Brown rice syrup rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 7 recipes to cook with it.

What is brown rice syrup?

Brown rice syrup is a thick, amber liquid sweetener made by breaking the starch in cooked brown rice down into sugars with enzymes, then cooking the liquid down to a syrup. It is sometimes labeled rice malt syrup, and it sits in the natural-foods aisle alongside agave and maple.

The flavor is mild and gently nutty, less sweet than honey or sugar, with a butterscotch hint at the edges. It pours slow and sticky, somewhere between honey and molasses in thickness.

Its big selling point is what it is not: it contains no fructose. The sugars are mostly maltose and glucose, which is why it appeals to people avoiding fructose, and why it is a common vegan stand-in for honey.

Cooking With Brown Rice Syrup

Brown rice syrup is at home in both sweet and savory cooking. Its mild, malty note works where you want body and stickiness more than sharp sweetness, which is why it binds granola bars and energy snacks so well: it sets firm as it cools and glues the oats together.

In savory dishes it balances salt and acid. Stir-Fried Tofu with Vegetables uses it the way you might use a little sugar in a wok sauce, rounding the soy and rice vinegar, and Lemon Cream Dressing leans on its smooth sweetness to soften a tart dressing.

It pours readily into batters and pancake mixes. Golden Wheat Pancakes folds it in for sweetness and a tender, moist crumb. It also works as the binding sweet liquid in a custard pie like Pecan Pie with Spike Cream.

Because it is less sweet than sugar, it is easy to over-pour. Add it gradually and taste, especially the first time you cook with it.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Brown rice syrup suits nutty and savory flavors: sesame, soy, ginger, oats, peanut, and warm spice all play to its malty side. It wants a salty counterweight, so it does its best work in glazes and dressings where it can round out vinegar or citrus.

The first mistake is swapping it for sugar one for one. It is only about half to two-thirds as sweet, so you need more of it, and since it is a liquid you must cut other liquid by a few tablespoons per cup or the batter runs loose.

The second mistake is rushing it cold. Straight from a cool cupboard it is stiff and slow; warm the jar briefly or stand it in hot water so it pours and blends instead of sitting in a lump.

Substitutes

Honey or agave nectar are the easiest swaps, both sweeter, so use a bit less and add back a touch of liquid; honey brings a floral note and agave a neutral one. Maple syrup works for flavor but is thinner and tastes distinctly of maple.

For the closest match in a savory glaze, light corn syrup or a barley malt syrup gives you similar body and mild sweetness without strong flavor.

If you reached for rice syrup to avoid fructose, note that honey, agave, and maple all contain it; barley malt and plain corn syrup do not.

Buying and Storage

Look for jars listing only brown rice and water or enzymes, and ideally organic, since rice can carry trace arsenic and organic brands often test for it. The syrup should be clear amber and pour in a slow ribbon, not separated or cloudy.

Store it sealed in a cool, dark cupboard, where it keeps a year or more; refrigeration is not needed and only makes it harder to pour. If it crystallizes or stiffens, warm the jar in hot water and stir until smooth.

If you do see mold or smell fermentation, which is rare in a syrup this concentrated, throw it out rather than scooping around it.

Quick facts

In Chinese

糙米糖浆

British (UK) term

Brown rice syrup

en français

sirop de riz brun

en español

jarabe de arroz

Recipes using brown rice syrup

There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 7 recipes