Here's everything worth knowing about rice syrup and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 7 recipes to cook tonight.

What is rice syrup?

Rice syrup, usually sold as brown rice syrup, is a thick amber sweetener made by breaking down the starch in cooked rice into sugars with enzymes, then boiling the liquid down to a honey-like consistency.

It tastes mildly sweet with a faint butterscotch or nutty edge, much less sweet than sugar or honey.

Its sugar profile is unusual. The syrup is dominated by maltose and longer glucose chains rather than fructose, so it has almost no fructose at all. That is why it appeals to people avoiding fructose, and why it reads as a gentler, more rounded sweetness on the tongue.

It is also stickier and far less sweet than honey or maple, so swapping it in is never a straight one-for-one trade.

Cooking With Rice Syrup

Rice syrup is the binder of choice for chewy, no-bake treats. Its long glucose chains set up into a tacky, taffy-like hold as they cool, which is exactly what glues a tray of Kar-In's Crispy Rice Squares together without the brittle snap that white sugar gives.

In baked goods it adds moisture and a soft, slightly chewy crumb, working well in Wheat Free Shortbread and gluten-free bakes like Gluten-Free Orange Muffins Or Quick Bread, where it keeps a dense crumb tender.

Because it is only about half as sweet as sugar, use it where you want body and stickiness more than punch. It also browns deeply, so watch the oven on anything baked past 350°F (175°C) or the edges darken before the centre sets.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Its mild caramel-malt note sits well with oats, nut butters, sesame, brown rice, and warm spices, which is why it anchors so many granola bars and macrobiotic sweets. It also balances soy and miso in savoury glazes, lending a soft sweetness without the floral edge of honey.

The big mistake is treating it as a one-to-one sugar swap. Because it is a liquid and far less sweet, you have to cut other liquids and often add more syrup than the sugar you removed. Going in blind gives you a wet, under-sweet batter.

The second mistake is boiling it hard in candy work. Pushed too hot it scorches and turns acrid quickly, so for hard-crack stages it behaves unpredictably and other sugars are safer.

Substitutes

Honey or maple syrup are the easiest swaps when you only need sweetness and stickiness, but both are sweeter and more flavorful, so use a little less and expect a different taste. Maple keeps it vegan-friendly; honey does not.

Corn syrup matches rice syrup best for binding no-bake bars, since both are glucose-rich and resist crystallising. It is sweeter, though, so dial back any other sugar in the recipe.

Barley malt syrup is the closest match in flavor and maltose content, nearly interchangeable cup for cup, with a slightly stronger malt taste. For pure binding without much sweetness, glucose syrup also works.

Buying and Storing

Look for it in the natural-foods or baking aisle, often labelled brown rice syrup or rice malt syrup. The better ones list only rice and sometimes a touch of barley enzyme. Organic versions are common because of past concerns about arsenic in rice; reputable brands now test for it.

Store the jar in a cool, dark cupboard. Unopened it keeps for a year or more, and once opened it stays good for several months at room temperature thanks to its low water content.

If it crystallises or stiffens, stand the jar in warm water for a few minutes to loosen it. Always use a clean, dry spoon, since stray moisture or crumbs are what eventually spoil an opened jar.

Quick facts

In Chinese

大米糖浆

British (UK) term

Rice syrup

en français

sirop de riz

en español

jarabe de arroz

Recipes using rice syrup

There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 7 recipes