Granulated Sugar Substitute

"If you can't give any sugar then speak sweetly." ~ An ancient Indian proverb.

I only wish that would work every time you ran out of regular granulated sugar in the middle of a pie recipe. Now, I know it is difficult in such moments to pop into a grocery store and therefore, one has to make do with whatever granulated sugar substitutes one may have at home. So, what are the possible granulated sugar substitutions that will work for you equally well? Read the following paragraphs for viable solutions.

Granulated Sugar Substitutes for Cooking
Generally, the tendency is to use caster sugar which is basically nothing but the superfine variety of granulated sugar. One may use an equal amount of caster sugar to substitute for grainy sugar. But if you do not have both the varieties at hand, then check whether you have the following varieties of sweeteners.

• Artificial sweeteners: Given the fact that almost 84% Americans indulge in sugar substitutes, mainly artificial sweeteners, it should be readily available in your house as well. Personally, I would warn you against using it any further in life, as artificial sweeteners tend to heighten the sugar cravings in a person to alarming levels and there is very little evidence that they actually aid in the endeavor of losing weight at all.
• Brown sugar (dark or light): Use 115 grams to substitute for a hundred grams of granulated sugar. Not a viable choice when it comes to baking or making sponge cakes.
• Date sugar: Use an equal part of this sugar, made from the sap of date-palms, as a granulated sugar substitute.
• Fructose: These simple sugars that are generally present in honey, may be used but they aren't really that great when it comes to baking, for they make the eatables crumbly and wet. Two-thirds of a cup may be used instead of a cupful of granulated sugar.
• Honey: Well, ¾ cup of honey can substitute for a cup of granulated sugar. But you must add ¼ cup worth of baking soda to the recipe as well and lessen the quantity of any other liquid to be used, by at least ¼ cup. This will bring about a change in the aroma of the delicacy though.
• Maple sugar: If using this at all then use half the amount of maple sugar to substitute for a hundred grams of granulated sugar, given that the former is twice as much sweeter than the latter.
• Non-refined cane sugar: An equal part of this is a good granulated sugar substitute. This grainy, unprocessed sugar variety retains its molasses content.
• Turbinated sugar: This crystalline and dry cane sugar variety, also called turbinado sugar, has no molasses and a cup can be used to substitute an equal amount of granulated sugar. Turbinated sugar is in fact a better brown sugar substitute and one can trace a taste similar to that of honey.
• Demerara sugar: This can be used to sweeten your beverages and demerara sugar is a fairly good sugar variety suited for baking purposes. It is different from turbinated sugar in the way that it tastes more like molasses rather than honey.

Now, if you want something a little more luscious to add to your cereals in the morning breakfast, you could also try using rice syrups or molasses or simply sweet fruit juices! They work fine to sweeten things up. Also, since one does use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, Muscovado or Barbados sugar isn't a bad option as well, especially for baking purposes. But one must know that it has a rather strong flavor of molasses but is definitely more nutritious than most other types of sugar.

Granulated Sugar Substitutes for Baking
Now baking as a process has certain needs which cannot be meddled with too much or the result won't be quite as toothsome. So, refer to the following table to find out a few good granulated sugar substitutes for baking. The below product measurements are suitable to substitute for 1 cup (200 grams) of white granulated sugar.

Name of Substitute	Amount
Barley malt syrup	¾ cup (decrease other liquid by ¼ cup)
Maple syrup + Baking soda	¾ cup + ¼ cup (decrease other liquid by 3 tbsp.)
Rice syrup	1¾ cups (decrease other liquid by ¼ cup)
Superfine sugar	1¾ cups

Now the following options are also available to substitute for granulated sugar when it comes to baking but, you have can use them only to substitute for only a certain part of the granulated sugar requirement.

• Corn syrup: Half the amount of needed granulated sugar can be substituted by 1 ½ cups of the syrup, provided you lessen any other liquid by ¼ cup.
• Milk powder: Use ¼ cup of this and superfine sugar to sub for 1 cup or 200 grams of granulated sugar.
• Molasses and baking soda: 1 ⅓ cups of molasses mixed with 1 tsp. of baking powder can substitute for 50% of the granulated sugar. You have to decrease other liquid by ⅓ cup and also the microwave temperature by 25°.

So, here's hoping that these granulated sugar substitutions will work out fine for you. You must however know that when you use any dark-colored sugar instead of white grainy sugar, there will be some change in the color of the dish. Also, certain granulated sugar substitutes mentioned above, such as molasses and honey, have flavors of their own. Naturally, there will be some aromatic influence of that as well. So, use them judiciously and more so when you are experimenting!