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My niece in Idaho owns a bakery. She uses a lot of monk fruit for sweetening. Does it behave differently from other sugars? And will change the texture outcome or digestion?

Chocolate in Vegan Desserts

Fran Costigan - Chocolate in Vegan Desserts

Recorded

This event was on May 5, 2026

Join Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry, for a discussion and practical information about chocolate. We’ll explore its many forms, functions, and best uses in vegan desserts. From types of cocoa powder to bars, fèves, and chips, you’ll learn how to choose the right form for specific recipes and how chocolate behaves in batters, creams, and glazes. Chef Fran will cover melting and tempering basics as well. Common problems, including seized or overheated chocolate, will be looked at. Expect to learn how to choose quality chocolate and what labels really mean, as well as some fixes for common mistakes. Bring your queries and questions about chocolate, Fran will be ready!

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Question

Hilda P J

My niece in Idaho owns a bakery. She uses a lot of monk fruit for sweetening. Does it behave differently from other sugars? And will change the texture outcome or digestion?

Answer

I'd like to know what your niece, she has a bakery, she's using monk fruit. Does she find it behaves differently from other sugars? Monk fruit is what is called an NSS, a non-sugar sugar. And I have done live events on this topic because I don't personally use them. There are many reasons I don't use them. They do behave differently. They are very much sweeter than a coconut sugar or an organic cane sugar. So there's a lot that has to go on. They bake very differently. I think the texture of products that are made with these sweeteners are different, and I for sure know that people have been concerned or say, "They're really bothering my tummy." That there are digestive issues. So if your niece is using them, I would sure like to know what she has to say. But the answer, in a nutshell, is yes, it's very different. Everything about them is different, including the baking time. And if you're using monk fruit, let's say a recipe calls for a quarter of a cup of granulated sweetener, you're probably using two teaspoons of monk fruit. And is she using liquid or granulated? Monk fruit is a very highly processed non-sugar sugar. It comes from a plant called luo han. It's a berry. And I'm quite familiar with this because many years ago, I was asked to develop some recipes for a food company that was working with a manufacturer that wanted to have this sweetener in their beverage. And what I learned was that this luo han berry, kind of like quinoa, has a very bitter, awful flavor to keep the birds away from it so it can grow. And in order to get rid of that flavor, and process this into a powder or a liquid, a lot goes on. So I'm not the food police. If somebody wants to use the non-sugar sugars, then go ahead and use them. But, I just personally don't.

Fran Costigan

Director of Vegan Pastry

FranCostigan.com

Fran Costigan is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Trained at the New York Restaurant School and Natural Gourmet Institute, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 20 years ago. A lifelong chocoholic and long time vegan, Fran’s latest book, Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts, (Running Press 2013) is for all who madly, deeply love chocolate desserts, whether or not dietary considerations are an issue. Her previous cookbook, More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally (Book Publishing Company 2006) is the basis of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®. For more information, www.francostigan.com.