Persian rock candy (nabat) substitutes

Ordinary table sugar, chemically identical to nabat, just in small crystals instead of large ones.

Best for

sweetening Persian tea, sharbat and drink syrups, any recipe calling for nabat by weight, baking

This is the correct answer for almost every use. Plain nabat has no flavour beyond sweetness, so the swap is undetectable in a drink once it dissolves. Two differences you will notice: sugar dissolves at once instead of slowly, so tea sweetens all in one go rather than getting sweeter down the glass, and you lose the look of a crystal stick in the cup. A small chunk of nabat is roughly one to two teaspoons of sugar, so start with one teaspoon per cup and taste.

Equal weights of sugar and water simmered together with a pinch of crushed saffron bloomed in a spoonful of hot water.

Best for

replacing golden saffron nabat, sweetening a pot of tea for guests, iced drinks and sharbat, drizzling over rice pudding

The only substitute that reproduces what saffron nabat actually adds, which is aroma and a gold colour on top of sweetness. Crush a small pinch of saffron between your fingers, steep it in a tablespoon of hot water for ten minutes, then stir it into warm simple syrup. Because a 1:1 syrup is about half water, use roughly two teaspoons of syrup wherever you would use one teaspoon of sugar. It keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks and makes the swap effortless the next time.

The same crystallised sugar sold in irregular amber lumps for Asian cooking, found in most Asian groceries.

Best for

tea, slow-dissolving sweetening, syrups and braises, when you want the look of crystals

Functionally the same product under a different name, and the closest match for the slow dissolve and the crunch. It is often very slightly less refined, which reads as a faint hint of caramel, and it is never saffron-scented, so a Persian tea made with it tastes correct but plain rather than golden. Chunks vary a lot in size, so weigh rather than count if a recipe gives a quantity.

Pressed cubes of granulated sugar, the everyday Iranian alternative to nabat and the thing most tea is actually drunk with.

Best for

Persian tea, holding between the teeth and sipping tea through, as qand is traditionally used, guests, portion control

Iranians use qand and nabat side by side, so this is less a substitute than the other half of the tradition. A cube dissolves faster than nabat but slower than loose sugar, which is a reasonable middle ground. Flavour is identical. If you want the nabat effect without buying nabat, this is the cheapest route.

Liquid sweetener with its own floral character.

Best for

hot tea when you have nothing else, herbal infusions, soothing a sore throat

It sweetens, but it is not a neutral swap: honey is noticeably more floral and slightly sour, it clouds a clear glass of black tea, and it can taste odd against the tannin of strong Persian tea. Use a little less than the sugar called for because honey tastes sweeter. Avoid it entirely if the point of the recipe is a clear syrup, since honey will not set into crystals and will make the finished syrup hazy.

Large-crystal raw-ish cane sugar with a little molasses left in it.

Best for

tea, when you want visible crystals, syrups where a caramel note is welcome

The big crystals dissolve slowly like nabat, which gets you the closest to the drinking experience from a normal supermarket. The trade-off is a light molasses flavour and a faint brown tint in the glass, so a delicate saffron or cardamom tea tastes a bit muddier and less clean than it would with nabat.