Replacing sugar in desserts can be a necessary operation for those who want to stay lighter or follow a low-calorie diet. Let’s find out which ingredients can be used and the doses required to avoid altering the flavor of the recipes. How can we replace sugar in desserts to make those with a sweet tooth and fans of cakes and desserts happy without compromising the taste of the dishes, with a nod to those who follow a low-calorie diet?
We will try to answer this question by listing all the possible alternatives to use in the kitchen and the proportions to maintain so as not to alter the taste of the dishes. The first premise to make when replacing sugar in desserts is the difference between powdered and liquid ingredients. When using the former, it is undoubtedly easier to use the alternative because it is easier to make the same doses in the recipes. Liquid preparations, another factor to always keep in mind when looking for something that can be used instead of granulated sugar, inevitably change the consistency of dishes.
How To Replace Sugar In Desserts: Powdered Ingredients
Traditional sugar can also be replaced with coconut sugar. Brown in color, this ingredient is similar to cane but decidedly sweeter. It can be used in the same proportions as the white one. One of the most commonly used powder ingredients instead of sugar is fructose, a natural product that has a greater sweetening power than traditional sugar. For this reason, the advice is to use 80 g of fructose when 100 g of semolina is needed in the recipe.
A natural sweetener that is very powerful and perfect for low-calorie diets and those with particular pathologies linked to the consumption of sugar is stevia. This product has no calories and can be used in much smaller quantities than traditional white sugar. 40 g of stevia can replace 100 g of granulated sugar. It should be kept in mind, however, that the flavor of the desserts will change slightly, with a light licorice aftertaste.
How To Replace Sugar In Desserts: Liquid Ingredients
The liquid product most frequently used to replace sugar in desserts is honey. This delicious natural ingredient has an intense sweetening power, and 100 g of white sugar can be replaced with 80 g of honey. Those looking for a valid alternative can try malt, obtained from the fermentation of cereals; it should be used in more significant quantities than granulated sugar: 130 g of malt instead of 100 g of granulated sugar. A liquid mix that is obtained from the processing of brown and white sugar is molasses. It has a high sweetening power: 80 g of molasses is enough for 100 g of traditional product.
Another effective way to replace sugar in desserts is syrups. The most used are apple and maple sugar, natural products capable of sweetening even in smaller quantities than white sugar. In fact, 80 g of syrup is enough to replace 100 g of the traditional ingredient. Finally, rice syrup is entirely gluten-free and, therefore, also suitable for those suffering from intolerances. In this case, the sweetening power is lower, and 130 g of product is needed to guarantee the same flavor as 100 g of white granulated sugar.
Also Read: Vegan Diet: The Most Important Information
