10 Best Maple Syrup Substitutes for When You're All Tapped Out
Pancakes, coming right up.
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You can't have a stack of pancakes without maple syrup! It's one of those pantry staples that'll turn any breakfast into a sticky-sweet treat. Whether you're making French toast, waffles, oatmeal, or Ree Drummond's maple nut scones, the warm flavor of maple syrup is practically required at the morning meal. If that weren't enough reason to love the sweetener, it's also a key ingredient in many glazes, salad dressings, and fall desserts. (Hello, maple-pecan pie!) It can also be drizzled over oven-roasted carrots or sautéed Brussels sprouts or stirred into a pot of warm apple cider. All this to say, maple syrup can do it all! But what if you're all tapped out of the good stuff?
Fear not: There are many simple substitutes for maple syrup, and you probably have a handful of them in your pantry right now. The first thing to know about maple syrup is that the stuff you grew up drizzling on your flapjacks may not have been the real thing. It turns out the most popular pancake syrups on the grocery aisle are made mostly of corn syrup and simply flavored to taste like the real deal. But true maple syrup is complex, nutty, and much more flavorful than those imposters. One taste and you'll never go back to the table syrups of yesteryear! Of course, if you're out of real maple syrup but have pancake syrup on hand, it'll work in a pinch. Out of both? Keep reading to find out what other easy swaps you can make in your maple syrup recipes.
Date Syrup
This thick, dark brown syrup is made from cooked dates so it's just as natural as real maple syrup. It's a rich and decadent sweetener that you can find in many supermarkets or specialty stores these days. Use it like you would maple syrup—baked into desserts, used in salad dressings, or drizzled over oatmeal or pancakes.
Maple Sugar and Water
If you were to boil down maple syrup until it forms granulated sugar crystals, the result would be maple sugar. Well, the same goes for the reverse! Simply use maple sugar crystals mixed with warm water to make your own liquid maple syrup.
Brown Rice Syrup
This liquid sweetener is often prized for being thick and sticky with a nutty flavor that's perfectly sweet. It's a natural alternative that can be used in baked goods, homemade granola, or glazes.
Honey
Honey is one of the best swaps for maple syrup. While it leans more floral than nutty like maple syrup, it gives glazes and salad dressings wonderful, natural sweetness.
Molasses
Molasses is an excellent swap for maple syrup because its consistency and flavor are very similar. It isn't quite as sweet as maple syrup and has more of a robust flavor, but it's equally delicious drizzled over pancakes or stirred into a baked good.
Sugar and Water
Even if all you have on hand is a sack of sugar, you can simmer some with equal part water to make an easy substitute for maple syrup. Use simple syrup for baking where you won't miss the nutty, caramelized flavor of maple syrup.
Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
This more flavorful twist on simple syrup uses brown sugar instead of white granulated sugar. Simply stir together equal parts brown sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. It'll have a richer, more caramelized flavor than traditional simple syrup.
Corn Syrup
When it's the sweetness factor you're in search of, a squeeze of corn syrup will do the trick. Just know that, like simple syrup, corn syrup doesn't have much flavor beyond sweetness so when maple syrup is a star ingredient in the recipe, it's best to reach for another substitute. Consider this a good swap for baked goods.
Agave Nectar
You may be familiar with adding this neutral-tasting natural sweetener to your margaritas, but it works well as a maple syrup swap, too! It looks more like honey, but has a consistency close to maple syrup. Use it in sauces, glazes, salad dressings, and for baking.
Cane Syrup
Mostly popular in Southern households, cane syrup comes from sugar cane and is toasty, sweet, and ever so slightly bitter. Use it just like you would maple syrup—drizzling it over a fresh batch of biscuits or pancakes, stirring it into glazes, or baking it into cakes and other desserts.
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