Are you fortunate enough to have trees on your property you can tap for maple syrup?
I’ve heard quite a few people say they get such an extreme amount of maple syrup from their property they aren’t quite sure what to do with it all.
It made me wonder how many ways maple syrup actually could be used? Even for those of us who don’t have a ton of maple syrup flowing from our property, we may be interested in seeing what it’s good for.
It may be worth investing and utilizing more frequently if it’s handy. In short, I’m going to share with you a variety of ways you can use maple syrup. Here’s what it’s good for:
1. Make Butter
I love going to restaurants and being served warm yeast rolls with cinnamon butter. The only thing better than cinnamon butter is maple butter.
Whether you’re dining out or not, if you have maple syrup, you can make your own maple butter. Mix maple syrup into your butter until it appears whipped. Spread it over homemade bread, and you have a fantastic snack.
2. Goes with Sausage
When your mind goes to sausage, maple syrup probably isn’t far behind. It’s one of those food duos which seem to pair wonderfully together.
Whether you like to pour maple syrup over your sausage or add some to the pan when frying sausage, it’s a tasty way to get your protein while utilizing maple syrup.
3. Make Sugar
Did you know you can make sugar from maple syrup? It takes a little time to cook all of the water out of the maple syrup.
When the water is gone, you’re left with delicious maple sugar. If you have enough maple syrup left over to play around with, give this idea a try.
4. Alcoholic Beverages
Maple syrup is great for making a variety of alcoholic beverages. You can make an old-fashioned bourbon using maple syrup.
But it’s also great for brewing your own beer and even making your own liqueur. If you have an interest in making your own spirit, maple syrup could be a perfect match for you.
5. Good for Baking
I love to bake. I also love using ingredients I already have on hand to decide what I’d like to bake each time.
If you have maple syrup on hand, you can make delicious maple scones, maple snack mix, maple pies, and even maple cookies.
6. Over Breakfast Foods
One of the most common ways to use maple syrup is by incorporating it into your breakfast menu. If you enjoy fresh pancakes, maple syrup goes wonderful over them.
But if you also enjoy having French toast or waffles, maple syrup is a delicious topping for these breakfast items as well.
7. Make Salad Dressing
You may not automatically go to maple syrup when you’re fixing a salad for lunch or dinner, but it pairs well with it.
Mix balsamic vinegar and olive oil together to make your dressing. For the finishing touch, add some maple syrup for a sweet flavor.
8. Addition to Fruit Salad
I love fruit salad. It’s a tasty treat you don’t have to feel guilty indulging in because it’s filled with healthy fruit.
However, if you’re looking for a different type of sweetener to set this salad apart, consider adding a touch of maple syrup to the salad.
9. Goes with Baked Beans
Baked beans, bacon, and maple syrup all seem to fit right together. Don’t forget to add some onion and maybe some chili sauce for a finished product.
When you’re indulging in baked beans, don’t forget to add some maple syrup for a sweeter flavor to a favorite dish.
10. Make Candy
There are a variety of homemade candies you can make with maple syrup. They’re a delicious treat and perfect to give away as a gift throughout the year.
If you have a loved one who loves maple syrup, try making them homemade candy and see a big smile spread across their face.
11. Make Old-Fashioned Taffy
The recipe I shared in the link above was from the series Little House on the Prairie. Another recipe they shared in Little House in the Big Woods is making old fashioned maple syrup taffy.
If you enjoy taffy, try this easy recipe to have a special treat while also making special memories with those you care about.
12. Excellent Hot Toddy
The first time I had a hot toddy was the first time I met my mother-in-law (before she was my mother-in-law.) I had a terrible cold, and she fixed me a potent homemade hot toddy.
Thankfully, it worked, but it was an experience. If you need a hot toddy to clear out chest congestion, add maple syrup to the mix to help add a sweeter flavor.
13. Ice Cream Topping
I love homemade ice cream. It’s rich and creamy. Plus, it’s fun to sit outside with friends and family around the machine while you wait on the ice cream to churn.
Once the ice cream is made, consider adding some maple syrup over the top for a delicious and sweet finish to a wonderful dessert.
14. Great with Sweet Potatoes
I’m a complete foodie. If I don’t like a certain food, it has to be bad. Which is why it shouldn’t come as a surprise I also love sweet potatoes.
But if you like to add something extra to your potatoes, consider adding maple syrup to the cinnamon and brown sugar you use as a topping.
15. Top Your Cinnamon Rolls
I make delicious homemade cinnamon rolls. They’re my boys’ favorite breakfast item, but I don’t mind making them because they’re easy.
But cinnamon rolls can be spiced up quite a bit by adding different toppings. You can add maple syrup in the place of icing and even toss some nuts on top.
16. Sauté Veggies
Yes, you can use maple syrup in the butter mixture you use to sauté fresh vegetables. This may defeat the purpose of being healthy and eating vegetables.
But if you love the sweet flavor of maple syrup, you may as well enjoy it in your vegetables too.
17. Great with Bacon
Do you make your own bacon? If you do, you can use maple syrup in the brine when you refrigerate the bacon for the first five days.
Even if you don’t make your own bacon, you can still pour maple syrup over it after it’s cooked, or you can pour a little in the pan as you fry it.
18. Makes Wonderful BBQ Sauce
I live in an area where people are divided between sweet barbecue sauce and vinegar based barbecue sauce.
In my opinion, sweet has a better flavor. When making your own barbecue sauce, reach for the maple syrup to sweeten things up a bit.
19. Popcorn Topping
I won’t forget in second grade when my teacher brought us popcorn. She popped it for all of us and put sugar on top of it.
This blew my mind. I can blow your mind even further with this tip. The next time you pop popcorn, add maple syrup to it.
20. Fruit Dip
This may not be the healthiest tip, but at least you’re eating fresh fruit, right? When you serve a fruit tray, consider slicing the fruit up to where it can be dipped.
From there, put a cup of maple syrup on the tray and allow everyone to dip their fresh fruit into maple syrup or even better – maple syrup butter.
21. Spice Up Your Oatmeal
My kids love having oatmeal for breakfast, and I don’t mind making it because it’s fast and simple. If you’re looking for a way to add flavor to your bland oatmeal, consider maple syrup.
Pour a drizzle of maple syrup into your oatmeal, add cinnamon, and brown sugar. This will give you a delicious start to your day.
22. Use as a Sauce
We eat a great deal of pork around our home because we raise our own meat. When you’d like to add a little life to your pork loins or chops, reach for the maple syrup.
You can drizzle maple syrup over the finished product to give a sweet flavor to your favorite cuts of meat.
23. Make Soap
This last option is a great way to use maple syrup. If you make homemade soap, you may be looking for different scents.
Pour maple syrup into the soap mixture, and it will make the soap smell like syrup. You will smell delicious when using this soap!
You now have over 20 different ways you can utilize maple syrup. If you’re fortunate enough to harvest syrup from your property, these tips should help you use what you already have.
However, if you’re having to purchase maple syrup to try some of these projects this may give you a few ideas on how to tweak certain recipes or projects you already do.
There should be something here for everyone to be able to try out and find great success with.