Agave Syrup: What It Is, How to Use It and Substitutes
What is agave syrup?
Agaves are desert plants with thick, spiny leaves. The syrup is made mainly from blue agave, along with other species. After several years of growth, farmers cut away the leaves and harvest the thick heart of the plant, the piña. The juice is pressed or tapped from it. At first it contains mostly inulin, a complex sugar. Heat or enzymes break the inulin down into simple sugars, and the juice is then reduced. The result is mostly fructose, which is why agave syrup tastes sweeter than ordinary sugar. Apart from its origin, the industrial product has little in common with traditional Mexican aguamiel, the fresh agave sap.
Flavour and uses
Light agave syrup tastes almost neutrally sweet, while the dark kind has a slight caramel note. Because it is liquid and dissolves at once, it works well in cold drinks such as Hibiscus Tea from Fiji, lemonades and smoothies. It suits fruit salad better than sugar, which barely dissolves in cold lime juice, as in the Tropical Fruit Salad from Guyana. In many recipes it replaces honey when the dish needs to be vegan, for example in Stuttgart Fruit Bread. When baking, dough made with agave syrup browns faster, so lower the oven temperature by about 10–20 °C. It is no good for caramel or brittle, as it never sets hard.
Buying agave syrup: what to look for
You will find agave syrup in most supermarkets and health-food shops next to the honey and syrups, often in organic versions too. There are light and dark types, and the light one is all you need for drinks and desserts. Look for 100 per cent agave syrup with no added glucose syrup. The origin is usually printed on the label, and most comes from Mexico. Organic syrup costs little more and is a good choice if you want to know how the agaves were grown.
Storage and shelf life
Unopened, agave syrup keeps for a very long time, often two years or more. Once opened, it stays good in the cupboard at room temperature, with no need for the fridge. Unlike honey, it hardly crystallises. Wipe the neck of the bottle after use, or the lid will stick fast.
What can you use instead of agave syrup?
Maple syrup replaces agave syrup 1:1 and is also vegan, though it tastes more clearly of caramel. Honey works 1:1 too, if the dish does not have to be vegan. For drinks you can make a sugar syrup: dissolve 120 g sugar in 60 ml hot water and let it cool, then use slightly more of it than you would agave syrup. Rice syrup is less sweet, so allow about a third more.
