Guide to Using Liquid Natural Sweeteners In Place of Sugar

For a long time I have not been buying sugar. I have decided to find natural sweeteners to use in its place in the various recipes that I make that call for sugar. I refuse to use any artificial sweeteners for their adverse effects on your health. The reason that I am avoiding sugar is for my health, and it would be silly to replace it with something else just as harmful. Thankfully, there is a huge variety of natural sweeteners to choose from and a lot of them are liquid sweeteners.

Lately we have been using liquid natural sweeteners in place of sugar. There are lots of natural liquid sweeteners and they include agave nectar, barley malt, honey, maple syrup, molasses, rice syrup and fruit juice concentrates. Agave nectar comes in three different grades and it ideal for recipe where you don't want the added flavor of honey or maple syrup. If you are replacing sugar with agave nectar keep in mind that it is one and a half times sweeter. This makes it a nice choice because you won't have to use as much, making it quite cost effective. Another choice is barley malt, which actually takes three times as much when replacing sugar. I often see barley malt used in hearty breads and cereals so I would use it in heartier recipes. It is a dark sweetener that offers a bold taste. Requiring more than sugar does not make it cost effective however it does contain vitamins and minerals, like molasses.

Molasses is one of my own personal favorites of liquid sweeteners because of its high levels of calcium, iron and potassium. I also enjoy the taste that it offers which can be compare to real black licorice. If you are choosing either honey or maple syrup as your natural liquid sweeteners make sure they are one hundred percent real. I don't think that rice is sweet but rice syrup actually offers some good sweet flavor. It is a mild sweetener and is better for replacing honey for sugar because of its mild taste. Fruit juice concentrates are something that I have used to sweeten granola. They have a very mild flavor, and are stripped of a lot of their nutrition, because of the process of preserving them and are not all that cost effective for replacing sugar.

Usually you will not be using the same amount of a liquid natural sweetener in a recipe calls for sugar. For every half of a cup of sugar you need to use one and a half of a cup of barley malt. Rice syrup is nearly the same, except that for every one-half of a cup of sugar you need one and one-fourth of a cup rice syrup. Fruit juice concentrates can use the same amount of sugar that the recipe calls for but depending on the fruit flavor and brand they all may not bring the same amount of sweetness to the table. Maple syrup too can use the same amount for the sugar required in a recipe, but keep in mind it brings a stronger and stronger maple taste with every cup added. Honey and molasses only require one-third of a cup for every half of a cup of sugar that a recipe calls for. There are some things to think about when choosing a liquid natural sweetener.

There are few things to keep in mind when choosing a liquid natural sweetener to replace sugar. Consider what extra flavors they will be adding to the recipe, such as maple in maple syrup or the strong flavors in barley malt, molasses and even honey. Keep in mind the minerals and vitamins that some of the sweeteners offer, making them favorable choices. Remember that some liquid natural sweeteners will require up to three times as much as the sugar requirement in a recipe and that some will require less. Keeping all this in mind can help you find the perfect liquid natural sweetener or sweeteners to have on hand for sugar needs.