I’ve told you how much I love Rapadura to bake with. (If you’ve never eaten a brownie made with rapadura…you haven’t had a brownie…well in my chocolate loving opinion…which is just an…opinion.) (Oh dear, now I’m hungry for brownies.)
Rapadura is unbleached, unrefined dehydrated cane sugar juice. It bakes just like sugar (you substitute it one for one)…has a wonderful molasses-y taste and it is SO yummy! Because it is unrefined, it still contains nutrients from the sugar cane.
Many of you have asked if Sucanat is the same thing as Rapadura and if it was just as good for you. I looked at the label of Sucanat…which happens to be named for “SUgar CAne NATural” (very clever), and it appears that Sucanat too is dehydrated sugar cane juice.
I’ll admit to being (more than) a bit confused about Sucanat. It appears to be practically the same as Rapadura…yet my trusty Nourishing Traditions book tells me to avoid Sucanat like I would avoid other processed sugars. It says that Turbinado, Sucanat and Florida Cyrstals “are all refined sugars from which the nutrients have been removed. Small amounts of molasses may be added back to give a light brown color.”
The Sucanat package says that it is “dehydrated whole cane sugar that has not been separated or blended”. THEN, it says that “basically nothing has been added and nothing taken out!”. What does “basically” mean?! Is that something like “Sort of”? Has stuff been added or taken out…or hasn’t it? Oh, I’m so confused.
I googled this subject, researched for way too long and found more confusion. Sigh. Like I need this kind of confusion. I have a hard enough time staying on my feet sometimes.
Here’s what I’ve decided for our family: I order my Rapadura from Azure Standard. It is cheaper than the organic Sucanat from Azure. I love Rapadura. I’m going to stick with Rapadura.
NONE OF THIS WOULD EVEN MATTER IF BROWNIES WEREN’T SO STINKIN’ YUMMY!!!!
(I’m sorry for yelling.)
What have the rest of you learned about the great Sucanat vs. Rapadura mystery?
**UPDATE**
Valerie commented that I should check out the Weston Price website for information on this. THANK you. (Why did I not think of that before?) I trust this website. In fact, Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions bases her nutritional information on Weston Price’s research. Here’s what I found there:
Q. I’m confused as to which type of sugar is better, Sucanat or Rapadura?
A. Both are fine; both are made by dehydrating cane sugar juice. For a while Sucanat changed the way they made it and were using white sugar, so we stopped recommending the product. But they are now making Sucanat the old fashioned way, so we can recommend it again.
Sooo, there you have it. NOW what do you think? :)
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I was also confused about Sucanat vs. Rapadura. I generally use Rapadura, but according to the info on the Weston A. Price site, Sucanat was taboo for awhile but is now fine. Here is the link: http://www.westonaprice.org/faq.html#miscfood.
At at WAP convention a few years ago I was told that the company that makes Sucanat had some issues with Sally Fallon and the way that she conducted her research and wouldn’t make a financial donation to WAPF which is why the Fallon said not to use it, but they have since given donations. I tend to not trust the politics at WAPF for various reasons, so i can see this being true.
I think it can all get too confusing sometimes, and I don’t like the politics and finger-pointing of it all. I am not a total purist when it comes to nutrition, though I would like to be. I like the Rapadura and it is very easy to have it delivered via my co-op from Azure in a big bag that lasts a long time. So, I think I’ll stick with that too.
Our co-op doesn’t carry rapadura. They have cane juice crystals and sucanat. I have yet to try either (though it’s on my list for next month). I really think that any natural sugar is a step up from refined white stuff. So, if I’m at least going in the right direction, I’m happy.
I’ve wondered this too. We get our Rapadura from Azure Standard too. I really like it, and it does taste good in your brownies! What bothered me a little bit was that Rapadura is a brand name. There is no other company that can sell Rapadura. I kind of get the impression that sucanat is just Rapadura without the name branding.
I recently had this experience in researching a standard medical proceedure that I needed to undergo as an RH- pregnant mom. I couldn’t find a really good resource online and ended up calling the company that sells the shot I was going to have to get. I had a couple of LONG conversations with a representative then got several articles sent to me by fax. Now I feel like a resident expert on the condition and know the numbers enough to feel good about getting the shot. It’s just funny what happens once you don’t just take the doctor’s or nutritionist’s word for it.
This is such good stuff. I have to admit all the more “natural” sugars really confuse me. What is the difference between dehydrated and evaporated cane juice? I did a little research and couldn’t find a real difference. I’ve been buying evaporated cane juice from Trader joe’s thinking it was similar to dehydrated cane Thjuice, but now I’m confused. Can anyone shed some light on this? If only eating healthier wasn’t so confusing at times. It seems like everyday some new study comes out about what is “good” and what isn’t. Very hard to keep up sometimes.
Thanks!!
I just bought our first Rapadura this month and think it is a much different sugar then the WHITE sugar we are used to…. THUS, I am thinking we will have to WHINE ourselves to it… I made syrup with it and the kids hated it… but maybe I will slowly switch it over and NOT use brown sugar at all since it got really MOLASSAS tasting.. HMMMM???!!
I can’t wait to read more on this!
I’m with Sarah– what’s the difference between evaporated and dehydrated cane juice? Azure has two different products (Rapadura and organic evaporated cane juice crystals) and I can’t tell if they’re the same thing or not. I think, as has been mentioned, that generally moving in the direction of natural vs. processed foods is a good step… and perfection isn’t necessary. We’re doing our best!
I use local honey in almost all of my recipes. I use the Sue Gregg cookbooks and she discusses the sugar confusion also. I try to stick with just honey. We have a local farmer that stocks his products at Wal-Mart. Great taste and good for our allergies.
This is something I’ve always wondered myself. We can only get Sucanat here.
WOW! I’m so glad you posted about this. I just bought some Sucanat this weekend and have not opened the bag yet so will take it back! I trust your judgement; especially since you’ve done your research. Thanks for all you do!!! :O)
I cannot find rapadura locally, but my publix carries sucanat. I discussed this very subject with a friend who owns an organic bakery in town. She confirmed that sucanat and rapadura are basically the same thing. She said that rapadura is a brand name, but they taste the same and have the same nutritional value. I buy sucanat and use it in all sorts of yummy baked goods-it pairs so well with chocolate! And I have substituted it for rapadura in the recipes on this site with wonderful results-the cinnamon rolls are amazing!!! I am wondering about the new natural sweetener on the market called Truvia-it is derived from stevia. It actually is calorie free. Anyone heard of this?
UPDATE: I will keep my bag of Sucanat! :O)
I’ve been meaning to tell you that I’ve been using more ‘natural’ sugars and since I have…I nearly get sick when I eat more than a bite of something with real sugar.
I’ve wondered about the Sucanat. Thanks for informing us!
The update does take some of the confusion away. Thanks for posting it! I am a little like Donna who commented above me,except with flours. I have grown so used to whole wheat flour, that I feel sick when I eat anything with white flour. We have been having more white flour lately with the holidays coming. YucK!
Have a blessed day.
Hmm… I am SO confused. We use Florida Crystals a lot. The box says “organic Evaporated cane juice”. I looked at the WAP website and they list Florida Crystals in a GMO-Free article as a product to buy. But, the Nourishing Traditions book does say to avoid it. I emailed the WAP website to see what they say. I’ll let you know what I find out.
PS the last time I emailed them with a question, Sally Fallon herself responded to my question. It was kinda neat!
I’m glad you found that info on sucanat. I was going to e-mail you with the link to the weston price website that now advocates sucanat. I have used sucanat for several years now and love it. It tastes so much healthier. So when I read on Nourishing Traditions that it was not recommended, I was really confused. But the website cleared it up!
Hi. I know this is an older post but I’m doing a little research on Sucanat vs. Rapadura and your post popped up in google.
I saw a discussion board listing with nutritional comparisons showing Rapadura with significantly more nutrient content than Sucanat. I’m VERY skeptical as both are the same generic product and has been used and produced in South America for many generations. I’ve used both products for many years.
FYI: Sucanat is a brand name just like Rapadura. Wholesome Sweeteners owns the Sucanat trademark. A few years ago, there was one company in the SE that was selling a different product and labeling it as Sucanat.
I love NT, WAPF and all the info they have but I have found them to be in error at times. And I’m with Marla, Sally Fallon responded to an olive oil question personally.
Evaporated Cane Juice is quite refined and has much less molasses than Rapadura or Sucanat.
Very nice site, btw!
If you have access to an Indian grocery store. Look for Jaggery in the sugar aisle. This is probably the most basic, primitive, natural sweetener available from a plant. Google Jaggery and look at the mineral content compared to brown sugar.
The Wholesome Sweetners (Sucanat)website has a good explanation of the difference between dehydrated and evaporated cane juice. (Their product line includes both products.)
I too was confused about the differences, but after researching and using both, I have decided to only buy Sucanat. They taste very similar (although I find that Sucanat dissolves more easily), so the difference for me was not so much about the physical differences as the companies themselves. In the health food store I noticed that Rapunzel’s Rapadura no longer says Rapadura. Confused, I Googled it and came across a Wikipedia article that explained why. Apparantly rapadura is a generic name used for generations in Latin America. The Rapunzel company trademarked the name which angered these Latin American countries (imagine trying to trademark the name “lemonade”). I went on Rapunzel’s website which lists very little information about the company or Rapadura itself. In contrast, Wholesome Sweeteners lists tons of FAQs and information about their company and the process of Sucanat. On the surface, Wholesome Sweeteners seems like a much more transparent company, which I like. I cannot say the same for Rapunzel. I don’t like the idea of a company I don’t know much about poaching a common name for something they have no right to. Until I can find more info on Rapunzel itself, I will stick to Sucanat.
Oh, I also don’t like how Rapunzel has never updated their FAQ about the difference between Rapadura and Sucanat. It seems not right to me to slander another company like that.
so is ok to use natural real sugar cane not dehydrated or packaged??
My produce stand carries 12″ sticks of sugar cane how would I use this?? or where can I get info on such use? We have a diverse market with mexicans, russian, asians using our market that sells in bulk like 3lbs of peppers for $2. So this is economical our summer goal is to research and use some of the not known vegtables like white radish or chinese cucumberss or baby patty pan squash.
I don’t know if this is true, but sucanat is boiled down to a syrup, then evaporated. I don’t think rapadura is boiled down? If this is the case, that would explain the differences in nutritional content??
haha! yur hilarious..i have an obsession with chocolate brownies too .. anyways!!! i have been baking chocolate chips cookies with the sucant and i found that they turn out dry and puffy?? all i want is a chewy yummy cookie thats not gonna kill me. have u tried it in cookies? and also instead of white sugar im using honey. please help me!! my boyfriend wont even try my cookies anymore lol!! Thanks so much!
I have tried cookies with sucanat. Here’s the recipe I use: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/healthy-treat-for-today-whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-cookies Maybe your boyfriend will like that one?!?!
Hi! I am researching the Sucanat vs. Rapadura topic and this blog post came up! I’m so glad I found it! Your post and all the comments helped clear up some of my questions (and made me feel better about how confused I myself have been!). Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Angela @ Eternal Outlook
Oh my goodness. Thank you for figuring this out! This has been a huge thing for me and a huge stressor! I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why, when the description was the same, that succant was a no no. Woot! Question answer…I can bake again ;)