How to Substitute Honey for Inverted Sugar

Honey is up to 50 percent sweeter than table sugar.

Invert sugar is a liquid, non-crystallizing form of sugar used by commercial bakers to keep baked goods moist or to give candies a finely-grained texture. But because it's typically used only in commercial baking, invert sugar is hard to find outside of specialty stores. Home cooks will have to find a substitute. Honey makes a close substitute, because honey and other liquid sweeteners, like maple syrup, actually contain a natural form of invert sugar.

Things You'll Need

• Honey
• Baking soda (optional)

Instructions

1. Consider the flavors already present in the recipe. Invert sugar doesn't carry a distinctive flavor, but honey does. When you substitute honey for invert sugar, you will impart the flavor of the honey to whatever you make. Make sure the honey will interact well with the other ingredients in the recipe.

2. Taste the honey first. Again, because honey has a distinct flavor, you may want to ensure that the honey won't impart an unwanted flavor into the recipe. Tasting is important because honey's flavor varies depending on many factors, such as the bees' diet. Buckwheat honey, for example, has a much stronger flavor than clover honey.

3. Substitute an equal amount of honey for the invert sugar the recipe calls for. Because both are liquid sweeteners, you can substitute measure for measure. However, keep in mind that honey is a little sweeter than invert sugar.

4. Add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the acidity of the honey, unless the recipe calls for sour cream or buttermilk.

References

• A Life Less Sweet: Invert Sugar
• Cook's Thesaurus: Sweeteners
• All Recipes: Baking with Sugar and Sugar Substitutes
• Cook's Thesaurus: Syrups