Sucralose vs Honey: The Ultimate Verdict

Honey, a natural and viscous substance bees produce, and sucralose, a noncaloric artificial sweetener, are two vastly different ingredients. While honey is made through the collection and refinement of plant secretions, sucralose is an artificially made sugar substitute that is not metabolized by the body.

Considering these differences, the question arises: which sweetener is ultimately superior? Let’s look at both to find out.

Comparing Sucralose vs Honey

	Sucralose	Honey
Substitution ratio	1 cup granulated sucralose: ½ – ¾ cup honey	½ – ¾ cup honey: 1 cup granulated sucralose
Gluten-free?	Yes	Yes
Keto-friendly?	Debated	No
Paleo-friendly?	No	Raw and unpasteurized
Common Allergens	Sucralose	Honey, some pollens
Pantry shelf life (unopened/sealed)	4 years	Indefinite
Best for baking	Sugar-free candies and baked goods.	Flaky pastries and dense honey cakes

Differences Between Sucralose And Honey

There are notable differences between natural honey, produced by bees, and sucralose, an artificial sweetener. Real honey is a natural sweetener with numerous health benefits, including antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is produced by bees by pollinating various flowers, resulting in different honey varieties. Honey contains sugars like fructose and glucose, along with other carbohydrates and a small amount of vitamins and minerals. It remains liquid when stored below its melting point and thickens gradually with decreasing temperature. In addition to its use as a sweetener, honey is valued for its medicinal properties. It is commonly used orally to alleviate coughs and topically to treat burns and promote wound healing. 

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener derived from regular table sugar. Through a chemical process, three hydroxyl groups on the sucrose molecule are replaced with chlorine atoms, resulting in a white, odorless crystalline powder. Sucralose is soluble in water, methanol, and ethanol and is widely used in various food products. Sucralose is heat stable, retaining its sweetness even at high temperatures during baking, which makes it a suitable substitute for sugar in baked goods.

While sucralose is considered safe for consumption in moderate amounts, research on its long-term effects has yielded mixed results. Excessive consumption of added sugars, including artificial sweeteners, can harm metabolism and overall health. 

Taste and Culinary Uses

Let’s start with honey. Beyond its sweetness, honey offers a diverse flavor profile depending on the nectar source. Honey can exhibit fruity, smoky, spicy, nutty, or earthy notes. This wide range of flavors adds depth and complexity to dishes where honey is used. It can enrich casseroles, sauces, and dressings, lending them a subtle and distinctive taste.

Moving on to sucralose, it presents a different taste experience. Sucralose, which is 400-800 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), offers a clean sugar-like taste without any bitter or objectionable aftertaste. It can be found as a general-purpose sweetener in various foods, including baked goods, beverages, and chewing gum. Its heat stability sets sucralose apart, allowing it to retain its sweetness even at high temperatures during baking. Most commonly known under the brand name Splenda, sucralose is widely used in over 6,000 food products.

Are Sucralose and Honey Substitutes for Each Other?

Granular sucralose, which has been designed explicitly for baking, can be substituted with honey, but pure sucralose cannot. To substitute granulated sucralose with honey, use about ½ to ¾ cup of honey for each cup of granulated sucralose the recipe calls for. 

Nutritional Profile And Health Benefits

• Name: Honey
  • Serving size: 1 tbsp.
  • Calories: 60
  • Total carbs: 17 g
  • Sugars: 17 g
  • GI: 58
• Name: Sucralose
  • Serving size: N/A
  • Calories: 0
  • Total carbs: 0 g
  • Sugars: 0 g
  • GI: 0

Honey contains phytochemicals, which possess therapeutic properties that can aid in treating various diseases. It is also known for its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties.

On the other hand, sucralose provides a calorie-reducing alternative to sugar. By substituting sucralose for sugar, individuals can limit their calorie intake. This is particularly advantageous for people with diabetes who need to monitor their sugar consumption.

Diet Suitability

Honey, a food produced by insects, is not considered vegan due to its origin and production process. Bees collect nectar from flowers, partially digest it, and regurgitate it in their hives, where worker bees store it in beeswax honeycombs. This honey serves as a long-lasting food source for the hive, especially during winter. Although honey is a natural sweetener, consuming it can disrupt ketosis and is therefore not allowed on the diet. Unadulterated raw honey aligns with the principles of a paleo lifestyle as it is considered a whole food. In contrast, pasteurized honey undergoes heat processing, making it not recommended for a paleo-oriented diet.

Sucralose (Splenda) is technically vegan as it comes from a plant source. However, its use in the development of the product has caused the loss of over 12,000 animal lives. It is debated when it comes to a keto diet, as while it is technically keto, it isn’t particularly healthy for you. It is not suitable for paleo or Whole30 diets either.

How to Store Sucralose and Honey

Honey should be kept in a sealed container, preferably glass jars with airtight lids, to avoid exposure to air when not in use. It is advised not to store honey in non-food plastic or metal containers, as they can cause honey oxidation. 

Sucralose should be stored in a well-closed container in a cool and dry place, at a temperature below 77°F. Elevated temperatures can lead to discoloration and degradation of sucralose over time.

Price and Availability

Honey prices typically start at $2.96 per pound but can vary significantly. The price of sucralose can range from a few USD to as high as 20 USD per pound, but as you don’t have to use much for the same level of sweetness, it isn’t as pricey as it sounds.

Environmental Impact

When it comes to environmental impact, non-commercial honey production and beekeeping stand out as one of the lowest impact options. Unlike other farming practices, beekeeping doesn’t require the use of tractors or large machines for harvest, and it doesn’t rely on fertilizers. 

On the other hand, sucralose poses some environmental concerns. It can withstand changes in pH and temperature and is not degraded by the wastewater treatment process. As a result, it accumulates in the environment and has been found in wastewater, estuaries, rivers, and even the Gulf Stream. The persistence of sucralose in the environment raises questions about its long-term impact on ecosystems and water quality.

Sucralose vs. Honey: The Ultimate Verdict

I cannot stand the taste of sucralose! I know right away when it is in something I’m eating and it really is not for me. For sugar-free treats, there are much better options available! So, honey absolutely wins this round as the superior sweetener.

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