Substitute for Brown Sugar
Mix 1 cup white sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses and stir or press it together until it looks and feels like brown sugar. That is literally how commercial brown sugar is made. Coconut sugar works 1:1 and has a similar caramel-like flavor, though a bit more earthy. Maple syrup is a good swap but it adds liquid, so reduce another liquid in the recipe slightly.
Best Brown Sugar Substitutes
- 1 cup white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses
- Coconut sugar used 1:1
- Maple syrup used 3/4 the amount
Brown sugar adds moisture and caramel flavor to baked goods. These work in cookies, sauces, and marinades.
Why it works
Brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses mixed back in. The molasses adds moisture and that dark, caramel flavor, which is why brown sugar makes cookies chewier than white sugar alone. Coconut sugar has a naturally similar flavor profile because of how it's processed. When you use maple syrup, you get the same depth but you're adding liquid instead of a dry sugar, so the batter behaves differently.
Common mistakes
- Using blackstrap molasses instead of regular molasses. It's much more bitter and the flavor becomes overpowering.
- Substituting maple syrup 1:1 without adjusting the other liquids, which makes the batter too wet.
- Not packing the brown sugar substitute when the recipe says to pack it. Unpacked, it measures out as less.
Real examples
- Chocolate chip cookies and out of brown sugar: white sugar plus molasses mixed together gives you chewy cookies with that same deep flavor.
- BBQ sauce or marinade: coconut sugar 1:1 works great and you won't taste any difference.