If you’ve stumbled upon this article, chances are you are tired of drinking your morning coffee black, and you’re looking for a new way to enjoy your cup of coffee. Maybe you’d like to try a new taste in coffee, or certain dietary restrictions have you curious about what you can and cannot drink.
These days many people are looking for alternative sweeteners in their coffee. This article will focus on the benefits of maple syrup and why it is a great alternative to sugar in sweet coffee. You can also find some help with putting it in your coffee to enjoy and a recipe for a type of maple iced coffee below. It’s not a super sophisticated coffee cocktail, but it does taste great and is one of many simple coffee makeovers.
Read on to find out why you’ll want to try maple syrup in your next cup of joe.
Why Maple Syrup?
You may be wondering why, of all things, maple syrup should replace sugar in your coffee every day. Perhaps when you imagine maple syrup, your first thought is something like pancake syrup.
The truth is, you’ll find it’s mostly corn syrup and not in any way a healthier alternative to sugar in coffee. Most of what you will find in modern coffee shops is corn syrup. Other brands of simple syrup that are maple-flavored may still have plenty of additives and ingredients that are not much better for your health.
What you need to look for is all-natural maple syrup. You may find plenty of types of coffee that are maple-flavored as well, but this does not mean they contain anything natural either. Few coffee recipes seem to use real maple syrup to make maple coffee.
The good thing about real, natural maple syrup is that it will blend much better into coffee than the thick corn syrups mentioned above. Of course, it will make your coffee taste sweet, but it won’t be quite so obnoxiously sugary, and it will give your coffee a nice kick.
It Isn’t Corn Syrup, But Is It Healthy?
So natural sugar in maple syrup over cane sugar might not have convinced you yet. However, there is more to maple syrup than meets the eye. It contains plenty of minerals such as potassium, zinc, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and antioxidants, including phenolics found in foods like berries.
So rest assured that real maple syrup is not just natural sugar, nor is it simply adding a simple carbohydrate to your body. Small amounts of it are surprisingly low in calories, so make sure not to use too much! It has many more nutritional benefits than you might have thought, but best not to overdo it all the same.
What Else Makes It Better than Sugar?
Time for a little more science behind the sugar vs. maple syrup debate. Sugar is made of disaccharide – maybe you’ve heard the term saccharide or saccharin to refer to sugar or something sweet. Disaccharide means that two saccharides make up the sucrose molecule.
Because of this, your body breaks down disaccharides a little more slowly, as it needs to work harder during the process. Those two simple sugars, therefore, stay in your body longer because of that time.
Those with dietary restrictions will know that the glycemic index of sugar is rather high. Your blood sugar is affected by the glycemic index of a food or ingredient, which is why sugar alternatives (especially if they are natural) can boast a low glycemic index on their packaging. This is good news for people with diabetes or those on paleo or keto diets.
However, if something has a high glycemic index, that’s where your sugar crash can come in. Your insulin level gets higher and suddenly comes down after your body has broken down the disaccharide, making you crash. And, as we know, unlike natural maple syrup, sugar has no nutritional benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Want to know more about adding a touch of maple to your coffee? Keep reading!
Does Maple Syrup Taste Good in Coffee?
As mentioned above, real maple syrup does not have the thick consistency of corn syrup or other pancake syrup. It dissolves in hot coffee quite nicely and is less likely to crystalize.
The flavor goes wonderfully with a fresh cup of hot black coffee, thanks to the rich taste that it can share with your favorite type of bean. If you prefer how milk tastes in your coffee, you could add a little splash of milk, but it might take away from the rich flavor and also add more calories.
Still, it’s nice to be adventurous and see how you can make maple syrup in coffee work for you. Try different coffee beans or slightly different amounts of maple syrup – remembering that it needs to be real, authentic maple syrup! As an example of experimenting, we’ve even got a recipe for maple iced coffee below.
Is Maple Syrup the Healthiest Natural Sweetener for Coffee?
Coffee pros say that brewing freshly ground and roasted coffee is the best way to make it naturally sweet. However, if you need more sweetness in your coffee, then maple syrup is a great choice due to the nutritional value it contains over sugar.
Recipe Example
This maple coffee recipe is offered by the country best known for maple – Canada. Units have been converted to US measurements so that you can enjoy your own maple iced coffee!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons dark-roasted ground coffee
- 7.6 oz boiling water
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- Ice cubes
- 2.3 tbsp cold milk (or to your liking)
Instructions
- Place your variety of coffee into a French press coffee pot, add boiling water, and brew the coffee for about 5 minutes.
- Plunge and then pour your filtered coffee into a glass (keep in mind that it should be heat-proof for the hot coffee!) and stir in the maple syrup.
- Add ice to the coffee and stir in your milk
Final Thoughts
If you want to try maple syrup in coffee, it will make a fantastic choice for an autumn morning drink or refresher at any time of day. Don’t forget that it can keep you healthier throughout the year due to its beneficial effects over plain cane sugar.
Hopefully, you found this article on maple syrup in coffee helpful, and you’ll want to experiment with using it as a sweetener or trying it out in different recipes. And wouldn’t it be fun to create your own?
