The ever elusive "Healthy" pancake/waffle syrups....

s2mikey

Not sure about you guys but I'm a sucker for pancakes and if you look at my food diary you'll see that most mornings start off with some type of pancakes for me! Many recipes are healthier mixes and such so that's good. But, finding that perfect syrup has been a challenge. I refuse to eat anything with sucralose, aspartame, Splenda, whatever in it. Just don't like or want that stuff. So, my requirement is the the syrup is at least natural meaning it isn't made in a lab or whatever. LOL.

So far, here's where I'm at in my quest:

Traditional store shelf maple syrups = too much junk corn syrup and other crap I don't want
Agave based sweeteners = very bummed about what I've been reading about agave lately. Even the best brands are mostly fructose and not nearly as good as we once thought.
Inverted Cane Syrup = not really any different than table sugar.
Pure Maple Syrup = great flavor but freeging expensive and of course loaded with sucrose

The others that I have not tried yet that interest me are Barley Malt Syrup and Molasses.

I know, I'm trying to find something that probably doesn't exist: a low carb, low sugar natural sweetener that tastes great and isn't overpriced or hard to get. Anyone ever use barley malt syrup as a pancake topping? Molasses? I don't want to buy a jar and then end up hating it.

?????????

livingleanlivingclean

Doesn't exist.

I use a no added sugar jam (no artificial sweetener either), and nut butter. Or yoghurt mixed with defrosted frozen berries (the juice makes the yogurt "saucier")....or honey or maple butter.

zoeysasha37

I just use regular maple syrup , use it in moderation and move on.

Michelle_Padgett13

I know people who order salads with dressing on the side. Then they dip their forks in the dressing before taking a bite of salad. What if you tried pancakes this way? Measure out a tablespoon of syrup and dip your fork in it before taking bites of delicious, delicious pancake.

Then you could have real maple syrup and not use too much of it. Just a thought.

Francl27

I use a little bit of maple syrup.

buffveganme

Maybe try making it yourself? Found these recipes - Stevia used for the sweet component.
Any 'natural' syrup will - as you probably know - have a fair amnt. of carbs., and calories to it, but at least their some benefit to your body as apposed to the artificial crap.

Joseph's Sugar Free Maple Syrup - 12 oz is a brand you can purchase - though it has malitol in it...

Stevia Pancake Syrup Recipe #1:

To make this pancake syrup alternative, you will need the following:

2 teaspoons of maple extract

2 cups of water

½ cup of stevia blend or ? teaspoon of liquid stevia

1 teaspoon of Guar Gum or Xanthum gum or ½ teaspoon of each of both

What to do:

Boil the two cups of water in a small or medium-sized sauce pan. Add the two tablespoons of maple extract to the boiling water. Add the stevia, and then slowly add the Guar Gum or Xanthum gum. Whisk it well until the gum is completely dissolved. Decrease the heat and then let the mixture cool.

Nutrition facts and calories

The serving size of the recipe is around 17 grams. Based on a 2000-calorie diet, this syrup has around just 8 calories. It has 0 fat and cholesterol, around 1.9 grams of carbohydrates, and 0.7 grams of sugar.



Stevia Pancake Syrup #2:

This stevia pancake syrup does not need a heating process; you just need a blender and a bottle. The following are the ingredients:

1 teaspoon of liquid stevia (you can also buy stevia powder, but it’s easier to mix liquid stevia)

1 tablespoon of maple imitation extract

½ teaspoon of imitation butter flavour

¼ teaspoon of lemon extract

2 tablespoons of glycerine

1/8 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of Xanthan gum

25 ounces of room temperature water

Blend all the ingredients, with the Xanthum gum last. Slowly trickle it in as the blender is running. Compress the volume of the mixture and store it in a 750 ml bottle, then refrigerate it.

The stevia amount in this recipe is already equivalent to 4 cups of sugar, so if you want your syrup to be less sweet, then you can use less than a teaspoon here. Unlike sugar, though, stevia has zero carbohydrates. The maple extract has around 3 carbs, while the lemon extract has 0.25 carbs, so this recipe has even fewer carbs than the first one.

kickassbarbie

Waldens caramel or pancake syrup is supposed to be 0cal
Personally I've grown to love them on my pancakes... don't try the chocolate though that's rank.

welksond

Maple syrup in moderation. I try to stay away from many of the chemicals and processed foods as much as possible. I know many swear by the artificial sweeteners and I did in the past but I moved away from that. Some butter and then Pure maple syrup. As a pancake lover myself its just better to get the real thing as a treat every couple weeks and then just work it off.

nickatine

When I eat pancakes or waffles I use pure maple syrup and measure out a tablespoon, and stop there.

MommyL2015

Pure maple syrup. There simply is nothing else out there that can be called maple syrup, or that should be put on top of fresh, fluffy homemade pancakes. My motto on pancakes is if you're going to eat them, eat them like you mean it.
I grew up in New England, so I was spoiled with the real deal and we never had anything else. My daughter manages a bed and breakfast on a farm that makes it, so I get a gallon every year when we go up at Christmastime.

lulucitron

Try making french toast too to mix things up. There's tons of high protein breads on the market. One full egg and 1/2cup egg whites with cinnamon mixed, dump in bread and fry. Mix some greek yogurt with maple syrup and use as a topping with some raspberries and blueberries.

jemhh

I either use just butter or I make a fruit sauce with fresh fruit (usually strawberries or blueberries), cornstarch, and a bit of sugar. It doesn't take much sugar at all and obviously you can decide on your own how much to add. Plus it only takes about 5 minutes to make.

s2mikey

Great advice and replies, folks. The home made recipe looks interesting too. I reckon since I behave most of the time and do maintain my fitness that I deserve to monge down some real maple syrup with my cakes.

For the heckuva it today we did buy a small jar of Grandmas molasses which is actually decent tasting. I will try it with some pancakes tomorrow and see how it goes. But, as others have stated, ya just need to go for it and do it "right".

misskris78

I like creamed honey on pancakes since, in spite being a "proper" northern New Yorker, I'm not a fan of real maple syrup. Trader Joe's has a good one, and you don't need much. I use maple syrup as a natural sweetener for the kids, and BJs (and maybe Costco) has it for about 1/2 the price of the grocery store.

jetortola

lulucitron wrote: »

Try making french toast too to mix things up. There's tons of high protein breads on the market. One full egg and 1/2cup egg whites with cinnamon mixed, dump in bread and fry. Mix some greek yogurt with maple syrup and use as a topping with some raspberries and blueberries.

I make this for my kids for "breakfast for dinner" sometimes (using whole eggs though) -- now I want some!!

rainbow198

I make my own syrup. Similar to the one's posted above. Love my cinnamon french toast!

Athijade

I just use real butter and syrup and fit it into my calories. Not that hard. A bit of the real stuff has so much more flavor then any of the junk fake versions. So I can use a lot less and still love it. I also keep my syrup on the side and dip the pancakes into it. I find a use less this way too!

buffveganme

Great idea about mixing a bit of real yummy maple syrup into yogurt

mwyvr

Use berries.

Natural. Not overly sugar laden. Gives you more fibre and vitamins.

Need some moisture? Dollop of plain Greek yoghurt on top too.

MoiAussi93

I just puree some raspberries...I keep frozen ones on hand .I don't even need to add any sweetener, although I suppose you could add whatever you like if you need more sweetness

mwyvr

+1 on that! Love raspberries...

My wife puts toasted pecans and bananas in some versions of her pancakes; I don't put anything on those but a little smear of butter.

neanderthin

I have pancakes twice a year, so I smother them in butter and maple syrup.

LBeet

I like E. D. Smiths no sugar added maple syrup. 10 calories per tbsp.

lulucitron

jojoeastcoast wrote: »

lulucitron wrote: »

Try making french toast too to mix things up. There's tons of high protein breads on the market. One full egg and 1/2cup egg whites with cinnamon mixed, dump in bread and fry. Mix some greek yogurt with maple syrup and use as a topping with some raspberries and blueberries.

I make this for my kids for "breakfast for dinner" sometimes (using whole eggs though) -- now I want some!!

It's soooo good! I prefer it over pancakes. The protein bread I buy has 17g for two slices!

lulucitron

buffveganme wrote: »

Great idea about mixing a bit of real yummy maple syrup into yogurt

It's very tasty and isn't as messy.

beemerphile1

There is nothing better than pure maple syrup.

mwyvr

beemerphile1 wrote: »

There is nothing better than pure maple syrup.

Indeed! Preferably right in the sugar shack!

s2mikey

So we grabbed a small jar of ulsulphered molasses this weekend and tried it out on some cakes. NOT my thing. The sweetness is good but the initial flavor of the molasses is wicked strong and just isnt gonna work. Might be OK mixed into the batter or on some other foods but its pretty awful on pancakes.

Ive decided to simply purchase some real maple syrup and just use it in reasonable amounts or try and make up a batch of my own syrup as per the recipes & suggestions here.

I do use berries quite often but sometimes we just need MORE sweetness..right?

Thanks for the replies, everyone

buffveganme

Once you've had real Maple Syrup from Quebec Canada, one can not go back...

It's like this with my 'addiction' to Balsamic Vinegar - once you've had an aged
to perfection (20+ years!) variety - it's like sipping a good wine...ummm...or good quality
chocolate...oh my I could go on and on...

The good thing is that you only need a little bit to feel totally satisfied.

stealthq

Definitely does not exist.

I don't think you'd like either barley malt syrup or molasses in place of maple syrup. The first is very malt-y, viscous, and super sweet. Great in pretzels and other baked goods, I'd never recommend eating it as a condiment. The second has a really strong flavor that would overpower pancakes. It's also very bitter if you don't get the right type.

My suggestion would be to use a drizzle of real maple syrup. Buy grade B so you get more maple flavor and you can use less.

The earlier suggestion of a fruit jam is good, too. I'll eat pancakes with a skim coat of jam sometimes. Very tasty.

Need2Exerc1se

Pure maple syrup mixed with peanut butter is all I've ever needed on my pancakes.

the best thing I can think of to get close to your syrup request would be stewed berries.