I'm making pecan pie and I want to not use corn syrup. Can I use dark Agave nectar (or brown rice syrup) instead of the dark corn syrup?

Give up on corn syrup, which really has no taste, just sweetness, and make one of the maple syrup-based pecan pies. There's one here at Food 52 (http://www.food52.com/recipes/15023_spiced_maple_pecan_pie_with_star_anise) and Cook's Country also has a great one: http://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/Old-Fashioned-Pecan-Pie/20689/?incode=M00KSCR00

Not all corn syrup is the bad one, aka high frucose corn syrup. Check the label. Some corn syrup is just----corn syrup.

I know this question was asked 11 months ago, but a year ago I made a Pecan Pie using Maple syrup and Brown Rice syrup and it set up beautifully and the taste was just as good if not better than traditional. This year I'm trying Agave syrup since I've changed to it because of it's ability not to raise and lower blood glucose levels and my own belief it's much healthier and I figure it's the same consistency as maple syrup. Sorry I can't give you the exchange amounts at the moment because I didn't write them down, just do as I go, will have to start writing down my recipes. I do know that Agave syrup has conversion on bottle and it has become much more available in the grocery store. I'm studying to be a Nutritionist for healing our bodies through Gods foods and am testimony to that with major healing from Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia and welcome any replies.

In the end I used dark corn syrup and for the heck of it, subbed a little bit of brown rice syrup (since I already had a jar in the pantry). The pies turned out well. My local food co-op only had agave nectar & brown rice syrup in stock (no cane syrup or golden syrup). I think my problem with corn syrup has to do more with the processing & the fact I don't like that so much food is made out of corn in general. Obviously pecan pie is never going to be the healthy dessert choice but boy is it tasty.

Next time I'm at Whole Foods (I live an hour away from one) I will see if they have cane and/or golden syrup in stock. I'd like to try a pie with those and see how it tastes.

I was wondering about the same thing the last time I made pecan pie. I don't know about rapearson's reasons, but I was less concerned about the health aspect (as mentioned, pecan pie is never going to be healthy) but more about the fact that I didn't want to use heavily processed foods. I don't know about these alternatives and how they compare to HFCS, though - I just meant to look into it for next time. I'd be interested in hearing more about agave or golden syrup and how they compare.

Stay with the corn syrup. If you're eating pecan pie, the bit of sugar you might save would be minor.
And as has been mentioned Agave isn't really a more 'healthy' sub. It's a pecan pie..it's not a health food.

At one point we thought substituting hydrogenated margarine for butter was 'healthy', and frying fries in trans fat oil was better than beef marrow tallow...and lets try to forget the 'olestra' incident a few years back. The perfect sub for fat, no calories, no fat. no cholesterol... more poop. Less absorption of vitamins.

Go with the corn syrup.and don't mess up a good thing. Like ARG117 said "moderation".

I'm a big health nut, but I also strongly believe everything in moderation is fine. When it comes to desserts, you might as well go for itunless you can find the golden syrup. I also agree with hardlikearmour's comment about agave. There have been many credible reports suggesting most brands are not healthier than corn syrup.

Thanks. I hope my food co-op has some golden syrup in stock. I guess corn syrup isn't the end of the world, especially since it isn't HF but I still have some sort of block against using it.

The most delicious pecan pie I've ever made called for corn syrup, and I substituted Lyle's golden syrup, so I highly recommend you get some golden syrup (which is cane based.) I am not on the agave bandwagon (it commonly has more fructose than HFCS.) It's viscosity is much less than that of corn syrup, like ATG117 stated, so that would be worry for me, too. Here's a link to a good food substitution site, which may be helpful for you: http://www.foodsubs.com/Syrups.html

I think dark agave may be too loose as opposed to the thick consistency of corn syrup. You could use golden syrup, which is increasingly available. I know they have it at the Whole Foods I shop at. Maybe someone else will weigh in on the agave.