Substitutions
A concentrated sugar syrup made by bees, mostly fructose and glucose with about 17% water and a trace of acid. Its exact flavour depends on the flowers.
What it does in a recipe: Sweetness with humectant moisture, invert-sugar softness and fast browning, plus a floral flavour of its own. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Runny honey, Clear honey
Quick answer
Maple syrup
1 cup honey = 1 cup maple syrupAll substitutes, best first
1 cup honey = 1 cup maple syrupBoth are liquid sweeteners of similar viscosity and water content, so the moisture balance of the recipe barely moves.
Trade-offSlightly less sweet and noticeably thinner, with a distinct maple flavour instead of a floral one. Bakes brown a shade less aggressively.
1 cup honey = 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar + 1/4 cup extra liquidA cup of honey carries roughly a cup and a quarter of sugar plus about a quarter cup of water, so this rebuilds both halves of what honey was doing.
MethodUse whatever liquid the recipe already contains - milk, water, juice. Since sucrose browns more slowly than honey, you can return the oven to its original temperature.
Trade-offThe bake will be drier after a day or two, because sucrose does not hold onto water the way invert sugar does. The floral note is gone entirely.
1 cup honey = 1 cup agave nectar, then hold back 1-2 tbsp of the recipe's other liquidAgave is also an invert-heavy syrup, so it browns and softens much like honey, but it is thinner and a little sweeter per spoonful.
MethodKeep the oven 25°F (15°C) below the stated temperature, exactly as you would with honey.
Trade-offCleaner and more neutral than honey, which is an advantage in a fruit dish and a loss in anything where honey was the flavour.
1 cup honey = 1 cup golden syrupGolden syrup is partially inverted cane sugar, so it matches honey's viscosity, moisture and browning behaviour closely.
Trade-offButtery and caramel-toned rather than floral, and marginally less sweet. Works well in flapjacks and gingerbread, less well drizzled on yogurt.
1 cup honey = 1 cup date syrupComparable thickness and sugar concentration, so it behaves like honey in a batter or a marinade.
Trade-offMuch darker and strongly fruity, close to a mild molasses. It will take over anything delicate and turn pale batters brown.
Honey is not vegan. It is also unsuitable for children under one year old because of the risk of infant botulism, which no amount of baking reliably removes - use maple or golden syrup in anything intended for a baby.
At a glance
| Category | Sweeteners |
|---|---|
| Job in a recipe | Sweetness with humectant moisture, invert-sugar softness and fast browning, plus a floral flavour of its own |
| Suits | Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free, Alcohol-free |
| Swaps available for | Alcohol-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeGluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeVeganVegetarian |
| Number of substitutes | 5 |
Questions
1 cup honey = 1 cup maple syrup. Both are liquid sweeteners of similar viscosity and water content, so the moisture balance of the recipe barely moves. Slightly less sweet and noticeably thinner, with a distinct maple flavour instead of a floral one. Bakes brown a shade less aggressively.
1 cup honey = 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar + 1/4 cup extra liquid. A cup of honey carries roughly a cup and a quarter of sugar plus about a quarter cup of water, so this rebuilds both halves of what honey was doing. The bake will be drier after a day or two, because sucrose does not hold onto water the way invert sugar does. The floral note is gone entirely.
1 cup honey = 1 cup agave nectar, then hold back 1-2 tbsp of the recipe's other liquid. Agave is also an invert-heavy syrup, so it browns and softens much like honey, but it is thinner and a little sweeter per spoonful. Cleaner and more neutral than honey, which is an advantage in a fruit dish and a loss in anything where honey was the flavour.
1 cup honey = 1 cup golden syrup. Golden syrup is partially inverted cane sugar, so it matches honey's viscosity, moisture and browning behaviour closely. Buttery and caramel-toned rather than floral, and marginally less sweet. Works well in flapjacks and gingerbread, less well drizzled on yogurt.
Related
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.