How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home (2024)

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By

Danilo Alfaro

How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home (1)

Danilo Alfaro

Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.

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Updated on 02/20/24

Tested by

Renae Wilson

How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home (2)

Tested byRenae Wilson

Renae has certifications in both Pastry Arts and Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education and works as a private chef and caterer, recipe tester and developer, and food writer.Renae has written and developed recipes for Rachael Ray In Season, the Kitchn, Food52, and more.

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Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 0 mins

Total: 5 mins

Servings: 16 servings

Yield: 1 cup

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Find yourself out of brown sugar? Don't fret — you can make your own in no time! Making homemade brown sugar is simply a matter of adding the molasses back into the white sugar—sort of a reverse refining process.

Another added benefit of making your own is that you can make just what you need as you need it. This way, it won't get dried out in your pantry and turn to hard clumps.

What is Brown Sugar?

Brown sugar is a less-refined version of ordinary granulated white sugar in which molasses is present for color and flavor. In general, brown sugar will impart more moisture to baked goods, as well as adding a richer flavor, a darker color, and a softer texture to the final product.

Everything You Need to Know About Brown Sugar

The Difference Between Light and Dark Brown Sugar

The difference between these two types of sugar comes down to the amount of molasses. Dark brown sugar has more molasses, and therefore has a stronger flavor and a darker color.

Light and dark brown sugar can be used interchangeably in baking recipes. The primary difference will be in the final flavor of your baked good.

How Much Molasses to Add?

One tablespoon of molasses per cup of granulated sugar will make something close to "light brown sugar." Add additional molasses a half-tablespoon at a time for a richer flavor and darker color closer to dark brown sugar.

By the way, if you only have light brown sugar and need dark brown sugar for your recipe, just add 1 tablespoon of molasses to 1 cup of light brown sugar. Stir with a fork and keep in an airtight container.

How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home (3)

What You'll Need to Make This Brown Sugar Recipe

A Good Set of Measuring Spoons
A Handy Dandy Hand Mixer
An Airtight Storage Container

"I love any type of DIY in the kitchen. This is a great recipe to have on hand for when I run out of brown sugar, especially since I usually always have molasses in my pantry." —Renae Wilson

How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home (7)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon molasses, plus more to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home (8)

  2. Combine white sugar and molasses in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon or mixer until thoroughly blended.

    How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home (9)

  3. Store brown sugar in an airtight container to prevent from drying out. Enjoy in your favorite recipes.

    How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home (10)

No Molasses? No Problem.

Don't have molasses or just want to try something different? Try these other methods of making "brown sugar":

  • Add a tablespoon ofmaple syruptoa cup of granulated sugar. Real maple syrup works best, but maple-flavored syrup could be used in a pinch.
  • Add a tablespoon of agave nectarto a cup of granulated sugar. The flavor will be milder and the color lighter.
  • Add a tablespoon of buckwheat honey to a cup of white granulated sugar. This honey is darker than orange blossom or wildflower honey and has a strong flavor much like molasses that will come through in the resulting sugar.

An Essential Illustrated Baking Substitutions Guide

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
52Calories
0g Fat
13g Carbs
0g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories52
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 13g5%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 3mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
Potassium 20mg0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • brown sugar
  • homemade brown sugar
  • dessert
  • american

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How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home (2024)

FAQs

How to Make an Easy Brown Sugar Substitute at Home? ›

White sugar plus molasses

What can I substitute for brown sugar in a recipe? ›

8 Brown Sugar Substitutes
  1. White Sugar. The most readily available substitute for brown sugar, white sugar can easily be swapped out in an equal ratio for its darker counterpart. ...
  2. Honey, Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup. ...
  3. White Sugar and Molasses. ...
  4. Raw Sugar. ...
  5. Muscovado. ...
  6. Coconut Sugar. ...
  7. Date Sugar. ...
  8. Maple Sugar.
Feb 21, 2024

What is a 1 to 1 substitute for brown sugar? ›

1:1 BROWN SUGAR REPLACEMENT: Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener matches the sweetness of brown sugar, helping you fill your kitchen with a healthy cup-for-cup alternative to ordinary baking ingredients.

How to make brown sugar without molasses or maple syrup? ›

Add a tablespoon of buckwheat honey to a cup of white granulated sugar. This honey is darker than orange blossom or wildflower honey and has a strong flavor much like molasses that will come through in the resulting sugar.

What do I do if I have no brown sugar? ›

Combining white sugar with molasses may be a better brown sugar substitute, but if you don't have molasses, other liquid sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar will work as well. You should mix a tablespoon or two of the liquid sweetener into a scant 1 cup of white sugar to replace a cup of brown sugar.

How to make light brown sugar? ›

To make light brown sugar, combine 1 cup white granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp. molasses (increase to 2 Tbsp. molasses for dark brown sugar). No need to whip out the blender or food processor—you can mix this by hand.

How to make 2 cups of brown sugar? ›

Light brown sugar: Use 1 tablespoon molasses for every 1 cup sugar. Dark brown sugar: Use 2 tablespoons molasses for every 1 cup sugar.

Can you DIY brown sugar? ›

Two tablespoons of molasses to a cup of sugar will give you dark brown sugar. Light brown sugar is one Tbsp molasses per cup sugar.

How do you substitute honey for brown sugar? ›

To use it, you'll need 2/3 cup of honey for every 1 cup white or brown sugar, according to Ziata. But take note: Honey is quite sticky and heavy, so be sure to reduce liquid in the recipe to balance the dense consistency. "Alternatively, add a few more tablespoons of flour.

How much maple syrup to replace brown sugar? ›

It is best to use a darker maple syrup, like a Grade B, but any maple syrup will work. The ratio here is a 3/4 C of maple syrup for every 1 C of brown sugar.

What is a good substitute for sugar in baking? ›

Here are our top six sugar substitutes when it comes to baking:
  • Coconut sugar. Play video. ...
  • Agave nectar or agave syrup. Play video. ...
  • Fruit concentrates. Unlike fruit juice, which has added sugar, fruit concentrate is basically fruit with the water removed. ...
  • Maple syrup. ...
  • Molasses.
Dec 29, 2020

Why use brown sugar substitute? ›

Sugar darkens as it caramelizes during baking. Brown sugar alternatives may be lighter in color. Brown sugar clumps and provides some bulk to baked goods.

What can I use in place of brown sugar in a recipe? ›

  1. White sugar plus molasses. A combination of white sugar and molasses is your best bet for a brown sugar substitute, as that's exactly what brown sugar is made of (1). ...
  2. White sugar plus maple syrup. ...
  3. Coconut sugar. ...
  4. Honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. ...
  5. Raw sugars. ...
  6. Muscovado sugar. ...
  7. Plain white sugar. ...
  8. The bottom line.

Can I substitute pancake syrup for brown sugar? ›

Despite their differences, maple syrup and brown sugar share key characteristics that make them interchangeable in many recipes: Sweetness: Both sweeteners provide sweetness to dishes, though with varying intensities. Their shared ability to sweeten recipes makes them good substitutes for one another (in most cases).

Is brown sugar just molasses and white sugar? ›

In fact, most brown sugar is a mixture of white sugar and molasses, which is a type of sugar-derived syrup. Molasses is responsible for its darker color and slightly increases its nutritional value.

What does brown sugar do in a recipe? ›

Brown sugar is often used in baking for the flavor and moistness it adds to baked goods. The molasses in brown sugar also helps to prevent cookies and cakes from drying out. It generally makes baked goods softer and moister.

Can you buy brown sugar substitute? ›

Sukrin Gold is a natural sugar substitute with a delicious, sweet flavour that can replace brown and white sugar alike. The unique mix of natural sweeteners give Sukrin Gold its sweet, well-rounded, and rich character.

Can you substitute brown sugar for honey? ›

Now, as it is not liquid, you need to mix the sugar with water (milk and eggs will work too) to get a paste-like viscosity similar to that of honey. To substitute brown sugar for honey, simply add half a cup of water for every three cups of sugar.

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