What can I use instead of brown rice syrup? The best brown rice syrup substitutes include natural sweeteners like honey, date syrup, maple syrup, molasses, agave syrup, corn syrup, barley malt syrup, and glucose syrup. Additionally, stevia is a zero-calorie and zero-carb alternative to brown rice syrup. Use table sugar if you’re in a pinch.
Brown rice syrup is a thick, sugary, amber liquid made by steeping cooked rice in enzymes to break down the starch into smaller sugars. It is used as a healthy alternative to fructose-high syrups. You can use brown rice syrup as a tabletop sweetener, breakfast topping, or sweetened drinks. Consider one of these sweet alternatives if you’re down to your last swirl.
The Best Brown Rice Syrup Substitutes
Honey
Honey is top on our list of brown rice syrup substitutes.
As the predecessor of sugar, honey lends a similar rich sweetness and thick, syrupy consistency as brown rice syrup. This liquid gold is also natural and rich in nutrients and antioxidants.
You can use honey as a brown rice syrup substitute for baked goods or drizzle it over oatmeal, granola, pancakes, waffles, and fresh toast. You can also use honey to sweeten your smoothie, tea, or coffee.
Honey’s taste, color, and consistency vary based on the floral nectar.
We recommend using sweet varieties like acacia, sunflower, locust, or canola honey. Use approximately ¾ cup honey to replace 1 cup brown rice syrup.
Date Syrup
Date syrup is the most nutritionally dense syrup alternative for brown rice syrup.
Date syrup has been deeply woven into Middle Eastern cuisine for centuries. It’s made by simmering date palm fruit in water, blending, and straining them, leaving you with a thick, silky-smooth syrup.
You can use date syrup for your baked goods or drizzle it into oatmeal, toast, waffles, Greek yogurt, and fresh fruit. Otherwise, let it transform your cup of joe with warm caramel notes.
Substitute each cup of brown rice syrup with 3 tablespoons of date syrup. Of course, you can always add more date syrup to match the desired sweetness.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is a rich, flavorful sweetener derived from sweet maple tree sap.
This natural sweetener’s flavor varies based on the region, tree type, and harvest season. However, it mostly has a rich caramel taste with woody vanilla notes.
Maple syrup is a real treat in baked goods or breakfast foods like pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, and yogurt. Alternatively, use it as a glaze for meats or to sweeten sauces and savory dishes.
Maple syrup is sweeter than brown rice syrup. So, substitute every cup of brown rice sugar with ¾ cup of maple syrup.
Molasses
Molasses is a dark, sweet syrupy by-product of processing sugarcane and sugar beets.
This thick sweetener boasts an intensely sweet and somewhat smoky flavor that you can use as a brown rice syrup replacement.
Molasses perfectly replace brown rice syrup in old-fashioned baked goods like gingerbread. However, you can swirl a spoonful into your Greek yogurt or oatmeal or spread it over warm toast and butter.
Molasses is also ideal for meat marinades and barbeque sauces.
Molasses is sweeter and more viscous than brown rice syrup. So, use ½ cup molasses to substitute one cup brown rice syrup.
Agave Syrup
Agave syrup is a sweetener collected from the sap of the spiky succulent agave plant.
The sap is commonly used to make agave syrup or tequila – yes, tequila! For agave syrup, the sap is heated until the sugars become concentrated and form a thin syrup.
You can drizzle agave over your pancakes and waffles or sweeten cold or warm drinks. However, agave has a very runny consistency compared to brown rice syrup. So, be careful when sweetening your afternoon tea.
Agave is sweeter than brown rice syrup. Therefore, we recommend using ½ cup agave to replace each cup of brown rice syrup.
Corn Syrup
Corn syrup is one of the best brown rice substitutes to ensure a similar outcome in cooking and baked goods.
Corn syrup is a starchy syrup with a thinner consistency yet similar sweetness to brown rice syrup.
You can use corn syrup in cooking, baking, juices, warm drinks, yogurt, cereal, and ice cream. Alternatively, add it to sweeten savory sauces and braises.
Corn syrup and brown rice syrup are interchangeable. You can substitute one for the other using equal amounts.
Barley Malt Syrup
Barley malt syrup is another adequate replacement for brown rice syrup. This unrefined sweetener is an extraction of sprouted, malted barley, lending an assertive molasses flavor and deep brown color.
Barley malt syrup is perfect for adding to barbeque sauce, whole-grain bread, bagels, and sweetening hot cereals.
Barley malt syrup is slightly sweeter than brown rice syrup. Therefore, we recommend using ¾ cup of barley malt syrup for each cup of brown rice syrup.
Stevia
Stevia is a potent sweetener derived from stevia plant leaves. You can use it as a zero-calorie and zero-carb alternative to brown rice syrup as long as you don’t mind the subtle licorice notes.
Use stevia sparingly to sweeten ice cream, desserts, yogurts, baked goods, soft drinks, sauces, and other dishes.
Stevia is a potent sweetener! Only use a drop or two stevias to replace a cup of brown rice sugar.
Glucose Syrup
Glucose syrup is mainly used in commercial food production. Still, you can use it as an alternative to brown rice syrup.
Glucose syrup is produced through hydrolysis, breaking down glucose molecules in starchy foods. Corn is the most common glucose syrup, but potatoes, cassava, wheat, and barley are also used.
You can add glucose syrup to many recipes that call for brown rice syrup, including baked goods, desserts, candy, and glazes.
Glucose and brown rice syrup sweeteners have a similar taste and consistency, delivering the same result. So, use equal amounts when substituting brown rice syrup with glucose syrup.
Table Sugar
Table sugar is our final substitute for brown rice syrup. However, sugar is an unhealthy replacement, so only resort to table sugar when you’re in a pinch.
You can use white sugar, but brown and unrefined molasses sugar is a better match taste-wise.
You can use table sugar as a table sweetener for cereals and warm beverages. However, we don’t recommend using table sugar to replace brown syrup in baked goods, as the consistency can alter your results.
Table sugar is a good bit sweeter than brown rice syrup. So, substitute 1 cup brown rice syrup with ½ cup table sugar.