Low-Sugar Spiced Apple Cider Syrup

Ingredients

• 200 g unsweetened apple cider (or 100 g cider + 100 g water for fewer carbs, see notes)
• 300 g golden monk fruit sweetener that uses allulose as its base (e.g., Lakanto Golden with Allulose)
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 1.5 g (approx. 20) whole cloves
• 1.5 g (6–7) whole cardamom pods
• 1.5 g salt (added at the end)
• 0.5–1 g (about ⅛–¼ tsp) xanthan gum (optional, for body)
• Optional: 4–5 long orange peels for citrus notes
• Optional: ¼ tsp apple extract, if you use less cider

Instructions

1. Combine: Add the cider, sweetener and spices (not the salt or orange peels) to a saucepan.
2. Simmer: Set the heat to medium-low. Add the orange peels now if you’re using them. Bring it to a gentle simmer. Allulose browns faster than sugar, so keep the heat low.
3. Reduce: Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then.
4. Thicken (optional): Whisk the xanthan gum into the pan a little at a time so it doesn’t clump. Simmer 1 more minute.
5. Cool & Strain: Take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature with the spices still in.
6. Finish: Stir in the salt and apple extract if using. Strain and bottle.

Notes

• Fewer carbs: The cider is where the carbs come from. For fewer carbs, use 100 g cider and 100 g water, and add the ¼ tsp apple extract at the end to bring the apple flavor back.
• Storage: Keep it in the fridge and use it within about 1 week.

Sweetener Swaps

• Plain allulose + liquid monk fruit: Use 300 g plain granulated allulose in place of the golden sweetener. At the Finish step, taste and add liquid monk fruit a few drops at a time until it’s sweet enough. Allulose alone is only about 70% as sweet as sugar. The syrup will be a little lighter in color.
• Xylitol: Swaps 1:1 and stays a syrup in the fridge, but it won’t caramelize. Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, so skip it if you have one.
• Avoid: Erythritol-based blends (they crystallize in the fridge), granulated sucralose like Splenda (it’s bulked with maltodextrin, which raises blood sugar) and liquid-only sweeteners on their own (no body, so the syrup comes out thin).