Rice syrup is a liquid sweetener made by breaking down the starch in cooked rice into simpler sugars using enzymes. Sometimes called brown rice syrup or rice malt syrup, it has a mild, butterscotch-like flavor and a thick, sticky consistency similar to honey. It’s a popular alternative sweetener in vegan baking, energy bars, and processed foods, though it comes with some nutritional trade-offs worth understanding.
How Rice Syrup Is Made
The production process starts with milled rice flour mixed into a water slurry. Enzymes are added in two stages. First, an enzyme called alpha-amylase liquefies the starch, breaking the long starch chains into shorter fragments. The mixture is then centrifuged to separate the protein-rich solids from the sugary liquid. In the second stage, additional enzymes (including debranching enzymes like pullulanase) further break down those fragments into individual sugars, primarily maltose. The liquid is then filtered and cooked down into a thick, amber-colored syrup.
Traditional methods use sprouted barley (malt) instead of isolated enzymes to trigger the same starch-to-sugar conversion. This older approach produces a slightly different flavor profile but achieves the same basic result. Either way, the process is purely plant-based, which is one reason rice syrup appeals to vegans looking for an alternative to honey.
What’s Actually in It
Rice syrup is mostly maltose, a sugar made of two glucose molecules linked together. In well-processed rice syrup, maltose accounts for over 50% of the total sugar content. The remainder includes maltotriose (three glucose molecules chained together), small amounts of free glucose, and trace amounts of other sugars like sucrose and raffinose.
The key distinction from many other sweeteners: rice syrup contains virtually no fructose. High-fructose corn syrup, by comparison, is roughly 55% fructose and 45% glucose. Honey also contains significant fructose. This fructose-free profile is the main reason some people choose rice syrup, since high fructose intake has been linked to fatty liver issues and metabolic problems. However, the maltose in rice syrup still breaks down into glucose in your body, so it’s not a free pass on blood sugar impact.
The glycemic index of brown rice syrup is around 25, according to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. That’s lower than white table sugar (around 65) and significantly lower than pure glucose (100). Calorie-wise, rice syrup delivers roughly 75 calories per tablespoon, comparable to honey and maple syrup. It’s less sweet than both, so you may end up using more of it to get the same level of sweetness.
How It’s Used in Cooking and Manufacturing
Rice syrup serves a different role in the kitchen than granulated sugar. Its thick, sticky texture makes it an excellent binding agent, which is why it shows up so often in granola bars, rice crispy treats, and energy bars. It holds dry ingredients together without making them crumbly. In baking, it adds moisture and chewiness to cookies and muffins while contributing a subtle caramel flavor that’s less assertive than honey or molasses.
In food manufacturing, rice syrup and its derivatives work as thickeners, texture modifiers, shelf-life extenders, and stabilizers across a wide range of products including sauces, snack foods, cereals, and baby foods. You’ll often see “brown rice syrup” or “rice syrup solids” on ingredient labels for products marketed as natural or organic, since it sounds less processed than corn syrup.
If you’re swapping rice syrup for honey or maple syrup in a recipe, you can generally use a 1:1 ratio by volume. Keep in mind that rice syrup is stickier and less sweet, so your results will differ slightly. You may want to reduce other liquids in the recipe by a small amount to compensate for the extra moisture, and consider adding a pinch more salt or vanilla to round out the milder flavor.
The Arsenic Concern
Rice absorbs arsenic from soil and water more readily than most grains, and that arsenic concentrates when rice is processed into syrup. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives tested three commercial organic brown rice syrups and found total arsenic levels ranging from 80 to 400 parts per billion. Of that total, inorganic arsenic (the more toxic form) made up 50 to 90% depending on the brand.
This becomes particularly concerning for infants. The same study examined organic infant formulas that listed brown rice syrup as a primary ingredient. When reconstituted, the arsenic concentration in these formulas was 1.5 to 2.5 times higher than the U.S. drinking water standard of 10 micrograms per liter. Even the dairy-based formulas sweetened with rice syrup came in just below that threshold, at 8 to 9 micrograms per liter.
There are currently no U.S. federal limits on arsenic in food, though the researchers who conducted the study called for urgent regulatory action. For adults using rice syrup occasionally in recipes, the exposure is likely modest. But for anyone consuming rice syrup daily, or for parents choosing products for infants and young children, this is worth factoring into your decisions. Rotating between different sweeteners rather than relying heavily on any single rice-based product is a practical way to limit exposure.
How It Compares to Other Sweeteners
- Versus honey: Honey is sweeter, contains fructose, and has trace antimicrobial compounds. Rice syrup is milder, fructose-free, and vegan. Both have similar calorie counts per tablespoon.
- Versus maple syrup: Maple syrup offers minerals like manganese and zinc along with a distinctive flavor. Rice syrup is more neutral-tasting and works better as a binding agent due to its stickier texture.
- Versus high-fructose corn syrup: The biggest difference is sugar composition. Corn syrup is 55% fructose, while rice syrup contains essentially none. Both are processed sweeteners with similar calorie density.
- Versus agave nectar: Agave is extremely high in fructose (often 70% or more), making it the opposite of rice syrup in terms of sugar profile. Agave is thinner and sweeter; rice syrup is thicker and less sweet.
Is It Actually Healthier?
Rice syrup’s reputation as a health food is mostly a marketing story. It is a real, meaningful option for people avoiding fructose due to fructose malabsorption or dietary preferences, and it works well for vegans who want to avoid honey. Its lower glycemic index compared to table sugar is a genuine point in its favor. But it’s still a concentrated source of calories with minimal nutritional value. There’s no significant fiber, protein, or vitamins in the final product.
The fact that it’s “made from rice” and often labeled organic gives it a health halo it hasn’t fully earned, especially given the arsenic issue. If you enjoy the flavor and find it useful in your cooking, there’s no reason to avoid it entirely. Just treat it the way you’d treat any added sugar: as an ingredient to use in reasonable amounts, not a superfood upgrade.