Coffee drinkers who want to avoid sugar
If avoiding sugar is a priority, the ingredients and nutritional information for a coffee sweetener are more useful to you than traditional aniseed sprinkles.
Who is this relevant to?
Hotel guests who want to measure out sweetener by the cup
For a single cup of coffee, you’ll want to adjust the amount of sweetener yourself. A tablet is better suited to this than sprinkles.
Fans of a celebratory breakfast
If you’re mainly after the aniseed flavour and decorative look of the sprinkles, you can choose them as long as sugar isn’t a deal-breaker.
What should you look for when choosing?
First decide whether avoiding sugar is a strict requirement. Then choose between a sweetener for your coffee and sprinkles for a celebratory touch.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Avoiding sugar | Read the ingredients and the amount of sugars per 100 g; check any claim on the exact pack. | If I want to avoid sugar, the product I choose must meet that requirement, whatever it’s called. This is a priority for around 42% of consumers. |
| Measuring out a serving per cup | Check the product format and whether the variant you’ve chosen is intended for coffee or hot drinks. | For one cup of hotel-room coffee, I want to decide how much sweetener to add. Around 33% of consumers prioritise this convenience. |
| A celebratory presentation | Check the ingredients, sugars and allergens in the sprinkles; use them as a topping, not as a replacement for a coffee sweetener. | For a celebratory breakfast, I want to keep the aniseed flavour and decorative look of the sprinkles, as long as sugar isn’t a concern. This is the main priority for around 25% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming aniseed sprinkles are a sugar-free alternative for coffee
According to Joybuy, De Ruijter Pink Muisjes are sugar-coated aniseed seeds and contain 79 g of sugars per 100 g. Their role as a celebratory topping doesn’t make them suitable if you need to avoid sugar completely.
Choose the sprinkles for their decorative look if sugar isn’t a deal-breaker. For sweetening coffee, check the label of a product intended for use as a sweetener.
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Assuming all Canderel variants have the same nutritional information
Jumbo describes a dispenser containing 300 Canderel tablets as having 0 calories per tablet. Joybuy’s product information for Canderel Sweetener Tablets, 120, lists dextrose as an ingredient and 84 g of sugars per 100 g. The figure per tablet and the figure per 100 g refer to different amounts of product.
Compare the ingredients and nutritional information on the pack you’re actually choosing, including the stated serving size.
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Assuming xylitol is calorie-free
The term sugar substitute doesn’t mean xylitol contains no calories. According to the Voedingscentrum, high intakes of polyols can also cause flatulence and diarrhoea.
Check the nutritional information and instructions on your chosen pack of xylitol before deciding how much to add to your coffee.
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Overlooking allergens in unpackaged breakfast products
Joybuy’s product information lists wheat as an allergen in De Ruijter Pink Muisjes. If products are served without their original packaging, the label may not be available to read.
Check the original packaging or ask the hotel for allergen information before using the sprinkles.
Brands compared
De Ruijter
Traditional aniseed sprinkles for bread and other breakfast dishes, rather than a coffee sweetener.
- Pink Muisjes add the aniseed flavour and decorative look of the traditional sprinkles.
- According to Joybuy, this variant contains 79 g of sugars per 100 g and wheat; don’t choose it if avoiding sugar is a strict requirement.
Canderel
Sweetener tablets in different pack sizes, for those who want to measure out sweetener by the cup.
- Jumbo describes the dispenser of 300 tablets as suitable for coffee and tea.
- According to its product information, the 120 Canderel Sweetener Tablets on Joybuy contain dextrose. Check the nutritional information for the exact variant.
SweetLife
Granulated xylitol for those who prefer not to use sweetener tablets.
- The SweetLife variant described by Jumbo comes in a granulated form.
- Xylitol isn’t calorie-free. According to the Voedingscentrum, high intakes of polyols can cause flatulence and diarrhoea.
Xylitol for hotel-room coffee
This xylitol sugar substitute is a granulated alternative if you want to sweeten your hotel-room coffee without using aniseed sprinkles. If you need to avoid sugar completely, check the nutritional information on the pack you choose.
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Ganzhiyuan Xylitol Sugar Substitute Sucrose-Free 125 g
An option if you’d rather use xylitol than sweetener tablets in your hotel-room coffee.
Pack size: 125 g. If avoiding sugar is a priority, check the nutritional information and recommended serving size on the pack.
According to the Voedingscentrum, high intakes of polyols can cause flatulence and diarrhoea.
Frequently asked questions
Are regular aniseed sprinkles sugar-free?
De Ruijter Pink Muisjes aren’t sugar-free: according to Joybuy, they contain 79 g of sugars per 100 g. For any other variant, always check the ingredients and nutritional information on that pack.
Can I tell from the brand name whether sweetener tablets are sugar-free?
No, you’ll need to check the exact variant. According to Joybuy, Canderel Sweetener Tablets, 120, contain dextrose and the nutritional information lists 84 g of sugars per 100 g. Check the serving information too before applying that figure to a single cup of coffee.
What should I look for in xylitol for coffee?
Check the nutritional information and instructions on the pack of xylitol you’ve chosen; a sugar substitute isn’t automatically calorie-free. According to the Voedingscentrum, high intakes of polyols can cause flatulence and diarrhoea.
How can I check allergens in unpackaged hotel products?
Where possible, check the original packaging or ask the hotel for allergen information before using an unpackaged breakfast product. Joybuy’s product information lists wheat as an allergen in De Ruijter Pink Muisjes; don’t assume other products have the same ingredients.