Yes, you can make a beautiful chilled bird's nest with no added sugar. Prepare the nest the usual way, sweeten it with monk fruit instead of rock sugar, chill it well, and spoon it over ripe summer peaches. It is light, cooling, and lets the fruit do most of the sweetening.
Key takeaways
- Monk fruit is a plant-based sweetener with zero sugar, zero calories, and a glycemic index of zero, so it adds sweetness without any sugar.
- Prepare the nest the classic way, soak 4 to 6 hours or overnight, then double-boil about 40 minutes, and stir the monk fruit in while it is still warm.
- Peak US peach season runs from about mid-July through August, so July is an ideal time for this chilled bowl.
- Monk fruit is intensely sweet and is often blended with erythritol, so start with a small amount and check the label.
Why monk fruit and peaches
Rock sugar is the traditional partner for edible bird's nest, but it is not the only one. Monk fruit is a small green gourd whose extract is roughly 250 times sweeter than table sugar, with no sugar and no calories. Used in place of rock sugar, it gives a clean sweetness and keeps the dish free of added sugar for anyone cutting back. Sweet, in-season peaches bring natural sweetness of their own, so you need very little.
What you will need
- 1 piece dried edible bird's nest (about 8 to 14 g)
- Monk fruit sweetener, to taste (start with about 1 teaspoon of a granular monk fruit blend)
- 1 ripe yellow or white peach (nectarines work too), sliced
- Clean water, for soaking and double-boiling
- Optional: a few mint leaves
How to make it
- Soak. Cover the dried nest with clean, room-temperature water and soak 4 to 6 hours, or overnight, until the strands fully expand and separate.
- Rinse. Drain and gently rinse to lift away any fine feathers, then loosen the strands with your fingers.
- Double-boil. Place the nest in a heatproof bowl with fresh water, set the bowl inside a larger pot of simmering water, cover, and double-boil about 40 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Sweeten. While it is still warm, stir in monk fruit a little at a time until it tastes right. It dissolves much like sugar.
- Chill. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.
- Serve. Spoon the chilled nest into a bowl, arrange fresh peach slices on top, and finish with mint if you like.
Prefer honey? A flavor variation
If you would rather have a warmer, floral note than a no-sugar bowl, stir a little honey into the nest at the end instead of double-boiling it in. This is a flavor change, not a low-sugar one, since honey is still a sugar, but it is a lovely match for stone fruit.
Tips for the best bowl
- Choose peaches that smell fragrant and give slightly when pressed; they will be sweeter and juicier.
- Monk fruit blends are usually a 1 to 1 swap for sugar by volume, but because pure extract is so sweet, taste as you go.
- Keep any leftover cooked nest covered in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 to 5 days.
- For more no-added-sugar ideas, see our low-sugar bird's nest sweetened with monk fruit, part of our Low-Sugar and Monk Fruit recipes.
Prefer to start from a clean, whole white nest? Our 5A white nest and specialty nest collections are a good place to begin.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make bird's nest without any sugar?
Yes. Prepare the nest as usual and sweeten it with monk fruit, a zero-sugar, zero-calorie sweetener, or let ripe fruit provide the sweetness for a bowl with no added sugar.
Does monk fruit change how the nest cooks?
No. Double-boil the nest the same way and simply stir monk fruit in at the end. It dissolves like sugar and does not affect the texture.
What does monk fruit taste like?
Clean and very sweet, without a strong aftertaste. Because it is so concentrated, a little goes a long way, so add it gradually to taste.
