25 Great Ways to Cook and Bake With Maple Syrup

Top Tips for Cooking and Baking With Maple Syrup

• For the best maple flavor, use real maple syrup, not maple-flavored pancake syrup (which is made with corn syrup or high-fructose corn syrup and artificial color.)
• Grade B maple syrup (often labeled as Grade A Very Dark Color/Strong Taste) is darker and has a deeper flavor than lighter grade A, which makes it a great choice for recipes where you really want the maple flavor to come through. You can save the lighter grade A syrup for pancakes and waffles.
• You can substitute 3/4 cup maple syrup for 1 cup of white sugar in baked goods (be sure to reduce other liquids in the recipe by about 3 tablespoons). Read more about sugar and sugar substitutes.

Maple Pumpkin Doughnuts

These maple-laced doughnuts are baked, not fried, just in case you have fear of frying, and maple glaze amps up the maple goodness even higher. lutzflcat topped hers with sprinkles and chopped pecans, and said, "Texture and taste is very similar to pumpkin bread which we love. These doughnuts have a lot of ingredients, but they were extremely moist and turned out very well."

Tofu Nuggets with Maple-Mustard Dipping Sauce

"Extra-firm tofu and breading give these nuggets the texture of real chicken, and the sauce is just a yummy bonus," says recipe creator isachandra. Sweet maple syrup and tangy dijon mustard give a taste reminiscent of honey mustard dip.

Coconut Maple Coffee

Recreate café-quality coffee at home with this easy recipe. Brewed coffee is sweetened with a splash of maple syrup and made creamy from plenty of rich coconut milk.

Maple Bacon Monkey Bread

Sweet and savory comes together in this crowd-pleasing and easy-to-make pull-apart bread. Deb made hers with refrigerated bread dough and substituted light brown sugar for the dark brown (because that's what she had on hand), and she says, "This was absolutely my favorite recipe from All Recipes. Sticky hands Down!"

Maple Cannellini Bean Salad with Baby Broccoli and Butternut Squash

When you want a salad that will fill you up, turn to this creative recipe. Cannellini beans are tossed with tender baby broccoli, hearty butternut squash, and drizzled with a maple-thyme dressing. Recipe creator Jennifer Baker says it's delicious both warm or at room temperature.

Megan's Granola

Mirby calls this recipe "addictive" and offers this tip: "To get the granola to chunk, BOIL the sugar/oil mixture (I just put it in a large measuring cup and microwave it until it bubbles—less cleanup), then stir and bake as directed, but after it's toasty, pull it out and DON'T STIR ANY MORE. Let it cool. It should cool and form a large brick that can be broken into satisfying chunks."

Rusty Chicken Thighs

FaithinTX raves, "This recipe made me weep. Tears of joy. Made just as written. Excuse me, but I need to lick my fingers then find another kleenex..." KGora adds, "Wow! This was the best grilled chicken I've ever made. It turned out so moist and juicy and the color was awesome."

Maple Pecan Shortbread Squares

Six everyday ingredients go into this easy treat. larkspur says, "These are absolutely delicious bars! The amount of pecans is perfect, the filling was just slightly gooey, and the shortbread base is so buttery and delicious."

Chef John's Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Just a touch of maple syrup brings out all the warm, earthy flavors of this top-rated soup. Allrecipes home cook dcook says, "Made the soup exactly as per the recipe...best butternut squash soup I have ever made. You can really taste the roasted carrots and onions."

Maple Apple Crisp

Apples are in season for fall, so pair them with maple for a sweet crisp you can cook in under an hour. The topping is crunchy and crumbly, so add some vanilla bean ice cream for a smooth and cool contrast.

Maple Salmon

Recipe creator STARFLOWER recommends (and we agree) that you shouldn't marinate this salmon--or any seafood--for more than 30 minutes. DESIDERATAGRACEFULLY adds, "Oh my!!! this has got to be one of the yummiest things i've cooked lately! I used organic DARK maple syrup."

Chewy Maple Cookies

Before you get started, take a minute to read naples34102's review with her very helpful tips to make it a "knock-your-socks off maple cookie." MWeller did, and says, "I followed the recommendations of naples34102 and these turned out PERFECTLY!"

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

This just might convert your most stubborn Brussels sprouts non-believer. That's what happened for Kelly Kindle Cheney, who tells us, "My Brussels hating husband has requested these again and I did not even have bacon!"

Maple Walnut Ice Cream

"Very tasty maple flavor. I like that it uses real maple syrup. I didn't use all of the nut mixture as it was a little too much for the amount of ice cream. Next time I may cut it in half," says Sue Bell Wilson.

Maple-Bacon Biscuits

Make rolling out of bed in the morning a bit easier (and tastier) by whipping up these maple- and bacon-filled biscuits. Jane says, "These were amazing! Light and fluffy and delicious."

Candied Bacon

How good is this candied bacon? Allrecipes home cook sonjagroset says, "Double this recipe or you will cry because you run out of delicious candied bacon and you will want MORE! Any thick cut bacon works great. I followed another reviewer's tip of doubling the maple syrup the second time I made this recipe. Very good."

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

This 4-ingredient frosting made a believer of Allrecipes home cook LaurenButler, who says, "I don't really like frosting, but I ate this one by the spoonfuls!! It was absolutely delicious on top of pumpkin bread too!"

Chef John's Candied Yams

Yet another 5-star maple-syrup enhanced recipe from Chef John (I swear I'm not getting a kickback). But if you love maple syrup, you'll be glad he loves it and shows us how to use it in so many ways. Home cook Eight is Enough says, "Oh my, wow! Loved the flavors!!! I didn't find this recipe until after I had baked my sweet potatoes. So I made the glaze and spooned it over the cut pieces and then baked them for a while to help the flavors bake into the potatoes. Tasted like my Nana's with a flair!"

Maple Syrup Custard Cups

Creamy custard is only elevated with the sweet addition of maple syrup. Plus these easy-to-make cups look complicated, so guests will be impressed with their dessert.

Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette

You'll never go back to the bottled stuff after one bite of salad drizzled with this sweet and tangy vinaigrette. "This was great! I think it tastes like an expensive restaurant's dressing," says FOODIE19.

Baked Maple and Chipotle Wings

Smoky chipotle powder is perfectly balanced by maple syrup in these glazed wings. Cornstarch is key to a crunchy coating and baking the wings frees up stovetop space to prep other dishes.

Maple and Apple Cider Oatmeal Bread

Sweetened with maple syrup and made with a base of oatmeal and whole wheat flour, you can feel good about enjoying a slice of this wholesome bread. Emmarmeg raves, "This was one of the best breads I have ever made."

Maple Glazed Carrots

The natural sweetness of carrots are amplified with a buttery maple glaze. This side comes together in just half an hour, leaving you plenty of time to focus on cooking the main dish.

Maple Kale Crisps

Maple and kale may appear to be an unlikely couple, but one bite of this crunchy snack will leave no doubt that this is a dynamic duo. Sea salt and maple syrup coat the crispy kale chips to create a sweet and savory flavor.

Maple Baked Pork Loin Roast

Maple syrup, ketchup, and garlic make the unusual, yet delicious, glaze for this impressive pork loin roast. "My husband is not a big fan of pork but loved this recipe and rated it 5 stars," says lala.