Pure maple syrup has traditionally been a healthy alternative to refined sweets. It has been labeled a delicacy in recent decades owing to its possible health advantages.
But how can you differentiate the best pure maple syrup brands from low-quality knockoffs? We’ll show you how with today’s comprehensive guide to maple syrup.
Table Of Contents
5 Best Maple Syrup Review
Maple syrup imparts a richness that sugar alone cannot equal, whether drizzled over sweet pastries or savory sauces. Before you fry the first pancakes, make sure you have the best maple syrup to drizzle on top.
Our specialists put the greatest maple syrup brands to the test to determine the finest.
- Butternut Mountain Farm Pure Vermont Maple Syrup – Best Vermont maple syrup
- ChocZero’s Caramel Syrup – Best sugar-free & keto maple syrup
- Runamok Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup – Best for baking, especially for pancakes
- Hidden Springs Maple Organic Vermont Maple Syrup – Best organic maple syrup
- Crown Maple® Bourbon Barrel Aged organic maple syrup
1. Butternut Mountain Farm Pure Vermont Maple Syrup
Pure maple syrup is undoubtedly tasty, but some of the higher-end choices might be prohibitively expensive, particularly if you like to drown your waffles every Weekend. That’s where Maple Syrup from Butternut Mountain Farm kicks in.
The Marvin family has been manufacturing and marketing regional syrup for half a century in Vermont. They have figured out a way to offer the rich flavor of their 100 percent natural Vermont amber color maple syrup at a much more affordable price without losing purity.
This amber-colored maple syrup provides a strong taste that isn’t overly complicated without sacrificing sweetness. It’s certainly an improvement over basic store-bought maple syrup.
Pros
- Best Vermont maple syrup
- Maple taste is really strong
- 100% pure
- Multiple uses
Cons
- It’s possible that the flavor is too mild.
2. ChocZero’s Caramel Syrup
ChocZero offers the best keto maple syrup for you if you’re on a low-carb/keto or low-sugar diet and need maple syrup. Each serving of this maple syrup has no sugar.
These syrups are dense and rich, prepared from natural, unprocessed ingredients. They’re the ideal luxurious addition for any supper or dessert and a delicious method to enhance fresh marinades and sauces when cooking.
ChocZero is a smooth, delicious, and sugar-free maple syrup for diabetics made with a blend of natural maple flavor, monk fruit essence, caramel flavor, plus liquid vegetable fiber.
It lacks the richness of flavor of real maple syrup, and the high fiber content per serving may cause stomach trouble if consumed in excessive quantities. Despite such shortcomings, it’s a great sugar-free maple syrup on the marketplace.
Pros
- It barely has two grams of carbohydrates in it
- Sugar-free, perfect for keto lifestyle
- It’s thick and filling
- It’s a low-calorie alternative for dieters
- Made from all natural ingredients, GMO free
Cons
- It must be used within 90 days after opening.
3. Runamok Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
While so many Vermonters manufacture maple syrup, Runamok Sugarmaker’s Cut Maple Syrup is a favorite in our Test Kitchen.
Runamok Maple produces a maple syrup that is silky smooth and has a remarkable depth of taste. It’s good for making pancakes, traditional foods and sweets, cocktails and sweetening hot drinks.
You’ll find a genuine, rich, yet delicate maple syrup inside a glass bottle.
The tree sap used to make this maple syrup originates only from Vermont maple trees, and consumers rave about how versatile it is. All of this brand’s maple syrups are responsibly manufactured, so you can shop with confidence.
This maple syrup is our favorite because of its delicious flavor and wide range of applications. No chemicals or preservatives are used, and you’ll have an all-natural blast of taste on your plate. What’s not to like about this best maple syrup for baking?
Pros
- Eco-friendly choice
- 20 different flavors available
- Produced on Vermont family farms, this premium syrup has a long shelf life.
Cons
- It has a smokey flavor to it.
4. Hidden Springs Maple Organic Vermont Maple Syrup
Hidden Springs Maple Syrup comes in a 32 oz. jar and is ecologically certified.
It has a stronger flavor and delicate notes than many other maple syrup products on the market, so if you want something with a rich taste and rustic tones, this is the one to go for.
Its rich flavor is an excellent choice for a variety of recipes. Use as a glaze on vegetables and meat or to flavor baked goods. This grade complements smokey and strong flavors such as Chipotle peppers, Sriracha, and Bourbon.
All of the syrup is sourced from sustainable farmlands in Vermont. Vermont Organic Farmers, Inc. (VOF).
It provides a better product to you and your family by sourcing it from organically grown Vermont farms. Not only is it healthier for you, but it is also environmentally friendly and tastes delicious!
VOF accreditation also ensures that the syrup is non-GMO.
Pros
- Bpa-free plastic jars
- Organically grown Vermont syrup
- Dark in color, with a strong flavor
- Great for all kinds of recipes
Cons
- The rich flavor may not be accepted by some people
5. Crown Maple® Bourbon Barrel Aged organic maple syrup
Crown is on the darker side of the range, and at first glance, it appears to be good, matured whiskey.
Crown’s syrup refining contains traces of roasted chestnut, butterscotch, spices, rye, and gingerbread, which is more than other maple manufacturers. You’ll feel extra erudite just having it since the final flavor is so well-executed and packaged.
You’re in fortune if you want your maple syrup to be matured like your bourbon. In this Crown Maple bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup, two realms cross paths: the organic syrup absorbs all of the varied taste characteristics as it lies in oak bourbon barrels.
The ultimate product is a thick, rich maple syrup with notes of whiskey, oak, graham cracker, brown butter, and vanilla that originates from a sugar plant in Dover Plains, New York.
Crown Maple provides a variety of organic sweeteners, notably applewood smoked and Madagascar vanilla, in contrast to its seasoned syrup, which can include up to 2% alcohol by volume.
Pros
- A taste that is smooth, rich, and multifaceted
- The taste of bourbon is prominent.
- It just takes a little to make a big difference.
Cons
- Slender texture
3 Best Maple Syrup Alternatives Review
1. Lakanto Sugar Free Maple Syrup
Lakanto was created to assist individuals in living a sugar-free lifestyle.
The business specializes in providing monk fruit; a rare fruit found over 1,000 years before in Asia by Buddhist monks known as the Luohan, who utilized it for its delicacy to develop “chi.”
This simple syrup sweetener is one-of-a-kind and unlike anything else on the market.
Monk fruit has a sweet taste that works nicely in a low-carb coffee, and we appreciate how well it mixes with almond and coconut cream in our beloved low-carb drinks.
Pros
- It goes well with hot drinks
- Condiment with no added sugar
- It’s gluten-free, all-natural, and low glycemic
- This vegan, all-natural syrup is free of artificial additives
- A positive lifestyle condiment and addition
Cons
- It’s just a sweeter, not the real maple syrup
2. Steen’s 100% Pure Cane Syrup
Steen’s sugar is gathered when it reaches its peak sweetness. After that, the cane is pulverized, and the juice is removed. In exposed kettles, the delicious liquid is then simmered to excellence.
Steen’s 100 percent Pure Cane Syrup is created when the purity and texture are exactly right.
In 1910, C. S. Steen, Sr., started the C S Steen Syrup Mill Inc. tradition in order to salvage his frozen sugarcane harvest. Five generations later, the Mill still employs the traditional recipe and steam machinery to create pure cane syrup, the old-fashioned method with an uncovered kettle.
Pros
- It’s 100 percent natural and pure.
- No preservatives are used
- Slow-simmered sugarcane syrup in open kettles
Cons
- The flavor is quite light
3. Log Cabin Original Pancake Syrup
Although Log Cabin’s original pancake syrup isn’t rated maple syrup, it’s a great replacement.
The bendable plastic bottle makes layering this thing on top of crepes and pancakes a breeze, and it also assures you get each last bit out of the bottle.
Although many high-grade maple syrups have a prominent flavor character that divides judgment, this gentler and less prominent taste and aroma have virtually wide appeal.
The ingredients don’t include any artificial tastes. Furthermore, there is no fructose-rich corn syrup, providing a versatile and cost-effective option for the best maple syrup alternative.
Pros
- Perfect for pancakes and toast
- No artificial flavors
- Squeezable container for easy use
Cons
- It’s sugar syrup, not maple syrup
Further reading: Healthy Substitutes for Maple Syrup + Homemade Recipe
How to Choose the Best Maple Syrup
We took into account a number of aspects when developing this list of the best maple syrups on the marketplace.
When choosing the best one for you, for instance, it’s great if you’re knowledgeable of the source, grade, packing, benefits, and drawbacks.
Tip 1. Check the Ingredients
Perhaps the most apparent step is to double-check the ingredients to make sure it’s produced entirely of genuine maple syrup, not maple “flavor” or high-fructose cane sugar.
There may be a mixture, but if you truly want to taste the excellent stuff, it has to be just syrup, no other ingredients.
Tip 2. Look at the Color
The only difference between the maple syrup quality classes is their color and flavor.
Syrup made from sap obtained early in the season is brighter than syrup made later in the season. When the temperature is warmer, it has a darker hue. The darker the syrup, the stronger its flavor.
Tip 3. Check the Class
In 2014, Vermont (the US state with the most major maple syrup output) developed new, less confusing maple syrup grading requirements.
In brief, all syrups would be labeled by the initial “A,” but with more descriptive descriptions.
Conclusion
Consumers are becoming more aware of how and where their product is grown. They are constantly expecting wholesome and healthful food for the people.
In a culture of manufactured foods, finding a product such as maple syrup that not only feels delicious but is also beneficial for you is a breath of fresh air.
Natural maple syrup provides more useful minerals and vitamins than other common sweeteners when compared to their nutritional worth.
We hope that our evaluations and buyer’s guide have provided you with the knowledge you need to select the best maple syrup for your own preferences.
Bonus Tips
- Ensure to keep your maple syrup in the fridge or freezer once you’ve bought it and unsealed the bottle.
- Glass bottles are ideal if you expect to preserve your syrup for 2 years or longer, whereas plastic bottles will hold syrup delicious in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
