How to Dehydrate and Rehydrate Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is a delicious savory treat that you can add to your pancakes, waffles, and other things as well. You can make your own maple syrup at home or you can buy specially made and store-brand maple syrups. 

Maple syrup is not the same as your typical home-style syrup. It is thicker and sweeter than traditional syrup is. Maple syrup is actually made from sap that comes from the sugar maple tree. Yes, you read that right, it’s made from sap—and it’s SO good! 

Chances are you already know about the sticky-sweet goodness that is maple syrup. You’re here to find out more about it, particularly storing and toting it.

Can you dehydrate and rehydrate maple syrup? If you’re a backpacker or you like to pack dehydrated foods for snacks and trips, you need your options! You can dehydrate maple syrup. Using it after it is dehydrated may be a bit more challenging than rehydrating some foods, but it is still a viable option. 

Dehydrating maple syrup gives you the ability to take it on the go. You need options for dehydrated foods besides your typical meats, corn, or beans. 

Keep reading to find out all of the details on how to dehydrate and then rehydrate maple syrup. We hope that you will find this useful!

Maple Syrup & More

Maple syrup is derived directly from the sap of a maple tree. The most common maple tree sap used is the sugar maple but it could also come from the red or black maple trees as well. While it can come from any maple tree, these are the most commonly used. 

Maple trees are unique in that they store starch in their roots through the winter. This starch then converts to sugar which mixes into the sap. To harvest the sugary sap, the trees are tapped into through the trunks, pulling sap out and harvesting it. This does not harm the trees. 

To turn the sap into maple syrup, it is processed on high heat to remove the water of the sap and produce syrup. It is not uncommon for a tree to produce up to 15 gallons of sap each spring. 

Uses for Maple Syrup

When the word syrup is used, you generally associate it with things like pancakes and waffles. Syrup actually can have a lot of uses, some of which you may have never thought of. Of course, you should continue using it for your waffles and pancakes but don’t limit yourself to the possibilities. 

Here are some ideas of things you can do with maple syrup. 

• Pancakes, waffles, French toast
• Oatmeal
• Popcorn or popcorn balls
• Make your own maple bacon
• Frosting or icing
• Sweet potatoes
• Ice cream topping
• Sweeten your vegetables with maple syrup and butter mixtures
• Cinnamon rolls (in place of icing)
• Make your own sweet salad dressing
• Fruit salad
• Add to baked beans
• Use as a glaze for meats, particularly when grilling
• Dipping sauce

This is just a short list of options, but really you can do almost anything with maple syrup. It’s a great tool to sweeten up any meal or treat. You can also use it in baking as a sweetener. You might be surprised at just how delicious something can become with the addition of maple syrup. 

Can we just say? Don’t sell maple syrup short and certainly don’t limit the options. Try it out on different things and see just how sweet it can be! 

Maple Syrup vs. Syrup

Don’t be fooled that they are both called syrup. These two products are quite different, primarily due to what is in them. The flavors are also astronomically different. Maple syrup is much more sugary and sweet in flavor. 

You might buy a bottle of pancake syrup that is titled maple syrup but chances are it is not pure maple syrup – it’s probably pancake syrup with maple flavor.

Here is what you should know about the primary differences. 

Pure maple syrup is literally just that. It does not have corn syrup and other additives in it. It is literally just the sap from the maple tree, boiled down to a thick syrup. And it is delicious. 

Traditional syrup can also be quite flavorful. Pancake syrup is usually made with corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup. It may also have various sugary additives, caramel coloring, and artificial flavors added. Pancake syrup can also have maple extract for maple flavoring. 

Pure maple syrup is the way to go if you specifically want maple syrup. It will be thicker than traditional pancake syrup and will have a strong sweet maple flavor to it, from a natural source. 

How to Dehydrate Maple Syrup

We’ve covered many aspects of maple syrup, but let’s get down to the reason we’re here. How do you dehydrate maple syrup? Did you know you can purchase maple syrup in powder form and skip the dehydration process? 

We know that’s not the answer you’re looking for but wanted to make you aware that it is an option. Maple syrup dehydrated basically becomes maple sugar. However, you still need to understand how to get from one point to the other. 

The true trick to dehydrating maple syrup is to not end up with a gummy, sticky mess. In order to prevent this from happening, it is recommended that you purchase or use high-quality pure maple syrup for your dehydration process. 

1. Start by boiling the syrup as hard as you can – boil until it reaches 290 – 300 degrees. You may have to skim throughout the boiling process. You can use a defoamer as well to help with the skimming. You may also have to reduce the overall stove heat during boiling to prevent boiling over. 
2. When the syrup reaches the required temperature, immediately remove it from the heat and begin constant stirring. Be very careful with this process and wear protection. You want to avoid getting the syrup on you.
   You must continue constant stirring while the syrup cools. You can use a fan to help reduce steam. As you stir, scrape the sides of your pan regularly. Do not stop stirring as you go.
   You will continue stirring for about 10 minutes. This is a long, challenging process but will produce the results you want. You continue to stir until the syrup becomes granulated fully. 
3. Even when you feel you are done stirring, it doesn’t hurt to transfer to a mixing bowl and stir some more. The more you stir and work over the syrup, the better it will granulate. This process will also help remove lumps. 
4. Sift the granules, smoothing or working out lumps if you come across them. 
5. Store the dehydrated maple syrup in an airtight method. It is highly recommended that you vacuum seal a package, but any airtight storage method will work. 

How to Rehydrate Maple Syrup

The dehydration process is the hardest part. When you’re ready to rehydrate the maple syrup, it will seem like a dream compared to the challenge of stirring endlessly for dehydration. 

Maple syrup is rehydrated using water. The rehydration process varies depending on whether you use warm water or cool water. You can add your dehydrated maple syrup to a water bottle and shake well. It will dehydrate in about 35 minutes. 

If you have warm or hot water available, combine your dehydrated maple syrup with the warm water and stir. It should rehydrate within 5 minutes at most. Either way, it does not take very long to get the dehydrated maple syrup rehydrated for use. 

Related Questions

We hope that you have found this information to be helpful for you as you strike out to dehydrate maple syrup. The process can be challenging, but as you work just keep stirring and you will get there. 

We have included some common questions for your reference. We invite you to review them for additional information. 

Is Pure Maple Syrup Healthy?

Pure maple syrup contains natural sugars. Eaten in excess, it is not good for you just with any foods that you should enjoy in moderation. But because of the natural sugars, it is not all bad. 

Maple syrup in pure form is full of antioxidants and vitamins and nutrients. Some nutrients you can expect from maple syrup include potassium, zinc, calcium, and magnesium. There is some argument that pure maple syrup is actually a better choice than honey. It provides similar nutrients with fewer calories. 

Pure Maple Syrup Is Expensive, What Makes It So Great?

If you go to your local grocery store for syrup you probably lean towards maple-flavored pancake syrup because it’s much less expensive than pure maple syrup. And chances are, you think they are the same thing. 

Pure maple syrup is quite a bit more expensive because there is a significant amount of labor involved in producing maple syrup. The harvesting takes time and can be heavy-duty work. Additionally, the boiling process to produce the syrup can also be a hard day’s work. 

One final thing, maple syrup is produced from tree sap, therefore it is harder to acquire as you have to wait for trees to produce the sap.