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This brown sugar substitute method is even quicker and easier than running to the corner store. Never worry about running out again!
We do quite a bit of baking in this house, so when I found out that you can easily make a brown sugar substitute, I was pretty excited. I never considered that it was something that you could make yourself with such a simple process. With this easy recipe, you’ll never have to wait until grocery shopping day to make your favorite cookie recipe! Here’s one of my favorite new culinary kitchen tricks.
Ingredients and Tools Needed to Make Homemade Brown Sugar
Substituting brown sugar with your own homemade version in your favorite baking recipes is quick and easy if you have an (otherwise) well-stocked pantry and some common kitchen tools.
You’ll need:
- Granulated white sugar
- Molasses
- An electric stand mixer or a large bowl, a strong arm, and a rubber spatula
That’s it! You’ll find that the flavor of the brown sugar you make this way is identical to store-bought. Maybe it’s a sign of our reliance on shortcuts and pre-made, pre-packed everything in our busy world, but I definitely didn’t realize that brown sugar was made up of only two simple ingredients until a few years ago, and I’m sure there are a lot of other who also don’t know. I always find it so empowering when I learn how to make something from scratch. I often find I have the opportunity to put my knowledge to use to save myself a trip to the store, and it’s always just so satisfying when I do. 🙂
Try next: No-Cook Brown Sugar Glaze (No Powdered Confectioner’s Sugar or Icing Sugar)
Make Your Own Brown Sugar Substitute
Here’s how to make brown sugar if you ever find you need to.
First, take a cup of regular white granulated-sugar and put it in the bowl of a stand mixer (this is the one I use) fitted with the paddle attachment or into a large mixing bowl if you’ll be mixing by hand. Next, add the molasses. You’ll want to add about 1 tablespoon of molasses to make light-brown sugar and about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons for a darker brown sugar.
Favorite comforting recipe: Homemade Maple Pecan Granola
Turn on your mixer and mix until both ingredients are thoroughly combined. If you’re mixing by hand, use a combination of circular motion stirring and folding to incorporate the molasses into the sugar. You’ll notice that the sugar will look very chunky at first, and you may find yourself thinking that this won’t work, but keep stirring.
After a few minutes, you’ll notice that all the sugar granules are coated, and the molasses-sugar mixture is starting to stick together and behave much like brown sugar. That’s when you can call it done and proceed with making your recipe.
I made light brown sugar, but if you need dark brown sugar, just use two tablespoons of molasses instead of one.
The mixer makes this come together really quickly and evenly, but mixing it by hand really isn’t much more difficult. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled if you need more brown sugar.
You can use your homemade brown sugar right away in a recipe, or you can store it for later!
The best recipe to test it out: Brown Sugar Oatmeal Muffins
Other Brown Sugar Alternatives
You may consider looking for other brown sugar alternatives for a number of different reasons. Luckily, there are a number of different sugars and natural sweeteners that will work in almost any recipe for baked goods you’d like to use them for. If you don’t have molasses in your pantry or if you’re looking for a more wholesome, nutritious way to add a little sweetness that doesn’t use refined sugar, there are lots of options.
Some people like to use maple syrup in their recipes as a healthier way to make their dishes sweeter, but if you’re looking for something granular like traditional brown sugar, there are other great options to explore. Date sugar is made with dried dates and is full of vitamins and fiber. Coconut sugar has a deep caramel color, sweeter flavor, plentiful nutrients, and crunchy texture that make it ideal as a topping or mixed into recipes that usually use traditional brown sugar.
Have you ever made your own brown sugar or used an alternative in its place?
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.