Rice Syrup FAQs
How do I use rice syrup to substitute for other sweeteners in my recipes?
Rice syrup can be used in baking, but there's a trick to making substitutions for honey or white table sugar. Keep in mind that rice syrup is about one-half as sweet as table sugar, so you may need to use more, or you may wish to combine sweeteners. Also, keep in mind that you cannot just substitute a liquid sweetener for a dry one like white sugar, since you may dilute your recipe with additional fluid volume. This will require some experimentation on your part to suit your recipe to your taste.
Recipes calling for honey are easier to substitute: start with a one-to-one substitution, one cup of rice syrup for one cup of honey. Increase if necessary, being mindful of total fluid called for in the recipe.
Here is a table of substitutions*, for your convenience, in one cup (c) measures. Use the following as a guide for your own substitutions in your recipes. Realize there may be some texture, flavor or color changes depending upon substitutions used.
| Substitution Equivalent |
| 1 c brown sugar, gently packed |
| 1 c corn syrup, minus ¼ c liquid in recipe |
| 1-1/3 c unsulfured molasses, minus 1/3 c liquid specified in recipe, minus baking powder in the recipe, and plus ¾ tsp. baking soda |
| 1¼ c honey OR rice syrup , minus 2-2/3 Tbsp. liquid in recipe, plus 1/16 tsp. baking soda |
| 1¼ c honey OR rice syrup , plus 2-2/3 Tbsp. flour (if no liquid in recipe) plus ½ tsp., baking soda |
| ½ c dark brown sugar, plus ½ c granulated sugar |
| 1 c granulated sugar |
| 1¼ c sugar, plus ¼ c liquid OR 1 c. rice syrup |
| 1 c granulated sugar, plus ¼ cup liquid (same type of liquid as specified in recipe) |
*Adapted from McWilliams, M. 1988. Foods: Experimental Perspectives, New York, MacMillan, p. 133.
Sometimes crystallization can be seen in rice syrup. This is caused by the naturally occurring sugars crystallizing and coming out of the solution. Please note that will not affect the quality of the product. As with any syrup, set the container into warm water and stir. The crystals will dissolve and the product is back to normal.
If you see mold or other growths on rice syrup (or any food), do not consume. Discard the product.
I have Gluten Enteropathy. I notice some rice syrups list "barley malt" on the label. Yours does not. Does that make it safe for me?
Lundberg's Sweet Dreams® Brown Rice Syrup is now "gluten free". Many people have food allergies to wheat and/or the proteins in wheat and other cereal grains. Formerly, our rice syrup was produced with the aid of a cereal enzyme that could potentially pose a problem for the gluten intolerant. Now we are using a fungal enzyme that produces a superior product which is safe for people with Celiac Sprue disease to consume.
I heard rice syrup is safe for diabetics, is that true?
Please note that rice syrup is a nutritive sweetener, unlike non-nutritive sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame that are considered "free" for diabetics. Rice syrup is composed mainly of maltose and maltotriose, a sugar in the same group as sucrose (table sugar) and lactose (milk sugar). Rice syrup is therefore NOT considered a "free" sugar. Diabetic patients must count it in their daily carbohydrate allowance recommended by the doctor and/or dietitian.
Each gram of any sugar contains 4 calories. One teaspoon of sugar contains 5 grams of carbohydrate. One teaspoon of any of the following can be considered equivalent in sucrose content to one teaspoon of white sugar: brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, jam, jelly, candy, rice syrup.