Last weekend, I was making a cake for our dinner dessert. I cracked the eggs in a bowl and in between this process I was looking for Caster Sugar on my kitchen shelves. There was an empty jar of caster sugar. I was shocked that time but didn’t want to go through the nearest grocery store. I had some extra alternatives in my pantry. Then, I decided to use Caster Sugar substitute for my cooking.
There are a lot of Caster Sugar substitutes that can be used in place of caster sugar. We just need to find that substitute in our kitchen or pantry. How can we decide what is the best substitute for our recipe/dish? To find the best substitute, you just need to get some info related to Caster Sugar.
Table of Contents
What is Caster Sugar, Actually?
Caster Sugar is a Granulated Sugar with a very fine consistency. It is also called superfine sugar or baker’s sugar. This is the most used sugar to make baking products, cocktails, and desserts. It is not the ultrafine as powdered sugar or icing sugar. If you don’t have caster sugar in your kitchen or pantry that doesn’t mean you can’t make baked products, desserts for your family and friends. You can easily cook all of these with Caster Sugar replacement.
Nutrition Profile of Caster Sugar:
- Calories: 15.4
- Fat: 0g
- Sodium: 0mg
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugars: 4g
- Protein: 0g
Health Benefits of Caster Sugar:
Caster Sugar doesn’t have many health benefits whereas it’s a good source of energy. Some Benefits are as follows:-
- Caster Sugar helps the lymphatic system.
- 2. It removes the dead cells from the skin.
- 3. As you know that it’s a great source of energy. It provides nutrients to the cells.
- 4. It also provides oxygen to cells.
- 5. This sugar helps to improve thyroid function.
What can I Substitute for Caster Sugar?
If you are cooking a baked good and run out of Caster Sugar, you don’t need to worry much. We are here with a list of the best substitutes for Caster Sugar. Now, you can complete the remaining recipe you have left in your cooking process. You can choose accordingly what you have in your pantry. Let’s have a look at the below-mentioned list.
1. Powdered Suger:
Powdered Sugar is not the same as Caster Sugar, but it is grounded ultrafine sugar that melts so fast. It is one of the best Caster Sugar substitutes used to make cakes, pies, donuts, puddings, and desserts. Powdered Sugar contains an anti-caking agent like cornstarch. It works well with ice cream but it shouldn’t be used in cocktails.
2. Brown Sugar:
Brown Sugar has a distinctive brown color due to Molasses. Brown Sugar is known as the healthiest sugar when compared to White Sugar. The taste of this sugar is similar to caramel. If you are making a light color good with Brown Sugar, you may see some color differences in the resulting product. It would give a similar taste in terms of sweetness when used in a ratio of 1:1.
3. Coconut Sugar:
Coconut Sugar is sweet to provide a good sweetness to your recipe/dish. Both Granulated Sugar and Coconut Sugar can be used in a ratio of 1:1. It melts nicely as Caster Sugar. The texture and flavor of baked goods are less moist and crumbly. I have used it in making banana bread and oatmeal. This can be considered a Superfine Sugar substitute.
4. Granulated Sugar:
Granulated Sugar is referred to as table sugar and White Sugar. It is highly refined cane sugar that is mostly used in every kitchen. It works pretty well with baking bread, cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, and brownies. It infuses crystals in baking goods. If you want to make a recipe/dish with berries, you can use Granulated Sugar as a Caster Sugar alternative, but it will take a little bit more time to be mixed.
5. Demerara Sugar:
Demerara Sugar can be used instead of Caster Sugar for baking goods. This sugar comes in a brown color. It has a neutral taste, but it would differentiate after the final result of a recipe/dish. This sugar is raw cane sugar. It holds a crunchy texture, giant crystals, and a light brown color when you use it as a Superfine Sugar replacement.
6. Rice Malt Syrup:
Rice Malt syrup is another replacement for Caster Sugar. It is a sugar-free syrup that is used sometimes as a replacement for honey. Rice Malt syrup works well with baked desserts like pies and cakes. This can be used as a nice substitute for Caster Sugar in baking products.
7. Maple Syrup:
Maple Syrup can replace Caster Sugar in pudding and pie kinds of desserts. This syrup will also add some golden color to your dish/recipe. It doesn’t have the same texture and flavor when compared to Caster Sugar. The main thing is, it’s a great sweetener to use in baking goods. You can replace 3/4 cup of Maple Syrup with 1 cup of Granulated Sugar or Caster Sugar and reduce the consistency of liquid in a recipe by 1/4 cup. (If there is no liquid in a recipe, then include 1 tablespoon of flour for every 1/4 cup of sugar).
8. Corn Syrup:
Corn Syrup is as good as Maple Syrup, but it’s not easy to find in grocery stores. If you have found some. make sure that it can be easily replaced with Caster Sugar. Corn Syrup prevents forming of sugar crystals. It tends to be highly concentrated so that it can be added less in the quantity in a dish/recipe that calls for Caster Sugar. Add 1/4 cup of Corn Syrup after removing 1/4 of the liquid from a recipe.
9. Agave Syrup:
Agave Syrup is similar to maple syrup and honey. It has a high level of Sweetness that can also beat the Caster Sugar. You should use less amount of Agave Syrup until you obtain the same level of sweetness. Use it just like you would use honey or maple syrup in cakes, puddings, and icing. Tasting the recipe until you get to know how much more Agave Syrup needs to be added.
10. Artificial Sweetener:
Artificial Sweetener works the same as Caster Sugar. It gives the same variety of flavors and textures. It contains the same level of sweetness. The one negative point is, it is not easily available everywhere. This may not be the right substitute when you need it urgently.
11. Honey:
Honey is healthy to be used as a substitute for Caster Sugar. It can replace any kind of sugar easily. Honey works well with all types of sweet drinks and baked goods such as pies and cakes. There are several types of honey available in the market, you can choose accordingly what you like the most.
12. Muscovado Sugar:
Muscovado Sugar is primarily obtained from avocados, then refined into powder form for easy use. This sugar is dark brown in color and has a strong molasses flavor. It is softer than Granulated Sugar but can be a good option for making caramel and toffee. You can use it in cakes as well as in ice cream. There is a chance of getting the final product softer and probably dark in color. If you are making something that has a dark color, it would be a good option to choose Muscovado Sugar as a good Caster Sugar replacement.
13. Molasses:
Molasses is a thick syrup that is obtained from the sugar beet refining process. It comes in a very dark color. You can use 3/4 cup of Molasses in place of 1 cup of Caster Sugar reducing the 1/4 amount of liquid from a recipe. If you don’t want the caramel color in your resulting recipe, then you should not use Molasses as an alternative to Caster Sugar.
14. Stevia Sugar:
Stevia Sugar is a healthier option to use in a recipe. This sugar is obtained from the Stevia leaves. It doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients and has no calories. Stevia Sugar melts as fast as Caster Sugar. You have to taste your recipe when preparing so that it won’t be too sweet or you need to use less amount of Stevia Sugar as a substitute for Caster Sugar.
FAQ:-
Can you use normal sugar instead of Caster Sugar?
Yes, you can use normal sugar instead of Caster Sugar. As you know Caster Sugar and Granulated Sugar are not the same, but both can be replaced by each other maintaining the ratio of 1:1. Caster Sugar is finely ground and can easily dissolve in liquid than Granulated Sugar.
What is the difference between Icing Sugar and Caster Sugar?
Icing Sugar is more finely grounded than Caster Sugar. Icing sugar is also known as Powdered Sugar and Confectioner’s Sugar. It contains an anti-caking agent like cornstarch which is not present in Caster Sugar to prevent clumping.
What is the healthiest alternative to Caster Sugar or any Sugar?
Stevia is the healthiest option followed by xylitol, erythritol, and yacon syrup. When it comes to natural sugar like Maple Syrup, Molasses, and Honey. All these sugar substitutes have some health benefits and are less harmful than Regular Sugar.
Now, you know the best Caster Sugar Substitute. You can choose according to what you have in the kitchen or you can also buy from amazon. Please! comment down below your questions, and let us know how much informative is this article for you. 🙂
