As you’ve probably noticed, organic coconut sugar has entered the healthy food scene recently and gained popularity. Coconut sugar is used in many recipes, whether as a main ingredient or substitute for regular sugar.

The question is, what exactly is this sugar? How is it made? And how does it compare to regular sugar? Read on. Below, we tell you the answers to these questions and more.

What Is It?

Coconut sugar is a natural sweetener that is made from the sap of the coconut palm tree. Coconut sugar shares similarities with palm sugar, but the two sugars are different.

How Is Coconut Sugar Made?

Organic coconut sugar is made by extracting sap from a coconut plant. After the sap is extracted, it is heated until most of its moisture has evaporated. The sap is then left to dry and later on, broken apart to create sugar granules.

Organic Coconut Sugar vs. Regular Sugar

Nutrients and calories in organic coconut sugar are nearly identical to that of regular sugar.

Nutritional facts

A 4-gram serving of coconut sugar contains

• 15 calories
• 4 grams carbohydrate
• 4 grams sugar

This is the same as that of regular sugar. This is also why coconut sugar can be used as a substitute for regular sugar at a 1:1 ratio in cooking.

It is worth noting that due to coconut sugar’s minimal processing, it retains many coconut palm nutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc, and potassium. It has a trace amount of Vitamin C, too.

Glycemic index

Coconut sugar also has a lower glycemic index (GI) than regular sugar. The GI of regular sugar is rated at 58 on average, while the GI of coconut sugar is lower, between 35 and 54.

While coconut sugar share nearly identical nutrients and calories with regular sugar, coconut sugar retains its nutrients and has a lower GI. If you’re looking for an alternative to regular sugar, organic coconut sugar is definitely a good choice.