An increasing number of people are choosing to use all-natural honey as a sweetener over processed sugar. Not only is honey more nutritious than white sugar, but it also has a richer flavor profile. So, we're excited to share with you all the essential tips and tricks for seamlessly substituting honey for sugar in any recipe. You'll find it's much simpler than you might have thought!
Note: The content of this article does not reflect the Writer's personal beliefs.
What is honey exactly?
Honey is a natural product that is made by bees. The bee collects nectar from flowers and then takes it to the hive where it is broken down and stored as honey.
Honey has been used as a sweetener for centuries and it is a popular choice for many people who are looking for a natural alternative to sugar. Honey is sweeter than sugar and has a unique flavor that can enhance the taste of various foods.
In the pastry chefs´ world, honey is natural inverted sugar that retains moisture and keeps the baked good moist longer as well as increases the shelf life of the desserts.
Please do not confuse honey with golden syrup. While they are similar in texture and color, honey is a natural product made from nectar while sugar is made from cane or beet juice that has been processed to remove impurities.
Honey vs. Sugar
Honey is a natural product made from nectar while granulated sugar is made from cane or beet juice that has been processed to remove impurities.
Sugar is 100% sucrose, a combination of glucose and fructose. On the other hand, honey primarily contains fructose, which is sweeter than sucrose. This makes honey sweeter than sugar, approximately 1.3 times sweeter. So, you should less honey to achieve the same level of sweetness as you would with sugar. Honey also has a distinctive flavor that slightly tastes different depending on the ingredient (the nectar).
Also read: Sugar Guide for Baking
Is honey healthier than sugar?
Honey is considered a healthier alternative to sugar. Is this true? Let's take a look at the facts!
Honey has a slightly lower glycemic index than sugar. It means that both of them, as other simple carbohydrates, can raise blood sugar quickly, but the sugar will do it slightly faster than honey.
Honey is approximately 1.3x sweeter than sugar, so you can use less of it to achieve the same level of sweetness. However, the total calories per ml (volume) are not hugely different. Honey has about 20 calories per teaspoon while white sugar has about 16 calories.
The big difference between honey and sugar is how they are made. Honey is a natural by-product while sugar is considered to be processed food therefore honey is often considered to be the healthier, more natural option.
In conclusion, honey is slightly healthier than sugar, however, they both should be consumed with limitations. And if you have diabetes, substituting sugar for honey might not serve significant benefits.
What kind of honey is best for baking?
When it comes to baking, light and mild honey is generally the best choice. Darker honey usually tastes stronger and it can change the color of your food. If you are, however, intentionally looking for honey that will add a unique flavor to your food, then choose honey with a strong flavor such as buckwheat honey.
There are different types of honey that you can use in baking:
- Alfalfa honey. This honey is light in color and has a mild, buttery flavor. You can use this honey for various baking recipes from cookies to pies.
- Clover honey. It's a great option for baking recipes due to its light color and mild flavor.
- Sourwood honey. It has a light amber color and a delicate flavor of buttery caramel and spice. It's a good option for dessert recipes that include spices.
- Amber honey. It varies in color. It has some caramel flavor which is perfect for bread recipes.
- Buckwheat honey. It's a dark honey with a strong flavor of malt and molasses. You can use this for dark-colored desserts.
- Avocado honey. It's a dark honey with a rich, buttery, sweet, and molasses-like flavor. It has an earthy undertone so it's good for dessert recipes that accentuate nut flavors.
- Wildflower honey. It's made of nectar from various flowers. Thus, it has a complex, flavorful taste. It's sweeter than buckwheat honey and it's great for various baking recipes!
What happens if you use honey instead of sugar in baking
In some baking recipes, it's possible to replace sugar with honey. However, there are several factors to bear in mind. Substitute honey for sugar in pancakes for example a much easier swap, than in muffins or cakes, simply because sugar has more functions in desserts than just a sweetener.
Honey has a distinctive flavor while sugar is simply sweet and almost odorless. Depending on what type of honey you're using, it can bring a unique flavor to your desserts, be it molasses, floral, or even fruity flavor.
Also, since honey is acidic, it may neutralize the baking soda and prevent your dessert from rising properly. Thus, you will need to balance it by adding a little bit of baking soda.
Remember that honey also contains some water so adding honey to your cookie dough might require you to reduce other liquid ingredients.
If you choose to substitute honey for sugar in baking, expect your baked goods to turn out darker and sweeter as honey contains a higher amount of sugar which means it burns faster than regular white sugar.
Finally, remember that honey is thicker and heavier than sugar so when a recipe states "cream butter with sugar", you won´t be able to perform this step with honey. Generally, it is safer to replace sugar with honey for dark-colored desserts when the original recipe calls for brown sugar.
Sugar to Honey Conversion
Honey is different from sugar in terms of sweetness level, liquid content, and acidity. Honey also caramelizes faster than sugar. Therefore if you want to substitute honey for sugar, try your best to follow these rules:
- Replace 200g / 1 cup of sugar with 152g / ¾ cup of honey. This is just a generic rule considering that honey is 1.3x sweeter, but some desserts don't require too much sweetness so you might want to add less amount of honey and the make dessert even healthier
- Reduce ¼ cup of liquid for every cup of honey used. Honey is liquid so if the other liquid ingredient is not reduced, the batter or dough can be a little bit too wet which can result in a dense product.
- Add approx. ¼ teaspoon baking soda for every cup of honey added. Honey is acidic so you will need to counteract the acidity by slightly adding the alkaline ingredient.
- Reduce the oven temperature by 10 C / 50 F and increase the baking time. This rule is especially important when you use more than ½ cup of honey. Honey caramelizes faster than sugar. Thus, you will need to slightly lower the temperature and increase the baking time
Check the original Substitute Honey For Sugar article for a sugar-to-honey conversion chart.
Expert tips on baking with honey
- Honey and sugar taste different so although the baked goods will become sweet, expect the overall flavor profile to change.
- If using honey to replace sugar, expect the baked goods to look slightly darker.
- You can taste the batter or dough before baking to see if it needs more sweetness.
Check the original Substitute Honey For Sugar article for more expert tips.
When is it not possible to substitute honey for sugar?
There are many caveats when it comes to replacing sugar with honey. When the recipe requires creaming butter with sugar (eg. cakes, cupcakes, frosting), you can't just easily replace sugar with honey. Sugar helps the process of incorporating some air into the batter to increase the volume of the baked goods and provide some structure.
Honey is dense and heavy so it won't be able to do the job. You can still add honey to the mixture as a flavoring and sweetening agent, but not to completely replace the sugar.
So, avoid substituting honey for sugar when making delicate sponge cakes, buttercream frosting, meringue, and meringue-based recipes such as macarons.
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This article was originally published as Substitute Honey For Sugar at Spatula Desserts.
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