A method of making sucralose includes maintaining a solution of a sucralose-6-acylate in an aqueous solvent at a temperature in a range from -20.degree. C. to 20.degree. C. and at a pH of at least 12.2 and less than 14.0 for a period of time sufficient to deacylate substantially all of the sucralose-6-acylate. The method may employ purified sucralose-6-acylate as the starting material, or the sucralose-6-acylate may be present in a quenched reaction mixture resulting from chlorination of a sucrose-6-acylate. The quenched reaction mixture may be exposed to deacylation conditions either before or after removal of a tertiary amide that may be present in it. Sucralose is subsequently recovered to complete the process.