I can’t tell you how many times I’ve saved myself a trip to the store in the middle of baking by making a simple brown sugar substitute with molasses and granulated sugar. It’s incredibly easy if you already have the ingredients on hand. And homemade brown sugar smells amazing too, with a deeper, richer flavor than the store-bought version.
I debated whether to share this “recipe” for almost a year. The main reason is because it doesn’t really feel like a recipe, does it? But I have seriously used this little hack so many times that I finally thought – why not? If it saves you from an emergency store run even once, it’s worth sharing. 😊
The last time I used it was while testing my mochi banana bread recipe. I reached for my brown sugar container… and it was basically empty. 😱 Just a few sad tablespoons left. I refuse to interrupt recipe testing to run to the store, so I grabbed a tablespoon of molasses and a cup of granulated sugar, mixed them together, and voila, problem solved!
You just need a bowl and a spatula
- You’ll need just two ingredients: granulated sugar and unsulphured molasses. I use Grandma’s Original Molasses. Use 1 tablespoon for light brown and 2 tablespoons for dark brown.
- I tried using a whisk and a few different spatulas for mixing. I found that a small spatula with a sturdy handle is the best. Don’t even reach for the whisk, it can’t handle the stickiness of molasses.
- Almost there, but we still have clumps of molasses throughout the mixture in this step. Instead of mixing, you’ll want to press the molasses into the sugar against the side of the bowl using the flat part of the spatula.
- When done, you should have no more clumps of sugar and molasses left, just a bowl of moist golden brown sugar.
That’s it! Now you can use this homemade brown sugar in any recipes that call for brown sugar. If you make a larger batch, just store leftover in an airtight container, the same way you would store packaged brown sugar.
Because I only make this recipe when I truly need some brown sugar substitute, I don’t usually make a large batch. The largest batch I’ve made was using 2 cups (400 grams) of granulated sugar with 2 tablespoon of molasses. I have to say I don’t recommend making larger batches because your arm will get pretty tired in the end.
Hungry for more?
How to Make Brown Sugar
Equipment
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (20 g) molasses, use 2 tablespoons for dark brown sugar
Instructions
- Add granulated sugar and molasses to a medium mixing bowl. Use a small spatula with a sturdy handle to press the molasses into the sugar against the side of the bowl until there are no more lumps of molasses and sugar in the mixture and the brown sugar is moist, velvety and even in color.1 cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon molasses
Notes
- Store homemade brown sugar in an airtight container.
- Use in any recipe that calls for brown sugar just as you would the store-bought version.
- Use a terra cotta brown sugar saver to keep brown sugar moist.
- If you want to make a larger batch, I don’t recommend making more than double. It becomes harder to mix when you have too much ingredients.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This looks amazing; gonna try it since it is nearly impossible to find brown sugar here in Switzerland. However I have one question: why do you repeatedly call this a ‘brown sugar substitute’? It makes it sound like there is something fundamentally different between this and the store bought brown sugar. Is there? I would rather think it is a ‘substitute’ if we used maple syrup instead of molasses, but if we are using the exact same ingredients aren’t we just making ‘homemade brown sugar’?
I’m curious because I would never say I’m ‘baking a bread substitute’ or ‘last night Taco Bell was closed so I made taco substitutes at home’.
Thank you for any clarification!
Hi Joe, I guess you’re right, it not a brown sugar substitute, just a homemade brown sugar. But in a way you can consider it a “substitute” for “store-bought” brown sugar. No fundamental differences.