Alternative Sweeteners: Cactus Honey Powder

My boyfriend's Korean mom has been raving about cactus honey powder for several months; she now uses it in place of sugar when cooking vegetable panchan (side dishes). So when we came across an entire section of it at the Korean market, we had to purchase our own bag. But what exactly is cactus honey powder?

At first, we weren't sure whether this was honey produced by cactus flower-visiting bees, or a sweetener derived from cactus, like agave nectar. According to the package, "cactus honey has been well known to Apache Indian in the southwestern states of America"; under ingredients, the only thing listed is "organic honey." Well, as it turns out, cactus honey powder is actually a dried version of agave nectar.

We have been mixing the granulated sweetener into tea and sprinkling it on oatmeal. It imparts a flavor that's deeper and less sweet than regular sugar. We have yet to bake with cactus honey powder or substitute it for sugar in other dishes. Have you ever used it?

(Image: Emily Ho)

Comments (12)

I've never even heard of it, but I'm definitely going to poke around for some on my next Asian market run!

Why use it? Is it cheaper? Is it lower in calories or carbohydates? Does it have a lower glycemic index? What?!!!

@Khurt, same reasons you'd use agave nectar, if you do. I've heard it's lower on the glycemic index but haven't done any research myself.

I've used agave nectar before. It tastes great, but it does have a distinctive taste, so it isn't an exact sugar substitute. It tastes kind of like (real) maple syrup. I believe it's available at Trader Joe's.

Agave nectar has a lower glycemic index and a lower glycemic load than sugar. There's some info at: http://www.allaboutagave.com/agave-nectar-and-the-glycemic-index.php.

My dad is diabetic and he uses agave nectar as sugar substitute or mostly as sugar substitutes substitute. I am definitely going to tell him about this dry form of it -- it sounds easier to use.

Thanks for sharing !

This is all that my mom, grandma, and pretty much all of the Korean ladies I know use! I think it's nice to use and it's easy like regular sugar.

I'm not sure this is agave nectar or not. Unless it says so, I wouldn't bank on it. I read the article by Ruth Tan, which is probably where you got your information. I'm not sure where she got hers from and will contact her to ask.

The thing that stops me on this is that agave nectar doesn't crystalize like honey does (which produces lovely golden powder). In the past, I've contacted Madhava about making agave powder and the company explained to me about the prohibitively expensive process involved in producing a powder version, and that they are working on it.

Right now, I'm highly doubtful that what you have is actually agave in a powder form. However, I will do my homework and let you know.

Hi, Deb - Actually, I contacted the company directly and they told me it is agave. But your comment makes me curious to learn more about the process of creating the granules. Maybe we need to do an in-depth report. :)

Hi Emily,
Thanks for letting me know. The company really needs to put that on the label otherwise they could be in trouble with the FDA. Calling something honey or saying that's the ingredient is a pretty big deal. Honey is pretty strictly defined by FDA. Not that they aren't overburdened and too busy to see this, but why don't they just call it agave nectar on the label instead of saying honey?
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Deb, you'll be either amused or horrified (or a little bit of both) if you visit ethnic markets and the wild variance of product labeling and ingredients listed for a great deal of the products that line the shelves (especially asian markets). I think in many cases it's a matter of "lost in translation" as something as strictly defined as "honey" here might have different variances abroad. In this case, I would bet that the Korean manufacturer used the term "cactus honey" because it was something recognizable to their customers rather than the label of "agave"; they'd recognize cactus and honey, but agave is practically unknown (side note: I just introduced agave to my own Korean mom, and she seems to like it now).

Update: I used the honey powder instead of sugar when making kumquat and limequat jam and it was fantastic!

It sounds SO tasty, but I looked up the ingredients and it contains maltodextrin. I'm highly allergic to corn. *sigh* Too bad...