Sugar alternatives

You might think that sugar is perfectly fine for vegetarians - though not necessarily for teeth and waistlines. In fact, the most common types of  sugar - white, brown, and confectioner's sugar - are often filtered through bone char (which is made from the bones of cattle).

If you avoid meat for ethical reasons, therefore, you should also avoid sugars processed with bone char, either by purchasing sugar from companies that do not use bone char, or by choosing sugar alternatives.
 

Sugar made without bone char

• Country Cane
• Florida Crystals
• Jack Frost
• Pillsbury
• Rapunzel (Rapadura)
• Rouse's Markets
• Southern Bell
• Supreme
• Wholesome Sweeteners
• beet sugar
• most organic sugars
• unrefined sugar
   

Sugar alternatives

The nutritional value and taste of these sugar alternatives vary, but they are all suitable for vegetarians and all but one for vegans.

	Notes
Barley malt
Blackstrap molasses	use 25-50% less, reduce other liquids by an equal amount
Brown rice syrup	reduce other liquids by one fourth
Date sugar
Fructose
Fruit juice	reduce other liquids by equal amount
Honey	not for vegans, reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees and bake a bit longer
Maple sugar
Maple syrup	reduce other liquids by half the amount of syrup used
Raw/turbinado sugar
Stevia
Sucanat	good replacement for brown sugar

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