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20 month old Baby and I love baking together. I used to avoid baking because I thought it just meant creating sugary, less-than-healthy treats for our family, but now I love using these natural sugar alternatives to create healthy baked goods that we all enjoy.
Here are the top 5 ways that I naturally sweeten our baking recipes and avoid using sugar or artificial sweeteners:
1. Honey
The benefits:
- Honey has vitamins: B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and certain amino acids.
- Honey has minerals: calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.
- Honey contains antioxidants and is cholesterol and fat-free.
- Honey’s sugars are gradually absorbed into the bloodstream which results in better digestion.
2. Unsweetened Applesauce
The benefits:
- Applesauce contains dietary fiber which keeps your digestive system moving regularly.
- Applesauce can contain as much as 80% of your daily vitamin C needs.
- Applesauce lightens the caloric density of baked goods.
3. Cinnamon
The benefits:
- Cinnamon lowers cholesterol.
- Cinnamon reduces blood sugar levels.
- Cinnamon protects against heart disease.
4. Vanilla Extract
The benefits:
- Vanilla helps to prevent memory loss.
- Vanilla balances the secretion or hormones.
- It reduces inflammation and hyperactivity in the major body systems.
5. Coconut Oil
The benefits:
- Coconut oil increases immunity.
- Coconut oil speeds up your metabolism.
- Coconut oil is antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial.
For examples of recipes containing these natural sugar alternatives, please see:
- An Easy, Healthy, Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
- A Veggie Muffin Recipe for Toddlers
- Baby’s 1st Birthday Party Recap: Ideas, Recipes & Pictures
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Looking for more information on sugar alternatives? Check out other ideas from our bloggers:
- La Vita e Dolce, Part One: How Much Is Too Much? by Angela of Retracing My Steps
- 3 Safe Natural Sweeteners by Lori of Groovy Green Livin
Thank you to our Healthy Child Network for these wonderful articles. Interested in joining our network and submitting your blogs to be featured? Sign-up today!
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.
Posted by Carrie on 03/02/2012 at 07:38 PM
I got a headache that lasted 2days the only time I tried stevia in my coffee. Did a little research and found this is a common side effect. Am not sold on agave, I think it’s almost as bad as sugar. I use sucanat or turbinado sugarfor baking, I just use 1/3 to 1/2 the amount in the recipe. Still plenty sweet for my family.
Posted by Mama in the Kitchen on 03/02/2012 at 06:44 PM
Honey is denatured at temperatures of around 112F and higher. If heated above that, honey actually becomes toxic to the body. It is best to consume honey that is local and RAW. Caution when using agave… It is highly processed… Although many people still use it because it is Vegan. Sucanat is another good option (also called Rapadura)... It is unrefined cane sugar and you can use it 1:1. Maple syrup also can be used, if you want a syrup. Forgo the brown syrup… You’ve heard of the arsenic in those, right? Caution with allergies and sensitivities in kids. My son is allergic to maple syrup and stevia. I get headaches with agave. Honey and sucanat are our sweeteners at home. Honey for raw food and sucanat for baked goods (latter is rare at our house).
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Posted by michelle Haddad on 03/02/2012 at 05:16 PM
i would also like to see the amounts of measurement replacements for sugar
Posted by Michelle Haddad on 03/02/2012 at 05:14 PM
new studies have shown when agave nectar is cooked it is as bad if not worse than high fructose corn syrup
Posted by Anna@Green Talk on 03/02/2012 at 04:16 PM
I use coconut palm sugar for baking. It isn’t as sweet as sugar but tastes more like brown sugar. It is low glycemic. . It is a great sub for sugar because it is granular to granular rather than adding more liquid like Agave.
I just Agave a little bit because for some reason makes me a little sick to my stomach.
Date sugar is great too and adds fiber but it is still sugar.
I use bananas instead for eggs as well as apple sauce for oil. However, when you fool too much with a recipe, it doesn’t always come out that great. (Guilty as charged.) So sub only one thing at a time.
Posted by Brenna @ Almost All The Truth on 03/02/2012 at 03:17 PM
I would love to know the substitution ratios too. I am not a cook and am not good at estimating. ;)
@Tara - Coconut oil is great for coffee. I like stevia too, but it takes some getting used to.
Posted by Sheri on 03/02/2012 at 03:03 PM
Great info! From what I understand, though, the main “good” things in raw honey are killed off at high temperatures. Is this true? A friend of mine who has bees told me not to waste good honey by putting it in boiling tea or baking with it if I wanted anything more than just a sweet taste. Would love to know if this is true.
Thanks.
Posted by susan on 03/02/2012 at 02:57 PM
what about banana? also, i agree about the substitutions. please provide!
Posted by Olivia on 03/02/2012 at 02:33 PM
The links for the 3 suggested recipes at the bottom don’t work. Please fix…I want to see the recipes!
Posted by Diana on 03/02/2012 at 01:44 PM
Would have loved to see Agave Nectar, a great substitute for sugar and just as sweet so you use less.
Posted by John W on 03/02/2012 at 01:39 PM
Try Xylitol and Stevia as well for sugar substitutes. Xylitol can be used in place of sugar, one cup of sugar equals one cup of xylitol. There can be an adjustment period to xylitol, can upset the tummy a bit - that’s because it kills candida on contact - it’s worth the adjustment.
Stevia does have measuring ratios, usually on packaging.
Enjoy!
Posted by tasha on 03/02/2012 at 01:25 PM
stevia is great in coffee—i love french vanilla flavoured stevia—all natural, no calories. stevia can also be used in baking, but takes some precisions. i play around with recipes quite a bit and the sugar content can usually be reduced by 75% in muffins and loaves with unsweetened applesauce.
Posted by Barbara on 03/02/2012 at 09:44 AM
I love agave for cooking and powdered stevia for coffee & tea!
Posted by Dorothy Perkins on 03/02/2012 at 06:55 AM
I prefer Agave for a sugar substitute. It is from a cactus. It is low glycemic. When baking reduce oven temperature by 75 degrees, replace 1 cup of sugar with 3/4 cup of Agave. Reduce recipe liquids by 1/3. According to Ayur-Veda, the health care used in India, which is over 6000 yrs. old, cooking with honey is not a good thing. Honey is good but not to be heated. I worked with several Indian physicians who told me about this.
Posted by Melodie on 03/01/2012 at 11:08 AM
Do you know what the measurements would be for honey if I am using it in place of sugar? I love to bake, but I’m trying to use natural sweetners.
Thanks!
Posted by Michelle D. on 03/01/2012 at 11:05 AM
It’d be great if you included the proper recipe-substitution-ratio for each one.
Posted by Tara on 03/01/2012 at 05:55 AM
Great ideas. Do you have any ideas for naturally sweetening up my coffee?
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