Jordan’s Skinny Mixes vs Torani Sugar Free: 5 Differences I’d Compare First
By Madison Clarke, Food & Lifestyle Writer · Rating: 4.6/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ · 10 min read
On Choosing Sugar-Free Flavor Syrups:
“A grande flavored latte from a chain café contains around 35 grams of added sugar — nearly the entire daily recommended limit in a single drink. Zero-calorie flavoring syrups let you keep the taste experience while eliminating the glucose spike. When comparing brands, the key differences are the sweetener type, the aftertaste profile, and whether the formula uses a single sweetener or a blend — each approach creates a noticeably different taste.”
— Kasey Hageman, MS, RD, LD, Registered Dietitian — as cited in Eat This, Not That!
On Why Sugar-Free Variety Matters:
“Our Harvest Collection is one of the launches our community looks forward to most. This year's lineup was shaped directly by our community's input — bringing back discontinued fan favorites and introducing new flavors our customers have been requesting. When you offer over 100 sugar-free flavors, every season is an opportunity to give people something new without asking them to compromise on their health goals.”
— Dana Paris, Chief Commercial Officer, Jordan's Skinny Mixes — from the official 2026 Harvest Collection press release (PR Newswire)
Two Brands, Same Shelf — Completely Different DNA
If you've ever stood in the coffee syrup aisle at Walmart or Target and stared at a row of Torani bottles next to a row of Jordan's Skinny Mixes bottles, you've asked the question everyone asks: what's actually different? They're both sugar-free. They're both zero-calorie. They both come in similar-sized bottles. They both have a Salted Caramel and a Vanilla and a Hazelnut.
But these two brands aren't interchangeable, and the differences aren't just label-deep. One was founded in 1925 by Italian immigrants in San Francisco and has spent a century building the professional café industry. The other was founded about fifteen years ago by a woman named Jordan Engelhardt with a $5,000 loan, focused entirely on sugar-free options for health-conscious consumers. One uses two artificial sweeteners blended together. The other uses one. One has about 18 sugar-free flavors. The other has over 100.
I bought both. Used both. Tested both side-by-side in the same coffee, the same yogurt, the same protein shake. Here are the five differences that actually matter when you're deciding which bottle goes on your counter every morning.
What Are These Two Brands?
Jordan's Skinny Mixes is a sugar-free-first brand. That's the entire business model. Jordan Engelhardt started the company with a $5,000 loan and built it into a brand with over 1 million customers and 10,000+ retail locations. The product range is laser-focused: 100+ sugar-free syrup flavors — the largest sugar-free syrup collection in the world — plus cocktail mixers, soda syrups, and a new ready-to-drink line called Skinnyccino. Every syrup is zero calories, zero sugar, gluten-free, kosher, keto-friendly, and dairy-free. The standard line uses sucralose. The Naturally Sweetened line uses stevia and monk fruit. The company was later acquired by GoodWest Industries LLC, though Jordan remains as founder and president.
Torani is a century-old flavor company. Founded in 1925 by Rinaldo and Ezilda Torre — Italian immigrants who brought Italian soda culture to San Francisco — Torani is widely credited with creating the world's first flavored latte in 1982. Now based in San Leandro, California, the company is still family-owned (Lisa Lucheta, granddaughter of the founders, is the current owner), has about 400 employees, and is a Certified B Corp. Torani's product range is massive: full-sugar syrups, sugar-free syrups, Puremade syrups, Puremade Zero Sugar syrups, sauces, puree blends, and smoothie mixes. But the sugar-free selection is much smaller — about 10 Classic Sugar Free flavors and about 8 Puremade Zero Sugar flavors.
⚔️ Side-by-Side Snapshot
⭐ 100+ Sugar-Free Flavors. One Brand.
Jordan's Skinny Mixes: zero calories, zero sugar, the world's largest SF syrup collection. Use code MADISON30 to save.
5 Differences I'd Compare First
① Sweetener Formula — Single vs. Double Artificial
This is the most important difference, and the one most people don't know about. Torani's Classic Sugar Free syrups use two artificial sweeteners together: sucralose and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K). This is a common industry approach — blending sweeteners creates a more intense sweetness at lower concentrations. But Ace-K is the sweetener that's most often associated with a bitter, metallic aftertaste, and studies have shown it can linger on the palate longer than sucralose alone.
Jordan's Skinny Mixes uses sucralose only in its standard sugar-free line — no Ace-K. The result is a cleaner, less complex sweetness. In side-by-side testing, I found Skinny Mixes' Vanilla to taste cleaner and fade faster than Torani's Sugar Free Vanilla. Torani's was slightly sweeter upfront, but had more residual sweetness 30 seconds later. If you're someone who notices artificial sweetener aftertaste, this single-sweetener vs. dual-sweetener difference is the one that matters most.
Both brands also offer natural sweetener lines (stevia + monk fruit + erythritol), so if you want to avoid artificial sweeteners entirely, both have an option. But in the mainstream sugar-free lineup — the one most people are buying — the sweetener formula is genuinely different.
② Flavor Range — 100+ vs. ~18
This is where the comparison gets lopsided in a way that surprises most people. Torani is a massive brand with a huge overall flavor catalog. But specifically in the sugar-free category, they offer about 18 flavors total: roughly 10 in the Classic Sugar Free line (Vanilla, Caramel, Hazelnut, Coconut, Peppermint, Chocolate, Raspberry, etc.) and about 8 in the Puremade Zero Sugar line (Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, Salted Caramel, etc.).
Jordan's Skinny Mixes has over 100 sugar-free flavors. That's not a typo. Beyond the expected café flavors, they have Cotton Candy, Glazed Donut, Dragon Fruit Acai, Butter Toffee, Unicorn, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Pumpkin Spice, Cookie Dough, Rocket Pop, and seasonal collections that rotate through Harvest, Holiday, and Fantasy themes. The Brand also recently launched a Sugar Free Soda Syrup collection for DIY dirty sodas.
This matters for two reasons. First, variety keeps you from getting bored — which is the #1 reason people abandon sugar-free products. Second, creative flavors like Salted Caramel, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and Cotton Candy are the ones that make you forget you're drinking something sugar-free. Torani's sugar-free range covers the café basics well, but if you want to experiment beyond Vanilla and Caramel, Skinny Mixes is the only game in town.
③ Price Per Ounce — Skinny Mixes Wins by 15–35%
In the sugar-free syrup category, pricing breaks down like this:
Jordan's Skinny Mixes: $8.99 for a 750ml (25.4 oz) bottle = ~$0.35 per ounce. With the Bundle Builder (pick any 9 bottles, save 10%), that drops to ~$0.32 per ounce. The Naturally Sweetened line is $5.99 for 375ml (12.7 oz) = ~$0.47 per ounce.
Torani: Classic Sugar Free 750ml retails around $10–12 = ~$0.40–0.47 per ounce. Puremade Zero Sugar 750ml is $13.59 on torani.com = ~$0.53 per ounce (5% off at 3+ bottles, 10% off at 12+). The 12.7 oz bottles retail around $7–9.
On a per-ounce basis, Skinny Mixes is 15–35% cheaper depending on which Torani line you're comparing against. Over a year of daily use (roughly 6–8 bottles), that price difference adds up to $15–40 in savings — not life-changing, but meaningful when the products are functionally similar.
④ Brand DNA — Sugar-Free Specialist vs. Café Heritage
This difference matters more than it seems. Torani's DNA is the professional café. They spent 100 years building relationships with baristas, roasters, and café owners. Their syrups are formulated to perform in espresso drinks — they dissolve quickly in steamed milk, hold flavor through temperature changes, and play well with espresso's bitterness. The glass bottles look professional behind a café counter. Torani is the brand your barista probably uses, and that foodservice heritage shows in the product quality.
Jordan's Skinny Mixes' DNA is the health-conscious home consumer. The entire brand was built around one question: “Why can't sugar-free taste as good as regular?” The product development is driven by community input — seasonal collections are shaped by customer requests, flavors are designed for home use (coffee, shakes, yogurt, oatmeal, baking), and the marketing speaks directly to keto, diabetic, macro-counting, and weight-management communities. The PET bottles are lightweight, practical, and designed for a kitchen counter, not a café display. This is a brand that understands what it means to be on a diet and still want a treat — because that's the exact audience it was built for.
⑤ Natural Line Accessibility — Similar Concept, Different Execution
Both brands recognized that consumers wanted sugar-free syrups without artificial sweeteners, and both launched natural lines. But the execution is different enough to matter.
Torani Puremade Zero Sugar (launched 2019): ~8 flavors, 750ml glass bottles at $13.59 on torani.com. Sweetened with stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol. No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Uses interesting natural preservative alternatives (oregano, flaxseed, and plum extracts). Certified B Corp. Premium price point, premium packaging, core café flavors only.
Skinny Mixes Naturally Sweetened: Multiple flavors including Salted Caramel, Vanilla, and seasonal options. 375ml PET bottles at $5.99. Same stevia/monk fruit/erythritol sweetener base. No artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors. Uses sea salt and fruit/vegetable-based coloring. Smaller bottle, lower price point, lighter packaging. The Naturally Sweetened Salted Caramel has a 4.7/5 rating with 92% recommending. The smaller bottle is actually an advantage here — if you're trying a natural sweetener for the first time, a $5.99 trial is a lot more inviting than a $13.59 commitment.
What I Noticed Using Both for 3 Weeks
Week 1 — The Blind Test
I started with the most apples-to-apples comparison I could set up: Torani Sugar Free Classic Caramel vs. Jordan's Skinny Mixes Sugar Free Salted Caramel, both in the same oat milk latte, both at one tablespoon. The Torani was slightly sweeter and had a more one-note caramel flavor — straightforward, clean, professional. The Skinny Mixes version had the salt note that created more depth and made the aftertaste essentially disappear. In hot drinks, both dissolved instantly. In iced drinks, both integrated cleanly without pooling at the bottom.
Vanilla vs. Vanilla: closer. Torani's was slightly warmer and had more of a “baking vanilla” profile. Skinny Mixes' was cleaner and brighter. If I weren't paying attention, I might not have noticed a difference. But back-to-back, the Torani left a slightly longer sweet aftertaste — the Ace-K effect, I suspect.
Week 2 — The Range Test
This is where Skinny Mixes pulled ahead decisively. Once I wanted to go beyond Caramel and Vanilla, Torani's sugar-free shelf was basically done. They had Hazelnut (solid), Coconut (fine), Chocolate (thin), and a few others. Skinny Mixes had Brown Sugar Cinnamon (which became my second-favorite), Butter Toffee (surprisingly good in black coffee), Cotton Candy (a guilty pleasure in protein shakes), and a dozen more I hadn't even opened yet.
By the end of week 2, I was reaching for Skinny Mixes for every application — not because Torani was bad, but because I had more options. The Monday morning latte was Salted Caramel. Tuesday was Brown Sugar Cinnamon. Wednesday was Mocha. The variety itself became part of the experience. With Torani's sugar-free line, I'd have been rotating between three or four flavors and getting bored by week 3.
Week 3 — The Verdict Week
By week 3, the Torani bottle was about half full and the Skinny Mixes bottles were being cycled through rapidly. Not because Torani was worse — in fact, their Hazelnut might be slightly better than Skinny Mixes' version. But because the experience of choosing from 100+ flavors, rotating through seasonal options, and discovering new favorites kept me engaged in a way that 18 options simply couldn't.
I also tested both natural lines head-to-head. Torani Puremade Zero Sugar Salted Caramel ($13.59/750ml) vs. Skinny Mixes Naturally Sweetened Salted Caramel ($5.99/375ml). Torani's was slightly more intense and had a higher sodium content (110mg vs. Skinny Mixes' trace amount). Skinny Mixes' had a softer sweetness and virtually no aftertaste. Both were good. But at nearly half the per-ounce cost, Skinny Mixes' natural option is significantly easier to justify as a daily product rather than an occasional treat.
✅ Where Skinny Mixes Wins
Sugar-free flavor variety: 100+ flavors vs. ~18. Not even close. If you want to explore beyond Vanilla, Caramel, and Hazelnut, Skinny Mixes is the only option with meaningful range.
Cleaner sweetener profile: Sucralose only (no Ace-K) means less aftertaste risk and a more transparent ingredients list. Ace-K is the artificial sweetener most commonly flagged for bitter/metallic undertones.
Lower price per ounce: $0.35/oz vs. $0.40–0.53/oz. Over a year of daily use, that's $15–40 in savings.
Community-driven product development: Seasonal collections, Bundle Builder, and customer-requested flavors create an engagement loop that Torani's sugar-free line doesn't offer.
More accessible natural option: $5.99 for a 375ml trial bottle vs. $13.59 for a 750ml commitment. Lower barrier to trying a naturally sweetened product.
⚠️ Where Torani Wins
100 years of formula refinement: Torani has spent a century perfecting flavor formulas for professional baristas. Their Caramel and Vanilla are among the most well-tested flavoring syrups in the world — the flavor profiles are polished, consistent, and designed to integrate flawlessly with espresso.
Glass bottles (Puremade line): The 750ml glass bottles feel more premium, are better for the environment, and won't leach chemicals over time. Skinny Mixes uses PET plastic exclusively, which is lighter and more practical but less sustainable.
Certified B Corp: Torani has earned B Corp certification, demonstrating a verified commitment to social and environmental standards. Skinny Mixes has no equivalent certification.
Broader product ecosystem: If you want full-sugar syrups, sauces, purees, and smoothie mixes in addition to sugar-free options, Torani has a complete product range that Skinny Mixes can't match. Skinny Mixes is a specialist — the best in its category, but it's only one category.
Full Comparison Table
| Criteria | ⭐ Skinny Mixes SF | Torani Classic SF | ⭐ Skinny Mixes Natural | Torani Puremade ZS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sugar | 0g | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Carbs per serving | 0g | 0–1g | 6g (erythritol) | 3g (erythritol) |
| Sweetener | Sucralose only | Sucralose + Ace-K | Stevia + Monk Fruit | Stevia + Monk Fruit |
| SF flavor count | 100+ | ~10 | 10+ | ~8 |
| 750ml price | $8.99 | ~$10–12 | $5.99 (375ml) | $13.59 |
| Price per oz | ~$0.35 | ~$0.40–0.47 | ~$0.47 | ~$0.53 |
| Bottle material | PET plastic | PET / Glass | PET plastic | Glass |
| Bundle discount | Pick 9 = 10% off | 5% at 3+, 10% at 12+ | Pick 9 = 10% off | 5% at 3+, 10% at 12+ |
| Keto friendly | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Seasonal collections | ✅ Harvest, Holiday, Fantasy | Limited seasonal | ✅ | Limited |
| B Corp certified | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Who Should Choose Skinny Mixes
Anyone shopping specifically for sugar-free syrups — if the reason you're in this aisle is to find zero-calorie, zero-sugar flavoring, Skinny Mixes was built from the ground up for exactly that mission. It's not an afterthought line within a larger brand — it's the entire brand.
People who get bored with the same three flavors — if you know that variety is what keeps you committed to a sugar-free lifestyle, 100+ flavors and seasonal rotations will keep you engaged in ways that 18 flavors cannot.
Budget-conscious daily users — at $0.35/oz vs. $0.40–0.53/oz, the savings compound over months of daily use. The Bundle Builder makes bulk ordering easy and adds another 10% discount.
Anyone who wants to avoid Ace-K — if you prefer a single-sweetener formula with less aftertaste risk, Skinny Mixes' sucralose-only approach is the cleaner option.
People who use syrup beyond coffee — yogurt, oatmeal, shakes, baking, cocktails, sodas. Skinny Mixes' creative flavor range (Cotton Candy, Glazed Donut, Rocket Pop) opens up applications that traditional café flavors can't serve.
Who Should Choose Torani Instead
If you want both sugar-free and full-sugar syrups from one brand — Torani's product range covers everything: cane sugar syrups, sugar-free syrups, sauces, purees, and smoothie mixes. If you're stocking a home bar or a café and need the full spectrum, Torani's ecosystem is more complete.
If sustainability certifications matter to you — Torani's B Corp certification represents a verified, third-party commitment to social and environmental standards. If you buy based on company ethics as much as product quality, Torani has the documented credentials.
If you prefer glass bottles — Torani's Puremade line comes in 750ml glass bottles, which are more environmentally friendly, don't leach chemicals, and look better on a shelf. If plastic is a dealbreaker, Torani's glass option solves that.
🏆 Final Verdict
This isn't a case where one brand is clearly better than the other in every category. Torani is a legendary brand with a century of flavor expertise, premium glass packaging, B Corp certification, and the broadest product ecosystem in the syrup industry. It's the right choice if you want full-sugar and sugar-free options under one roof, care about sustainability credentials, or prefer the refinement of a foodservice-grade formula.
But for the specific question most readers are asking — “which brand makes better sugar-free syrups for home use?” — Jordan's Skinny Mixes wins on the metrics that matter most. More flavors (100+ vs. ~18). Lower price ($0.35/oz vs. $0.40–0.53/oz). Cleaner sweetener (sucralose only, no Ace-K). A more accessible natural line ($5.99 entry vs. $13.59). And a community-driven product development cycle that delivers new flavors every season instead of the same rotation year after year.
If I had to choose one brand to stock my kitchen with for the next year — sugar-free syrups only — Skinny Mixes wins that comparison by a meaningful margin. The 100+ flavor range alone is enough to prevent the flavor fatigue that kills most sugar-free routines. Add the lower price and the single-sweetener formula, and it's not a difficult call.
Rating: Skinny Mixes 4.6/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Torani SF 4.2/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
100+ Flavors. Zero Sugar. One Clear Winner.
Jordan's Skinny Mixes: the world's largest sugar-free syrup collection, starting at $0.18/cup.
Use code MADISON30 at checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jordan's Skinny Mixes better than Torani Sugar Free?
It depends on what matters most to you. Jordan's Skinny Mixes wins on sugar-free flavor variety (100+ options vs Torani's ~18), price per ounce ($0.35 vs $0.40–0.53), and having a naturally sweetened line available in the same size bottles. Torani wins on brand heritage (100 years vs ~15), foodservice presence (used in professional cafés worldwide), and having a broader overall product range including full-sugar syrups, sauces, purees, and smoothie mixes. For someone shopping specifically for sugar-free syrups to use at home, Skinny Mixes is the better value with more options.
What sweetener does Torani Sugar Free use?
Torani has two sugar-free lines with different sweeteners. The Classic Sugar Free line uses sucralose and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) — two artificial sweeteners combined for a sweeter taste. The Puremade Zero Sugar line uses stevia leaf extract, monk fruit, and erythritol — all natural sweeteners with no artificial ingredients. Jordan's Skinny Mixes uses sucralose alone in its standard sugar-free syrups (no Ace-K), and stevia plus monk fruit with erythritol in its Naturally Sweetened line.
Which has more sugar-free flavors — Skinny Mixes or Torani?
Skinny Mixes has significantly more. Jordan's Skinny Mixes offers over 100 sugar-free syrup flavors — the largest sugar-free syrup collection in the world — including creative options like Cotton Candy, Glazed Donut, Dragon Fruit Acai, and seasonal collections that rotate throughout the year. Torani offers approximately 18 sugar-free flavors total across its Classic Sugar Free and Puremade Zero Sugar lines, focused on core café flavors like Vanilla, Caramel, Hazelnut, and Peppermint.
How much does Torani Sugar Free syrup cost compared to Skinny Mixes?
For a 750ml (25.4 oz) bottle: Jordan's Skinny Mixes Sugar Free retails at $8.99 (~$0.35/oz), dropping to about $8.09 per bottle with the Bundle Builder (pick 9, save 10%). Torani Classic Sugar Free retails at approximately $10–12 for a 750ml bottle (~$0.40–0.47/oz). Torani Puremade Zero Sugar is $13.59 for a 750ml glass bottle (~$0.53/oz). Skinny Mixes' Naturally Sweetened line is $5.99 for a smaller 375ml bottle. Overall, Skinny Mixes is the more affordable option in both categories.
Does Torani have a natural sugar-free syrup line?
Yes. Torani launched the Puremade Zero Sugar line in October 2019. It uses stevia leaf extract, monk fruit, and erythritol as sweeteners, with no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. The line has about 8 flavors and comes in 750ml glass bottles at $13.59 on torani.com. Skinny Mixes' Naturally Sweetened line uses the same sweetener combination and is available in 375ml bottles at $5.99 — a smaller bottle but lower entry cost.
Can I use Torani Sugar Free and Skinny Mixes syrups interchangeably?
Yes, both work the same way — add 1–2 tablespoons to coffee, tea, shakes, yogurt, oatmeal, or any recipe calling for flavored syrup. Both are zero-calorie, sugar-free, and designed for the same applications. The main difference you'll notice is taste: Torani's Classic Sugar Free uses both sucralose and Ace-K, which creates a slightly sweeter, more intense profile. Skinny Mixes uses sucralose alone, which some people find cleaner with less aftertaste. Both store at room temperature and last 3–6 months after opening.
Are Torani Sugar Free syrups keto friendly?
The Classic Sugar Free line is fully keto friendly — 0 calories, 0g sugar, and 0g net carbs per serving. The Puremade Zero Sugar line has 0 calories and 0g sugar but contains 3g of total carbohydrates per serving (including 2g of sugar alcohols from erythritol), which most keto trackers exclude from net carb counts. Both lines are compatible with keto, diabetic, and low-carb diets, as are both of Skinny Mixes' lines.
Where can I buy Jordan's Skinny Mixes and Torani Sugar Free syrups?
Both brands are widely available. Jordan's Skinny Mixes sells direct at skinnymixes.com (use code MADISON30 for a discount), and is available at Walmart, Target, Amazon, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and over 10,000 retail locations. Torani sells direct at torani.com and is available at Walmart, Target, Amazon, Sam's Club, Costco, Staples, and through foodservice distributors. For the broadest sugar-free selection, Skinny Mixes' website has the most variety. For in-store availability of core flavors, Torani has a slight edge at club stores.
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