Yacon Syrup Glycemic Index vs Honey, Maple and Agave

Most sweeteners hit your blood the same way.

If you are cutting back on sugar, you have probably stood in the baking aisle comparing honey, maple syrup, and agave, trying to guess which one is kindest to your blood sugar. Then someone mentions yacon syrup, a dark Andean syrup with a glycemic index number so low it sounds made up. So is it real? Here is what the numbers say, where they come from, and how to use yacon syrup in place of the others.

Glycemic index in plain words

The glycemic index (GI) ranks foods by how fast they raise blood sugar compared with pure glucose, which scores 100. Under 55 counts as low. Over 70 counts as high.

One catch matters a lot here. GI tells you how fast, not how much. A spoonful of honey and a cup of honey have the same GI, but a very different effect on your body. That is why nutrition researchers also use glycemic load, which factors in the portion.

The numbers side by side

These are the figures most often cited in published GI tables and sweetener comparisons. Exact numbers vary by brand and batch.

• Table sugar: about 65
• Honey: about 55 to 58
• Maple syrup: about 54
• Agave syrup: about 15 to 30
• Yacon syrup: often listed at 1 to 5

Two honest notes before you take that list to the store. First, agave's low number comes from its high fructose content. Fructose barely moves blood glucose, but the liver has to process it, and large amounts are linked to fatty liver in research. A low GI does not make agave a health food.

Second, the very low yacon figure is repeated across many sites, but we could not find a formal, standardized GI test behind it. It is an estimate based on what the syrup is made of. The direction is well supported. The exact number is not.

Why yacon syrup behaves differently

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is a root in the sunflower family that Andean farmers have grown for centuries. It looks a bit like a sweet potato but tastes like a juicy pear crossed with celery. In markets around Cajamarca and Oxapampa, people still eat it raw as a snack, often after leaving the roots in the sun for a few days to get sweeter.

Most of the sweetness in yacon comes from fructooligosaccharides, or FOS. These are chains of sugar your small intestine cannot break down. They travel to the colon mostly intact, where gut bacteria ferment them. That makes FOS act more like a soluble fiber than a sugar.

Yacon syrup still contains some regular sugars, including fructose, glucose, and sucrose. The ratio depends on how the syrup was made and stored. So "low impact" is fair. "Zero impact" is not.

What the studies actually found

The research on yacon syrup is small but real.

• A 2009 study in Clinical Nutrition (Genta and colleagues) gave yacon syrup to obese premenopausal women for 120 days. Fasting insulin and insulin resistance scores went down. Fasting blood sugar did not change much, since the women started in a normal range.
• A 2019 crossover trial in Food Research International found that adding yacon syrup to breakfast lowered the rise in blood sugar after the meal, compared with a placebo.
• A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials concluded that yacon may help some glycemic markers, but that the studies are small and the evidence is still limited.

In short, the early signal is promising. It is not proof that yacon syrup controls blood sugar, and it is not a diabetes treatment.

How to swap it in

Yacon syrup tastes like a mix of molasses, caramel, and dried fruit. It is less sweet than honey, so you may need a little more to get the same effect. Here are simple swaps we use at home:

• For maple syrup: swap 1 to 1 on oatmeal, yogurt, or pancakes. The flavor is darker, which works well with cinnamon.
• For honey in tea: use about 1 teaspoon per cup. Stir it into warm tea, not boiling water, to protect the FOS.
• For agave in dressings: swap 1 to 1 in vinaigrettes. It pairs well with lime and a pinch of salt.
• In baking: use it for part of the sweetener, not all of it. High oven heat can break FOS down into regular sugars, and the syrup browns fast.

Start with 1 teaspoon a day for the first week. Most studies stayed near 10 to 20 grams of FOS per day, and going faster than your gut is used to can cause gas.

For more ideas, see our guide on 5 ways to use yacon syrup.

Who should be careful

• Sensitive digestion or IBS: FOS is a FODMAP. It can cause bloating, gas, or loose stools, especially at higher amounts.
• People on diabetes medicine: if yacon syrup does lower your after-meal numbers, your medicine dose may need a look. Check with your doctor and watch your readings.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: there is not enough safety research, so talk to your provider first.
• Anyone counting calories: yacon syrup still has calories, roughly half of what sugar has by weight. It is a swap, not a free pass.

Common questions

Is yacon syrup good for diabetics?

It may be a better choice than table sugar or honey for some people, and early trials are encouraging. It does not treat diabetes. If you have diabetes, test your own blood sugar response and talk to your care team before making it a daily habit.

Does yacon syrup raise blood sugar at all?

A little. The syrup contains some free sugars along with FOS. The effect is usually much smaller than with honey or maple syrup, but it depends on the batch and the amount.

Is yacon syrup better than agave?

Both have low GI numbers, but for different reasons. Agave is mostly fructose. Yacon is mostly FOS, which acts like fiber and feeds gut bacteria. For most people that makes yacon the more interesting option, as long as their gut tolerates it.

What does yacon syrup taste like?

Think light molasses with a fruity, slightly tangy finish. It is great in dark drinks like coffee and chicha, and in anything with cinnamon.

The bottom line

We sell yacon syrup, and we also read the research behind it. The GI numbers you see online are rough, but the reason yacon is different is real: most of its sweetness comes from a fiber your body does not absorb as sugar. Used in small amounts, it is a sensible swap for honey, maple, or agave. You can find more options in our blood sugar support collection.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is for education and does not replace advice from a qualified health professional.