7 Sugar Substitutes You Should ALWAYS Have In Your Kitchen
Giving up sugar - the granulated kind that most people bake with but everyone says is TERRIBLE for you - is ridiculously hard. It’s not, however, impossible. There are tons of natural and artificial sweeteners available these days, but we find some of them way too artificial tasting, or straight up inedible. Here are our favorite sugar substitutes.
1) Honey
Honey can relieve coughs and allergies (if it’s local). Plus, it has antioxidants that help lessen the risk of cancer and heart disease. Beyond health benefits, its one of the most accessible and affordable ingredients on this list. Besides drizzling it over yogurt or oatmeal, we bake with it when whatever we’re making isn’t supposed to be super sweet (like this stuffed cornbread!). And we’re constantly whisking it into vinaigrettes (along with Dijon mustard) and sauces (especially when there’s garlic involved).
2) Maple Syrup
With notes of caramel and vanilla, maple is an amazing sugar substitute when baking quick breads, especially banana! (If you want to use it in a recipe that calls for granulated sugar, we recommend reducing the amount of maple syrup slightly.) It's also way better than brown sugar when it comes to sweetening both oatmeal and granola. Not a sweets person? Maple syrup is great in spicy or mustardy marinades and works especially well for pork. (Obviously, this includes bacon.)
3) Agave
Though agave syrup is higher in calories than regular cane sugar, it’s noticeably sweeter so you’re likely to need less. It also has relatively low glycemic index (GI) value, meaning it takes longer to break down in your bloodstream. We like to keep it in our cupboard for Fridays after 5pm, when all we really want is a good margarita or mojito slushy.
Applesauce Spice Bread
And it's totally healthy, so snack without guilt.
Get the recipe from Chelsea's Messy Apron.
5) Coconut Sugar
Believe it or not, whether or not you’re not a coconut fan is completely irrelevant - it doesn’t taste like coconut at all! It looks similar to brown sugar (with much less moisture) and it’s less processed. The substitution ratio is 1:, making this a great option for baking treats like cookies and brownies. But don’t go thinking that it’s super healthy. In terms of calories and carb content, it’s basically same as white sugar.
6) Dried Dates
Dried dates pack a considerable amount of calories (most of which come from carbs), but they also have a significant amount of fiber and antioxidants as well as some v impressive vitamins. Processed, we love them in no-bake energy bites (aka healthy truffles) and smoothies.
Our assistant food editor is also a big fan of date sugar. (Yes, that exists!) It’s made of bigger crystals, so expect some added texture if you’re baking with it. Also to note: date sugar doesn’t dissolve. Great for oatmeal but maybe not-so-great for coffee.
7) Swerve
For all our keto fans, this zero-calorie sweetener is for you! We’re not totally in love with most ketogenic friendly sugar alternatives tbh. But out out of all of them, Swerve is our favorite. It’s pretty sweet but not sickingling so, and there’s a very minimal aftertaste (a big deal compared to some of the options in the supermarket these days.)
Have your cake - and your waistline too.