What Is Monk Fruit Sweetener?

At first glance, you may think that “monk fruit” is a cute way to refer to bananas (you know, the fruit enjoyed by monks…like chimps and gorillas). However, that simply makes no sense! First off, people don’t refer to monkeys as “monks.” Secondly, monk fruit is its own very cool, very nutritious fruit. And, folks, today we’re talking all about it.

What is monk fruit?

Monk fruit (also known as swingle fruit) is an offshoot of the Siraitia grosvenorii plant, which grows native to China. It grows on a vine and is related to squash and melons and cucumbers. It starts out green, but it’s typically harvested and dried before consumption, so it becomes yellowy-brown. While you can technically eat the inner fruit of a fresh monk fruit, it’s more commonly dried and processed into a sweetener. That makes sense, because monk fruit is known for being very sweet. 

What does monk fruit taste like?

Monk fruit itself, pre-sweetener-ization (a great word I just made up) is rarely seen outside of China, as it spoils very quickly. The Sporked staff hasn’t tasted fresh monk fruit ourselves, and it’s oddly hard to find a good description of the flavor online. All we know is that it’s sweet.  

What is monk fruit sweetener?

Monk fruit sweetener is a sweetener with zero calories that is more than 200 times sweeter than sucrose (aka sugar). So you only need to use a tiny bit. To make monk fruit sweetener, producers crush the pulp, add water, spin it all around, then extract the infused liquid. They concentrate that liquid, process it a bit more with stuff like activated carbon, and then dry it to make monk fruit sweetener crystals. (You can also get it as a liquid.) 

What does monk fruit sweetener taste like?

Some say monk fruit sweetener tastes a little tropical with a touch of caramel. Others say monk fruit sweetener tastes a bit like honey—although I’ll bet if you asked a bee, it would sting you and move on. Don’t insult a bee like that, they work so hard not to have their labor compared to other sweeteners! 

According to the USFDA, monk fruit sweetener is 100 to 250 times sweeter than sugar (which we can all agree is pretty darn sweet on its own…it’s practically its thing). Monk fruit sweetener is also known for having a less harsh aftertaste than other sugar alternatives.

Is monk fruit low fat?

Oh, you better believe it! Get this: Despite its confectionary-adjacent taste, monk fruit sweetener is naturally fat-free and contains a whopping zero calories per serving. 


About the Author

Joe Rumrill

Joe Rumrill is a fictional one-eyed spinach-loving sailor created in 1929 by E.C Se- Wait, no, that's not right... Joe Rumrill is a stand up comedian and writer currently based in Los Angeles. His favorite thing about food is a close tie between the taste and the nutrients one gets from it. His least favorite thing about it is the "gritty, dirt-like quality some food has", but he's most likely referring to the time in third grade he was dared to eat playground sand.

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