose when using it. I’ve not been losing like I did before I started using it so, this recipe will now be my go to.
I appreciate all your hard work.
May God bless you and yours. ???
Hi there - thank you! I think sucralose is a mixed bag--hard to know. But I do think that stevia is a better choice. Hope this helps and that your weight goes where you want it to! Blessings on you as well!
Hi...Thanks for the recipe, but I was wondering why you specify alcohol free vanilla? Would regular pure vanilla extract work?
Hi there--sorry for the delay. We were out of town for awhile and I'm just trying to catch up now. I don't know why that was there in the recipe. We had some issues moving recipes to a new system...that might be why? But in any case I just changed it over. Hope it works well for you!
So happy I found your site...you seem to think just like me! This is an excellent recipe to have...thank you! I have been using stevia for SO many years that I buy the powder by the pound now. ?
I make my keto fat bombs w/ the English Toffee drops that SweetLeaf makes and I would really LOVE your opinion of how to replicate that buttery flavor. Any ideas?
Thanks and welcome! Good question! I haven't experimented w/ this in awhile but I wonder...is it just buttery or chocolate as well?
No...kinda caramelized sugar as well as buttery. I've used Wilton's butter flavoring for frostings before, but I would prefer to keep it natural.
How about trying a natural butter flavor? I just linked to one in the post for you that I would recommend trying out. Let me know how it goes!
I'll do that...thanks!
Any thoughts on using ghee in place of the water? Altho maybe then it would harden upon refrigeration. IDK...I've never worked w/ ghee.
You're welcome! That would definitely harden. You could do it but you would have to scoop it out to use it. Would be a fun idea though!
I was reading your notes and you said that for people who follow the THM plan, this recipe is an E. How is it an E? There’s not enough net carbs to make it an E.
Hi there! Oh my--I have no idea what that was about! I wonder if that got put in there inadvertently! It's gone now. Thanks so much for the heads up!
Hi, quick question. If the vanilla extract that is linked is 1.69 ounces and $22, how many batches do you guess you can make with 7 teaspoons per batch?
Hi there - There are 10 tsp in that bottle.
I’ve made this several times but the last couple I ended up with mold in my bottle and dropper. I poured out what was left and sterilized the bottle and dropper. I had not refrigerated it but will now. You say it won’t spoil if left out but my experience has shown it can. Has anyone else experienced this? Any ideas why mine did this?
Also, I just made straight up stevia drops. No flavoring.
I'm so sorry--I have no idea why that happened. I have older bottles of liquid stevia that haven't spoiled and they don't even have alcohol in them. Very confusing! How did you do the straight stevia drops?
Thanks for the reply. I mixed very hot water with powdered stevia, then poured it into the dropper bottle. I halved the recipe too. I didn’t do it on the stovetop. I heated the water in the microwave, then added the stevia. Maybe that is the problem? ????
You are so welcome. Sorry for the delay. I get way behind on comments. So the plain one molded or two kinds?
I’ve only made the plain one. I’ve never made flavored drops.
I wonder if that could be it? It's odd b/c there are liquid stevia drops on the market that are just stevia and water.
Thanks for the recipe. I like being frugal every chance I get! I used True Lemon powder to give a light lemony flavor to this batch. I had a nearly empty bottle of lemon flavored Sweet Drops so combined it in the warm liquid, rinsed the bottle and eyedropper and refilled. Now I'll keep it in the fridge for better shelf life. I like the lemon flavor in my herbal teas and salad dressings.
So great and you are welcome!!
I'm a little confused. What if I just want to make plain stevia liquid? If I'm buying this big thing from Amazon... https://www.amazon.com/NuNaturals-NuStevia-Pure-Stevia-Extract/dp/B000HC0OVG?tag=whnemo-20
Am I still saving money? I've been buying this for a while and I'm thinking using your method would be a lot cheaper? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017WG180/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It is much cheaper to make your own than to purchase it. Sorry for the delay--had a lot going on here!
You say use alchahol free extracts? Would it hurt to use extracts with alcohol in them?
Is it safe to leave the expensive drops at room tempature for a long time?
I think it will taste bad if you get the alcohol ones and the glycerine adds to the sweetness. Different brands have different storage recommendations.
Just curious as to why the hearing? I added my stevia to water and it dissolved without heating. Is heating just for the dissolving or does it serve another purpose? Just wondering if I could skip that step. So glad I found your recipe! Works awesome!
Hi there - I think you mean heating, correct? I assumed it would make it easier to dissolve the stevia. But if it isn't needed, then that's great! Glad you like it!
Good Morning,
I was wondering if liquid stevia could be used in place of the powder for this recipe.
Thanks,
Cheryl
Hi there. Since the recipe is to make liquid stevia that wouldn't really make sense but if you wanted to add a flavoring to your plain liquid stevia drops you could try that, but I haven't so I don't know how that would work. Thanks for reading!
I just paid $ 16.00 for a 2oz bottle of stevia liquid! Never again! Thanks for your recipe. Sounds easy enough!
Great!!!
Can you clarify which brand you recommend? In the recipe it says NOW brand, but your link is for NuNaturals.
In general I recommend NuNaturals, but I have heard that NOW works well for homemade liquid stevia. So I just added a link to the NOW brand in the recipe notes. Sorry about that.
Greetings! If we do not add vanilla, can we store the plain stevia drops at room temp?
Thank you for all of your great recipes.
Hi there and thank you! So the issue is that the water can breed bacteria. I'm not sure about the best way to make this for longer term storage but the alcohol in the vanilla is a preservative.
Have you considered using distilled water for this recipe? Perhaps that might help, though as you said the alcohol should kill anything that trys to grow in the container.
Hi there. I haven't but that's an option. Still won't prevent bacterial growth b/c any contamination will start growing in the water. Thanks for reading!
This needs to be updated , because the brand of stevia that you linked is currently $147.00 for 1 lb. Anything but cost effective.
Hi there. It should be updated now. Thanks for the heads up.
I made the homemade liquid stevia, I stored it in the frig. But I ended up with white crystals in the bottle and on the eye dropper. What did I do wrong.?
Hi there. I'm not sure! I heard that happened to a few other people. I guess you could warm it up and use it still. I'll try to figure it out later!
Thanks for posting. I was wondering how I could make this from the stevia plant - do you have any info. on this please. Thanks, Lee
Hi Lee,
I think this might be tough but you could grind it and then figure out the conversion of green powder to white and make it work from there. Thanks for the kinds words!
You need to make your own extract
Herb+Vodka, like a tincture, or
Make glycerite
Herb+glycerin (non-GMO, obviously)
Detailed directions can be found online
HTH
Do you have a recipe to make the liquid stevia from the stevia in the raw packets?
I don't - sorry. That would be too bulky I think b/c of all of the other sweeteners and fillers in there. So I'm not sure how you would use that in a recipe. I could think about it, though.
Why or how does Stevia get from the green leaves to the white powder? How can I use my home grown stevia to make some of these awesome recipes?
Thanks,
Cathy
Hello Cathy - it's processed with either chemicals or water. I buy the type done w/ water. You can dry it and grind it and find a conversion chart for using green stevia in recipes :)!
I've been using and growing stevia since 1991. Love the idea of making my own drops. I only added 2 tsp of pure vanilla extract to a batch and it was sufficiently flavored for me. Thanks for the helpful tips!
So great - thanks!
How much raw stevia ground?