If you’re trying to cut down on processed sugar consumption, but you still want to sweeten certain foods and drinks, honey is a great sugar substitute. Honey is more natural and may be healthier than highly refined white sugar. However, honey is sweeter than sugar, so you can’t just switch out honey for white sugar in equal quantities. Check out this list of guidelines for replacing white sugar with honey in different recipes. We’ll start with some tips on using honey instead of sugar in baking, then move on to some general ideas for other recipes to use honey as a sweetener in.

2

Scale back the liquid when you bake with honey.

  1. Use about 1/4 cup (59 mL) less liquid per 1 cup (340g) of honey. Honey consists of approximately 20% liquid. To compensate for this when you use honey instead of white sugar in baking, reduce the amount of whatever liquid the recipe calls for.[3]
    • Honey works great for baked goods that you want to have a soft, moist, cakey texture.[4]
3

Add baking soda if you subbed honey for sugar.

  1. Add 1/4 tsp (1 g) of baking soda for every 1 cup (340g) of honey. Baking soda balances the natural acidity of honey. The baking soda also helps whatever you’re baking rise properly.[5]
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4

Bake at 25 °F (−4 °C) lower when using honey.

  1. Honey burns faster than granulated white sugar. Lower the temperature of your oven whenever you use honey instead of sugar in a baking recipe to prevent the baked goods from browning too soon. Check on whatever you’re baking often to make sure it doesn’t get burnt or overbaked.[6]
5

Try honey syrup instead of simple syrup.

6

Use honey in homemade pizza dough.

  1. Honey creates a more golden crust than sugar. Whatever quantity of sugar your pizza dough recipe calls for, use about 1/2-2/3 that amount of honey instead. Even if you don’t normally put sugar in your pizza dough, try adding a drizzle of honey and see what subtle difference it makes in your crust![8]
8

Make honey lemonade.

  1. Honey and lemons go hand in hand. To start, combine 1 cup (237 mL) of water with 1 cup (340g) of honey in a pot over medium heat on your stovetop. Heat the mixture, stirring it regularly, until it’s a uniform consistency. Remove it from the stove and let it cool for 15-20 minutes. Mix the honey syrup with 2 1/2 cups (0.59 L) of water and 1 1/2 cups (0.35 L) of lemon juice in a pitcher and enjoy![10]
    • Feel free to adjust the sweetness of the lemonade to taste by adding honey.
9

Use honey in fruit preservation recipes.

  1. You can use honey instead of sugar to make canned fruits. Select a mild-flavored honey for canning if you don’t want your recipe to taste too much different. Since honey is so much sweeter than sugar, make sure to use less honey than the sugar your recipe calls for.[11]
    • A good rule of thumb is to use about 1/4 less honey than the sugar you would normally use to can fruits.
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10

Sweeten sorbet or ice cream with honey.

  1. Sorbet and ice cream normally use refined sugar, but honey works just as well. Check how much sugar your recipe calls for, then use about 3/4 the amount of honey instead. Chill the sorbet or ice cream mixture you made for your recipe, then pour it into an ice cream maker and mix it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze the ice cream or sorbet for about 2 hours before eating it.[12]
    • For example, try making strawberry honey sorbet by blending 1 lb (0.45 kg) of quartered and hulled strawberries with 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of vodka and 1/4 cup (85 g) of honey.

Expert Q&A

  • Question
    Why is sugar so hard to replace?
    Tara Coleman
    Tara Coleman
    Clinical Nutritionist
    Tara Coleman is a Clinical Nutritionist who has a private practice in San Diego, California. With over 15 years of experience, Tara specializes in sports nutrition, body confidence, and immune system health and offers personalized nutrition, corporate wellness, and online learning courses. She received a BS in Biology from James Madison University and spent six years in the pharmaceutical industry as an analytical chemist before founding her practice. Tara has been featured on NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN, and Dr. Oz The Good Life as well as in Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Self, and Runner’s World.
    Tara Coleman
    Clinical Nutritionist
    Expert Answer
    Sugar cravings are powerful. In fact, they're the often the first sign of hunger. When sugar levels go too low, your stress levels can even increase. All of these factors make it difficult to get rid of the craving without something sweet.
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 252,190 times.
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Updated: January 12, 2022
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Categories: Home Remedies | Baking | Honey
Article SummaryX

Whether you’ve run out of white sugar or just want a healthier alternative, you can use honey as a substitute. However, you’ll need to make some adjustments to your recipe to make it work. If you’re using honey instead of sugar in baking, only use 1/2 to 2/3 as much honey as the recipe calls for. For instance, if you were supposed to use 1 cup of sugar, use half a cup of honey instead. The honey will also add some additional liquid to your recipe, so cut back on any other liquids by about 1/4 cup per 1 cup of honey. Honey is surprisingly acidic, so add a little baking soda to balance it out. Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 cup of honey you use. Finally, honey will cause your baked goods to cook faster than white sugar, so set the oven temperature about 25° Fahrenheit lower than you normally would. Keep reading for more tips, like how to use honey syrup in place of simple sugar syrup!

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