Now commonly used as an alternative to sugar, honey or maple syrup, agave is a popular replacement for table sugar. Whether you’re looking for sweet substitutes, sugar-free baking guides or simply want to find out your recommended daily amounts, find all the answers in our sugar hub. It’s versatile and easy to use, and agave substitute for sweetening hot drinks, porridge or bakes. It can be used in place of syrups such as golden syrup, but because it’s sweeter than sugar, you’ll need less to achieve the same taste.
It works well in chewy bakes like flapjacks, as well as sticky cakes and muffins. Although there are slightly more calories in agave than white sugar, you’ll need to use less than half the amount of agave to achieve the same sweetness, meaning fewer calories overall. Agave syrup is processed by heat, which alters raw agave’s natural nutrition values and lowers its antioxidant content. It therefore does not have a special nutritional profile and only contains small amounts of potassium, calcium and magnesium. This means the body absorbs agave more slowly into the bloodstream and as a result does not cause such a rapid spike in insulin. Although this gives it its sweet taste, fructose is metabolised differently from glucose.
Some people also have trouble absorbing fructose and may experience unpleasant side effects such as bloating or abdominal discomfort in sensitive individuals, particularly those with irritable bowel syndrome. If you’re prone to gastrointestinal discomfort, you may want to avoid agave. The jury is out on whether agave is actually better for you than table sugar. It will have less of an immediate impact on your blood sugar levels due to its low GI score but the high fructose content may make it more difficult for your body to process. Some opponents of agave claim it is simply a condensed fructose syrup, with minimal nutritional value. If you’re a healthy individual and prefer the taste of agave, then it’s safe to use in moderation. Have you swapped sugar for agave and noticed a difference?