Homemade Brown Sugar

If you’re ever in a pinch, you can easily make your own homemade brown sugar with only 2 ingredients!

What is brown sugar?

Brown sugar is a very common baking ingredient made up of white granulated sugar with molasses mixed in. In baking, its use is to not only to make baked goods sweet but it also creates chewiness, holds onto moisture, and promotes browning. Brown sugar specifically has a deeper flavor than white sugar due to the molasses.

Light vs. dark brown sugar

Light brown sugar has a smaller ratio of molasses to granulated sugar while dark brown sugar has a higher ratio of molasses to granulated sugar. Brown sugar should be used in baked goods where chewiness is desirable, such as for chocolate chip cookies. Use dark brown sugar for even more chewiness and more caramel flavors.

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What to Use as a Substitute

The best brown sugar substitute is to combine granulated sugar with molasses to make homemade brown sugar. A small amount of molasses added to the brown sugar will be a good substitute for light brown sugar, while a large amount will be a good substitute for dark brown sugar. See the recipe card below for the ratios.

If you do not have molasses on hand, plain white granulated sugar can often work well as a 1:1 substitute for brown sugar by weight. This works well in things like cookies, quick breads (such as muffins, batter breads, and pancakes), as well as in pie fillings. However, be aware that the flavor and texture will be different do to the lack of molasses in the granulated sugar.