Healthier Baking: Here Are The Best Sugar Substitutes for Baking
Refined sugar isn't the healthiest food additives but it remains widely popular in the baking niche because it's easier to use. But, you shouldn't let this dissuade you from making your favourite naked treats. Instead, read ahead for easy ways to substitute for sugar in baking. The substitutes are more natural and so less damaging to whatever your diet plans might be.
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In a society that's fast becoming aware of the importance of eating healthy, one of the popular subjects of concern for bakers is finding better ways to add sweetness without adding refined sugar.
It is common knowledge that refined sugars are known to cause a sharp spike and crash in blood sugar and over constant consumption, cause damage to your general well-being.
Thus, the recommendation that refined sugars only be used in minute quantities or be substituted for with other natural sweeteners. Here are some natural sweetness that we really love:
1. Honey
What's not to love about honey? As long as it's not adulterated, honey makes a sumptuous substitute for refined sugar. Keep in mind that 1 cup of white sugar is equivalent to 3/4 cup honey.
2. Maple Syrup
Maple syrup has a similar consistency to honey but it is usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species. Similarly as when using honey as a substitute, 1 cup of white sugar is equal to 3/4 cups maple syrup.
3. Stevia
Stevia is a less popular sugar substitute but it works just as well as any other on this list. It is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the plant species Stevia rebaudiana, native to Brazil and Paraguay. Its sweetness is linked to steviol glycosides, active compounds that have about 50 to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, are heat-stable, pH-stable, and not fermentable. Also remember, that 1 cup of sugar is equivalent to just 1 teaspoon of Stevia!
4. Agave Nectar
Agave nectar comes from the blue agave plant as well as Agave americana, which is also known as maguey or the century plant. Agave nectar is a sweetener that you can use as an alternative to sugar. However, it is much sweeter, 1 cup of sugar is equivalent to 2/3 cup agave.
There you have 4 healthy substitutes for sugar in your baked treats! Now, you never have to worry about consuming too much refined sugar.
Enjoy!
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