Can agave nectar be substituted for honey in baking?
The only sweetener called for in the bread recipe I want to use is honey; can I substitute 1/3 a cup of agave nectar for 1/3 a cup of honey without throwing off the proportions of the recipe? When using agave nectar as a substitute for honey in salad dressing recipes, I tend to use less agave nectar than honey called for because I find agave nectar sweeter than honey, but I don't feel confident doing the same thing in baking.
Best Answer
You can use agave nectar instead of honey or sugar if you modify your recipe a bit by lowering the amount of liquids. Agave nectar has more water than honey and is sweeter than honey (about 50% sweeter).
Honey Fructose: 41%, Glucose: 36%, Water: 18%
Agave nectar Fructose: 53%, Glucose: 15%, Water: 25%
As a starting point in modifying the recipe, keep the amount of water fixed by using less agave nectar than honey (amount of agave = 0.72 amount of honey). Also, dishes made with agave nectar will brown faster than those made with honey because of the agave's higher fructose content. Start checking a little earlier.
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What is a good substitute for honey in baking?
Light corn syrup would be the best flavor match, but dark corn syrup will work, too. Other options to try include maple syrup or molasses (not blackstrap). These substitutes can replace honey measure for measure. They may change the flavor of your recipe slightly, but that could turn out to be a good thing.Can you use agave nectar for honey?
It's easy to substitute agave for honey, as agave nectar has very similar properties to honey. Agave nectar, or agave syrup, is deliciously sweet and just as sticky as your favorite honey. For that reason, it's easily substituted for cooking and baking at a ratio of 1:1.What can I substitute for 1 tablespoon of honey?
Best honey substitutesDoes agave work the same as honey?
Honey is the clear winner. But both honey and agave nectar are caloric sweeteners and offer little added nutritional value. Honey is better than agave nectar because it is: higher in antioxidants.More answers regarding can agave nectar be substituted for honey in baking?
Answer 2
If you're making some sort of quick bread or muffin recipe, you should be fine. I've never had any problem and I can't see why it'd make much difference other than in the sweetness. Agave nectar seems a little thinner than honey to me, so that probably means the ratio of sugars to water is lower; however, that doesn't mean it's necessarily less sweet, and as you say it seems a little sweeter to me (mostly because it lacks that back-of-the-throat twang that honey has).
If you're making something that requires extreme chemical precision, I suppose there might be a problem, but then honey varies all over the map in terms of density and taste anyway. (edit — I just noticed the word "bread" in your question - if it's a yeast bread, I would be stunned if that substitution would make any difference at all; it's such a small amount.)
Answer 3
I used agave in a yeast bread recipe in my bread machine. With the small amount of honey needed (1, 3/4 Tbsp) I could substitute an equal amount of agave with perfect results.
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