9 Best Substitutes For Maltose (Try Maltose Alternatives)

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Natural sweeteners and naturally occurring sugars are indispensable to countless meals, finishing off-flavors to perfection.

Maltose is one of the most widely used sweeteners around. In addition, the ever-popular inverted sugar sweetener is the main ingredient in many savory and sweet dishes.

Essentially, Maltose is a natural sugar. The disaccharide maltose is a sugar that forms when enzymes break down the starch in malt, which is why Maltose is also known as malt sugar.

However, this long-chain sugar has low availability and doesn’t taste as sweet as white cane sugar, leading to increased consumption. The risk of consuming in excess has led many people to look for maltose alternatives.

If your recipe calls for Maltose and you don’t have any on hand or prefer going for something different, don’t worry – we’ve got the best maltose substitutes available coming up. They work as malt syrup substitutions as well.

What Exactly Is Maltose?

Before we list all the capable alternatives to Maltose, let’s take a closer look at what malt sugar is.

Maltose or maltobiose is a fermentable sugar obtained from starch utilizing amylase – an enzyme shared that is also produced by the body to aid digestion. For example, barley and rice are fermented to create maltose sugars.

Maltose has a consistency that’s midway between a syrupy liquid and a crystalized sugar once added to the liquid. It is conventionally sold as a viscous liquid that’s slightly less sweet than sugar (and a great option for diabetic patients) or white powder/crystals.

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Cooking with Maltose leaves a sugary coating on BBQ’d foods that have both sour and sweet flavors. Many Chinese recipes like Char Sui, roasted ribs, and grilled pork all call for the glossy finish of Maltose.

Several deserts need this flawless finish as well. However, due to the high demand – malt syrup supplies often run low.

9 Best Maltose Substitutes For

The next time you’re out of Maltose or if you prefer to try an alternative, try any of these fantastic maltose substitutes.

1. Honey – Nearest And Most Convenient Substitute For Maltose

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In most cases, when your recipe calls for the glossy finish granted by maltose or malt syrup, honey will get the job done.

It’s just as viscous and sweet enough, making honey the closest substitute for Maltose available. Honey is also readily available and can be found in most grocery stores.

Unsweetened, pure natural honey is ideal, so be sure to buy a high-quality product. You’ll find honey to be much sweeter than Maltose, affecting the flavor of your recipe at the end.

Maltose is more neutral, so keep in mind the impact of honey’s fruity, floral flavors before your substitute. Also, it could spoil the taste of your meal if not paired correctly.

2. Barley Malt Syrup – A Competent Alternative For Maltose

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At 65% maltose, barley malt syrup is an excellent substitute. The rich, thick, sticky brown syrup is extracted from sprouted malted barley.

The flavor of malt comes through strong, but barley malt syrup isn’t all that sweet. It’s nowhere near as sweet as honey, giving it limited baking uses.

While a worth maltose substitute, barley malt syrup will change the flavor of your recipe significantly.

Many opt to add extra sweeteners to the syrup to make it sweet enough when baking or using it to form a glaze. This high-protein sugar will add a fantastic gloss to BBQ dishes without oversweetening them.

3. Brown Rice Syrup – Mildly Sweet, Reliable Maltose Substitute

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Brown rice syrup is a fantastic alternative to Maltose. Also known as rice malt, this sugary syrup is extracted from rice starch.

It’s about half as sweet as refined white sugar and most often comes all-natural and organic with zero fructose and gluten. Vegans often prefer brown rice syrup over other sweeteners because, unlike white sugar, animal bone char is not used during processing.

Although not as sweet, you can substitute at a 1:1 ratio in most recipes calling for sweetness, and brown rice syrup works equally well in BBQ glazes. The mild flavor makes it one of the most versatile suggestions on this list.

4. Corn Syrup – Neutral Substitute For Maltose

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Corn syrup contains Maltose making it another trendy substitute. If you can’t find any in your grocer, look for glucose syrup instead, as it is the same thing.

Cheap, mildly sweet, and excellent as a thickener, you can use corn syrup in any recipe where Maltose is called for. It makes an excellent glaze for BBQ and baked goods, and you can add a little to thicken the consistency of anything that needs a touch of sweetness.

We’ve listed corn syrup above maple syrup and golden syrup simply due to its versatility and reach. Some do, however, prefer the richer flavor of more expensive liquid sweeteners.

5. Maple Syrup – Sweet Dish Alternative To Maltose

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Maple syrup is an excellent maltose substitute that’s slightly healthier than regular refined sugar. Packed with no less than 24 antioxidants, it’s a healthy option, albeit much sweeter than other syrups suggested as alternatives to Maltose.

This tasty extract from sugar maple trees comes in various grades. The darker the maple syrup, the stronger you’ll taste the maple. Therefore, when substituting maple syrup for Maltose, we recommend that you opt for light or medium amber syrup instead of darker ones.

The sweetness of maple syrup makes it great in various dishes spanning baked goods, roast vegetables like tomatoes, or even added to salad dressings or whipped cream for desserts. Work sparingly adjusting according to the sweetness of your syrup, or the result may be a slight bit too intense.

6. Golden Syrup – Affordable, Sweet Alternative To Maltose

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If you’re looking for a similar sweetness to maple syrup without the unmistakable flavor, give the golden syrup a try.

Many find that they prefer the basic sweetness of golden syrup over maple, depending on one’s personal preference. A pivotal upside to golden syrup is just how affordable it is over most other maltose alternatives.

Golden syrup is basically just concentrated corn syrup making it intensely sweet, so be careful with how much you use. The dense viscosity makes it ideal for glazes and harder to spread, which is barely a concern for most.

7. Cane Syrup – Sweet, Dependable Maltose Substitute

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Cane syrup is a sweet, versatile alternative to Maltose available in a range of qualities and intensities. The darker cane syrups are the better alternative to Maltose, but any will work in a pinch.

Caramel sweetness comes through strong, but this maltose substitute lacks the bittersweet quality that many are looking for, so keep this in mind. Nevertheless, it’s the ideal sweetener to add to decadently sweet dishes.

Inventive chefs can create this sweet, thick liquid by boiling down sugar cane juice. It’s way sweeter than molasses, making it a trendy maltose substitute over sweet treats like pancakes and waffles.

But, of course, you’ll need to use a little less when baking if you want to avoid the aggressive sweetness.

8. Sorghum Syrup – Maltose Substitute With Closely Matched Color And Texture

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Sorghum syrup, also known as sorghum molasses, is a stickier, worthy alternative to Maltose that’s loved in the South.

It’s very sweet and carries a similar color to malt syrup, leaving an aftertaste that’d leave you convinced you’d just had malt sugar. The consistency makes it particularly handy for glazes.

Despite being a natural sweetener, sorghum is higher in calories than molasses, maple syrup, white sugar, and honey, but it grants a small amount of protein and calcium.

Therefore, you can substitute sorghum syrup for Maltose at an equal ratio in most recipes while leaving the taste and texture intact.

9. Agave Nectar/Syrup – High-End Alternative To Maltose

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Agave syrup is a liquid sweetener extracted from the blue agave plant, harvested, and processed to make tequila.

Agave nectar is sweet, thick, and grants the ideal consistency needed for BBQ glazes, but it’s more expensive and harder to find than other options. Agave also comes with an unmissable subtle flavor of its own.

You’ll find agave syrup to be roughly two-thirds of the sweetness of refined white sugar. Work with agave nectar/syrup just as you would with honey. Baked goods have a slightly denser texture, but that’s about the only difference.

Various types of agave are available – we recommend that you opt for the lighter syrups for baked goods and the darker agave nectar for savory meals like BBQ glazes and adding sweetness to sauces and stews.

Maltose Alternatives For Every Recipe

You can use these maltose substitutes in any recipe that calls for Maltose, but specific alternatives will suit certain types of flavors better. The best maltose alternative will depend on how sweet you want your liquid sweetener to be and how thick you need the syrup.

Be sure to try out all your options so that you’ll be well prepared for every recipe you could encounter.