Not a Fan of Honey? Try These Alternatives Instead
Do you find yourself avoiding honey in your diet? Maybe you’re looking for new options to sweeten up your meals? Well, you’re in luck! There are plenty of alternatives that can add flavor and depth to your favorite dishes....
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Do you find yourself avoiding honey in your diet? Maybe you’re looking for new options to sweeten up your meals? Well, you’re in luck! There are plenty of alternatives that can add flavor and depth to your favorite dishes. And the best part? You don’t have to sacrifice taste or enjoyment. Let’s explore a few options together!
Maple Syrup
Image Credit: Canva.Anyone who likes to eat fresh, homemade pancakes and waffles for breakfast, knows that the best way to top them off is with real maple syrup. Its flavor profile usually has caramel, hazelnut, cinnamon, or vanilla notes layered within the woody taste of maple. And while its consistency is thicker, it’s actually a healthier alternative to honey because it contains fewer calories, less fructose sugar, and more minerals. It is also suitable for the vegan diet.
Agave Syrup
Image Credit: Canva.Agave nectar or syrup is made from the sap of the blue agave plant of Mexico. Once extracted, the sap undergoes heating and filtering to convert it into a vegan, natural sweetener that is fit for consumption. A lighter color is made from less heat and more filtration, while higher temperatures and less filtration give it a darker color.
Corn Syrup
Image Credit: Canva.Derived from the naturally occurring sugars in corn, this sweet syrup is made by combining corn starch with water, adding enzymes, and then introducing flavoring. The two varieties available are the mildly sweet, vanilla-flavored, transparent, light corn syrup; and the sweeter, molasses-flavored, caramel-colored, dark corn syrup.
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Golden Syrup
Image Credit: Canva.Golden syrup is made by inverting beet or cane sugar (sucrose) in water and adding an acidic ingredient. Also called treacle, the rich golden syrup comes in many grades, and is known for being thick, buttery, and caramel-like. You can use it on flapjacks, cookies, toffees, puddings, and of course, to make the famous golden syrup sponge pudding!
Date Syrup
Image Credit: Canva.Date paste or syrup is one of the oldest natural sweeteners, and it can be made at home if you have dates, water, and some lemon juice. It just takes blending them together to reach your desired consistency.
While generally more chunky and pasty than the average store-bought syrup, this not only vegan, but whole foods plant-based alternative is just as sweet as honey, and can be used in a 1:1 ratio when making substitutions.
Molasses
Image Credit: Canva.Molasses is the thick, dark, sticky syrup byproduct obtained during the manufacture of refined sugar from sugar cane or sugar beets. Black treacle is a dense syrup made from cane molasses, and is the British term for molasses. With an intense bitter-sweet taste and dark coloring, this is what is often used in Christmas puddings, toffee, fruit cakes, and other baked treats.
We use this to make our caramel apple crumble and caramel apple crisp pie.
Coconut Nectar / Coconut Syrup
Image Credit: Canva.Coconut nectar is made by drawing sap from coconut trees and boiling it till it reaches the desired viscosity.
On the other hand, coconut syrup is slightly more processed and involves the addition of coconut sugar to water. With low glycemic indexes and high micronutrient content, both are great honey replacement options.
Brown Rice Syrup
Image Credit: Canva.Brown rice syrup, rice malt, or rice syrup is considered one of the best substitutes for honey. Vegan, natural and gluten-free, it is a thick sugary syrup derived from fermented brown rice.
Substitute honey with the same amount of rice malt syrup in recipes as they have about the same level of sweetness consistency. It’s also safe to use for baking as well!
Barley Malt Syrup
Image credit: Canva.Mainly composed of maltose, this natural sweetener features heavily in vegan baking and is made by heating barley sprouts in vats till they form a dark, heavy, and concentrated syrup. It is considerably less sweet, with a malt-like taste similar to molasses.
Barley malt syrup is used the same way and in the same quantity, as you would honey. It has a similar consistency and you can replace it in your recipes without having to change too much about the recipe.
Liquid Stevia
Image Credit: Canva.Liquid stevia is a natural sweetener derived from the crushed leaves of the South American Stevia plant and is about 10-15 times sweeter than honey. This zero-calorie alternative has a glycemic index of 0. Just be cautious when adding it to your baking because it does tend to leave a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Vegan Honey
Image credit: Canva.Honey is not considered vegan because it is produced by bees, and consuming honey involves the exploitation of bees and their hives. But anyone else interested in trying can find a surprisingly wide variety, albeit their price is not budget-friendly.
If you want to try something other than the classic sweeteners from above, look at the store-bought products developed as vegan honey substitutes.
Homemade Honey Substitutes
Image credit: Vegan on Board.Yes, you can make a sweetener similar to honey in your own kitchen. Would you have guessed that you can turn apples, chamomile, dandelion, and corn cobs into honey? Here is a list of recipes you can try:
Get the recipes: honey substitutes
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