If you’re fresh out of chocolate syrup and don’t have time to run to the store for a brand new bottle, you might find yourself asking, what is a good substitute for chocolate syrup?
To answer your question, some of the best chocolate syrup substitutes include honey, maple syrup, carob syrup, and even molasses. You can also use Nutella, caramel sauce, and grenadine syrup—the options are endless!
In this article, I’m going to list all of the best and closest substitutes you can use to replace chocolate syrup. Read on to learn more!
Carob Syrup
For decades, carob has been marketed as a sweet and healthy chocolate alternative in the US and most of the world. It’s especially popular among individuals who are looking to partake in a low-fat, no-caffeine, no-gluten diet, but still want to regularly satisfy their sweet tooth.
Carob syrup is made from the flowering evergreen tree or shrub of carob tree pods. Unlike chocolate, it’s naturally sweet and contains high amounts of fiber and antioxidants, meaning you can enjoy your treats guilt-free.
What’s more, carob has twice the amount of calcium as regular cocoa and doesn’t contain migraine-triggering compounds such as caffeine and beta-phenylethylamine, both of which are present in chocolate and, in extension, chocolate syrup.
Although often advertised as a chocolate substitute, carob doesn’t actually taste like chocolate. It has a nutty, smokey, and slightly sweet flavor that’s reminiscent of luscious caramel chocolate.
Carob syrup has just about the same color and consistency as chocolate syrup, so it can be used as a one-to-one ratio. Because of its versatile nature, you can use it for anything that you would use chocolate syrup for, including pancakes, cupcakes, ice cream toppings, baking, and much more.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup and chocolate syrup are often served hand-in-hand, especially when it comes to desserts. Therefore, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that you can actually use maple syrup as a chocolate syrup substitute if you don’t have the latter readily available.
The best thing about maple syrup is the fact that it contains a ton of healthy minerals, including calcium, potassium, manganese, iron, zinc, and up to 24 different antioxidants. It’s healthier than sugar and chocolate, making it a popular choice among health-conscious individuals.
Similar to carob syrup, you can use maple syrup as a one-to-one substitute for chocolate syrup.
If you’re searching for a chocolate syrup alternative that tastes almost exactly like the real thing, you may want to try Minimalistbaker’s vegan chocolate syrup alternative.
All you’ll need to do is combine maple syrup, unsweetened cocoa powder, and cocoa butter in a pan. Then, whisk everything together in low-to-medium heat until thickened, and voila! You have your own homemade vegan chocolate syrup substitute.
Honey
Honey is a great chocolate syrup substitute for pancakes and baking. It has just about the same viscosity and consistency as chocolate syrup, so you can use it as a one-to-one substitute.
Similar to maple syrup, honey comes with a myriad of health benefits. It, too, is extremely rich in antioxidants. Honey is also believed to help improve cholesterol levels and heart health.
The taste of honey is greatly different from chocolate syrup, so you might want to adjust your recipe accordingly to match your taste.
For instance, if your recipe strictly calls for chocolate syrup, you can use honey as a base for chocolate syrup. Do so by adding in a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and equal amounts of water to about a cup and a half of organic honey. Mix the ingredients over medium heat for two to three minutes or until desired consistency is reached.
This recipe is a healthier and sugar-free alternative to regular store-bought chocolate syrup, which may contain artificial sweeteners and ingredients.
[Related Article: 5 Best Oven Mitts And Buying Guide]Grenadine Syrup
Grenadine syrup is a type of cocktail mixer that’s made by boiling pomegranate juice and sugar together until a thick syrup is formed. It has a tart and sweet flavor that’s reminiscent of pomegranates.
Although mostly used for drinks, grenadine syrup works as a brilliant chocolate syrup substitute for pancakes, cheesecakes, and other desserts that require chocolate syrup as a topping.
Dark Chocolate
Among all types of chocolate available, dark chocolate is arguably the healthiest. Dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cacao is packed with numerous amounts of antioxidants—even more so than green tea.
According to the research performed by Harvard’s School of Public Health, dark chocolate is rich in plant chemicals known as flavanols, which are said to help improve and protect your heart. It’s also rich in iron, copper, zinc, and magnesium.
Dark chocolate is likewise shown to improve your body’s blood sugar levels, therefore reducing the risk of developing diabetes.
Most chocolate syrups, even those labeled as “dark,” aren’t always 100% dark chocolate. Hence, a great chocolate syrup substitute is dark chocolate chips or simply melted dark chocolate.
Nutella
If you want to be a little more indulgent, why not use Nutella as a chocolate syrup substitute?
If you’re not familiar, Nutella is a type of chocolate and hazelnut spread that’s typically applied on toast. However, it’s extremely versatile and can be used on virtually any type of dessert available.
Nutella has a thick, almost solid-like consistency, so you’ll need to combine two teaspoons of hot milk with two tablespoons of Nutella to match the viscosity of chocolate syrup. Stir the mixture together until smooth, thickened, and dark. You can then use it as a topping over pancakes, waffles, and anything else that requires chocolate syrup.
Caramel Sauce
In any grocery store, you’ll almost always see caramel sauce sitting beside a row of chocolate syrup. While they don’t taste similar, they’re often used interchangeably because they share most recipes. Plus, it has just about the same texture as chocolate syrup, albeit a little thicker.
The best thing about caramel sauce is that you can easily whip up a batch at home. As long as you have sugar, water, heavy cream, and butter, you can create your own to use as a chocolate syrup substitute in under 10 minutes.
Use caramel sauce as a one-to-one substitute for chocolate syrup. As it’s slightly thicker than the latter, you may want to add several tablespoons of water or milk to compensate.
Biscoff Syrup
Biscoff cookies are a delight. Sweet, crunchy, with hints of caramel, cinnamon, and nutmeg, they’re a treat for everyone to enjoy.
Biscoff syrup is a topping sauce version of the super delicious Biscoff cookies that goes amazingly well with different kinds of desserts. If you’re bored of the regular ol’ taste of chocolate syrup, you’ll surely enjoy the complex taste of Biscoff syrup.
Molasses
Molasses is another healthy chocolate syrup substitute that can be used in most recipes that require chocolate syrup. It has a warm, sulfury sweet, robust smokey flavor that pairs quite well with cookies, cakes, and other baked desserts.
Blackstrap molasses is slightly less sweet and bitter than regular dark molasses, so you might want to avoid it if you’re using it primarily as a chocolate syrup substitute.
Rich in iron, copper, calcium, and selenium, molasses promotes healthy bones, blood, and even hair. It also contains a fair amount of antioxidants that can rival honey. Molasses is also said to help with stabilizing blood sugar levels, therefore making it a good substitute for those suffering from diabetes.
[Related Article: What Substitutes Can Be Used for Brown Rice Syrup?]Final Thoughts
Nothing quite beats the taste of chocolate syrup, but it isn’t often that we have it readily available. If you’re in dire need of a chocolate syrup substitute, try any of the above-mentioned options. Who knows, you may even like it better than chocolate syrup!