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Maple syrup is an awesome natural sweetener, and also known as an unrefined sweetener. However, not everyone can have maple syrup, and sometimes, there’s only a few drops left in the bottle. If you need a great substitute for maple syrup, I’m going to go over a wide range of options. First, let’s look at what maple syrup is all about.

About Maple Syrup

Some say maple syrup has caramel notes whilst some feel it has a bit of a nutty flavor. More than anything, most types of maple syrup have a sweet taste. Some types, especially Grade B syrups, can have some bitter notes. It’s a popular topping for pancakes, French toast, and waffles, and is even sometimes used in salad dressings.

Real maple syrup is a very delicious syrup that has a decent amount of body (think about how thin water is compared to maple syrup). It pairs well with a wide range of ingredients, especially some types of alcohol, pears, pecans, and walnuts. If you ever find yourself combining maple syrup with other ingredients, you should avoid adding more sugar, as this can be overly sweet.

If you’ve never experienced maple extract, find an excuse to give it a try. Honestly, it’s like someone bottled up a stack of pancakes from your childhood and put it in a jar. At least, that’s what it smells like to me (I can’t eat it due to allergies, but have developed quite a few recipes with it).

The Best Substitutes Will be Liquid Sweeteners

When you’re selecting a good substitute for maple syrup, it’s critical to remember that it’s a liquid sweetener. There are two types of sweeteners: liquid and granulated. Granulated sweeteners are grains you can hold in your hand such as cane sugar or coconut sugar.

If you really want to see the difference in action, bake a batch of cookies. Scale the recipe down to use one cup of sugar. Make a batch with the cup of sugar and another batch with a cup of maple syrup or a cup of honey (or other liquid sweetener). The end results will blow your mind. The final texture of the cookies will be wildly different, and there’s a good chance that your liquid sweetened cookie won’t have crispy edges.

Knowing that, to get a similar consistency and similar texture when substituting, the rule is “liquid for liquid and granulated for granulated”.

Each Substitute Will Have a Different Flavour Profile

Maple syrup is made from the sap of maple trees and is transformed into a lovely thick syrup with a sweet taste. Honestly, there isn’t a single substitute that will replicate the unique flavor of maple syrup exactly. However, other liquid sweeteners can replace the function of maple syrup in your recipes.

If you need ingredients that are lower glycemic index foods, stick with other unrefined sweeteners such as honey or date syrup. Some maple syrup alternatives won’t be the best choice due to the processing of the product, or the properties of the source ingredient. Here’s a list of liquid sweeteners to get you started:

Agave Nectar (sometimes called agave syrup)
Apple Syrup
Brown Rice Syrup
Coconut Nectar
Corn Syrup (not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup)
Date Syrup
Golden Syrup
Honey (not a vegan product)
Molasses (dark molasses, light molasses, blackstrap molasses)
Sorghum Syrup
Sweet Potato Syrup (yup, that’s a thing)
Yacon Syrup

If you’re replacing maple syrup in large amounts, you may want to use a swap that’s lighter in flavour, as to avoid overwhelming your tastebuds. For example, molasses is sweet and bitter, and has a “loud” presence, meaning you know it’s in the recipe. Dates on the other hand are very sweet and pair well with a wide range of flavours without leaving a bad aftertaste. These features will help you determine which substitute will be best in the recipe.

Additionally, some of these swaps work better in cooking rather than baking. You’ll also want to factor in cost when choosing a maple syrup alternative. Some of my top picks are pretty pricey when compared ounce for ounce to maple syrup.

Delicious Recipes Featuring Dates

If you’re looking for a tasty recipe that doesn’t call for maple syrup, here are a few my kids absolutely love. Dates are an amazing maple syrup alternative, and date syrup is one of the best maple syrup substitutes in my humble opinion. These recipes have a rich, deep flavor, and are easy to make.

Amazing Recipes Featuring Honey

I’m sure you’ve seen honey listed as a maple syrup substitute quite often. Whilst it doesn’t have a similar flavor, it has a nearly identical function. These recipes are all gluten free, allergy friendly, and call for honey instead of maple. When using honey in recipes, be bold and branch out. Different types of honeys offer different health benefits and flavour profiles.

Dairy Free Honey Almond Meat Sauce Recipe
Honey Thyme Corn Free “Corn Bread” Recipe (amazing faux corn bread for people with a corn allergy)
Paleo Lemon Honey Pork
Egg Free Honey Graham Crackers
Fig & Honey Balsamic Bacon Pizza (my kids say this is one of the best pizza recipes I’ve ever made)
Gluten Free Honey Oat Loaf
Gluten Free Honey Lavender Cookies
Honey Ginger Salmon

Answering Your Maple Syrup Substitute Questions

If a recipe calls for a cup of maple syrup, what’s the best maple syrup substitute for that recipe?

Before you can decide, you have to think about the flavour profile and application of the maple syrup. For example, if it were a pecan pie, I would opt for agave syrup, date syrup, or corn syrup. I may even do a combination to make sure the flavour is balanced.

If it’s a BBQ sauce recipe, any liquid sweetener would work because overall, you won’t taste the flavour of the substitute, rather the sweetness. Molasses would be the exception in this case due to the bitterness. Knowing that, you’ll need to pick a good option based on the final outcome.

In terms of performance, any liquid sweetener should be able to stand in the place of maple syrup without an issue. The recipe will still function, unless the recipe developer has specifically said not to use something. It’s possible they’ve tested out several options and found that some don’t work as well as others.

Can I make a brown sugar syrup and use that in place of maple syrup in a recipe?

It depends. A brown sugar syrup is a type of simple syrup and can be a great alternative to maple syrup in beverages. Traditionally, simple syrups are used more as glazes, as they have a different viscosity when compared to a full bodied syrup such as maple syrup. If you’re using it as a glaze, it can be applied to fruit, vegetables, meat, cakes, and anything else you’d impart a richer, sweeter flavour to.

Additionally, in terms of sweetness, you may find that a simple syrup in large amounts is too much to handle. Rather than use a brown sugar syrup, I’d opt for something like date syrup or coconut nectar. Both of these will have a deeper, richer flavour, a good level of sweetness, and the body you’re aiming to replace.

Is pancake syrup the same thing as maple syrup?

No, traditionally, they aren’t the same thing. Most pancake syrups sold in your local grocery store are going to contain ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup, caramel color, artificial ingredients, and so on. In fact, when we compare the nutrition stats, pure maple syrup will be a healthier alternative to pancake syrup.

If you’d like to make something like pancake syrup at home, start with a liquid sweetener I listed above (not molasses) and add vanilla extract and a little cinnamon. Play around with different flavour combinations each time until you settle on a few options that you love. If you want molasses in your syrup, add a small amount to your mix, but it shouldn’t be the main attraction.

Can I use maple extract in place of maple syrup in a recipe?

No, you absolutely cannot. Let’s look at why. Maple extract, whilst not a common ingredient, functions a lot like vanilla extract. You’ll use somewhere between 1 teaspoon and a few Tablespoons in a recipe to add a more robust flavour.

If a recipe calls for 85mL (3 ounces) of maple syrup and you used the same amount of maple extract instead, you’d have a super gross mess on your hand. Extracts are often made with some kind of alcohol. The alcohol content is usually liquor based, or sugar based (sugar beets, corn sugar, cane sugar, etc). You’re now looking at having several ounces of alcohol in your recipe, rather than a sweetener.

When working with extracts, remember to use them in an amount that will enhance the final flavours without imparting a negative aftertaste.

Would barley malt syrup be an ideal substitute for maple syrup in a recipe?

It’s going to depend on how much maple syrup you’re replacing. In small amounts up up 2 Tablespoons, barley malt syrup could be an excellent alternative in your recipe. That assumes you enjoy the taste of barley malt syrup and know that it won’t clash with the rest of the recipe.

In larger amounts (think several ounces), no, it won’t be a good substitute. You’ll want to choose something else that’s a bit more versatile such as brown rice syrup, honey, agave, date syrup, or coconut nectar.

Malt does have light, sweet, and almost grainy flavour to it. If you really want to have that flavour present in your recipe, use a bit of malt along with another liquid sweetener.

Can I use keto maple syrup in place of maple syrup in recipes?

Usually, yes, However, it depends on a few factors. First, what’s the keto syrup made from? A lot of products claiming to be healthy maple syrup substitutes can have a negative health impact when consumed in large amounts. For example, a lot of inulin based products can cause severe GI discomfort in some people. So you’ll need to assess how much of this sweetener you’f be using, but also consuming in one go. It’s one thing to use a couple of teaspoons as a pancake topping. It’s totally different to use 2 cups of it in your baked goods.

Do the math and see how much of the keto sweetener you’d be consuming in one portion of your recipe. If the amount is too great, you’ll need to use a different substitute.

Personally, I don’t use these types of sweeteners since I’m severely allergic to corn and they all contain corn derivatives. For more information, I suggest reaching out to Keto recipe developers who can provide more guidance.

What’s the best maple syrup replacement when cooking?

In cooking, maple syrup can be used to create a sticky texture or add a sweet flavor to your dish. Depending on the recipe, I think date syrup is a great option. Honey may seem like a good choice as well, however, in large amounts, honey has a very distinct flavor. If you were to use a cup of honey in your recipe instead of maple syrup, you’d be creating a different flavor than what the recipe intended.

If your recipe uses 60mL (2 ounces) or less of maple syrup, any of the liquid sweeteners on my list above would be a great choice (with the exception of molasses). Once you go above 2 ounces, you’ll need to think about the final flavour profile you’re trying to achieve. You’ll also want to make sure you’ve selected a sweetener that gives the dish the right amount of sweetness you’re looking for. As an example, molasses wouldn’t be a good choice, as it’s usually on the bitter side, and in large amounts it will overwhelm your recipe.

I’m making maple garlic chicken. Can I use raw honey in place of the maple?

Yes, you can, and it will taste amazing. Make sure your honey tastes great, because there’s a good chance you’ll need a large amount of it. When honey is used in large amounts, not everyone enjoys the taste. If needed, you can use a combination of honey and another liquid sweetener such as apple syrup.

Best Maple Syrup Substitutes for Cooking and Baking