Replacing sugar with honey

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Has anyone else tried this? I don't bake a ton but I do make banana bread pretty frequently - bananas are one of my safest foods and a great snack so I always have bananas in the house, and if I buy too many and they start to turn brown then I make banana bread with them. And lately, I've been using honey instead of sugar in my banana bread. It doesn't seem to affect the taste and I know honey is probably better for me than sugar, so I'm wondering if I can replace the sugar with honey in other recipes. Has anybody else tried this, and if so, does it work for pretty much everything you bake or does it only work for certain recipes?

Also, is it a 1:1 ratio? I've been using 1/2 cup honey in place of 1/2 cup sugar in my banana bread, but I'm not sure if that's correct. Anybody know?

 

[peaceandsmile]

Hello there,
I usually use honey in most things instead of sugar, especially in my coffee, its tastes wonders!<3 So far it has worked for most recipes I use, so I say go ahead and us it!
I have to agree, bananas are wonderful snacks, and usually have some around the kitchen too!
Unfortunately I do not know the ratios, but I use more honey than what is said for sugar because honey is not all so sweet, at least to me as is sugar. Though I have to admit I have a big sweet tooth.

kisses, Aya

 

[krbsmom]

I've used a product called sugar in the raw, its not refined processed sure it comes from molasses its just as sweet as sugar and doesn't act nasty in my system

 

[Rebecca85]

With cake baking you have to be careful because it affects how the cake rises. I posted a no added sugar muffin recipe in the cooking section. Also desserts like cheesecake that you don't bake you can replace all the sugar with honey. I also use brown sugar in some recipes (like apple crumble) because I think it is probably still better than white sugar.

 

[ChefShazzy]

A few things to note:

-You can't replace sugar with honey in everything. Generally, quick breads (such as banana bread and muffins) will do fine, but cakes and cookies will not turn out the same. You will need to reduce the amount of another liquid to get the same consistency.
-Honey weighs more than sugar (1C white sugar weighs 8oz, a cup of honey weighs 12oz). You should use less honey than sugar, like 1/2-2/3 C honey for 1C sugar.
-Honey will burn at a lower temp than sugar. You should adjust heat accordingly.
-I've made fantastic strawberry jam with honey instead of sugar. Reduce heat and cook longer than a regular jam.

Good luck!

 

[num1habsfan]

I use this in place of sugar when I am flaring. Use it in coffee and tea.

 

[partlycloudy]

Num, I use the same stuff. Love it!

Agave nectar is also delicious and melts quickly, unlike honey or rice syrup. I actually prefer it for my tea but I'm out right now.

 

[KaLa]

We have that at our house too!

 

[Jer's Girl]

We use honey in our smoothies at my house.

 

[Jer's Girl]

I am also trying agave necture (in my coffee right now), which tastes like a combo of sugar and honey.

 

[Fog Ducker]

I just posted this in another thread so Ill copy it here.

Try using Stevia. Its like 300 times sweeter than sugar and is a natural plant. There are a bunch of health benefits for it over sugar. Artificial sweeteners are terrible for you!!
Ive used it in Banana bread and its great!!
1 Cup of sugar = 1 Teaspoon of stevia!!
If you are baking with it you will need to make up for the loss in volume. I take unsweetened apple sauce and strain it through cheese cloth, over night in the fridge. Use the fiber that is left in the cloth. 1 cup of apple sauce for 1 cup of sugar.

You can buy stevia at most grocery stores now, its in the little packets for coffee, but I get it at a health food store in a little bottle, its expensive but you use so little that its not really that expensive.
__________________

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Fog Ducker: Sounds good, except the applesauce part. I have always hated apples and anything made from apples, I can't stand the taste nor the texture. Is there anything besides applesauce that could be substituted to make up the volume?

 

[Domsmom]

You seriously can't taste the applesauce if that helps.. I just made banana muffins the other day using applesauce.

 

[Fog Ducker]

Domsmom is correct. You can't even taste the apple sauce. Especially since you are really just using the fibers from it. Give it a try and let us know what you think. Just remember to get UNSWEETENED apple sauce or you are defeating the purpose of not using sugar.

I have herd of a stevia product that claims to be one to one for volume of sugar (like 1 cup of it replaces 1 cup of sugar) but haven't any idea where to get it. Or what they are using to add volume. I like the idea of natural stuff and knowing exactly what I am putting into the things I make, so I'll stick with the sauce.

 

[Fog Ducker]

Oh and I also use rice flower to avoid the gluten!!