9 Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrups, Ranked

Vanilla syrup is a popular and common way to add sweetness to your drinks and eats. Whether you're making a cup of coffee, a cocktail, or a custard, there's no wrong way to use the syrup to add flavor. It's fragrant and sweet, thanks to the inclusion of sugar. If you're trying to limit your sugar intake, however, or want to expand your collection of syrups, there are a lot of sugar-free vanilla syrups available on the market that can be used as a substitutes — many of which can be found online or in grocery stores.

I set out to find the best sugar-free vanilla syrup that I could. I tested several sugar-free syrups, judging them on their flavor, aroma, and mixability, and whether they tasted like vanilla or had a strange aftertaste. To be honest, I didn't like a lot of them, but there were a couple that were better than the rest. Let's find out which are the must-haves, and which are the must-skips.

Unfortunately, several syrups on this list left such an unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth, the absolute worst of which was Splenda's version. Sweetened with erythritol and sucralose, this syrup has an intensely sweet yet simultaneously bitter flavor. To make matters worse, there is no vanilla flavor whatsoever to mask the artificial sweeteners. The aroma paralleled this flavor combination by being both sweet and astringent. 

The taste and smell of this syrup are extremely displeasing — both on its own and in coffee — which is why it ranked the worst of all the brands. I would assume if you like the taste of Splenda, this may be more up your alley. Even after chugging water, I could not get the taste and feel of the product off my tongue. I never want to try this again. 

Skinny Barista's zero-calorie French vanilla syrup has a dark brown appearance and a fragrant artificial vanilla scent. It contains sucralose for sweetness and caramel coloring for a brownish hue — though the coloring isn't necessary or relevant to its flavor. I'd be happier without the coloring, as it brings nothing to the table. It has a strong artificially sweet flavor that overpowers the palate and leaves an aftertaste long after you drink it. There's no trace of vanilla flavor, just artificial sweetener. It is potent and coats the tongue, making for an intense and undesirable coffee-drinking experience that makes you want to toss the entire cup. 

Like the Splenda syrup, it took several sips of water and a couple of minutes to get the taste out of my mouth. It was marginally better because it wasn't bitter, but again, it's not something I'd recommend or want to drink again. On the plus side, the brand does a good job of appealing to various dietary needs by clearly noting that it's vegan and gluten-free on the packaging.

Although we're making our way up the list, we still aren't at a place where I'd deem the syrup "good." DaVinci Gourmet French vanilla has a dark appearance because it is also made with caramel coloring. This syrup is sweetened with sucralose and is extraordinarily sweet on the tongue. I wouldn't consider it a vanilla flavor but rather a maple alternative — ideal for when you want to sweeten your beverage with a different flavor profile. 

Although the taste is pleasant at first, the aftertaste kicks in and then stays in your mouth, offering a fake sweetness that coats the palate. It doesn't matter if it tastes okay initially, because the aftertaste lingers much longer. DaVinci Gourmet has a smell comparable to Lakanto's zero-sugar maple syrup, but I vastly prefer Lakanto's version (for its smell and flavor). Because of this, I would say DaVinci Gourmet makes more sense as a maple-inspired product rather than an artificial French vanilla one. However, it has a thinner consistency than your average maple syrup, so it's best in drinks or things like yogurt rather than topped on a waffle.

Torani is a very popular brand that you will find at local coffee chains (like 7 Brew), grocery stores, and the like. While it has a pleasant aroma, the syrup contains sucralose and acesulfame potassium as its sweeteners and has a strong chemical sweetness that cuts the tongue. It sweetens your drink, but not in a balanced way. You can taste the syrup in coffee as though the coffee and syrup are two equals, rather than the coffee remaining the star. 

It's absolutely a step up from the lower-ranked syrups, as it doesn't provoke such a visceral negative reaction. I preferred it over the maple-y notes of the DaVinci Gourmet syrup, but we're still not quite in "good" territory. The sugar-free vanilla also ranked in the middle in a larger Torani syrup flavor taste test, so it seems its mediocrity is the consensus.

Syruvia's sugar-free vanilla is a clear syrup made with sucralose and acesulfame potassium. Strangely, the packaging depicts a standard orchid flower rather than an actual vanilla orchid, which is dubious. It has a mild, barely-there scent. The syrup starts sweet on the tongue, but then you get that lingering artificial sweetener aftertaste that idles in your mouth. 

It doesn't taste like vanilla — it's more like a plain, sugar-free simple syrup that you can use to give your coffee or drink a boost. It isn't bad (thankfully, it doesn't have an offensive, clinging aftertaste, just a mild one). While slightly better than Torani, it isn't memorable or tasty enough to rank any higher. 

Routin 1883 is made in France and actually shows a type of vanilla orchid on its packaging. Hey, I'm not saying using the correct orchid makes it taste better, but the brand did rank one notch higher than Syruvia. The 1883 syrup is sweetened with acesulfame potassium and sucralose, and I finally found a syrup with what's labeled as "natural vanilla flavor." 

It has a light brown color due to the caramel coloring and a mild smell. It has a very sweet taste directly on the tongue and a lingering sweetness, which is certainly a step up from the previous options. Even better, it isn't as strong once you add it to coffee. Thanks to the overall flavor profile and lack of aftertaste, this fared better than Syruvia's version.

The vanilla bean syrup from Jordan's Skinny Mixes has a clear appearance and a very liquidy consistency that mixes well into coffee. After my first couple of sips, I have to say that I don't pick up on any vanilla. Instead, it has an almost fruity cereal flavor and aroma — kind of like Fruity Pebbles. The syrup adds both sweetness and a fruity profile to the coffee, which may be welcome if you're sipping an already fruity-tasting coffee. It isn't too prominent, but it's more noticeable than, say, any vanilla taste. 

Luckily, the aftertaste is non-existent compared to others on this list, because it is sweetened with erythritol, stevia, and monk fruit — I find that these plant-based sweeteners don't bring as powerful of an aftertaste as artificial ones, like sucralose, making plant-based sugar-free options more palatable and pleasant. And that alone gives it a higher ranking than Routin 1883. However, I can't place it any higher, as the Jordan's Skinny Mixes syrup still doesn't offer a strong vanilla flavor.

We're slowly making our way to the top of the list. Monin makes a tasty sugar-free vanilla syrup sweetened with erythritol and sucralose. Monin offers a lot of flavors, and this one has a light brown color — similar to the color of simple syrup made from scratch with turbinado sugar. I could immediately tell by the way it comes out of the container that it had a slightly thicker, more authentic syrup consistency compared to some of the more watery selections on this list. It has a smell that's similar to the sweet, floral notes of a mild honey. It would be tasty mixed into a Greek yogurt bowl instead of honey.

It tastes quite good by itself thanks to its honey-like flavor. It added sweetness to my coffee, but it didn't overwhelm the senses; I could still taste the acidity or bitterness of my cup of joe. Although it doesn't taste like vanilla, it still adds a sweet, syrupy flavor without a lingering aftertaste. The flavor, consistency, and aroma pushed it up in the ranking, despite the fact that it didn't taste or smell like its namesake ingredient.

And finally, we've made it to the top of the list! The top three choices were flavorful and interesting without a bad aftertaste. ChocZero gets the highest spot because it has a great sweet flavor that doesn't coat your tongue, likely because it uses monk fruit as its sweetener. It has a light color and a mild sweetness, which you can taste in your drink. It isn't as potent as other options on this list, many of which leave you cringing and gulping water. It isn't overly vanilla-y, but it does contain natural vanilla flavor, which is more than I can say for most of the others on this list.

ChocZero fits my criteria the most. It tastes good and offers a vanilla-esque flavor, rather than a honey or fruity cereal one. The syrup mixes easily into coffee and acts as a supporting cast member, rather than outshining the coffee itself. It doesn't leave a gross flavor in my mouth after taking a sip, so yeah, it checks all the boxes and is ultimately my top pick.

I selected a range of sugar-free syrups from Amazon and had them delivered to my house; this way, there were more options to choose from rather than hopping from store to store. I tried each syrup by itself to get a sense of its true flavor and then with coffee, which is likely its most common use. 

To create this ranking, I considered the overall taste of the syrup, whether it tasted like vanilla (truth be told, none of these had an authentic vanilla taste), whether it had a lingering unpleasant aftertaste, its aroma, and how well it mixed into the coffee. I tried all the syrups in one morning, one right after the other. I drank water to clear my palate (which was highly necessary following some of the lower-ranking items on this list). Seeing as I have quite a lot of syrup left, I'll have fun experimenting with my top three to flavor things beyond just a cup of coffee.