Is There a Difference Between Pancake and Maple Syrup? It’s a Sticky Situation

If you’ve ever explored your local grocery store’s syrup aisle, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by your many sticky options, like maple syrup, maple-flavored syrup, pancake syrup, or whatever-the-heck “table syrup” is. So how can you find the best syrup with all this confusion, especially when you’re too busy thinking about stuffing yourself with delicious pancakes? Is there a difference between pancake and maple syrup, in the first place? Well, we’ve tracked down the answers to all your syrup-related questions, starting with… 

What is “pancake syrup?” 

The short answer is that the name “pancake syrup” can apply to any kind of sweetened syrup, with the most common kind made from corn syrup mixed with natural or artificial flavors. The sugar-free kinds are often made with sorbitol, which is a sugar alcohol made from potato starch. But really, any kind of syrup can use the name “pancake syrup.” And the same goes for the alternate names of “table syrup,” “”waffle syrup,” “pancake and waffle syrup,” or just plain “syrup.” So, if you see any of those names, you really have to read the label to determine exactly what you’re getting. 

So, is pancake syrup maple syrup? Yes and no. While you can (and should) use maple syrup as pancake syrup, if something is specifically labeled as “pancake syrup,” chances are it isn’t pure maple syrup. Because “maple syrup,” “corn syrup,” and “sorghum syrup” each have stricter ingredient requirements to qualify for their names. 

What is “maple syrup?”

Basically, maple syrup is made by boiling down maple tree sap until it thickens. It’s a long process and it takes around 40 gallons of sap to make a single gallon of syrup, which explains why it’s typically more expensive than other options. 

What’s the deal when it comes to maple syrup vs pancake syrup? Well, to legally qualify as “maple syrup,” at least 66 percent of it must be made from that sap, although it can also include optional ingredients like salt, chemical preservatives, and defoaming agents. So, if a label specifically says “maple syrup,” you can be sure that at least two-thirds of it actually came from a tree. 

Then, what is “maple-flavored syrup?” 

It’s basically pancake syrup with a little maple syrup mixed in. You see, according to FDA rules, if a food item is described on the label as flavored as maple, honey, or a mix of the two, the total quantity of those ingredients has to be at least 10 percent of the final product. And if the flavor is artificial or imitation it will have to specifically say it in the name.  

Who decides all these syrup rules, anyway? 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determines what descriptions manufacturers can slap on their syrup labels. In fact, they even have a whole section of their Code of Federal Regulations covering “sweeteners and table sirups.” And yeah, that’s how they spelled “syrup.” Although, a later rule states that, “Alternatively, the word ‘sirup’ may be spelled ‘syrup,” so I guess they realized how weird that spelling looked.