Honey to Replace Sugar Calculator
Convert sugar to honey for baking and drinks, then adjust liquid and oven temperature so the swap stays balanced.
Use sugar weight or volume, pick the recipe type, and the calculator will back into honey, liquid reduction, and bake temperature.
| Recipe | Sugar | Honey | Liquid Cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layer cake | 1 cup | 3/4 cup | 1/4 cup |
| Cookies | 1 cup | 3/4 cup | 1/4 cup |
| Brownies | 1 cup | 2/3 cup | 1/4 cup |
| Yeast bread | 1 cup | 2/3 cup | 1/3 cup |
| Glaze | 1 cup | 7/8 cup | 1/8 cup |
| Tea syrup | 1 cup | 1 cup | 0 cup |
| Honey | g/Cup | Factor | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clover | 340 | 1.00x | Balanced |
| Acacia | 336 | 0.98x | Light |
| Buckwheat | 352 | 0.96x | Bold |
| Manuka | 346 | 0.95x | Thick |
| Raw | 344 | 0.99x | Classic |
| Orange | 342 | 1.00x | Bright |
| Unit | To Cups | To Grams | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tbsp sugar | 0.06 | 12.5 g | Small swap |
| 1 tsp sugar | 0.02 | 4.2 g | Quick test |
| 1 oz sugar | 0.14 | 28.4 g | Weight check |
| 1 cup sugar | 1.00 | 200 g | Base ratio |
| 1 cup honey | 1.00 | 340 g | Dense pour |
| 1 lb sugar | 2.27 | 454 g | Large batch |
| Recipe | Temp Cut | Liquid Cut | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cake | 25 F | 1/4 cup | Protect crumb |
| Cookies | 25 F | 1/4 cup | Limit spread |
| Brownies | 20 F | 1/4 cup | Keep fudgy |
| Yeast bread | 15 F | 1/3 cup | Balance dough |
| Glaze | 0 F | 1/8 cup | Keep glossy |
| Tea syrup | 0 F | 0 cup | No bake |
When you replace granulated sugar with honey in a recipe, you must understand that granulated sugar and honey has different physical properties. Granulated sugar is a dry substance, but honey is a liquid substance that contains 17 percents water by weight. Honey is more denser than granulated sugar.
As a result of the density of honey, a cup of honey weigh more than a cup of granulated sugar. A cup of granulated sugar weighs 200 grams, but a cup of honey weigh 340 grams. Because honey is denser than granulated sugar, you cant simply replace granulated sugar with honey in a recipe without making any adjustments.
How to Replace Sugar with Honey in Recipes
In order to ensure your recipe is successful if you are using honey instead of granulated sugar, you must adjust the ratio of honey to granulated sugar. For every one cup of granulated sugar that a recipe requires, you should use 0.75 cup (three-quarters of a cup) of honey. Honey is sweeter than granulated sugar.
Granulated sugar contains sucrose, while honey contains fructose, which is significantly more potent in flavor. Because honey is more sweet than granulated sugar, you must also adjust the amount of liquids in the recipe. Because honey contains water, you must reduce the other liquids in the recipe.
For instance, if your recipe require one cup of milk, you should reduce the amount of milk to three-quarters of a cup if you are replacing the granulated sugar with honey. Another adjustment you must make to a recipe is in the oven temperature at which you cook the recipe. Because honey browns at a faster rate then granulated sugar during the Maillard reaction, you must reduce the oven temperature by 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you do not make this adjustment, the edges of the baked goods will scorch before the recipe is fully cooked. The type of honey you use will impact the flavor of the food. Clover honey has a neutral flavor.
Buckwheat honey and Manuka honey has strong, dark flavors that may overpower the flavor of some recipes. For these reason, you should use clover honey instead of buckwheat or Manuka honey in your recipes. In order to adjust the recipe for honey to granulated sugar, you can use a calculator.
These calculators will allow you to adjust for the volume of honey to be used, the amount of liquid to be reduced, the adjusted oven temperature, and the weight of the honey that you will use in the recipe. Using a scale to measure the weight of the honey in grams is more accurate then using measurements of volume because honey settle differently in different jars. If you find that your dough contains too much moisture due to the amount of honey that you have added to the recipe, you can balance it by adding one tablespoon of flour for every quarter cup of honey that you have added to the recipe.
If the food browns too quickly when you are using honey instead of grangranulated sugar, cover the pan with aluminum foil so that the recipe does not scorch on the edges. Although honey is more expensive than granulated sugar, the potency of the sweetness of honey means that you will need to use less honey. Additionally, honey will keep your baked goods soft for a longer period of time.
However, honey will absorb the humidity from the air in your kitchen. Therefore, you should take into consideration the humidity in your kitchen when you are baking with honey. By following these guidelines for adjusting the liquid content of the recipe, the oven temperature, the ratio of ingredient, and the potency of the ingredient, you can successfully use honey to replace granulated sugar in many different recipes.
