Coconut vs palm sugar, what’s the difference?

COCONUT SUGAR

Also called coconut palm sugar, is made by collecting sap from the cut flowers of the coconut palm (the same one that produces coconuts). It’s lighter in colour to palm sugar and has a mild, butterscotch-like taste. Like palm sugar, it’s considerably less sweet than cane sugar, so if you’re substituting either into a recipe, you’ll need to use more to get the same level of sweetness.

Try: Chocolate peanut-butter swirl pudding recipe.

PALM SUGAR

Palm sugar is made from the sap collected from the cut flowers of Palmyra, date and sugar palms. It has a dark caramel colour and a slightly more fragrant, smoky flavour than coconut sugar. If you’re confused about whether you’re buying palm sugar or coconut palm sugar, double check the information on the back of the packaging.

Try: Turmeric-fried eggs with coconut chutney recipe.

Find our coconut recipe collection here.