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

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s2mikey
s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
edited May 2015 in Food and Nutrition
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.

?????????
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Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    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
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    I just use regular maple syrup , use it in moderation and move on.
  • greengoddess0123
    greengoddess0123 Posts: 417 Member
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    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
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    I use a little bit of maple syrup.
  • buffveganme
    buffveganme Posts: 73 Member
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    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
    kickassbarbie Posts: 286 Member
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    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
    welksond Posts: 2 Member
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    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
    nickatine Posts: 451 Member
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    When I eat pancakes or waffles I use pure maple syrup and measure out a tablespoon, and stop there.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    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. B)
    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
    lulucitron Posts: 366 Member
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    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
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    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
    s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
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    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". :smiley:
  • misskris78
    misskris78 Posts: 136 Member
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    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
    jetortola Posts: 198 Member
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    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
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    I make my own syrup. Similar to the one's posted above. Love my cinnamon french toast! :smile:
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,243 Member
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    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
    buffveganme Posts: 73 Member
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    Great idea about mixing a bit of real yummy maple syrup into yogurt
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
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    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
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    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
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
    edited May 2015
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    +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.

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