4 Date Syrup Substitutes

Sometimes, when it comes to more obscure cooking items, it can be difficult to locate them in the supermarket, even in larger ones.

We often have to scour the internet in order to find them online, but this can end up being somewhat of a hassle, as well as being more costly. 

One such ingredient that you may have come across during your time browsing different recipes online, is date syrup. More and more of us are trying to cut down on our sugar intake, and as a result, we’re now reaching for some alternatives.

Date syrup is a great alternative to sugar, because it’s packed full of healthy nutrients, as well as being far lower in calories.

In addition to this, the texture of the date syrup makes it perfect for baking, as well as putting on top of baked goods such as pancakes, or even in your morning coffee to sweeten it up a little bit. 

Unfortunately, however, it can be tricky to locate this item in your local grocery store, and as a result, you may be wondering if there are some alternatives out there that you can turn to. Thankfully, that’s where we come in.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the very best date syrup substitutes, so that you can use them for your baking endeavors, or simply just to sweeten up certain food items. 

To find out more, simply keep reading below, as we take a closer look. 

What Is Date Syrup? 

Now, before we jump straight in and start taking a look at some of the very best substitutes for date syrup, first of all, we should cover what date syrup is for those who don’t already know.

As we mentioned above, date syrup is often used as a replacement for sugar, because it has a super sweet flavor that makes it a far healthier alternative. 

In Middle Eastern countries, date syrup is even more popular than it is in the US, and the people here will often use it  within their tea and coffee. 

It’s a super dark sweetener, and has a thick and gooey consistency that makes it great for drizzling over pastries.

In terms of flavor, it has a rich, strong, molasses flavor that emulates that of brown sugar, also making it a good replacement for this ingredient within dishes. 

It’s incredibly easy to make your own date syrup, and just requires a little bit of patience. All you have to do essentially is to boil down your dates until they turn into a thick, gooey paste that you can use to sweeten other items.

They’re then strained so that the skin and any other denser items are removed before serving. 

It has a really delicious flavor, and is packed to the brim with different vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin B, phosphorus, magnesium, niacin, and folate as well as a host of others. 

As you can imagine, it’s also far lower in calories, making it an excellent choice for those who are looking to lose some weight. 

With so many benefits associated with date syrup, it’s no wonder that more and more people are turning to this alternative, as well as others, when it comes to sugar replacements. 

1. Honey 

The first replacement that we’re going to be taking a look at is honey. Honey is a great replacement for date syrup, simply because it’s so accessible, and many of you reading this will likely already have it in your cupboards.

As you’ll already know, it has a super sweet flavor, and this makes it a popular choice for replacing sugar in baking items. 

In addition to this, it’s also a great replacement for date syrup because it has a really thick, gooey consistency that emulates it quite well.

Bear in mind, however, that if you’re replacing your date syrup with honey, that you’ll need to use a little bit less of the latter, as it’s far sweeter than date syrup. 

Because honey is a tad more thick also, we’d recommend that you dilute it with some water if you’re planning on using it within baking, until you reach a similar consistency to the date syrup. 

The key difference between honey and date syrup is the flavor, although both of these are sweet, the former has a distinctively different taste.

Honey is more tangy than date syrup, and has a far sweeter flavor than date syrup, which is more akin to molasses in terms of flavor. 

2. Molasses 

The next date syrup replacement that we’re going to be taking a look at is molasses syrup. It’s a super thick substance that’s made from refining sugar until it becomes liquidy.

This one is far richer in terms of flavor than others here on our list, and has a super thick consistency. 

This one makes a really good replacement for date syrup, and is very similar in terms of thickness. It does, however, have a super strong taste, so bear this in mind if you’re using it in baking, as the molasses will be very prominent. 

In addition to this, whatever you’re baking will also be significantly darker in terms of color.

Make sure, that like the honey, that you’re diluting the molasses before adding it to recipes, so that you can achieve the same consistency as date syrup. 

3. Brown Rice Syrup 

This is a replacement that some of you reading this list might not have heard of before. It’s a super sweet and thick syrup that’s actually been made out of brown rice.

It has a rich, caramel like flavor that makes it perfect for baking, as well as pouring over pancakes and waffles. 

One of the good things about brown rice syrup is that it’s not as processed as many of the others on our list are.

The result is that it’s far more natural, which means that it possesses a number of different vitamins and minerals, just like date syrup does. 

It’s low on the glycemic index, which means that it can help to regulate blood sugar. This makes it quite a popular choice amongst patients who are diabetic. 

In addition to being a super good replacement for date syrup, it’s probably the one on our list that’s most matched in terms of thickness.

This one is slightly more watery than the other syrups on our list, which means that it can help you achieve a similar finish with baked goods. 

4. Agave Nectar 

This one is one of the most versatile on our list, and is great for using in baked goods, as well as being a great substitute for sweetened teas and coffees.

This one can also be used for smoothie based dishes, if you’re looking for something healthy to give it a bit of added flavor.

We’d recommend that if you’re using this syrup to sweeten beverages, that you use less than you would with date syrup, as it’s far sweeter and therefore doesn’t require as much. 

The only thing that you may notice about this one in comparison to date syrup is that it has a distinctive aftertaste. Click here to see our full taste profile.

Date syrup isn’t as complex in terms of flavor. But, this one might be good in some cases, as if you’re searching for a syrup that isn’t as thick as the others on our list, you may find that this one works quite well. 

Instead of being really thick like molasses or honey for example, agave nectar is naturally thinner in terms of consistency.

This might make it easier to replace in your baking, because you won’t have to worry about thinning out the substance with water. 

People often use this as a replacement for honey too, because they’re both quite similar in terms of flavor, but the former is slightly less sweet. 

Final Thoughts 

To sum up, there are a whole host of different replacements out there that you can use instead of date syrup.

We recommend going for natural substitutes that still retain all of their nutrients, so that you’re still getting some of the same benefits as you would with date syrup. 

With many of these substitutes on our list, they’re far thicker than date syrup, so if you’re planning on using them for baking, you might want to dilute them with some water.