Guide to Sugar Substitutes: 19 Common Sugar Substitutes

Table sugar is the common name for sucrose, a sweet carb made of one glucose molecule bonded to one fructose molecule. It is a type of carbohydrate naturally found in high levels in some plants, such as sugarcane. To produce table sugar, manufacturers juice and dehydrate naturally sweet plants, stripping them of impurities and nutrients to isolate the sucrose.

Refined sugars such as regular table sugar are made by processing a sugar-containing plant until all that's left is the sugar. Unrefined sugars are simply less-processed sugars. They contain more vitamins, minerals, flavors, and colors than pure table sugar. Artificial sweeteners and some natural sweeteners don't contain any sugar (sucrose, glucose, fructose, or lactose molecules); these sugar-free, low-calorie sweeteners, or non-nutritive sweeteners, provide the sensation of sweetness without the carbohydrates. All of the above can serve as substitutes for typical white sugar.

1. 1. Maple syrup: Maple syrup comes from the sap of the maple tree. When the sap is harvested at freezing temperatures, the water in the sap crystallizes, leaving behind sticky, amber-colored maple syrup. The sap itself is up to 3 percent sucrose; its flavor and sweetness can be concentrated by reverse osmosis and boiling. Maple syrup has a deep, caramel sweetness with notes of vanilla. If boiling continues to the point of crystallization, maple syrup becomes maple sugar.
2. 2. Jaggery: Palm sugar, known as gur in Hindi and “jaggery” in English, is made in much the same way as maple syrup but with palm tree sap, which can contain up to 12 percent sucrose. Jaggery has a wine-like flavor that is essential to South and Southeast Asian and some African desserts, and it's usually sold unrefined.
3. 3. Coconut sugar: Coconut sugar doesn't come from the coconut. Instead, it's made from the nectar of coconut tree blossoms. Light brown in color, it's easily mistaken for brown sugar (for which it's a great substitute), but coconut sugar has lower moisture content and a toasty, nutty flavor. Try coconut sugar stirred into your morning coffee or tea, or as a substitute for white or brown sugar in baking.
4. 4. Dates: Dates, the dried fruit of the date palm, can contain up to 60 percent sugar. Chopped-up dates are a great way to add sweetness to both sweet dishes like overnight oats and savory meals like tagines. Dates can also be ground and dehydrated to make date sugar or boiled in water to make date syrup.
5. 5. Molasses: Molasses is a by-product of sugar production. It is the thick, dark syrup that's left behind when sugar cane juice is boiled and most of the sucrose (table sugar) is removed. It has a rich, slightly bitter flavor. Use it to sweeten Japanese-style curries or in baked goods like gingerbread.
6. 6. Unrefined brown sugar: Most commercial brown sugar is made by mixing white sugar with a little molasses. Truly unrefined sugar crystals are often sold as panela or piloncillo at Latin American grocery stores. Use it in Mexican desserts like flan and arroz con leche.
   
7. 7. Honey: Honey is a thick, sweet syrup produced by bees, and its flavor and color depend on the flowers the bees collect nectar from. Clover honey is light golden with a mild, floral flavor, while buckwheat honey is dark in color with a nutty, bitter flavor. Honey is a great sweetener for tea, yogurt, granola, and it is a principal ingredient in baklava. Honey also helps create caramelization during baking, and its antioxidant properties prevent staling. Honey is the sweetest of all the natural sugars, with a sugar content of about 80 percent—most of which comes from fructose and glucose. To substitute honey for table sugar, use two-thirds of a cup honey for every one cup sugar.
8. 8. Agave syrup: Agave syrup comes from the agave plant—the same cactus relative that produces tequila and mezcal. Agave syrup. is made by heating or enzyme-treating agave sap. It is about 70 percent fructose, so it can taste sweeter than most natural sweeteners. Agave syrup dissolves readily in liquid, so it's an ideal sweetener for margaritas or iced coffee.
9. 9. High-fructose corn syrup: Corn syrup is a refined sweetener made by breaking down the starch in corn into glucose molecules, which are less sweet than sucrose molecules (table sugar). Corn syrup can prevent other sugars from crystallizing, which makes it useful for candies like marshmallows and caramel. High-fructose corn syrup is made by treating regular corn syrup with an enzyme that converts glucose molecules into fructose molecules. It's about twice as sweet as regular corn syrup because fructose is the sweetest type of sugar. Many soft drinks and processed foods are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup because it is less expensive and tastes sweeter than table sugar.
10. 10. Stevia sweetener: The leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant have long been popular as a sweetener in South American maté. Stevia leaves don't contain any sugar; instead, they get their sweetness from stevioside, a compound with a somewhat woody aftertaste.
11. 11. Monk fruit sweetener: Luo han guo, or monk fruit, is a type of gourd native to China and Thailand. The dried fruits are a staple in traditional Chinese medicine, but only recently has monk fruit extract (which is made from the processed flesh of the fresh fruit pulp) been marketed as a calorie-free sugar replacement. Monk fruit sweetener contains mogrosides—compounds about 200 times sweeter than sucrose.
12. 12. Aspartame: Aspartame is the most popular non-caloric artificial sweetener. A lab-produced synthesis of two amino acids, aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sucrose, but it breaks down with heat, so it's mostly used in soft drinks, chewing gum, and fruit juices.
13. 13. Neotame: Neotame is a high-intensity sweetener with a similar structure to aspartame but less "off" flavors and a little more stability. Neotame is used to sweeten yogurt, soft drinks, and chewing gum.
14. 14. Acesulfame potassium: Acesulfame potassium, also known as acesulfame K or ace-K, is a lab-developed artificial sweetener. Unlike aspartame, acesulfame potassium can be heated, so it's useful as a food additive in baked goods. In large quantities, it can have a metallic aftertaste.
15. 15. Sucralose: Sucralose is produced by adding chlorine atoms to sucrose. This produces a molecule up to 1,000 times sweeter than sucrose. It is commonly used in soft drinks and candies. Sucralose should not be used as a sugar substitute in baking since it does not melt at high temperatures, resulting in dry, grainy baked goods.
16. 16. Saccharin: Saccharin is an artificial sweetener up to 400 times as sweet as sucrose. In large amounts, it has a metallic aftertaste, so it's often blended with other artificial sweeteners to be more palatable.
17. 17. Xylitol: Xylitol is a sugar alcohol mostly used in chewing gum and medications. It has the same sweetness level as sucrose, but 40 percent fewer calories. Xylitol is stable enough to be used in baking, but it does not caramelize.
18. 18. Erythritol: Erythritol is a sugar alcohol produced by fermentation of glucose, typically from corn. It's less sweet than sucrose but has close to zero calories. Erythritol is used in soft drinks, chewing gum, coffee, and tea.
19. 19. Sorbitol: Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol derived from glucose, usually made from potato starch but also found in stone fruits. Like erythritol, it's a little less sweet than sucrose but also has much fewer calories than sucrose.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Massimo Bottura, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Yotam Ottolenghi, Alice Waters, and more.