Out of Sugar, one case
Can you substitute banana for sugar?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Mashed ripe banana
1 cup for every cup of sugar
Yes, in soft bakes such as banana bread, muffins and pancakes: start with 1 cup of mashed very ripe banana for each cup of sugar, and cut the other liquid by 2 to 4 tablespoons. Banana is far less sweet than sugar, so the result is mildly sweet, dense, moist and tastes of banana. For a closer result, replace only half the sugar.
- Verdict —
- You'll taste it
- The tweak —
- Cut the other liquid by 2 to 4 tbsp per cup of banana, lower the oven 25°F and bake until a skewer comes out clean, which usually takes longer.
- Best for —
- banana bread with no added sugar
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full sugar card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup sugar | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mashed ripe bananabanana bread with no added sugar | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 2 | Half banana, half sugarbanana bread and banana nut bread | ½ cup sugar + ½ cup mashed bananaTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Unsweetened applesaucebanana bread, where the loaf already has banana | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Honeybanana bread and banana nut bread | ¾ cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Banana in cookies, meringue or candy | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Mashed ripe banana
mildly sweet and strongly banana
Replacing all the sugar. Banana is about three quarters water and only about 12 percent sugar, so this sweetens gently and adds a lot of moisture.
- Best for
- banana bread with no added sugar, oat muffins and baked oatmeal, pancakes and smoothies
- Prep
- Cut the other liquid by 2 to 4 tbsp per cup of banana, lower the oven 25°F and bake until a skewer comes out clean, which usually takes longer.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- It does not brown, crisp or tenderize the way sugar does: the crumb is denser and more rubbery, the crust stays pale and soft, and the loaf keeps only 2 to 3 days.
Three medium bananas give about 1 cup mashed.
Half banana, half sugar
a little less sweet, with a clear banana flavor
Keeping half the sugar keeps most of the browning, tenderness and rise, and the banana covers the rest of the sweetness and adds moisture.
- Best for
- banana bread and banana nut bread, muffins and snack cakes, pancakes and waffles
- Prep
- Mash the banana smooth, count it as a wet ingredient, and cut the other liquid by 1 to 2 tbsp for each ½ cup of banana.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Crisp cookies, creamed butter cakes that count on sugar crystals for lift, and anything that should not taste of banana.
Use bananas with heavily spotted or black skins. A yellow banana is starchy and barely sweet.
Unsweetened applesauce
mildly sweet, faintly apple
The same idea with a quieter flavor, for when you do not want more banana. It is also mostly water and far less sweet than sugar.
- Best for
- banana bread, where the loaf already has banana, spice cake and muffins, replacing half the sugar
- Prep
- Cut the other liquid by ¼ cup per cup of applesauce.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- Cookies turn cakey, and a cake made with applesauce in place of all the sugar is dense and pale.
Honey
sweet, with a floral note that suits banana
If the goal is a banana bread without white sugar and with full sweetness, honey does it. It is sweeter than sugar and browns faster.
- Best for
- banana bread and banana nut bread, muffins and quick breads
- Prep
- Cut the other liquid by 3 tbsp per cup of sugar replaced and lower the oven 25°F.
- Contains
- honey
- Where it fails
- It is still sugar: this does not make a low-sugar loaf. The top darkens before the middle is done if the oven is not lowered.
Honey must not be given to a child under 12 months, even baked into food.
Banana in cookies, meringue or candy
not applicable
Tips for substituting sugar
5 tips- Banana bread already has banana in it, so the first move is to cut the sugar in half with no other change. The loaf is less sweet and a little less tender, and it still works.
- To go further in banana bread, add one extra very ripe banana (about 1/3 cup mashed) and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer, checking with a skewer.
- Ripen bananas fast by baking them in their skins at 300°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skins are black. Cool before mashing.
- Count mashed banana as liquid: for each cup you add, take 2 to 4 tbsp of milk, water or oil out of the recipe.
- Bakes sweetened with fruit puree go stale and mold sooner. Keep them 2 to 3 days at room temperature, or slice and freeze.
Questions
5 questionsHow much banana replaces ½ cup of sugar?
Start with ½ cup of mashed very ripe banana, which is about one and a half medium bananas, and take 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid out of the recipe. It will be less sweet than the sugar was, so taste the batter and add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup if you want more.
What can I use in place of sugar in banana bread?
For the same sweetness, use ¾ cup honey or maple syrup per cup of sugar, cut the other liquid by 3 tablespoons and bake 25°F lower, or use brown sugar or coconut sugar cup for cup. For less sugar, halve the sugar, or replace it with an equal amount of extra mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce and expect a denser, milder loaf.
Can I use applesauce in place of sugar in banana bread?
Yes. Use 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce per cup of sugar and cut the other liquid by ¼ cup. The ripe bananas carry the sweetness, so banana bread handles this better than most bakes. The loaf is denser, paler and less sweet.
Does banana work in place of sugar in cookies?
Only for soft, cakey cookies such as banana oat cookies. Banana adds water where sugar would have melted and spread, so the cookies stay puffed and soft and do not crisp. For a crisp or chewy cookie, keep at least half the sugar.
Does swapping banana for sugar make a bake sugar-free?
No. A cup of mashed banana has about 28 grams of natural sugar, against about 200 grams in a cup of granulated sugar. It is a large cut in sugar, not a removal.