Ingredient Blog: Agave Sugar

Greetings, Nakee enthusiasts! Today, let's chat ingredients and dive into the deliciousness together, because knowing what's in you're eating is just as important to us as it is to you!

Not without reason, we live in an era of open rebellion against the dominance of sugar as the predominant sweetener in our food. The desire to replace it has seen the rise of many alternatives and many questions about which is the best for the health-conscious consumer. Here at Nakee Butter, we surveyed a wide range of alternative sweeteners for use in our spreads before choosing agave syrup, also known as agave nectar.

Derived from the agave succulent, a plant native to Mexico, agave syrup has long been used by the indigenous people of the region. It was originally the main ingredient inpulque, a ceremonial beverage, before eventually becoming a more widely-available drink following the arrival of European settlers. The main body of the succulent itself also had a wide variety of uses, with one contemporary historian writing that “never did Nature enclose in so compact a form so many of the elements of human comfort and civilization!” Considering its historical uses inpulque, it is perhaps no surprise that agave syrup is, perhaps not coincidentally, a key ingredient to modern tequila as well, which utilizes the blue agave plant in vast quantities to fulfill that drink's ever-expanding popularity.

Agave syrup is our chosen sweetener for a number of reasons. It is low on the glycemic index, meaning that it has a minimal blood sugar impact and is preferable for diabetics and others looking to keep an eye on those levels. This is related to agave syrup being higher in fructose in comparison to glucose, the main constituent of many sweeteners; as a result, the body processes it differently.

The slow absorption of agave syrup helps in preventing rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar, offering a more stable and sustained source of energy.Because it is derived from plants, as opposed to honey and the intrusive methods of producing other sweeteners, agave syrup is also accepted as a part of vegan and cruelty-free diets.

Of course, as a sweetener, it's best consumed in moderation regardless of the perks. This is why each serving of Nakee Butter contains only 5 grams of agave syrup. Sweeter and tastier than normal sugar without the guilt, the honey-like flavor of agave makes it a perfect match for Nakee Butter spreads! Thanks for reading; this is Brendan the Marketing Intern signing off.