10 Ways To Use Inulin Everyday

I’ve had a poor track record with alternative sweeteners in the past. I tried anything and everything from aspartame to stevia, from agave nectar to sucralose, from corn syrup to saccharin... and everything in between. My body revolted in a variety of ways. I got headaches. I was nauseous. On one occasion, I broke out in hives. Refined sugar didn’t seem to bother me all that much, so I resigned to the fact that refined sugar was possibly going to be the only sweetener for me, although it wasn’t a good choice either.

With all of my previous experiences, you can imagine my skepticism when I first heard about inulin. When I tried inulin powder, I was ready for the worst to happen. Yet, several hours after my first taste of inulin sweetener, I was still feeling great! I have been experimenting with inulin regularly ever since.

What Are the Benefits of Inulin Powder?

What is inulin powder? Wildly Organic's agave inulin is one of those ingredients with multiple potential benefits. In fact, it's one of our top seven natural sweeteners that are healthier than refined sugar. It’s high in fiber and is a source of resistant starch. Resistant starch feeds the good bacteria in your gut, potentially improving overall gut health and promoting healthy digestion.

Inulin is low on the glycemic index. It adds sweetness to recipes without skyrocketing blood sugar. Additionally, inulin is water soluble. This is especially important for some sugar alternatives. Agave inulin completely dissolves in water. It is easy to use in recipes without resulting in a strange texture.

10 Ways to Use Inulin Powder Everyday

1. Add inulin to coffee or other hot drinks

Since it's water soluble, inulin will dissolve straight into your hot coffee, tea, or hot chocolate without clumping or leaving a funny texture. You must try this delicious high fiber apple cider with inulin. It’s an excellent and easy way to get your resistant starch every day without even noticing.

2. Add inulin to a smoothie

For an extra gut-healthy punch, try adding inulin to a kefir smoothie.

3. Replace corn syrup

Stir two cups of agave inulin powder into one cup of water and warm slowly over low heat until the mixture becomes slightly thicker. Store in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

4. Partially replace sugar in baking

You can replace up to 50% of sugar in recipes with inulin when you bake. This is helpful for two reasons. First, you can break a sugar habit by learning to appreciate less sweet foods. Second, inulin sweetener adds sweetness without too much bulk, so you don't have to re-calculate wet ingredients in baked goods. Try inulin in these gluten-free pumpkin-cranberry prebiotic cookies for a good example of inulin use when banking.

5. Sprinkle inulin on fruit

This is any easy way to add prebiotics and fiber to a fruit salad.

6. Use inulin to glaze meat

Inulin gives ham, turkey, and chicken that sticky, finger-licking good texture without tons of sugar. Here's our delicious inulin glaze recipe.

7. Glaze carrots with inulin & butter

Steam half a pound of carrots and toss with two tablespoons of inulin syrup and three tablespoons of melted butter. Or you can use our inulin meat glaze over other roasted vegetables.

8. Add inulin to cold drinks

For a refreshing fiber and prebiotic boost, inulin can be added to iced tea, spritzers, and other cold drinks. Try adding it to our cranberry-lemon mocktail for a delicious treat.

9. Use inulin at breakfast

Sprinkle a bit of agave inulin on cold cereal or oatmeal before adding milk. You can also try these fiber-rich "busy morning" breakfast bars. With lots of protein and fiber, you can be sure that your entire family is starting the day off on the right foot.

10. Use it as a medicine chaser

My kids hate to take any kind of medicine or supplement that doesn't taste good (I do, too!). So we usually let them chase it with something sweet, like a spoon of honey. Last week, I tried a spoonful of inulin powder after something particularly nasty tasting. It may not be something you'll need daily, but at least you know it's there when you do.

BONUS: We use inulin in our Wildly Organic Coco Monkey sweetener

If you haven't tried our low-cal sugar substitute, Wildly Organic Coco Monkey, give it a try! It works well in most recipes, including smoothies and hot drinks. Wildly Organic employees have been spotted eating it right off the spoon!

What is your favorite inulin powder use? Share it with us!