Stevia vs liquorice root
The two sweet botanicals, and both carry a distinctive tail that ordinary sugar does not. One is a Paraguayan leaf and the other a Eurasian root, and they sweeten very differently.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Stevia | Liquorice root |
|---|---|---|
| The part used | The dried leaf, which is intensely sweet on its own. | The dried and often peeled root, sliced or shredded. |
| Sweetness | Very sweet with a green, slightly bitter tail the refined extract removes. | Sweet with a distinct anise-adjacent flavour that is impossible to hide. |
| Tradition | Guaraní use to sweeten yerba mate, documented by European botanists in the 1880s. | Used across the Middle East, China and Europe for millennia, in drinks and confectionery. |
| Preparation | Steeped with the other material, one leaf at a time. | Simmered — it is a root, and steeping gets far less out of it. |
| Modern form | Met almost entirely as a refined white powder in soft drinks rather than as a leaf. | Still traded as root, and also as an extract for confectionery. |
The short answer
For sweetening without adding flavour, neither works — both bring their own. Stevia is the cleaner of the two if used in tiny quantity; liquorice is a flavour decision as much as a sweetening one.
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