Sweeteners & chocolate · Syrups & honey
Golden syrup
Thick, amber cane-sugar syrup with a buttery toffee taste; British staple for flapjacks and treacle tart.
Also called: light treacle, Lyle's golden syrup, light cane syrup
A kind of sugar
What it is
Golden syrup is a partially inverted sugar syrup made during cane sugar refining. It is thick, translucent amber and tastes buttery and caramel-like, much milder than molasses or black treacle. Because it is an invert syrup, it stops sugar from crystallising and keeps bakes moist and chewy.
How it’s used
- Flapjacks and oat bars
- Treacle tart and steamed puddings
- Anzac biscuits
- Brandy snaps and honeycomb
- Drizzling on pancakes and porridge
Characteristics
- Taste
- Buttery toffee.
- Sold as
- liquid
- Cooking uses
- Suitable for baking, Usually eaten raw
- Common in
- British, Australian, New Zealand, Irish, South African
Storage
Pantry-stable. Closed at room temperature; keeps for a long time.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 269 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbohydrate
- 73.14 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
- Sugars
- 73.2 g
USDA FoodData Central: Syrup, Cane (a close stand-in).
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Light corn syrup — 1:1; loses the toffee flavour.
- Honey — 1:1; more floral and browns faster.
Related ingredients
Recipes with golden syrup
Anzac biscuits
Australian · 44 min · 148 kcal · VegetarianButterscotch sauce
British · 22 min · 188 kcal · VegetarianChocolate sauce
French · 12 min · 180 kcal · VegetarianDamper
Australian · 40 min · 283 kcal · VegetarianHokey pokey
New Zealand · 45 min · 83 kcal · Vegan
Hong Kong French toast
Hong Kong · 13 min · 563 kcal · Contains eggProfiteroles with chocolate sauce
French · 1 h 40 min · 690 kcal · Contains eggSwedish gingerbread biscuits (pepparkakor)
Swedish · 13 h 45 min · 45 kcal · VegetarianTaiwanese pineapple cakes
Taiwanese · 2 h 20 min · 178 kcal · Contains egg
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