Coconut Sugar

Quick Overview

Coconut sugar, sometimes called coconut palm sugar, comes from the sap of the coconut palm tree — not the coconuts.

Harvesters tap coconut palm sap by cutting into the tree’s flower-bud stem to access its nectar. Producers mix the sap with water, boil it into a syrup, and allow it to dry and crystallize. Afterward, they break the dried sap apart to create sugar granules that resemble regular table or cane sugar.

Coconut sugar is a popular sweetener in many vegan diets, as it is plant-based and minimally processed. Because coconut sugar is a plant-based, natural sweetener, some people feel it is more nutritious than regular table sugar. In reality, coconut sugar is almost identical to regular cane sugar in terms of nutrients and calories.