Baking With Honey: How to Swap It for Sugar

Baking season is here, and one of the easiest ways to give cookies, quick breads, and muffins more depth is to trade some or all of the sugar for honey. Honey adds moisture, a gorgeous golden color, and a flavor sugar just can't match. But honey isn't sugar, so a straight swap can leave you with a soggy, overly brown result. Here's how to do it right.

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Why honey behaves differently

• It's sweeter. Honey tastes sweeter than granulated sugar, so you need less.
• It's a liquid. Honey is roughly 17 to 18 percent water, which changes the balance of wet and dry ingredients.
• It's acidic. Honey is slightly acidic, which affects how your batter rises.
• It browns faster. The sugars in honey caramelize at lower temperatures than table sugar.

The four-step swap

For every 1 cup of sugar you replace with honey:

1. Use 3/4 cup honey instead of 1 cup sugar.
2. Reduce the other liquids in the recipe by about 1/4 cup.
3. Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to balance honey's acidity and help it rise (unless the recipe already has plenty).
4. Lower the oven temperature by 25°F and start checking for doneness a few minutes early.

Since so much depends on temperature, an oven thermometer is worth having. Many ovens run hotter or cooler than the dial says.

Start with half

If you're nervous about changing a favorite recipe, replace just half the sugar with honey on your first try. You'll get honey's moisture and flavor without changing the texture too much. Once you see how it behaves, you can go further.

Handy tricks

• Grease the measuring cup. A quick spray of oil or a swipe of butter and the honey slides right out. (Or try an adjustable plunger measuring cup made for sticky ingredients.)
• Measure oil first. If the recipe calls for oil, measure it before the honey in the same cup.
• Warm crystallized honey gently in a bowl of warm water until it's pourable.
• Mix honey with the wet ingredients so it's evenly distributed.

Where honey shines

• Quick breads like banana, pumpkin, and zucchini bread
• Muffins and soft cookies
• Granola and granola bars
• Whole-grain breads and rolls
• Glazes for cakes and scones

Want a recipe that's already done the math? Try our Honey Cornbread, Honey Apple Crisp, or Honey-Glazed Baked Pears.

Honey is less ideal for recipes that depend on sugar for structure, like meringues, or for very crisp cookies, since honey keeps things soft and chewy.

A bonus: longer freshness

Honey draws in and holds moisture, so honey-sweetened baked goods tend to stay soft and fresh longer than those made with sugar. Your pumpkin bread may actually taste better on day two.

One flavor note

Honey brings its own flavor. A mild, light honey fades into the background, while a darker fall honey adds a rich, almost caramel note that's wonderful in spice cakes and gingerbread.

Ready to bake? Our raw local honey from our hives is ready for your fall baking.