8 Brown Sugar Substitutes (Does White Sugar Work?)

Whether you’re out of brown sugar or just looking for a way to change up your recipe, there are plenty of brown sugar substitutes that work well for cooking and baking. Not all substitutes work equally well, so it’s important to experiment to see which brown sugar substitute is best for your recipe.

Here are 8 great substitutes for brown sugar:

1. White Sugar and Molasses

Molasses is a thick, brown syrup that’s said to be healthier than regular white sugar due its nutritional profile. It’s extracted from cane or beet sugars and can sometimes contain other flavors or spices.

Can I use White Sugar and Molasses Instead of Brown Sugar?

Definitely! You can easily substitute one for the other. White sugar mixed with molasses is essentially how brown sugar is created. The mixture of white sugar and molasses is what gives brown sugar its color.

Molasses is a good source of minerals such as iron, copper, selenium, and potassium. Some of the compounds in molasses may help to improve gut health by promoting the balance of good bacteria in the gut. Blackstrap molasses in particular is considered the most nutritious type of molasses as it contains more essential vitamins and minerals per serving compared to other types of molasses. However, since molasses is made from sugar cane or sugar beets, it does have a relatively high sugar content and should still be consumed in moderation.

Best for: baked goods, cookies, pies, brownies, toffee, barbecue sauces, marinades, smoothies, shakes, glazes, beverage sweetener, savory recipes, syrups

How to Substitute White Sugar and Molasses for Brown Sugar

Combine 1 teaspoon of light molasses with 1 cup of white sugar to create light brown sugar. To create a darker brown sugar, combine 2 teaspoons of blackstrap molasses with 1 cup of white sugar. Substitute 1 tablespoon of white sugar and molasses for 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in a 1:1 ratio.

As a rule of thumb, rather than add more molasses to the white sugar to create a darker color, it is recommended that you use light molasses for light brown sugar, and blackstrap molasses for dark brown sugar.

Since molasses is a liquid, be sure to lessen the other liquids in the recipe to ensure that the overall liquid content remains balanced. For recipes that already call for molasses such as gingerbread cookies, lessen the amount of molasses mixed into the batter.

Since molasses is a wet ingredient, it can be a little tricky to get the color just right. Store-bought brown sugar is also more shelf-stable, so it can take a bit of trial and error before you can achieve the exact color you’re aiming for, but that’s also where it gets fun. You can add as little or as much molasses as you’d like.

2. White Sugar and Maple Syrup

Brown sugar is traditionally made with molasses, but you can easily substitute maple syrup and it would work just as well. Aside from the color, maple syrup also contributes some notes of caramel and vanilla to the dish, making it an excellent choice for desserts and other sweet treats.

Can I use White Sugar and Maple Syrup Instead of Brown Sugar?

Yes, you can. In fact, some recipes specifically call for maple syrup as a way to highlight the richness of the other ingredients. You can add in a little more maple syrup if you want the unique flavor of maple syrup to be highlighted in your baked goods, but otherwise, the color is largely due to the type of maple syrup used, not the quantity of maple syrup mixed in with the white sugar.

Maple syrup is harvested directly from maple trees and requires minimal processing, so you’ll be getting most of its vitamins and minerals such as zinc, potassium, and calcium. It is considered a better alternative to using refined sugar as it improves digestion, lowers cholesterol, improves cardiovascular health, and strengthens the immune system. Maple syrup also contains active compounds that have been shown to help reduce the growth of cancer cells in vivo. However, as with molasses, it’s best to cons