Six Sweet Alternatives to Corn Syrup

As you’re about to prepare your mother’s well-known pecan pie, you notice that one essential ingredient is missing: corn syrup. You start to wonder, exactly, what corn syrup is. This syrup is created from corn, the glucose of which is extracted and refined to produce a light, thick syrup consisting solely of glucose.

Although corn syrup can be used to make a variety of baked products and sweets, including confectionery, it is most frequently used to make chocolate sauce, as it avoids the formation of sugar crystals.

Reach for a corn syrup substitute (there are several to pick from) rather than giving up and throwing in the towel on baking your pecan pie altogether. Look through your cupboard; chances are you have one or two of them waiting in the wings. To ensure you never have to give up on a pie again, check out our advice on 6 sweet corn syrup substitutions.

1. Agave Nectar

Agave nectar, a syrup derived from the fluids inside the blue agave plant, is the greatest alternative to corn syrup. It is not only a better natural sweetener for diabetics than corn syrup, but it also tastes less sweet than other sweeteners, which makes it a fantastic equal substitute for corn syrup in recipes like pie or chocolate sauce.

2. Brown Rice Syrup

The reason brown rice syrup is so popular in candy making is because it keeps crystals from forming. It is made by dissolving rice starches into simple sugars and boiling them to create a syrup.

Although brown rice syrup’s nutty flavor can remind you of cooked rice, its viscosity is similar to corn syrup, making it an easy 1:1 swap. As such, employ caution when incorporating brown rice syrup into baked products and sweets.

3. Golden Syrup

This pantry staple from Britain tastes lighter and more buttery than other corn syrup alternatives, and because it shares the same molecular characteristics as corn syrup, it may also be used to produce candies. Golden syrup works well as a sweet drizzle over warm cake or as a 1:1 substitute for corn syrup in most baking recipes and desserts.

4. Honey

Honey is the most widely used substitute for corn syrup due to its comparable sweetness and consistency as well as its capacity to hold onto moisture, even though it may not be the best option overall.

Although honey has a distinct flavor of its own and can be used in equal parts with corn syrup in sweet recipes, you might want to try a softer honey substitute, such as acacia or clover, to avoid having your pecan pie taste too much like honey.

5. Cane Syrup

Made by straining the liquid from raw cane sugar, this widely used ingredient in southern cookery has a flavor similar to molasses and can be used in place of corn syrup in proportionate amounts. Cane syrup works well in place of corn syrup in any other sweet or baked food, but it won’t work for manufacturing candy because it won’t stop crystallization.

6. Maple Syrup

Although nothing beats maple syrup for a stack of fluffy pancakes, maple syrup can actually take the place of corn syrup in most baked products and desserts, with the exception of candy-making. Be aware that maple syrup has a stronger, earthier flavor than corn syrup, so your finished product may taste different overall when using it in place of corn syrup.

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