Is Stevia Halal?

Stevia sweeteners come from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a shrub from Paraguay and Brazil whose leaves the Guaraní people used to sweeten drinks. The sweet compounds, steviol glycosides such as rebaudioside A, are 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. They are extracted from the leaves with water and purified, and in the EU they carry the code E960. As a plant product, stevia is Halal.^[3] Certifier E-number lists include the steviol glycosides as Halal.^[2]

Newer stevia sweeteners

Some of the best-tasting steviol glycosides, such as rebaudioside M, are present only in tiny amounts in the leaf. Manufacturers now make them by converting leaf extract with enzymes, or by fermentation with yeast, producing the same molecules. EFSA has assessed these routes, and they raise no Halal question.^[1]

What else is in the packet

Pure stevia is so sweet that table-top products are blended with a bulking agent:

• erythritol, a fermented sugar alcohol; see polyols,
• maltodextrin or dextrose from corn or wheat starch; see maltodextrin.

All are plant-based and do not change the ruling.

Liquid stevia drops

Some liquid stevia extracts are made or preserved with alcohol, and a few list it on the label. Others use water and glycerin instead. If you use drops, check the ingredients; glycerin has its own page, glycerin.^[4]

Taste and health

Stevia's slight liquorice aftertaste, and health debates about sweeteners in general, are matters of preference and nutrition, not Halal rulings. For other sweeteners, see sucralose, aspartame and acesulfame K.