Someone I know is a vegan and suggested I try Agave nectar instead of honey. Although I am not a vegan nor a vegetarian at all, I saw some at the store, but before I buy it, I thought I’d ask here.
Anyone else use it? What do you think of it? I usually drink tea, with honey and lemon during the day, that’s why it was suggested to me.
Can you use it in recipes? Or is the flavor not honeylike at all. I don’t expect it to be an exact replica of honey but at least is it sweet like honey?
I use it. It tastes pretty much exactly the same as honey to me. It is a little more watery, though, which is sometimes a good thing (it’s easier to spread on things, for example).
Also, it’ll combine with cold liquids, which makes it an excellent sweetener for Margaritas.
It’s certainly sweet like honey, but I don’t know if I’d say it has a honey-like flavor…but it’s certainly one of the best honey substitutes for a vegan who doesn’t want just plain sugar water.
As for why to switch, I believe agave nectar is considerably cheaper than honey…especially recently with all the honey bee problems, it’s been going up and up the past few years (seriously, $5 for just one of those little bears?! You shittin me?!)
Buy local. Just google for some local honey. You’ll still pay out quite a bit, 8-30.00, but you will get a lot more honey, and better quality. I brew mead, so I buy a lot of honey and bulk certainly is the key. Honey will store fine for years BTW.
I had … how shall I word this? A boyfriend who used to be a strict vegan, and was beginning to relax his standards by the time we were together. He told me that honey was much better than agave nectar. Can’t speak from personal experience, though, because I’ve never tried the stuff myself.
I use it in a muffin I make at work. For cooking quality most any syrup can be substituted for another, but it’s all about the flavor. Honey and molasses are my two favorites, but agave is, as was said upthread, a good substitute for honey. It simply tastes different.
