If you’re mainly looking to use less sugar in your Christmas baking, start with a stroopwafel labelled ‘less sugar’ or ‘low sugar’, then compare the current sugar content per 100 g and the amount you’ll use in your recipe. If flavour or decoration is your main priority, a regular stroopwafel may be suitable, but it won’t help you meet your sugar goal. Check the ingredients and allergen information separately if you also have a dietary requirement.
You want to add stroopwafels to a Christmas treat and are specifically looking for a product labelled ‘less sugar’ or ‘low sugar’. The nutritional information on the packaging helps you compare your chosen option with other stroopwafels.
You use stroopwafels as crumbs, a topping or a decoration, and choose them mainly for how they’ll work in your bake. Recipes from Jumbo and Daelmans offer ideas, but don’t give information about the sugar content of a specific product.
As well as keeping your sugar intake in mind, you need to check the ingredients, allergens or gluten-free labelling. Each of these requirements needs to be checked separately for the specific product.
First decide whether sugar content, how you’ll use the product in your recipe or a specific ingredient requirement is your priority. Then compare only stroopwafels using the same nutritional basis.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars and nutritional value | Compare sugars, energy and saturated fat per 100 g, then check the nutritional value per portion you plan to use. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing the labels of similar products side by side. | If I want to use less sugar in my Christmas baking, I want to be able to compare the figures on the label rather than relying on the product name alone. This would be the main purchase concern for around 50% of consumers. |
| How you’ll use it in your recipe | Decide whether you need whole waffles, crumbs or a topping, then choose a suitable flavour and shape. | For an eye-catching decoration or crumb topping, I want to know whether the stroopwafel will work with the way I plan to prepare it. This recipe result would be the main priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and dietary requirements | Read the current ingredients and allergen information. Check any gluten-free claim and sweeteners separately from the sugar content. | When I’m baking for someone with a dietary requirement, the product I choose must first meet that specific need. This check would be the main priority for around 20% of consumers. |
‘Less sugar’ doesn’t tell you how much stroopwafel will end up in your Christmas bake. Energy and saturated fat are also listed separately on the label.
First compare stroopwafels per 100 g, then consider how much you’ll use in your recipe. Only use a Nutri-Score to compare products within the same category, as explained by the Dutch government.
Ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information can change. This is particularly important if you’re baking for someone with a dietary requirement.
Check the current packaging when you buy the product, and read it again before using or serving the stroopwafels.
A gluten-free claim doesn’t tell you how much sugar a product contains. The presence of a sweetener alone doesn’t tell you the nutritional value of the whole product either.
Check any ingredient or gluten-free requirement you need to meet, then compare the sugar content in the nutritional information separately. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that any sweeteners used are listed on the label.
A recipe using regular stroopwafels won’t necessarily show you how another variety will behave when crumbled, used for decoration or incorporated into a bake.
If you’re trying a product for the first time, test a small amount in the way you intend to use it before making your whole Christmas bake.
Albert Heijn lists AH Butter Less Sugar Stroopwafels, as well as Céréal Low Sugar Stroopwafels as a separate product.
Céréal Low Sugar Stroopwafels is a separate product in the Albert Heijn catalogue.
Daelmans describes its regular stroopwafels as having flavours such as caramel and cinnamon.
Jumbo publishes stroopwafel recipes and also lists Jumbo Lekker Vrij van Gluten Stroop Wafels as a separate gluten-free variety.
No, these claims don’t mean the same thing. Check the nutritional information and ingredients list for the specific stroopwafel to see what you’re buying for your Christmas bake. Don’t assume ‘sugar-free’ from the words ‘less sugar’.
First compare the sugar content per 100 g of stroopwafels in the same category, then work out how much you’ll actually use. Also check the nutritional information per portion, if it’s shown on the packaging.
Check the ingredients list on the current packaging. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that any sweeteners used are listed on the label; the sugar content is shown separately in the nutritional information.
You can’t assume that a new variety will work in the same way. If the shape or how it behaves during preparation matters to your recipe, try a small amount first as a crumb, topping or decoration.
No, these are separate product characteristics. If you choose a gluten-free stroopwafel, check that it has the claim you need, then compare its sugar content on the label with that of other stroopwafels.
