Agave Nectar Substitute

A natural sweetener derived from Mexican agave cactus, the sweetness of which is 1½ times stronger than sugar, agave nectar is a blessing for type II diabetics and great for children. But what do you do when you are just out of this plant-based elixir? Find an agave nectar substitute of course! Find out from the following article what you can use instead of agave nectar and also how you can use it to substitute for sugar, honey and corn syrup.
Agave nectar basically comes in variant shades of brown, the sweetness of which happens to surpass the sweetness of sugar by approximately 1½ times. Derived from the core juice or piña of the blue agave, green agave, gray agave, rainbow agave, salmiana agave and thorny agave, this concentrated nectar is composed of mainly fructose and glucose. Of course the ratio of fructose and glucose composition in agave nectar keeps varying according to the type of agave nectar in question, While one variety shows a fructose content of 56% and a glucose content of 20%, another might just indicate a glucose content of just 8% and a very high fructose content of 92%. Even though the body processes natural fructose slowly which infuses the body with a slow but continual supply of energy, ideally one must keep away from very high concentrations of fructose, as it may set off other derogatory conditions in the body like fructose malabsorption, reduced glucose tolerance, metabolic syndrome, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperinsulinemia, and formation of excess uric acid. Nevertheless, agave nectar is a blessing for patients of type II diabetes and that makes it one of the two natural safe sugar substitutes for diabetics, the other being the 0 calorie stevia. It doesn't trigger off a sharp rise or fall in the blood sugar levels and has a relatively lower glycemic index (GI) of 28 to 32. Also it doesn't have any added chemicals, which makes it one of the safest bets for infants and young kids. Finally, it can be totally used by vegans! So, why would anyone look for agave nectar substitutes? May be because one does run out of it and running to the grocer's seem too tedious. Well, in such exigencies, you can opt for the following substitutes to fill in for this neutrally flavoured absolutely natural sweetener.

Agave Nectar Alternatives

Agave nectar can be stored for long durations, because it doesn't crystallize like honey does. Moreover it is also less sticky and less thick than honey. Since it doesn't meddle with the taste of the dish you are cooking, you can use it for salad dressing recipes, barbecue sauces, tea, coffee and smoothies, as waffle and pancake toppings, for baking and for dessert recipes. So, what can you use as agave nectar substitutes? The following are good options depending on your recipe.
  • You can use an equal part of honey, if you aren't a vegan that is. Remember that honey isn't neutral to taste at all, so the substitution may alter the taste of the dish in the end.
  • You can use 1 cup of simple sugar syrup for every cup of agave nectar that the recipe asks for.
  • In a recipe that asks for ½ a cup of agave nectar, use 1 cup of natural gluten-free brown rice syrup and also reduce some other liquid by ½ a cup. It is loaded with vitamin B varieties of thiamine, niacin and vitamin B6 as well as vitamin K and is a good replacement of agave nectar while making muffins and salad dressings. It tastes somewhat like raw sugar.
  • You can also use an equal amount of sorghum syrup which is a natural sweetener enriched with calcium, iron and potassium.
  • You can use maple syrup, but know that maple syrup has a distinct taste of its own, which will tamper with the expected taste of the dish.
So, these were some of the substitutes that you can opt for whenever you have run out of agave syrup. Now, let us see how exactly we can employ agave syrup to lessen the use of other sweeteners in our life.

Substituting Other Sweeteners with Agave Syrup

Agave Nectar Substitute for Sugar
To replace 1 cup of white sugar, demerara sugar, turbinado sugar, or pure dried sugar cane juice called sucanat, you need to add ⅔ cup agave nectar to the preparation and lessen the quantity of some other liquid by ⅓ cup. You use a lesser quantity of agave because it is approximately 40% more sweet than brown or white sugar and also because it has a denser calorie content. For a cupful of brown sugar however, you must add ⅔ cup agave nectar and lessen the liquid quantity by only ¼ cup as brown sugar has a higher moisture content. If you do not wish to reduce the amount of any other liquid in the recipe (when concocting a batter) then simply employ thickening agents such as cornstarch or all-purpose flour.

Also, mix the nectar with fat or some other liquid in the recipe and not with the dry ingredients. This replacement does wonders when baking cakes, cookies, muffins, pies, and sweet bread varieties. You will just need to lubricate your pans better as agave sticks to the container more than sugar does.

Remember, that agave nectar is one of those natural sugar substitutes that render items brown faster than sugars while baking. So, always opt for a temperature that is 25° F lower than the recommended oven temperature and increase the baking time by 6%. So, anything that must be baked at 350° F for 60 minutes with sugars must be baked at 325° F for 64 minutes with agave nectar. Using agave nectar to replace sugar helps to retain moisture in the prepared item, makes it fluffier and softer, and increases the shelf life of the item. Now these are functions which are never performed by artificial sweeteners, when employed to fill in for sugar.

Agave Nectar Substitute for Honey
For honey, it is simpler as you just have to use an equal part of agave nectar to replace honey. Honey has a higher GI at 58 and so agave nectar scores in that area too. Besides, agave has a neutral taste, unlike honey. It is important to note here that agave may seem sweeter than honey to some people and, therefore, when you use it for drizzling on salads or pancakes, use a slightly lesser amount. You can always add more if need be. However, while baking, you need not exercise any such restraint.

Agave Nectar Substitute for Corn Syrup
Agave nectar is a great corn syrup substitute. Since corn syrup is half as sweet as honey, 1 cup of it can be replaced with just ½ a cup of agave syrup. You also must reduce any other liquid (be it water, milk or juice) by at least ⅓ cup.

So, there you have it, not only do you now know the variant agave syrup uses, but also different agave nectar substitutes and how you can cut down on other sweeteners by using this natural sweetener. I would however like to add a last word about the flavor of agave syrup. Even though most varieties have a neutral flavor, the amber agave does have a moderate caramel taste to it while the darker ones have a more pronounced caramelized essence. Agave nectar is processed at temperatures below the 118° F mark in order to retain the natural enzymes in it. While one tablespoon of this brown drop of sweetness has 16 grams of carbohydrates from which comes 60 digestible calories. So, go ahead and use this gift of Mexico, today!
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Last Updated: 2/1/2012
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