You came looking for the best brown rice syrup substitutes since you needed a sweetener to aid with your weight loss process. Well, brown rice syrup is indeed the solution. It can work perfectly as a healthy sweetener in most of your recipes.
But what happens if you don’t have it? Let us discuss the substitutes for brown rice syrup today. Some of the best brown rice syrup substitutes are honey, molasses, date syrup, malt syrup, agave syrup, and maple syrup.
Brown rice syrup goes by many names; rice syrup, rice malt syrup, and maltose syrup. It is an organic, natural liquid sugar that is a major ingredient in Asian cuisine. But now, it is quite popular across the globe as a healthy sweetener.
That said, it is highly imperative that you know about the substitutes for brown rice syrup so that your cooking goes unhampered. Let us talk about what is brown rice syrup first, shall we?
Quick Peek: Brown Rice Syrup
The following scribbles tell you what brown rice syrup is, its flavor, texture, culinary uses, and health benefits.
What Is Brown Rice Syrup?
Brown rice syrup, our sweet little buddy, is known by many names, which might confuse you. Remember, brown rice syrup, rice syrup, or rice malt syrup are all produced similarly. The difference arises in the varieties of rice used. If brown rice is used, it becomes brown rice syrup, and if white rice is used, it becomes just rice syrup.
What Is Brown Rice Syrup Made Of?
So what is Brown rice syrup made of, and how is it prepared, anyway? It is quite simple. Brown rice syrup is basically made of brown rice. For preparing brown rice syrup, brown rice is cooked and exposed to natural enzymes, usually barley.
The starch in the rice breaks down into healthy sugars such as maltose, maltotriose, and glucose. The resulting mixture is boiled and reduced to a syrupy consistency.
Describing Brown Rice Syrup: Flavor and Consistency
Brown rice syrup has a mild, sweet flavor with a nutty taste. It tastes less sweet than agave nectar, honey, and sugar. Many compare it to the taste of butterscotch. It has a syrupy consistency similar to honey.
Uses Of Brown Rice Syrup
Brown rice syrup is a healthy alternative to sugar in baking recipes and is thus used as a tabletop sweetener. It works as a thickening or binding agent and gives your pancakes or muffins a brown, glossy finish (Just like molasses!).
Brown Rice Syrup On The Health Radar | Looking Through The Wellness Telescope
By now, you already know it is healthy. Well, we can stop with that. It doesn’t necessarily contain any essential nutrients. So, it is a gluten-free, natural sweetener that can render sweetness to your dishes.
Why Should We Substitute Brown Rice Syrup?
If you are out of time to prepare brown rice syrup or you are out of brown rice, you need the help of the best brown rice syrup substitutes. These substitutes can help you get a close flavor to that of brown rice syrup, and your recipe will go unhampered.
Also, if you are a creative cook, there is no harm in trying out how well the substitutes work in place of the actual ingredient, right? So, let us now talk about the best brown rice syrup substitutes.
Other Food Substitutes You Can Try
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- Best Sweet Rice Flour Substitutes You Can Try
- Best Malt Syrup Substitutes That Taste The Same
- Best Golden Syrup Substitutes You Can Try
- Best Simple Syrup Substitutes You Can Try
- Best Cornmeal Substitutes That Are Exactly The Same
- Best Amaro Nonino Substitutes You Can Try
- Best Drambuie Substitutes You Can Try
- Best Delicata Squash Substitutes That Taste The Same
14 Best Brown Rice Syrup Substitutes
Now that you know everything you need to know about brown rice syrup let us discuss the fourteen best substitutes for brown rice syrup.
1. Honey
Honey is a sweet, delicious liquid from honeybees that extract nectar from flowers. It is the best, closest substitute for brown rice syrup in texture. It is a natural sweetener that is also utilized as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial agent.
The easily-available honey tastes sweeter than brown rice syrup when it comes to sweetness. Thus, you can easily swap brown rice syrup with honey in your baking recipes.
2. Molasses
Molasses is a thick, shiny syrup produced from refining either sugar or sugarcanes. Since sugar is the base for brown rice syrup and molasses, it is definitely a worthy substitute for brown rice syrup.
You have two varieties of molasses available; light and dark. If you want a high sugar content, go for light molasses. If a thick consistency is what you desire, opt for dark molasses.
3. Date Syrup
Date syrup is another natural sweetener derived from dates. It is also known as date honey or date nectar. It has a soft, semifluid texture with a caramel-like color and flavor. It comes in both thick and runny consistencies.
Date syrup is a good substitute for brown rice syrup for sweetness. However, choose a date syrup variety as per the consistency you wish.
4. Malt Syrup
Malt syrup is a thick, gluey syrup prepared using barley grains. It has a dark brown color and an intense, sweet flavor. Since malt is the major ingredient used, it surely has a malty flavor similar to caramel or raisins.
For a quick understanding, I can tell you that it tastes close to molasses. The intense sweetness of molasses makes it a good substitute for brown rice syrup. Sometimes, it can have an incredibly thick consistency. You can reduce the same by heating it.
5. Agave Syrup
Agave syrup is also known as agave nectar. It is obtained from blue agave. It has a flavor profile similar to honey but is thinner than honey. Agave syrup is unique in the aftertaste; it lacks the aftertaste which comes with most sweeteners.
Agave syrup is usually used as a sweetener in drinks due to the sweet flavor and thus is a good brown rice syrup substitute. Agave syrup is sweeter than brown rice syrup, so you may have to be mindful of the quantity you use. Out of malt syrup?
6. Maple Syrup
Fact: Boiling the sap of maple trees gives you maple syrup. If we talk about a substitute that doesn’t overpower other ingredients in your recipe, you have maple syrup.
Maple syrup has a distinct nutty flavor with a consistency similar to brown rice syrup and thus is a good alternative to brown rice syrup. It tastes sweeter than brown rice syrup but has a heavy price tag!
7. Corn Syrup
Finally, we have an ingredient that can be substituted for brown rice syrup on a 1:1 ratio. Behold corn syrup! Made from the starch of corn, corn syrup and brown rice syrup share a similar flavor profile for sweetness. However, corn syrup is much thinner than brown rice syrup.
Corn syrup has two types; light and dark. Light corn syrup has vanilla notes with a smooth consistency. Dark corn syrup has a darkish brown hue with a caramel-like taste. Nevertheless, one of these can work as a good alternative for Brown rice syrup.
8. Stevia
From the land of America, behold a calorie-free sugar substitute named stevia! Based on the plant Stevia rebaudiana, stevia is an intense, natural sugar sweetener with zero calories and carbohydrates.
You can use stevia as a substitute for brown rice syrup readily. However, be mindful of the sugar content. You may have to reduce the amount of stevia to match the sweetness of brown rice syrup.
9. Glucose Syrup
Glucose syrup is basically a sugar obtained as the result of the hydrolysis of starch. It is available in solid, liquid, and transparent forms. Glucose syrup is usually made from cornstarch. Sometimes, it is made from potatoes, wheat, and rice as well.
Glucose syrup is a colorless liquid with a sweet flavor. It is a common ingredient used for sweetening and thickening purposes. Glucose syrup is a good alternative to brown rice syrup due to its sweet flavor.
10. Brown Sugar
To put it simply, brown sugar is a flavorful blend of white sugar and molasses. It has a distinctive color and a rich flavor and is used for rendering a dark sweetness to recipes of either baked goods or savory dishes.
The two types of brown sugar are light and dark. The former has more molasses in it than the latter. Brown rice syrup can be substituted with brown sugar in any recipe (except baking) due to the profound sweet flavor it has. In baking, it is best to go with a syrup alternative.
11. Sorghum Syrup
Sorghum syrup is made using green juice extracted from sorghum plants. This juice from the stalks of the plant is heated and concentrated until a syrupy liquid is obtained, which is nothing but sorghum syrup.
Sorghum syrup has a mildly sweet, earthy, woody flavor that varies depending on the type of sorghum plant used. Sorghum syrup is a considerable substitute for brown rice syrup due to the similarities in flavor and texture.
12. Sweet Wine
A wine is considered sweet if it has more than 30gms per liter of residual sugar in it. Port wine, Moscato, and Ice wine are some of the popular sweet wines out of the many available.
For substituting brown rice syrup, wines such as sherry and sake are considerable options. Sherry works best when used in savory dishes and stews. Sake and Mirin are also suitable options in Asian dishes.
13. Coconut Nectar
Coconut nectar is a sweetener obtained from the sap of the flowers of the coconut tree. It is a good source of minerals such as magnesium, potassium, zinc, and iron. It has a very mild sweet flavor and definitely doesn’t taste like coconuts!
Coconut nectar is a considerable alternative to brown rice syrup due to its flavor and consistency. It, for sure, will not dominate the flavor of other ingredients in the recipe and can work as a good replacement for brown rice syrup.
14. Fruit Juice
If it is just the sweet flavor that you aspire for, fruit juices are definitely options worth trying out as brown rice syrup substitutes. Most fruit juices have a sweet flavor, and this can be used to our advantage.
For replacing brown rice syrup, consider using the fruit juices of strawberries, peaches, and blueberries. Fruit juices also have immense health benefits making them healthy substitutes for brown rice syrup. Fruit purees can also be used in place of fruit juices depending on the nature of your recipe.
Short Recap For Brown Rice Syrup Substitutes
That must have been an exhaustive read on the best brown rice syrup substitutes, right? Let me make it easy for you to remember the details with the help of some points.
Flavor: Honey, molasses, brown sugar, date syrup, and malt syrup are some of the best brown rice syrup substitutes in terms of flavor.
Consistency: Honey, molasses, date syrup, agave syrup, sorghum syrup, and malt syrup are some of the best brown rice syrup substitutes in terms of consistency.
How To Use Brown Rice Syrup Substitutes In A Recipe
Brown Rice Syrup Substitutes
Ingredients
- Honey
- Molasses
- Date Syrup
- Malt Syrup
- Agave Syrup
- Maple Syrup
- Corn Syrup
- Stevia
- Glucose Syrup
- Brown Sugar
- Sorghum Syrup
- Sweet Wine
- Coconut Nectar
- Fruit Juice
Instructions
- Go through the substitutes and see which one seems fit for the recipe.
- Collect your ingredients and use your preferred substitute.
- Use the substitute in the required amount and proceed to make the dish according to the recipe.
Final Musings
There you go! The best substitutes for brown rice syrup have been enlisted for your ease. Choose a substitute that meets the demands of your recipe (keeping in mind the desired sweetness and consistency) and try it out. Let me know what worked the best. See you next time with another article on substitutes!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I use maple syrup instead of brown rice syrup?
Maple syrup can be used instead of brown rice syrup due to its sweet flavor.
What is the substitute for brown rice syrup in granola bars?
Honey or maple syrup are good substitutes for brown rice syrup in granola bars.
Which are the healthy substitutes for brown rice syrup?
Honey, maple syrup, corn syrup and date syrup are some of the healthy substitutes for brown rice syrup.
Is brown rice syrup healthy?
Brown rice syrup is healthy but doesn’t have much nutrients in it to boast about.
