Last Updated on March 21, 2024 by Michelle
I bake with both maple syrup and sugar. But today’s culture is over-sugared. Most of us know this, and we’re looking for the best substitute for sugar in baking.
So I use a lot more maple syrup these days and a lot less refined sugar.
Baking with maple syrup and sugar
What if I could suggest a substitute for sugar in your baking that is superior to refined sugar in every ways?
There are many all-natural sugars that are superior to sugar, honestly. Go here to help you decide potentially the best sugar to use.
But for our family, hands-down, maple syrup is tops, for nutrition, and availability (we are sugarmakers, afterall), and taste.
How do maple syrup and sugar compare?
… Maple syrup is actually sweeter than refined sugar…
… It will add fewer calories to your baking than refined sugar…
… It’s all-natural and completely un-processed…
… It has minerals that contribute to your overall health…
And it’s flowing right now in a tree near you!
Yep, while writing Sweet Maple, I did a lot of reading, and research, and interviewed a lot of smart people who have spent decades studying the process of making syrup and the content of syrup, and everyone agrees.
Maple syrup is good stuff.
For amazing maple-infused recipes, grab a copy of my book, Sweet Maple. And you’ll love my course too, Making Maple Sugar, if you want to know every detail about all things maple.
How much syrup is equal to sugar?
In general, you’ll only about 2/3 to 3/4 cups of maple syrup for every 1 cup of sugar that your recipe calls for. But there are a few other things to keep in mind, so keep reading.
Is sugar made from syrup?
The only sugar that is made from real, all-natural syrup is a genuine all-natural maple sugar or date sugar.
If you’re thinking of the regular white sugar in most American kitchens, rest assured not only is that sugar NOT made from all-natural syrup, but it’s highly processed. Both cane sugar and beet sugar are grown conventionally with anhydrous ammonia and both produce very simple sugars. We break down the two different options and explain more in the article I’ll link here:
Is syrup better for you than sugar?
Hands-down, all-natural maple syrup is always going to be better for you than processed, refined, bleached sugar.
Why use syrup instead of sugar?
Because it is all-natural, made with one ingredient, and not processed or refined, maple syrup is my sweetener of choice whenever possible. Find 10 reasons this is the best sweetener you could ever use right here.
So how do you bake with maple syrup?
Maple syrup is fantastic to bake with, as long as you know a few important basics. The substitution isn’t too difficult. Just remember the 3 “R”s:
Replace … Because maple is sweeter than refined sugar, you’ll want to use less. For every cup of sugar, you’ll only need about 2/3 to 3/4 cups of maple syrup.
Remove… Because you’re substituting a liquid sugar for a dry sugar, you will have to make a little adjustment in your recipe. You’ll want to find about 3 tablespoons worth of liquid that you can take out of the recipe.
Reduce… Because maple syrup caramelizes at a lower temperature than refined sugar, you’ll probably want to reduce your oven temperature by about 25°F.
Then go here for a very handy conversion chart for syrup and sugar (and you should probably pin the conversion chart right here).
I was elated to explain all the goodness of baking with maple–as well as demonstrate 3 of my favorite recipes in Sweet Maple–in the Northeastern Xhibition Kitchen, in Boston. Click here to watch that live stream from last week, via Northeastern’s facebook page.
Where’s a good place to start?
Don’t worry if you don’t feel like figuring out the details. You can start right here. I’ve done the hard work and recipe testing for you on these recipes:
Download the most popular recipe from my book–Maple Sandwich Bread, right here.
A Giant Maple Cookie in Cast Iron
And you’ll need the best syrup.
If you decide you want to start baking with maple syrup more often, I highly recommend this amazing syrup. Use code SOULYRESTED to save $$$.
If I’ve started a new obsession for you? I’m sorry. But you’re welcome.
Because there is so much more to do with maple syrup in addition to baking with it! I have jars of various maple sugar and maple candy at the ready on my kitchen counter at all times. (Find out how to make your own maple candy right here.) Cause this is important stuff y’all.
And there’s more…
For more about our family’s experience baking with maple, you might like this… Glenda Lehman asked me if I’d write something for them last month about baking with maple. You can read that article right here.
Did you know there are more than 30 varieties of tappable trees? (Find out what trees can be tapped for syrup here.) And at least one tappable tree is available in every state of the US except Hawaii (but there you can collect nectar from palm tree blooms for making syrup)! Dive into Maple Syrup University and you’ll know all you need to know to tap a tree and make your own syrup!
Click images below for more info…
Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food. Genesis 2:9
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Glance at my Resource Page if you’d like to get a glimpse of all the supplies I use and recommend for everything from gardening, to homeschooling, to chicken care, to nature journaling, to maple syrup making.
I’d love to connect!
To find me in some other neck of the woods, just click any (or every!) icon below:
And grab my gift to you–the most popular recipe in my book–my Maple Sandwich Bread recipe right here.
I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of your book ‘sweet maple’ when it comes out in Oct!
Folks keep telling me it’ll be here before I know if, but I’m resigned to the fact that October 1st will simply never get here. 🙂 It’s been a long time in the works, but surely some day you and I both will indeed hold a copy in our hands. 🙂