How to Make Maple Sugar

You can turn maple syrup into sugar at home with just one ingredient! It’s so much easier than you’d think! And once you have it, you can use homemade maple sugar as a replacement for white sugar, brown sugar, or even powdered sugar in almost any recipe! Get the full substitution information below!

Over the past few years, my family has tried to completely eliminate white sugar from our diet. There are a lot of reasons, but the main reason is the effect that white sugar has on the body’s ability to function and absorb nutrients properly.

So, we’ve turned to natural sweeteners, as well as drastically reducing the amount of “sugar” we consume, no matter the source.

But there were still a few holdouts in our recipe catalog that we would pull out the sugar for just a few times a year. I decided it was time to try to figure out how to make those favorite recipes with maple sugar (or honey) instead!

With the exception of a few canning recipes like my jams and jellies, we have been successful!

This recipe for how to make homemade maple sugar is simple and can be used as a replacement for white OR brown sugar. However, if you’d like to take it a step further and make powdered maple sugar, you can also do that!

How to Make Maple Sugar at Home

If you’ve ever boiled water, you’ll be able to make this maple sugar from maple syrup. It’s that easy!

You will need a few pieces of equipment to make it easier on you, but you can also “eyeball it” if needed. The results may vary, though!

• Mixer with a beater attachment – Yes, you CAN mix this by hand, but you’re going to need to work fast, and the mixture gets VERY tough to mix as it cools. So, if you can borrow a mixer, or even grab a hand mixer, that’s going to be better than trying it with a spoon.
• Candy thermometer – The candy thermometer is optional, but again, you’re going to get better results if you use the right tools. This is the candy thermometer we use, and it helps me get perfect results every time.
• Heavy-bottom pot
• Parchment-lined baking sheet
• Food processor (for powdered sugar only)

Step One:

In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan or pot (at least 3 times larger than the amount of syrup you are cooking), pour the maple syrup and turn the heat to medium-high.

DO NOT STIR as this can cause crystals to form and will hinder the sugar-making process.

Step Two:

Bring to a boil and monitor the temperature until it reaches 255°F (124°C)

Note: If the temperature on the gauge doesn’t move anymore once it gets to a certain point, bump the setting up on your stove and monitor closely.

Step Three:

Remove syrup from heat and in the bowl of an electric mixer (or by hand, if needed) start the paddle attachment at low speed and pour the hot syrup into the bowl.

Be careful to have the speed low enough that the hot syrup doesn’t splash. It is basically lava and can burn you!

Step Four:

Beat on low-medium speed, raising the speed as much as you can without causing any splashing. Continue to mix until the syrup completely turns to powder.

Step Five:

Scrape maple sugar onto a parchment-lined tray and allow to fully cool.

There will be a lot stuck to the sides of the bowl. I have found that using a wooden spoon really helps get the vast majority of it out of the bowl.

NOTE: Soak the bowl in warm water, and the excess will melt away.

Step Six:

You can use the sugar at this point as a white or brown sugar replacement in any recipe! Store in an air-tight container for up to a month at room temperature, or for up to 3 months in the refrigerator.

How to Make Powdered Maple Sugar

While 95% of the time, the straight maple sugar created above works perfectly for my recipes, there are times when powdered sugar is needed. Fortunately, powdered maple sugar works 1:1 in recipes that call for regular powdered sugar.

Even royal icing! Here’s my standard royal icing recipe made with powdered maple sugar instead!

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Step One:

Take the maple sugar created above and pour it into a food processor. Process on high for about 3-5 minutes.

NOTE: You want the maple sugar to be completely cool before starting this process, so you don’t have large chunks of hot sugar sticking together.

Step Two:

In a fine mesh sieve, sift the powdered sugar from the larger granules.

✅ This is the sieve we use and it works really well!

We set the granules aside and use them in place of white or brown sugar.

Step Three:

For each cup of powdered maple sugar, add 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder and mix well. This will keep the sugar from caking, and will help with the thickening process when baking with the powdered maple sugar.

How to Substitute Maple Sugar in Recipes

One of the best things about homemade maple sugar is how easy it is to swap into your existing recipes! Here’s a quick rundown of exactly how to substitute in various situations!

• Replacing white sugar – Use 3/4 cup maple sugar for every 1 cup of white sugar called for in a recipe.
• Replacing brown sugar – Use maple sugar 1:1. The natural caramel notes in maple sugar make it an especially delicious swap here!
• Replacing powdered sugar – Use powdered maple sugar (see instructions above) 1:1 in frostings, glazes, and royal icing.
• Maple syrup to maple sugar conversion – Since the yield is nearly identical, 1 cup of maple syrup will give you approximately 1 cup of maple sugar. So if a recipe calls for 1 cup of maple sugar and you only have syrup on hand, just process 1 cup of syrup! Note that you may need to adjust the liquid measurement of other liquids in the recipe to account for the lack of liquid from maple syrup!

Maple Sugar FAQs

Over the years, we have gotten many questions on the process of making your own sugar from maple syrup. Here are the most frequently asked questions and their answers!

How Much Sugar Will 1 Cup of Maple Syrup Yield?

We have found that the yield is just about identical to the starting amount. So, if you need 2 cups of maple sugar, you would process 2 cups of maple syrup.

This can vary slightly if you end up boiling more of the water away than normal, which is why a candy thermometer is so helpful!

Can I use Maple Sugar for Canning?

While I haven’t broken into this topic yet myself (YET), my friend Michelle Visser is “the maple queen” and she has a recipe for canning pears in maple syrup you might enjoy!

How Should I Store Maple Sugar?

Unlike honey, maple syrup is not shelf-stable for long periods of time. It will mold eventually (ask me how I know!).

So, if you want to store maple sugar at room temperature, be sure to store it in an air-tight container, with an oxygen absorber, and a moisture absorber. Or you can store it in the fridge or freezer.

If you store it in a cold environment, you may find that it reabsorbs a bit of moisture. That’s likely going to be fine for any recipe you need it for, however, if you want to dry it out, just pop it in the dehydrator at 135°F or in the oven on the lowest setting until it’s dry again.

Even More White-Sugar Free Desserts!

If you enjoyed this recipe, here are a few more dessert recipes that feature alternative sweeteners in place of white sugar!

• Maple Cream Cheese Oatmeal Cream Pies
• Honey Sweetened Dark Chocolate
• Homemade Marshmallows without White Sugar

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