How To Make Brown Sugar
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Learn how to make brown sugar at home! This recipe works as a brown sugar substitute and if you have 5 minutes, granulated sugar, and molasses, you won’t need to make an emergency trip to the store when you run out! I include alternative options if you don’t have molasses on hand, too!
Brown Sugar Substitute
We’ve all been there. In the midst of making a recipe (maybe chocolate chip cookies?) only to reach for the bag of brown sugar and find out you’re completely out. While you might be tempted to substitute granulated sugar, it’s just not quite the same. You won’t get precisely the same depth of flavor and your recipe will lose some moisture.
So what do you do?
Well, if you happen to have regular (granulated) sugar and molasses on hand, you’re in luck. With just these two ingredients I’m showing you how to make brown sugar (it takes less than 5 minutes). This isn’t just a substitute for brown sugar this is it, the real-deal, legit stuff that you can use in any recipe.
This recipe will work flawlessly in any recipe (try it in my brown sugar cookies or brown butter chocolate chip cookies) and it’s great for making ahead and storing in your pantry just to have.
What You Need
This is probably one of the easiest to make recipes on my site because it only requires 2 ingredients!
- Granulated sugar. Simple white sugar is the base of this “recipe”.
- Unsulphured molasses. This is what gives brown sugar its moist, slightly sticky texture and what makes it brown. If you don’t have molasses I do have some recommendations for alternatives in my FAQ section below.
How to Make Brown Sugar
There’s no fancy equipment needed, all you need is a mixing bowl and a spoon or spatula.
- Combine the granulated sugar and molasses in a mixing bowl.
- Stir the sugar and molasses until completely combined and sugar is one cohesive color.
SAM’S TIP: The molasses will form clumps and little balls in the sugar. To work them out, use a spatula to press them against the side of your mixing bowl and grind them between the spatula and the side of the bowl until no clumps remain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this is brown sugar, so if you’re out at home, all you need is some granulated sugar and molasses and you can make your own light or dark brown sugar
This is best stored in an airtight container, or a Ziploc bag with as much air pressed out as possible. It will keep for several months (or longer).
Air hardens brown sugar. To keep it soft make sure you remove as much air from the container you’re storing it in as possible. For this reason I prefer to use a Ziploc bag, it’s easy to press out most of the air. If storing in a different container (like a tupperware container) it can be helpful to press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the sugar before securing the lid.
If your sugar has hardened, don’t panic! Put a slice of bread in with it (weird, right!?) and it should soften within hours. The sugar will pull moisture from the bread, making the bread hard, but the sugar nice and soft.
Unfortunately if you use anything other than molasses it is no longer true brown sugar. However, many people have reported recipe success using maple syrup or buckwheat honey instead. Do a 1:1 substitution for the molasses, the end result will be lighter in color but this is OK).
Keep in mind maple syrup and honey have different flavor profiles than molasses so you may have a subtle variation in your end product.
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Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
How to Make Brown Sugar
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon unsulphured molasses, increase to 2 Tablespoons of molasses if you would like to make dark brown sugar
Instructions
- Combine sugar and molasses in a mixing bowl.1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon unsulphured molasses
- Use a spatula to work the ingredients together as well as you can. Use the spatula to press any lumps against the side of the bowl and smash them out.
- Continue to mix until no lumps remain and the brown sugar is uniform in color.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Storing
Air will dry out the brown sugar and make it hard, so for best results store in an airtight container. I like to store mine in a Ziploc bag and press out as much of the excess air as I possibly can. Brown sugar will keep for months, if not longer.What to do if your brown sugar hardens:
If you go to use your brown sugar and find it has hardened, place a slice of bread with the sugar for several hours in the container, the sugar will soften.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Can I use Grandma’s Robust Unsulphured Molasses or does it have to be Brer Rabbit Full Flavor All Natural Unsulphured Molasses?
Hi Monica! Any unsulphured molasses will work. 🙂
I just knew that, if I saved that bottle of molasses, I’d find a use for it. Cheers!
So glad we could help you find a use for it, Michael!
Thank you for saving me an emergency run to the store!! This is great!
Yes brown sugar was made, but um is molasses supposed to smell awful??? 😂 It’s a brand new jar of Grandma’s, and I don’t have much experience with it, but I want to make sure I’m not crazy/ in not using rancid molasses!!
It can have quite a strong smell to it, but if it smells sour/acidic it may be bad.
Easy and delicious! No more hard and stale brown sugar!!!
Can I just add white sugar and the corresponding amount of molasses into my mixer and let it create the brown sugar for me?
Hi JoanneMarie, yes you can make this in your mixer, but unless you’re making a large quantity sometimes it can be difficult for the paddle attachment to properly cream the two together to make sure the molasses is well absorbed by the sugar, so that’s just something to watch out for.
What is the difference between unsupported molasses & blackstrap molasses?
Hi Ciera! Blackstrap molasses is going to be much more bitter so I wouldn’t recommend using it in baking unless a recipe specifically calls for it. 🙂
Hey I learned this a while back and it is deep in my mind to come give thanks to those spreading this information. One jar of molasses lasted me a year of baking. And hey I bake goodies for family, friends, coworkers and parishioners. This has truly saved me money. Thank you!
I’m glad you found it useful, Evan! 🙂
Turns regular sugar into brown sugar in less than 5 minutes! I’m kind of annoyed I didn’t know about this sooner, lol. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m glad it was helpful. 🙂
Great hack. I used my food processor to mix ingredients.
Thank you, Kathy! 🙂
This recipe came in so handy!! Thanks 🙂
Note: I ended up using my stand mixer on level 10 to mix the sugar and molasses while I prepped all my other ingredients for what I was baking. Blended perfectly!
I’m glad it was helpful, Heather! 🙂
So easy….I can’t believe I’m this many years old before I learned this. And they charge so much more for brown sugar in the stores….I will be making it this way from now on. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you enjoyed this post, Dana! It’s never too late to learn something new. 🙂
Hi Sam, this seems like the commercial brands do the same thing on a large scale.
Is there any reason to buy (light and dark) brown sugar INSTEAD of just making it.
This seems so much easier. Make as needed and no more rock hard sugar. No need keeping 2 more ssugars on hand.
Is there anything this won’t work in ?
Hi Richard! You shouldn’t have any issues making brown sugar yourself and using it in recipes. I think it’s just a matter of convenience when it comes to buying the two different kinds. 🙂