What’s the Best Grade of Maple Syrup?

Grade A, B, or C—what is the best grade of maple syrup to buy? If you've wondered that, you've come to the right place because we're going to talk about what all these maple grades mean, and get to the bottom of this sticky (pun intended) situation!

We recently spent an entire week with my husband's family… and we almost ate ourselves to death.

They're terrific people, but OH BOY do they love sugar, canola oil, — and eating out. We're definitely the foodie oddballs among them and let's just say we felt gross after that week of gorging.

A tenet of our blog's brand (not just for our blog, but for life) is that we try to fret as little as possible about eating junk food. We eat so healthy most of the time that a little self-indulging ain't gonna open the disease floodgates.

The LAST thing we want to worry about on a rad family vacation is if we're being hoity-toity or difficult by turning our noses up at meals and desserts made by the family. However, if there is an easy solution to eating healthier, we'll still take that route.

For example, my mother-in-law brought REAL, organic maple syrup for us while we were there! We had pancakes several times that week, and she wanted to accommodate our real food hippy-ness.

Thanks, Mom!

But why maple syrup? How does it compare health-wise to other sweeteners out there?

And should you buy Grade A or B?

And what about formaldehyde in the processing?  Yikes!

Let's dive in.

What is Real Maple Syrup?

Before I became a real foodie, I had no idea there was such a thing as fake maple syrup. It's amazing how much I didn't know about food. Now that we have been using the real stuff for years, the fake stuff almost makes me gag. If the fake stuff is my only option, I go the “drown-in-butter” route.

This is the ingredient list of Mrs. Butterworth (fake) syrup:

High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Salt, Cellulose Gum, Molasses, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Polysorbate

So… basically there is no actual maple syrup is in their syrup.

Just high fructose corn syrup, GMOified corn syrup, preservatives, and artificial colors and flavors. What in the world is your body going to do with all that stuff that isn’t actually food?

I don't think we want to find out.

Compare that ingredient list to Coombs Family Farms Organic Maple Syrup:

Organic. Maple. Syrup

Now that is what I like to see!

Just one simple ingredient which is exactly what you should expect from maple syrup.

Does Maple Syrup Have Health Benefits?

We love to drizzle maple syrup on our pancakes and waffles (who doesn’t right?), in our homemade yogurt, over oatmeal, as a glaze, and sometimes in recipes that need a maple flavor. While we're big sucanat and raw honey users, maple syrup's flavor is distinctly perfect for certain foods and it's potentially healthier.

Pure maple syrup also has more nutritional value than most sweeteners and has one of the lowest calorie levels (although we never count calories). It's got several minerals including potassium, calcium, manganese, phosphorus, iron, and selenium. In this study, you can see that maple syrup has up to 24 different antioxidants, which is like unleashing an army inside your body to heal free radical damage and inflammation.

Here’s a more in-depth look of the nutrition information of pure maple syrup.

If you’re going to add any sort of sugar to your diet, add something that actually provides some nutritional benefit. Eating healthy is all about balance.

For me, that includes adding tasty natural sweeteners to my no-bake brownies or oatmeal cake. Can ya blame me?

I do want to throw out one caveat:

While maple syrup is miles better than its processed counterparts, it's still chock full of carbs and doesn't really have that much nutrition in it. Use all sweeteners sparingly so as to avoid packing on the pounds or wreaking havoc on your blood sugar which can lead to other problems.

What Are the Different Grades of Maple Syrup?

I always thought it was weird there were different grades of maple syrup. For years I was told (and read in many places) that Grade B syrup was the best.

I always remembered it as “B for best”. I often read that Grade B contained more nutrients in it while Grade A involved more processing.

Last month, I went to go buy some more maple syrup and I couldn’t find Grade B maple syrup anywhere! Even the health food stores didn’t have any.

I decided to jump on Google to find out where in the world my Grade B goodness went. Google told me that the whole maple grading system recently changed and Grade B no longer existed.

Great, now what am I supposed to buy? I hate when you find the one thing you love and it all changes and you have to figure out where your good healthy product went. I wonder how much time I wasted staring at all the containers of maple syrup trying to find Grade B that didn't exist anymore?

What is the Best Maple Syrup Grade?

I was disheartened that my Grade B maple syrup had suddenly disappeared from the face of the Earth. But I was determined to find the equivalent to the superior Grade B somewhere, even if it meant growing maple trees in my apartment and getting the sap myself. (okay, not really).

It ended up being pretty easy to find.

I went straight to the source and contacted Coombs Family Farms directly. They're the brand that I usually buy (and no they didn't endorse this post, they just put out a quality product). If you want to know anything about maple, this is one good source to go to as they've been tapping trees for seven generations.

I first asked about what the nutritional differences are between the grades of maple syrup. Here's what they said:

The different grades of maple syrup have no more or less nutritional value across the board. The grade systems are put into place to classify solely the light transmittance (color) of the maple syrup, not its nutritional value.

Grade B is classified as that because of its darker color and stronger flavor which comes from being harvested later in the season when the trees start producing sap that boils down to a darker color. There was the false misconception that one grade was “better” than the other which was very misleading information. The University of Vermont did a study a while back to explore the nutritional differences, or lack thereof, between the different grades of maple which came up showing they are all the same across the board.

I love it when companies respond to my inquiries thoroughly and don’t try to sugar-coat answers… pun intended.

Fired up by the awesome response, I asked more questions. But first, here are some important things to know.

Is Pure Maple Syrup Really Pure? (What About Food Fraud?)

Legally, pure maple syrup needs to be 100 percent maple sap in order to be labeled as pure. However, like many foods, fraud and mislabeling can happen.

Following is some information on how to choose a trustworthy maple syrup.

Where to Buy Trustworthy Maple Syrup

While pure maple syrup should legally contain only one ingredient (maple syrup), like many foods today, quality and sourcing can still vary. If you want to be confident you’re getting the real thing, here are a few simple things to look for:

1. Check the ingredient list
The label should list only one ingredient: maple syrup.
If you see anything else added, it’s not pure maple syrup.

2. Look for clear labeling
Terms like “maple-flavored syrup” or “pancake syrup” are not the same as real maple syrup.
You want to see “pure maple syrup” on the front and not those other terms.

3. Choose reputable producers
Smaller farms, well-known maple brands, and producers with a long history tend to have more transparency about their sourcing and practices.

4. Consider certifications (if that matters to you)
Organic certification can provide an extra layer of assurance that certain standards were followed during production.

5. Buy from trusted sources
Farmers markets, local producers, or established retailers can reduce the chances of mislabeling or low-quality products.

If the ingredient is simply maple syrup and it’s coming from a source you trust, you’re likely getting the real thing.

Is There Formaldehyde in Maple Syrup?

I'd heard food companies process Grade A maple syrup with formaldehyde – sounds terrible, but honestly, would any ingredient surprise you in our foods today? Here's how they responded:

To address the concerns about processing and the use of formaldehyde/chemicals, that is a practice that has been banned in the US since the 1980's (banned in Vermont in the 1970's) and Canada recently about 10 years ago. The use of formaldehyde is illegal and can result in some serious consequences for farmers. Even though chemical (pesticides and fertilizers) are not commonly used on maple trees, by purchasing a certified organic product it is guaranteed there will be no chemicals found in the finished product or used in the process of harvesting the sap.

Maple syrup is not a “processed” product because the only steps involved in making the finished product involve boiling the tree sap to remove naturally occurring water, and the resulting product is what is bottled.

Typically a de-foamer is used during the boiling process to prevent excessive foaming of the sap while boiling. We use an organic sunflower oil at a rate of 1 drop per 30 gallons of sap. This oil gets cooked off during the boiling process and is not found in the finished product.

So, Grade A maple syrup and formaldehyde concern?

Turns out that no one uses the stuff for preserving frogs when making Grade A Maple Syrup.  Boy do we have low standards with food nowadays — can't believe that I even needed to ask that!

Grade B is Now Grade A

And as it turns out, “Grade B” is still around. There is simply a new name for it now – and Grade A is just as healthy anyway.

Here’s a quick guide for the new maple grading system (the right column lists the new terminology):

Old Name                                                                            New Name

Fancy or Grade A Light Amber                               Grade A Golden and Delicate Taste
Grade A: Medium or Dark Amber                        Grade A Amber Color and Rich Flavor
Grade A: Dark Amber or Grade B                         Grade A Dark Color and Robust Flavor
Grade C                                                                       Grade A: Very Dark and Strong Flavor

So basically  — just buy whatever type of maple syrup you want since the only difference is how much “flava” you want.

Just make sure you stick with a brand that's responsible and organic.

I like Coombs Family Farms because they are:

• committed to sustainable forest management
• certified non-GMO, and
• their organic maple syrup is certified by QAI (Quality Assurance International), which is a step above being simply organic.

Moral of the story: go straight to the source if you really want to know the truth behind the products you’re buying. Legitimate companies are often happy to answer your questions because they want you to be confident in and purchase their products.

As with supplements and other natural products, transparency matters—and maple syrup is no exception.

How about you?
What grade and what brand of maple syrup is on your table?