Great Value No Calorie Sucralose Sweetener Review

Great Value No Calorie Sucralose Sweetener tastes precisely as sweet and luscious as its name brand counterpart, Splenda, which is the first name brand sugar alternative built on the artificial sweetening agent known as sucralose. Stores began marketing this sugar-like granulated powder flavoring to the public at large in the early 2000s, and I’ve bought several boxes of it over the years, eager to check it out.

Great Value Sucralose Sweetener

I never cared for the higher price of Splenda however, and so was thrilled to find Walmart’s Great Value offering for a few dimes less per box. When I thought of writing these sweetener reviews, I figured I’d pick up a 50-pack box and write down my opinions of this Great Value sweetener. So here are those impressions.

Benefits, Features. Pros, and Advantages

Studied since 1976, the sucralose sweetener, has been looked at numerous times by many experts, and discovered to be harmless for most humans. Plus, to my tongue, it tastes exactly like white sugar, though like Splenda, its granules seem a bit softer.
I adore the flavor which is just as neutral as sugar and just as sweet as Splenda and sugar. So it does not significantly alter the flavors of my favorite green and spearmint teas.

Great Value keeps for years on the shelf, and does not lose its sweetness as it ages, or in heated foods as the sweetener in Equal Sweetener (aspartame) can.

The “best if used by” date stamped on the box top is three years hence from when I bought this sweetener. Great for stockpiling.
This sugar substitute has virtually no smell, which again, is just like sugar.
The crystals seem a little finer than sugar crystals, and as in beverages, dissolve more quickly in the mouth. So they tend not to feel as gritty, and they crunch less when chewing foods with them in it.
Like sugar, this sweetener is white in color, and has a soft feel. But when dampened, this product does not become as sticky as similarly moistened sugar and seems to draw less bugs if spilled accidentally.
I experienced no cramping or other issues in my digestive tract after consuming several packs of this form of sucralose in teas and in diet sodas.
This product dissolves quickly. In fact, just a few circular passes with the spoon, and this sweetener dissolves completely, and stays mixed; does not separate again.
One light yellow packet sweetens as much as two teaspoons of white sugar.
This zero calorie sugar alternative is suitable for diabetics as indicated on the label, as it contains little actual sugar per serving. Its main ingredient by weight is dextrose the most simple of sugars.

Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, Concerns, and Suggested Improvements

This sweetener creates moderate craving for more of it in me. So sweeteners like this should be respected as potentially as diet-breaking as real sugar. They can weakin your resolve to avoid consuming excess calories.
To get the level of sweetness to which I’m acclimated, I require 6 packets of this product in my big cups of Stash green tea or on my Cheerios.
This means that I get around 17 cups of sweetened tea per 100-packet box. At $4 per box, my sweetener cost per cup of tea is $0.23 This appears a little pricey. But Great Value is cheaper than Stevia in the Raw, and hopefully, the price will come down even more over time, as often happens when the new transforms into the mainstream.
As with most of these artificial sweeteners, it would be nice if you could buy them in 1, 2, and 5-pound containers like you can real sugar.
Great Value is not as easy to find as Splenda, since it’s carried at Walmart grocery stores and super centers.
The small packets of this product aren’t designed with baking in mind, but work best in beverages that levvy no requirement that the sweetener possess a certain volume and weight. For baking, use a sucralose product that contains inert chemicals to fill it out and make it work well in baked goods. These are also widely available.

Our Rating

But taking all the pros and cons of this Great Value no calorie sucralose sweetener, I would nonetheless recommend it, as I experienced no discernible side effects even after consuming tens of packets of it. It also tastes identical to white table sugar (sucrose). Its flavor does not shift over time, and is unaffected by long-term heat exposure. This sweetener is chemically stable. So I’d rate this product a 96 out of 100.

Where To Buy Great Value Sucralose Sweetener

At Walmart, look for the lemon-yellow box with the white trim and dark blue letters, along with the cup of coffee in the saucer, prominently displayed on the front. You probably will be unable to taste the difference between Great Value and original white sugar. But your waistline will sure know it, and appreciate it besides. Enjoy.

References

Revision History

2015-01-28: Rearranged tag and category assignments, and moved this post to the Tom’s Diet Quest blog.
2014-10-20: Added picture.
2012-04-19: Originally published.