Vegan Alternatives To Honey: Which Ones To Choose And Recipes

Honey is a natural sweetener made by bees. For a teaspoon in the infusion, it takes the work of about 10 or 12 bees during their entire life. It is estimated that for a kilo of honey no more and no less than 2,500 honey bees are needed.

Not all bees produce honey, but these species of bees are the ones that currently predominate, being a problem for the diversity of species. Not to mention that honey is the fruit of their work and has the function of their own diet.

Since honey is a product of the tireless work of these insects, we vegans look for alternatives not only to sweeten tea, our infusions or coffee, but also for many recipes that require it.

There are also traditional recipes, such as aubergines with cane honey, which already give us a clue that we have alternatives at hand.

This is one of the recipes that you will find in today’s weekly vegan menu, in which, if you sweeten your breakfasts, I also encourage you to look for alternatives to honey.

• Download the weekly seasonal vegan menu here.

How to Substitute Honey for Other Healthy Sweeteners

The composition of honey is practically all glucose and fructose. That is, 80% simple carbohydrates, the kind that give us quick energy to assimilate. Therefore, both honey and its alternatives, although they can be considered healthier than white sugar, should be consumed in a moderate way and always taking into account your energy needs.

Vitamins, proteins and other compounds, such as antioxidants, are given in a very small percentage, but we can supply it very easily with fresh fruit and vegetables.

Among the most common alternatives we can find:

• molasses or cane honey
• maple syrup
• agave syrup
• water apple honey
• rice molasses

These alternatives have very different compositions and highly variable glycemic indices. Maple syrup tends to be less processed than agave syrup, for example, and a lower glycemic index than the rest of the named alternatives.

We can also make alternatives to honey at home, such as date syrup. Below I explain how to do it and I present you two recipes sweetened with vegan alternatives to honey, a classic such as aubergines with honey and a vegetarian delicacy such as seitan with maple syrup. You will find both in the downloadable menu this week.

3 recipes with “vegan honey” for your healthy weekly menu

In hot weather, the need for hydration and fresh food grows, and it’s what you’ll find in abundance on today’s weekly vegan menu. Remember that the best option to hydrate ourselves is water.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables like cucumbers also help us stay well hydrated. Add a green salad, a gazpacho or a watermelon soup to any of the meals if you need an extra fresh.

It is also an excellent time to leave yogurt, whole grains and fruit in the fridge, fresh and ready to eat. They are ideal for breakfast or a snack.

As a vegan menu, you will find alternatives to products of animal origin in the recipes in which these are traditionally used. Among those alternatives are some of the sweeteners that I propose in this post to replace honey. You can use them in your yogurts, mueslis or any other recipe that you usually sweeten, although remember that the key is moderation : when sweetening we are adding sugar.

You will also find the three recipes that I suggest here below:

1. Homemade date syrup

It is recommended to make this homemade syrup with fresh dates. If you are using dried dates, you may need a little more water.

Ingredients:

• 250 g fresh dates
• 400 ml of filtered water

preparation:

1. We pit the dates. In the case of fresh ones, it will also be easy for us to remove the skin.
2. We place the dates in a blender container. In the case that they are dry, we will have hydrated it with hot water before, for at least half an hour.
3. We beat with the water indicated in the recipe (or more, if we use dried dates) until we have a very fine texture. Depending on the texture that interests us, we add more water.
4. We keep in the fridge until use.

2. Aubergines with cane honey

An ideal crunchy recipe as an aperitif in the eggplant season. You can use any of the vegetable alternatives to honey that exist, but the traditional thing is to use cane honey. This recipe can also be made in the oven.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 2 large aubergines
• a few tablespoons of chickpea flour
• Water
• Salt
• cane honey
• virgin olive oil for frying

preparation:

1. We wash the aubergines, remove the stem and cut them into slices.
2. We place them in a container with water and salt, which covers them. After a while, we drain them and dry them well.
3. Flour with the chickpea flour and fry at high temperature, in batches.
4. We serve with a little cane honey on top.

3. Seitan with maple syrup

A dish that is usually made with chicken and honey, but that we can very easily veganize. This recipe accepts a large number of vegetables, in addition to mushrooms, such as carrots, zucchini, or broccoli, so it can be made into a very complete dish.

We use seitan because it has a texture similar to meat, but you can also change it for tempeh, tofu or similar products to chicken.

Ingredients for 3-4 servings:

• 500 g of homemade seitan
• 2 large carrots
• 200 g of mushrooms
• 1 white zucchini
• 1 leek
• 1 clove of garlic (or more, to taste)
• 50g maple syrup
• 200 ml of water
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• extra virgin olive oil

preparation:

1. In a frying pan, brown the seitan with two tablespoons of olive oil.
2. We wash and peel the carrots and cut them into slices. The same with the zucchini and the leek, of which we can use the white part and also the green part. And finally, we peel the garlic clove and cut it fine.
3. We poach all the vegetables over medium heat with little oil and until the carrot is al dente.
4. Mix the water with the maple syrup and soy sauce, and add the liquid to the pan.
5. Add the seitan, stir and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. You can put it on very low heat and with the lid for half an hour, making sure that the liquid does not evaporate.
6. We serve still hot. It can be served with boiled leg, brown rice or noodles.