Short answer: the best brown sugar substitute is 1 cup of white sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon of molasses. That makes 1 cup of light brown sugar. Use 2 tablespoons of molasses for dark brown sugar. No molasses? Plain white sugar swaps in cup for cup in most recipes. Your cookies will just come out a little crisper and paler.
Below you’ll find a quick chart, then each swap explained, then which one to use in cookies, pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole, ham glaze, banana bread and baked beans.
On this page: The chart · What brown sugar does in a recipe · The 8 swaps · How to make brown sugar · Recipe by recipe · Hard brown sugar · Mistakes to avoid · Quick questions
Brown sugar substitute chart: what replaces 1 cup
Every amount below replaces 1 cup of packed brown sugar, light or dark. Need a smaller amount? There are 16 tablespoons in a cup, and our guide to how many teaspoons are in a cup will help with the rest.
| Swap | Replaces 1 cup | Best in | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| White sugar + molasses (light) | 1 cup white sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses | Everything: cookies, cakes, glazes, pies | Mix it well so there are no dark streaks |
| White sugar + molasses (dark) | 1 cup white sugar + 2 tablespoons molasses | Gingerbread, baked beans, BBQ sauce, ham glaze | A deeper, stronger taste |
| Light or dark brown sugar | 1 cup of the other one, straight swap | Everything | Dark tastes deeper and is a touch moister |
| White sugar | 1 cup, straight swap | Cakes, muffins, pies, crumbles | Cookies spread more and turn crisper; less caramel taste |
| Coconut sugar | 1 cup, straight swap | Cookies, muffins, crumbles, oatmeal | A little drier and less sweet; add 1 tablespoon of liquid if the dough looks dry |
| Muscovado sugar | 1 cup, straight swap | Gingerbread, brownies, sticky toffee, BBQ rubs | Much stronger molasses taste; very moist |
| Turbinado or demerara | 1 cup, straight swap | Crumble and streusel toppings, glazes, oatmeal | Big crystals; they don’t melt into a smooth cookie dough |
| Maple syrup or honey | ¾ cup, and cut the other liquid by 3 tablespoons | Glazes, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, quick breads | Bakes darker; lower the oven by 25°F in baking |
What brown sugar does in a recipe
Brown sugar is simply white sugar with some molasses in it. Light brown sugar has a little, dark brown sugar has about twice as much. That molasses gives it three jobs:
- Flavor. A soft caramel, toffee taste that white sugar doesn’t have.
- Moisture. Molasses holds on to water, so brown sugar makes cookies chewy and cakes soft, and keeps them that way for longer.
- A little lift. Molasses is slightly acidic, so it reacts with baking soda and helps cookies and quick breads rise.
So pick your swap by the job. If you want the same result, add the molasses back (white sugar plus molasses). If you only need sweetness, as in a cake, a pie or a crumble, plain white sugar is fine. And if you’d like a less refined sugar, coconut sugar is the closest straight swap.
The 8 brown sugar swaps, explained
1. White sugar + molasses (light brown sugar)
This one isn’t really a substitute. It’s how brown sugar is made. Stir 1 tablespoon of molasses into 1 cup of white sugar with a fork until the color is even and there are no dark lumps. It replaces 1 cup of light brown sugar in any recipe, and nobody will taste the difference.
2. White sugar + more molasses (dark brown sugar)
Same method, with 2 tablespoons of molasses to 1 cup of white sugar. Use it where a recipe asks for dark brown sugar, or anywhere you want a deeper flavor: gingerbread, baked beans, BBQ sauce and a sticky ham glaze.
3. Light and dark brown sugar swap for each other
If you have one and the recipe calls for the other, just use what you have, cup for cup. Dark brown sugar makes cookies a little darker, softer and more toffee-like. Light brown sugar gives a milder taste. Both work.
4. White sugar on its own
Cup for cup, white sugar works in most recipes. The difference shows most in cookies: without molasses they spread more, bake up crisper and look paler. In a cake, a muffin, a pumpkin pie or an apple crisp you will hardly notice. If you have maple syrup, stirring 1 tablespoon of it into the cup of white sugar brings back a little of the moisture and flavor.
5. Coconut sugar
Coconut sugar looks and tastes a lot like brown sugar, with a light caramel flavor, and it swaps in cup for cup. It’s a little drier and a little less sweet, so cookies can come out more crumbly. If the dough looks dry, add 1 tablespoon of milk or water.
6. Muscovado sugar
Muscovado is an unrefined cane sugar that keeps all of its molasses. It is very dark, very moist and has a strong, almost smoky taste. It swaps in cup for cup for dark brown sugar and is lovely in gingerbread, brownies and sticky toffee. In a light, delicate cake it can be too strong, so use half muscovado and half white sugar.
7. Turbinado or demerara sugar
These are the golden sugars with big crunchy crystals, sometimes sold as “raw sugar”. They have a light molasses taste and swap in cup for cup. Their big crystals don’t melt into a cookie dough the same way, so they are best on top: in a crumble or streusel, sprinkled on muffins, or in a glaze that cooks down.
8. Maple syrup or honey
Both bring sweetness and moisture, but they are liquids, so they change a recipe more than the dry swaps. Use ¾ cup for every 1 cup of brown sugar and cut the other liquid in the recipe (milk, water, juice) by about 3 tablespoons. In baking, lower the oven by 25°F, because both brown faster than sugar. They are at their best where liquid doesn’t matter much: a glaze, roasted sweet potatoes, oatmeal or a quick bread. Pure maple syrup only, not pancake syrup.
How to make brown sugar at home
If you have white sugar and a jar of molasses, you can make brown sugar in two minutes:
- Put 1 cup of white sugar in a bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of molasses for light brown sugar, or 2 tablespoons for dark.
- Mash and stir with a fork until it is evenly colored and feels like damp sand. A stand mixer or a food processor makes it even faster.
Measure it the way you would store-bought: packed firmly into the cup. It keeps for months in an airtight jar.
Which swap to use, recipe by recipe
- Chocolate chip cookies: white sugar plus molasses keeps them chewy. White sugar alone gives a flatter, crisper cookie, which some people prefer. Coconut sugar works but can be crumbly. Good in pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies or coconut toffee cookie bars.
- Pumpkin pie: white sugar, cup for cup, works fine because the pumpkin and spices carry the flavor. Here’s our classic pumpkin pie, with a step-by-step picture guide. Out of evaporated milk too? See our evaporated milk substitute guide.
- Sweet potato casserole and baked sweet potatoes: maple syrup is lovely here, and coconut sugar works too. Try our 11 ways to cook sweet potatoes or a baked sweet potato with cinnamon butter.
- Ham glaze: dark brown sugar, homemade with molasses, or honey or maple syrup. All three caramelize beautifully. Here’s our easy ham glaze.
- Brown sugar pie: this one really needs brown sugar, so make it with white sugar plus molasses. Try our Southern brown sugar pie.
- Banana bread and muffins: white sugar or coconut sugar, cup for cup. Try our moist banana bread or a cream cheese banana bread.
- Baked beans and BBQ sauce: dark brown sugar from white sugar plus molasses, or maple syrup. Good in easy BBQ baked beans.
- Glazed salmon and pork: honey or maple syrup, ¾ cup for 1 cup. Try a baked salmon with a sweet glaze.
- Crumbles, crisps and streusel: turbinado or demerara for crunch, or white sugar.
- Baking without eggs or buttermilk too? Here’s what to use instead of eggs and our buttermilk substitute chart.
If your brown sugar has gone hard
Hard brown sugar isn’t spoiled. It has just dried out, and it’s easy to soften:
- Fast (microwave): put the lump in a bowl, cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds. Break it up with a fork and repeat if needed. Use it straight away, because it hardens again as it cools.
- Overnight: seal it in a container with a slice of bread or a few apple slices. By the next day the sugar has pulled in the moisture and gone soft again.
- To keep it soft: store it in an airtight jar or a zip bag with the air pressed out. A terracotta “sugar saver” soaked in water and dropped in the jar also works.
Mistakes to avoid
- Not packing it. Recipes mean packed brown sugar. Loose sugar can be a quarter less, so press it firmly into the cup.
- Swapping in syrup without cutting the liquid. Maple syrup and honey add liquid. Leave it in and a cake turns gummy and cookies spread flat.
- Using pancake syrup. It’s mostly corn syrup and flavoring. Pure maple syrup only.
- Using blackstrap molasses for light brown sugar. It’s very strong and a little bitter. Regular or “mild” molasses is what you want.
- Expecting turbinado to melt in. In a cookie dough its big crystals stay crunchy. Save it for toppings.
- Swapping in a sugar-free sweetener cup for cup. Many are much sweeter than sugar. Follow the amount on the package instead.
Quick questions
Can I use white sugar instead of brown sugar?
Yes, cup for cup in most recipes. Cakes, pies and muffins barely change. Cookies come out crisper, flatter and paler, because they miss the moisture from the molasses.
How do I make brown sugar without molasses?
Stir 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup into 1 cup of white sugar. It isn’t quite the same flavor, but it brings back some of the moisture and color.
Can I use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar?
Yes, cup for cup. Your bake will be a little darker, softer and more caramel-flavored. The same goes the other way round.
Is coconut sugar the same as brown sugar?
No, but it’s close. It has a similar caramel taste and swaps in cup for cup. It’s a little drier and less sweet, so cookies can be more crumbly.
Can I use honey instead of brown sugar?
Yes. Use ¾ cup of honey for 1 cup of brown sugar, cut the other liquid by about 3 tablespoons and lower the oven by 25°F. It works best in glazes, sweet potatoes and quick breads.
Kitchen Kit
- A jar of molasses, to turn white sugar into brown sugar any time
- A terracotta brown sugar saver, to keep your brown sugar soft
- An airtight sugar canister, so it never goes rock hard
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