Erythritol is a sugar alcohol found naturally in certain fruits and fermented foods, and it’s added as a zero-calorie sweetener to a wide range of sugar-free and low-sugar products. If you’ve spotted it on an ingredient label and want to know where else it shows up, the short answer is: almost everywhere sugar-free products are sold, from beverages and baked goods to chewing gum and protein bars.
Foods Where Erythritol Occurs Naturally
Erythritol exists in small amounts in melons, watermelon, pears, and grapes. It also turns up in fermented foods like cheese and soy sauce. These natural levels are too low to extract commercially, which is why the erythritol in packaged foods is made through an industrial process rather than harvested from fruit.
How Commercial Erythritol Is Made
Nearly all the erythritol on store shelves is produced by fermenting glucose with specific yeasts. The glucose typically comes from corn or wheat starch that has been broken down with enzymes. Yeast-like fungi, most commonly a species called Moniliella pollinis, convert that glucose into erythritol during fermentation. The process is similar in principle to brewing beer, just with a different end product. Glycerol, a byproduct of other industries, can also serve as a starting material.
Packaged Products That Contain Erythritol
Erythritol is one of the most common sugar replacements in products marketed as “sugar-free,” “keto-friendly,” or “zero sugar.” You’ll find it in:
- Sugar-free beverages: flavored waters, zero-calorie sodas, and powdered drink mixes
- Baked goods and snack bars: keto cookies, protein bars, and low-carb brownies
- Candy and chocolate: sugar-free gummies, hard candies, and chocolate bars
- Chewing gum and mints
- Ice cream and frozen desserts: many “no sugar added” ice creams list it as a primary sweetener
- Tabletop sweetener blends: brands like Truvia and Swerve use erythritol as a bulking agent, often combined with stevia or monk fruit extract
- Jams, syrups, and sauces: sugar-free versions of condiments frequently rely on erythritol for sweetness and texture
Erythritol is popular with manufacturers because it has a clean, sugar-like taste without the strong aftertaste some other sugar alcohols carry. It also provides bulk, so products look and feel closer to their full-sugar counterparts.
How to Spot It on a Label
In most countries, erythritol is listed by name in the ingredients. In the European Union, it may appear as its additive code E 968. Occasionally you’ll see the synonyms “meso-erythritol” or “erythrite,” though those are less common on consumer packaging. Because erythritol is classified as a sugar alcohol, it’s also grouped under “sugar alcohols” on the Nutrition Facts panel in the United States, where it contributes to the total carbohydrate count but not to sugars.
Beyond Food: Toothpaste and Other Products
Erythritol isn’t limited to things you eat. It’s used in some newer toothpaste formulations as an active ingredient, though it’s still uncommon in mainstream oral care products. Dental air-polishing powders used by hygienists during professional cleanings also contain erythritol. In pharmaceuticals, it can serve as a filler or coating agent in tablets and lozenges, and it occasionally appears in cosmetics as a humectant to help retain moisture.
What Makes It Different From Sugar
Erythritol provides about 60 to 70 percent of sugar’s sweetness but contains only 0.2 calories per gram, compared to sugar’s 3.9. Its glycemic index is zero, meaning it doesn’t raise blood sugar at all. That combination is why it dominates the keto and diabetic-friendly product market.
Your body handles erythritol differently from sugar and even from other sugar alcohols like sorbitol or xylitol. About 90 percent of what you consume is absorbed passively in the small intestine and then excreted unchanged in urine within 24 hours. Roughly 78 percent shows up in urine by the end of the day. Because so little reaches the large intestine, erythritol causes far fewer digestive issues than other sugar alcohols.
Digestive Tolerance Compared to Other Sugar Alcohols
Sugar alcohols are notorious for causing bloating, gas, and diarrhea, but erythritol has the highest tolerance threshold in the group. Research on laxative thresholds found that women can typically consume about 0.80 grams per kilogram of body weight before experiencing digestive symptoms, while men hit that point around 0.66 grams per kilogram. For a 150-pound (68 kg) person, that works out to roughly 45 to 54 grams in a single sitting.
For comparison, sorbitol triggers laxative effects at just 0.17 to 0.24 grams per kilogram, roughly one-third the dose. Tolerance also increases when erythritol is spread across multiple servings throughout the day and with repeated use over time. Most sugar-free products contain well under the threshold in a single serving, but eating several servings of different erythritol-sweetened products in one day can add up.
The Cardiovascular Question
A 2023 study from the Cleveland Clinic drew attention when it linked high blood levels of erythritol to increased clotting risk, and the topic has continued to generate research. A 2025 Mendelian randomization study using genetic data found a small but statistically significant association between erythritol and higher risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. The increases were modest: for example, the odds ratio for stroke was about 1.05, meaning roughly a 5 percent increase in relative risk. No association was found with heart failure or diabetes.
These findings are preliminary and don’t prove that eating erythritol causes cardiovascular events. Observational and genetic studies can identify associations but can’t confirm cause and effect. Still, the research has prompted some scientists to call for longer-term clinical trials, and it’s worth being aware of if you consume erythritol-containing products daily in large amounts.