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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk
The best substitute for corn syrup depends on what you’re making, whether it calls for light or dark corn syrup, and why you need to swap in something else.
That last question can be the trickiest. Are you making caramel sauce to top an ice cream sundae? Making pecan pie? Or, is it October 30, you’re in the middle of a homemade candy corn project, and you suddenly realize your bottle of corn syrup has run dry?
No matter the reason, this guide to substitutions for light and dark corn syrup has you covered.
What Is Corn Syrup?
The best way to find a corn syrup substitution is to understand what, exactly, it is. Corn syrup is a sweet and viscous ingredient used in pecan pie filling, sugar cookie icing, and many candy recipes. Corn syrup is an invert sugar, which means it maintains moisture and prevents crystallization in candy recipes and baked goods where a soft, chewy texture is key.
The difference between corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is that the former is all glucose and readily available on grocery shelves, while HFCS is glucose that’s been converted into fructose. HFCS is used in many packaged goods but isn’t sold in supermarkets.
Most commercial light corn syrup contains vanilla extract, while dark corn syrup is made with roasty, molasses-adjacent refiner’s syrup.
5 Corn Syrup Substitutes
1. Maple Syrup
This street goes both ways. If you have a sweet tooth but don’t care for maple flavor, you might find dark corn syrup delicious atop pancakes or waffles.
On the flip side, however, maple syrup will change the color and flavor of your finished dish. And maple syrup isn’t an invert sugar, so it doesn’t prevent crystallization in candy recipes.
2. Brown Rice Syrup
While cornstarch creates the backbone of corn syrup, brown rice syrup is made from rice starches that have been converted to simple sugars and then thickened into syrup. Use it as an equal replacement for light or dark corn syrup in recipes that will benefit from its toasty rice flavors, like peanut butter scotcheroos, Neapolitan ice cream pie, or Snickers-inspired bar cookies.
3. Honey
Many cooks have at least one jar of honey in varying stages of stickiness in their cabinets, and it can be used as a 1:1 substitute for light or dark corn syrup. Not all honeys have the same color or flavors, though, so a dark-amber orange blossom honey will behave differently than a mild acacia.
Honey doesn’t prevent the sugar crystallization needed to make candies, so it’s better served as a substitute for corn syrup in baked goods like Kentucky bourbon walnut pie or as a donut glaze.
4. Golden Syrup
Arguably the best supermarket swap for light corn syrup is golden syrup, a staple in the United Kingdom that’s sold online and at many U.S. grocery stores. It has the same light color and sweet flavors, and is also an invert sugar, making it a good candidate for candies. Try it as a 1:1 substitute for corn syrup the next time you want to make peanut brittle or soft and chewy caramel candies.
5. Cane Sugar Syrup
If you make candy frequently but are avoiding corn syrup for any reason, consider whipping up a batch of cane sugar syrup.
Once you’ve prepared and jarred it, homemade cane sugar syrup lasts at least two months. If you’re in the early stages of candy-making or eager to brush up on the basics, check out this guide to working with sugar, too.
Need light corn syrup for a recipe? If you don’t have any, or don’t like to use the stuff, try one of these substitutes instead.
Light Corn Syrup Substitutes for Baking and Cooking
Light corn syrup adds sweetness to recipes, without adding flavor or color; it keeps sugar from crystallizing in candy; it makes baked goods moist, and it extends the shelf life of foods. Consider which of these functions the light corn syrup plays in your recipe; then, choose the substitute that comes closest to filling it.
Any of the following can take the place of one cup of light corn syrup:
1 cup honey – Use honey as a one-to-one replacement for light corn syrup. It has the same thickness, and won’t change the color of your recipe much – especially if you use a light-colored honey. It’ll also keep your baked goods moist. But you may want to use a different substitute, if you’re making honey. It’ll crystallize, if you take it to the hardball stage.
1 cup maple syrup or pancake syrup – Replace the light corn syrup in your recipe with the same amount of maple syrup. Better yet, use pancake syrup. It’s made from light corn syrup and maple flavoring, so it’ll get all the intended corn syrup into your recipe. This substitute will add a maple flavor and light amber color to your recipe, so consider whether this will work well with what you’re making. Making caramel or another type of hard candy? Then, use the fake stuff. It won’t crystallize.
1 cup granulated sugar + 1 cup hot water – Create a concentrated simple syrup by dissolving sugar in hot water. This substitute won’t add any extra flavor or color to your recipe, and works beautifully in pecan pie. It just isn’t suited to hard candy, since the sugar will crystallize at high temps.
1 cup golden syrup or glucose syrup – If light corn syrup isn’t available in your country, use golden syrup (light treacle) instead. It’s a tad thicker, and will add a light, buttery taste to whatever you’re making, but it should perform well in any recipe that calls for light corn syrup – even hard candies. Glucose syrup (confectioner’s glucose) will also work.
1 cup agave syrup – Use a light-colored agave syrup in place of the light corn syrup in your recipe. It has a fairly neutral flavor, and won’t add much color to your recipe. Just don’t use it in candy – it’ll crystallize.
Tip: To get an accurate measurement when you’re measuring a sticky syrup, spray the measuring cup with cooking spray, or run it under hot water, before you fill it. This will keep the syrup from clinging to the cup, so it all ends up in your recipe.
- honey, maple syrup, pancake syrup, granulated sugar, golden syrup or agave syrup
To replace one cup of light corn syrup, use:
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup maple syrup or pancake syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 cup golden syrup (light treacle) or glucose sugar (confectioner’s glucose)
- 1 cup agave syrup
Notes
Nutrition facts are based on using one cup of honey.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Ingredient Substitutions
- Method: Measure
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: light corn syrup substitute, corn syrup substitute candy, substitute for corn syrup in caramel, corn syrup substitute uk