Brown Rice Syrup

One US cup of brown rice syrup weighs between 335 and 368 grams, depending on how the cup is filled and which source measured it. That range is the answer; a single number would not be. Every figure behind it is below, with the method each source used.

Also called rice syrup, rice malt syrup, rice malt, organic brown rice syrup, lundberg brown rice syrup, brown rice malt syrup.

TL;DR: Brown rice syrup ranges 336-368 g/cup depending on measurement convention. The physical density is 336 g/cup (1.42 g/mL, matching honey and other sugar syrups at 78% solids), while Lundberg's nutrition label lists 368 g/cup reflecting a heaping-tablespoon convention. King Arthur's chart does not list brown rice syrup, leaving conversions unstandardized.

Brown rice syrup (also called rice syrup or rice malt) is a viscous amber sweetener made by cultured enzymatic breakdown of cooked brown rice starches into maltose, maltotriose, and glucose. Unlike sugar-cane-based syrups, brown rice syrup contains no fructose — its sweetness comes primarily from maltose (a glucose-glucose disaccharide), making it about half as sweet as table sugar. Bakers use it in vegan and paleo baking, granola bars, macrobiotic cooking, gluten-free desserts, and as a corn syrup alternative in confectionery for chewy texture. Lundberg Family Farms is the dominant US retail brand; Suzanne's Specialties is the largest industrial supplier.

Density has two answers depending on which reference you use. The physical density of brown rice syrup at 78% solids (typical for the finished retail product) is 1.42 g/mL, giving 336 g/cup. USDA branded food data for organic brown rice syrup (UPC 733739069078) confirms 355 g per metric cup = 336 g per US cup. GloryBee's industrial specification sheet for 55 DE brown rice syrup lists 11.8 lb/gallon at 100°F, converting to 1.41 g/mL = 335 g/cup. Both align with the sugar-syrup density family (honey, agave, golden syrup, barley malt syrup — all at ~336 g/cup). Lundberg's retail nutrition label states 2 tablespoons = 46g, working out to 368 g/cup at density 1.55 g/mL — physically implausible for a 78% sugar solution and likely reflecting a heaping-tablespoon measurement convention rather than level tablespoons. Home bakers scooping from a Lundberg jar will practically get closer to the label figure than to the physical density.

Brown rice syrup versus other sugar syrups. Honey, agave, and golden syrup all sit at 336 g/cup with density 1.42 g/mL, matching brown rice syrup's physical density. Substitute for brown rice syrup 1:1 by weight or volume — sweetness will be about double (because brown rice syrup is half as sweet as fructose-heavy syrups), so reduce quantity accordingly if matching sweetness. Corn syrup at 312 g/cup and density 1.32 g/mL is slightly less dense; both are glucose-based non-fructose sweeteners, so substitute 1:1 by volume with minor sweetness difference. Barley malt syrup at 336 g/cup is physically similar to brown rice syrup (both are maltose-dominant enzyme-hydrolyzed grain syrups), so 1:1 substitution works by weight or volume, but flavors differ — barley malt has strong malty and molasses notes, while brown rice is mild and neutral.

Sweetness comparison: brown rice syrup is roughly 50% as sweet as sucrose (table sugar) by weight. To match the sweetness of 1 cup granulated sugar (200g), use approximately 400g brown rice syrup (about 1 and 1/4 cups). Reduce other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup per 1 cup of brown rice syrup to maintain hydration balance. Because brown rice syrup is glucose and maltose dominant with no fructose, browning behavior is milder than agave or honey — bake at the recipe's specified temperature without the 25°F reduction typically applied for fructose-heavy syrup substitutions.

Dextrose Equivalent (DE) grades: industrial brown rice syrup is sold at various DE grades (28 DE, 42 DE, 55 DE, 60 DE) reflecting how completely the rice starches have been converted to sugars. Higher DE means more sweetness, more glucose relative to maltose, and thinner consistency. Retail Lundberg is typically in the 42-55 DE range. This mostly affects flavor and viscosity, not density — all DE grades sit near 1.42 g/mL at 78% solids.

Practical baker recommendation: for recipes tested with Lundberg brand and calling for cup measures, use the label figure at 46g per 2 tbsp (368 g/cup). For recipes with weight in grams, weigh directly. For substitution planning, treat brown rice syrup as a sugar syrup with density essentially matching honey (336 g/cup physical), and adjust for sweetness — you'll need roughly double the weight of brown rice syrup to match the sweetness of an equivalent amount of honey or table sugar.