# Substitute for honey in a peanut butter recipe? \[CRISIS\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627 "2015-01-12T15:55:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oedipus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/1 "2015-01-12T15:55:04Z")
So I’m a student - equal parts bored and poor. So bored in fact that I took the shelled peanuts grandma pawned off on us during Christmas and shelled ALL of them to make a batch of awesome peanut butter, following Alton Brown’s direction. However, apparently SOMEONE threw out our honey so I don’t have the essential final ingredient to give the peanut butter it’s sweetness and tiny bit of liquid to be pastey. This is a real crisis here, I got everything going but I don’t have the final ingredient!!! The car’s in the shop so I’m stuck here for the time being. I don’t have agave nectar like some people mentioned (who does?), but I got brown sugar and regular sugar out the ass as well as some store-brand maple syrup. I just need a tablespoon worth of honey. Can anyone help? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/2 "2015-01-12T16:02:56Z")
According to [this](http://www.cooks.com/recipe/4516i4d5/substituting-honey-for-sugar.html) you can use equal amount of honey or sugar up to 1 cup. I would use brown sugar myself… ---
**Author:** ![Oedipus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/3 "2015-01-12T16:05:46Z")
Would it still result in a nice paste when I’m done? I thought the whole part about honey would be to add in a bit of liquid. I mean, everything is just going in the food processor so I don’t know how it’ll turn out but it just isn’t adding up ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/4 "2015-01-12T16:12:06Z")
The honey’s really just there for sweetness. You can make peanut butter without any sweet component to it if you prefer. Use peanut oil (or neutral oil) if necessary for more smoothness/creaminess. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/5 "2015-01-12T16:20:13Z")
> [@Oedipus](#): > > Would it still result in a nice paste when I’m done? I thought the whole part about honey would be to add in a bit of liquid. I mean, everything is just going in the food processor so I don’t know how it’ll turn out but it just isn’t adding up Unlike say flour, sugar is considered a wet ingredient, and I think it would mix fine with peanut butter. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/6 "2015-01-12T16:26:38Z")
> [@Oedipus](#): > > Would it still result in a nice paste when I’m done? I thought the whole part about honey would be to add in a bit of liquid. I mean, everything is just going in the food processor so I don’t know how it’ll turn out but it just isn’t adding up As **pulykamell** says, the honey is just there for sweetness. Actually, if you add too much non-oil-based liquid, the peanut butter can lose its consistent creamy texture. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/7 "2015-01-12T16:28:37Z")
It should be said that if you’ve never had natural peanut butter, don’t expect something perfectly homogenous and smooth like Skippy. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/8 "2015-01-12T16:30:12Z")
I have made my own peanut butter in the past, partly because I like it unsweetened (or at least minimally sweetened; the jam I add to the sandwich is sufficient). To make sure the texture came out right, we would just add some vegetable oil, which I understand is probably necessary no matter how you sweeten it. Substitute sugars (white or brown, or even something like maple syrup) aren’t going to have the same flavor profile as honey, but you won’t have any problems using them. Honey is slightly acidic, but I’m not sure if there’s a good way to mimic that flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/9 "2015-01-12T16:31:27Z")
Since this is about food, let’s move it to Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/10 "2015-01-12T16:33:32Z")
If you use maple syrup or sugar, you don’t need as much: > [@](#): > > To substitute maple syrup for honey in a recipe, use 3/4 cup of maple syrup and 1/2 cup sugar for every 1 cup of honey. From [How to Sweeten with Maple Syrup - Tablespoon.com](http://www.tablespoon.com/posts/how-to-sweeten-with-maple-syrup/6dfa0e81-4197-4bdf-8d78-bbfc56257701) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/11 "2015-01-12T16:42:34Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > If you use maple syrup or sugar, you don’t need as much: Actually, that would be more by volume, wouldn’t it? 3/4 cup syrup + 1/2 cup sugar = 1 1/4 cup syrup-sugar mix vs 1 cup honey. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/12 "2015-01-12T16:48:28Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > To make sure the texture came out right, we would just add some vegetable oil, which I understand is probably necessary no matter how you sweeten it. As has been noted in previous threads on homemade peanut butter, oil is not strictly necessary. If you have a good food processor and/or are patient, plain old peanuts will turn themselves into butter eventually. A trick to hasten the process without adding additional oil is to add some already smooth peanut butter to the batch just when it is starting to turn. This gets it quickly past the “grainy” stage and into the “creamy” stage with little waiting. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/13 "2015-01-12T16:57:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Actually, that would be more by volume, wouldn’t it? 3/4 cup syrup + 1/2 cup sugar = 1 1/4 cup syrup-sugar mix vs 1 cup honey. :smack: I do believe you are correct, sir. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/14 "2015-01-12T17:02:12Z")
I prefer homemade PB without honey or sugar, I just don’t like the sweet taste. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/15 "2015-01-12T17:19:33Z")
I sometimes use Karo syrup. ( dark corn syrup) ---
**Author:** ![Oedipus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Oedipus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oedipus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/16 "2015-01-12T19:21:49Z")
This was my first time making it and I didn’t want to screw up all the raw peanuts I had. Brown sugar worked just fine and made a good paste. Thanks guys! I appreciate it! ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/17 "2015-01-12T20:47:48Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > As has been noted in previous threads on homemade peanut butter, oil is not strictly necessary. If you have a good food processor and/or are patient, plain old peanuts will turn themselves into butter eventually. > > A trick to hasten the process without adding additional oil is to add some already smooth peanut butter to the batch just when it is starting to turn. This gets it quickly past the “grainy” stage and into the “creamy” stage with little waiting. Yeah, ours was coming out slightly grainy and with more of the “dry” feeling on the tongue when we ate it. A little oil seems to solve both problems. And it really is a little oil. Maybe a teaspoon of oil for a cup of peanut butter seems to do the trick, though we aren’t really measuring it out precisely. I’ll try your trick next time I make it. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/substitute-for-honey-in-a-peanut-butter-recipe-crisis/709627/18 "2015-01-14T19:15:42Z")
> [@grude](#): > > I prefer homemade PB without honey or sugar, I just don’t like the sweet taste. Indeed. Proper peanut butter only has two ingredients: peanuts and less than than 2% salt.