Maple syrup vs honey: GI, sugar and which is healthier
Maple syrup has a GI of 54 and Australian honeys 35 to 72. Compare sugar and kilojoules from FSANZ, and see what Vively members' glucose data shows.
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In short
- Neither maple syrup nor honey is meaningfully healthier, because both are mostly sugar and their GI values overlap, so use less of whichever you choose.
- Pure maple syrup has a GI of 54, while Australian honeys tested from 35 for yellow box to 72 for a commercial blend.
- Maple syrup has 1,082 kJ and 60.4 g of sugar per 100 g, against 1,162 kJ and 72.3 g in honey, a small gap at normal serves.
From Vively member data
1.4 mmol/L
Rise after either one alone
the typical rise for both when eaten on their own
1.6 mmol/L
Rise in maple syrup meals
against 1.4 mmol/L in meals with honey
Neither maple syrup nor honey is meaningfully healthier: both are mostly sugar, and their GI values overlap. Pure maple syrup tests at GI 54, while Australian honeys range from 35 (yellow box) to 72 (a commercial blend). Maple has slightly fewer kilojoules (1,082 against 1,162 per 100 g). The better choice is whichever you use less of.
Honey's GI depends a lot on where the bees fed, so the type in your pantry matters more than the honey versus maple question. Pick the sweetener you use now to see lower GI options, or filter by GI band.
- Maple syrup, pureGI 54LowMostly sucrose. One of the first foods ever GI tested, at the University of Toronto.
- Honey, international averageGI 61MediumAverage across honeys in the 2008 international GI tables.
- Yellow box honeyGI 35LowLowest of eight Australian honeys tested in 2002.
- Stringybark honeyGI 44LowAustralian eucalypt honey.
- Red gum honeyGI 46LowAustralian eucalypt honey.
- Ironbark honeyGI 48LowAustralian eucalypt honey.
- Yapunyah honeyGI 52LowAustralian eucalypt honey.
- Commercial honey blend (WA)GI 62MediumBlended supermarket honey.
- Salvation Jane honeyGI 64MediumFrom Paterson's curse flowers, common in SA and Victoria.
- Commercial honey blend (NSW)GI 72HighHighest of the eight Australian honeys.
- Table sugar (sucrose)GI 65MediumHalf glucose, half fructose once digested.
Is maple syrup better than honey?
For blood glucose, the difference is small. Pure maple syrup's GI of 54 sits in the low band, and most Australian eucalypt honeys tested lower still. Blended supermarket honey can test higher, at 62 to 72. If you buy a single-origin Australian honey such as yellow box or stringybark, it may well beat maple syrup on GI.
For energy and sugar, maple syrup is a little lighter because it contains more water. The table uses the FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database.
| Energy (kJ) | Total sugars (g) | Main sugars | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple syrup, pure | 1,082 | 60.4 | Sucrose 58.3 g |
| Honey | 1,162 | 72.3 | Fructose 40 g, glucose 31 g |
| Golden syrup | 1,203 | 74.9 | Sucrose, glucose and fructose in similar amounts |
| White sugar | 1,600 | 100 | Sucrose 100 g |
Maple syrup carries more minerals than honey: per 100 g, 102 mg calcium, 212 mg potassium and 1.5 mg zinc, against 8 mg calcium and 66 mg potassium in honey. In a 20 g serve that is about 20 mg of calcium, roughly 2% of the 1,000 mg most adults need. Neither is a meaningful source of vitamins or minerals at the amounts people eat.
Does honey's fructose raise blood sugar faster?
No. Fructose raises blood glucose very little: its GI is about 15, against about 103 for glucose, because the liver takes up most of it. Honey's sugars are mostly fructose (40 g per 100 g) and glucose (31 g), already separated. Maple syrup is mostly sucrose, which your gut splits into the same glucose and fructose within minutes.
In the Australian honey testing, the honeys with lower GI broadly had more fructose. That is why yellow box honey (GI 35) behaves so differently from a commercial blend (GI 72), even though both are "honey".
Raw, manuka and single-flower honeys
Raw honey is not GI tested as a category, so there is no evidence that raw honey on its own has a lower GI than processed honey. What the Australian testing does show is that the flowers matter. The single-origin eucalypt honeys (yellow box, stringybark, red gum, ironbark, yapunyah) all tested between 35 and 52, while the two blended commercial honeys tested at 62 and 72. If you want the lowest GI honey, look for a named eucalypt honey from one floral source rather than a blend.
Manuka honey sells on its antibacterial activity, which matters for medical wound dressings, not for the honey you eat. As a food it is still about three-quarters sugar.
In the kitchen
Maple syrup is thinner and less sweet than honey, so recipes swap them roughly one for one with a little less liquid when you use honey. Honey's fructose browns at a lower temperature, so honey cakes may need a slightly cooler oven.
“In the days prior to processed foods, sweet food meant the food was both safe and full of energy. There is no known poison that tastes sweet.”
Dr Michelle Woolhouse, Vively Medical Director
What Vively members' glucose shows
Vively members who wear a continuous glucose monitor log their food, and the app records how far glucose rises in the two hours after each meal. We pulled the results for maple syrup and honey on 27 October 2026.
On their own, both raised glucose by a typical 1.4 mmol/L. In whole meals, maple syrup meals rose a little more (1.6 against 1.4 mmol/L), probably because of the foods it is usually eaten with, such as pancakes and waffles. We did not measure the rest of the meal.
See the numbers as a table
| Value | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Eaten alone: Maple syrup | 1.4 | 30 |
| Eaten alone: Honey | 1.4 | 217 |
| In any meal: Maple syrup | 1.6 | 854 |
| In any meal: Honey | 1.4 | 2,656 |
Two caveats. Only 30 members logged maple syrup on its own, the minimum we publish, so treat that number as rough. And a quarter of members had almost no rise after honey alone, which usually means a small amount, such as a teaspoon in tea. Portion size moves glucose more than the choice of syrup. You can compare these numbers with common foods on our glucose spikes hub, including porridge, where honey and maple often end up.
How much is too much?
Honey and maple syrup both count as free sugars. The World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars under 10% of daily energy, and ideally under 5%, which is about 25 g (6 teaspoons) a day for an average adult. The Australian Dietary Guidelines advise limiting foods and drinks with added sugars. A tablespoon of either syrup is a big share of that ideal limit.
“Good nutrition is not only what you put in, but also what you leave out.”
Dr Michelle Woolhouse, Vively Medical Director
Some practical ways to use less:
- Measure it: a level teaspoon rather than a free pour.
- Pair it: drizzle it on Greek yoghurt, oats with nuts, or ricotta, where protein and fat slow digestion.
- Swap in fruit: mashed banana or grated apple sweeten porridge and baking with fibre attached.
- Bake with less: many cake and muffin recipes still work if you cut the sweetener by a quarter.
For a deeper look at honey on its own, read what is the glycaemic index of honey. If you are weighing sweeteners with almost no sugar, we compare allulose and stevia, and golden syrup and invert sugar are covered in is invert sugar healthy.
Honey or maple syrup with diabetes
People with diabetes can include small amounts of either, counted as carbohydrate in the meal. One level tablespoon (20 mL) of honey has about 20 g of carbohydrate. Neither treats or prevents diabetes, and claims that maple syrup or honey "balances" blood sugar are not supported. Ask your GP or dietitian how sweeteners fit with your medicines, especially insulin. Over months, your HbA1c shows whether your eating pattern is working.
How Vively can help
Published GI values are averages from a few people eating a set portion. Our CGM program shows your own response: wear a 14-day sensor, log your honey on toast or your Sunday pancakes, and the app shows your readings against a 4 to 6 mmol/L range. Dietitian support through the membership helps you decide where a sweetener fits and where a swap makes more sense.
Wear a CGM sensor for 14 days and see how honey, maple syrup and the meals you eat them with affect your glucose, with dietitian support to make sense of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the glycaemic index of maple syrup?
Pure maple syrup has a GI of 54, which is in the low band (55 or less). The value comes from University of Toronto testing reported by the University of Sydney. Maple-flavoured pancake syrups are different products, often based on glucose syrup, so this GI does not apply to them.
Does maple syrup have less sugar than honey?
Yes. Per 100 g, pure maple syrup has 60.4 g of sugars and honey 72.3 g, according to FSANZ. Maple syrup has more water. Per 20 g serve the gap is about 2.4 g of sugar and 16 kJ, so it is small in practice.
Which is healthier, honey or maple syrup?
Neither is healthier in a way that matters at normal serves. Maple syrup has slightly fewer kilojoules and more calcium, potassium and zinc. Some Australian honeys, such as yellow box, have a lower GI. Both are free sugars, so the healthier habit is using less of either.
Is honey better than sugar for blood sugar?
Slightly, on average. Honey's GI averages about 61 against 65 for table sugar, and Australian eucalypt honeys test lower. Honey also has fewer kilojoules per gram because it contains water. Gram for gram it is still mostly sugar, so treat it the same way.
Is maple syrup or honey better for weight loss?
Neither helps with weight loss. Maple syrup has 1,082 kJ per 100 g and honey 1,162 kJ, a difference of 16 kJ in a 20 g serve. Using less of either, and getting sweetness from whole fruit, makes more difference than switching.
Sources
- Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care 2008;31(12):2281-2283. PMC2584181
- Holt SHA, de Jong V, Brand-Miller JC, Arcot J. The glycaemic and insulin index values of a range of Australian honeys. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2002;11(Suppl). Abstract
- University of Sydney GI News. Low GI food of the month: pure maple syrup (February 2006)
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Australian Food Composition Database, Release 3
- World Health Organization. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children (2015)
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Dietary Guidelines
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