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Brown sugar

Sweeteners & chocolate · Sugars

Brown sugar

Moist sugar containing molasses, light or dark; adds caramel flavour, colour and chewiness. Includes muscovado and demerara.

Also called: light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, muscovado, demerara, panela, piloncillo

A kind of sugar

50 recipes with it

Photo: EstherDje, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

What it is

Most brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added back; light has less, dark more. Muscovado is unrefined, very moist and strong-flavoured; demerara and turbinado have large, dry golden crystals for crunch; panela and piloncillo are solid unrefined cane sugar. The molasses makes brown sugar slightly acidic and hygroscopic, which keeps cookies chewy and lets it activate baking soda.

How it’s used

  • Chewy cookies and blondies
  • Sticky toffee pudding and gingerbread
  • Barbecue rubs, glazes and sauces
  • Crunchy toppings (demerara)
  • Sweetening coffee and porridge

Characteristics

Taste
Caramel, toffee and molasses.
Texture
Soft and clumping (light/dark); crunchy (demerara).
Sold as
whole
Cooking uses
Suitable for baking, Mainly a seasoning

Storage

Pantry-stable. Airtight so it doesn't harden; soften hard brown sugar by sealing it overnight with a slice of bread or a damp paper towel.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
380 kcal
Protein
0.12 g
Carbohydrate
98.09 g
Fat
0 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
97.02 g

USDA FoodData Central: Sugars, brown.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Sugar — Use white sugar plus 1 tbsp molasses per 200 g for light brown, or 2 tbsp for dark.
  • Jaggery / palm sugar — Grated, 1:1; more complex and less consistent in sweetness.

Related ingredients

Recipes with brown sugar

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