Don’t rush to the store the next time you run out of brown sugar. Make this homemade substitute instead! Learn how to make brown sugar with 2 ingredients in 5 minutes!
For more easy baking tips and substitutions, check out my tutorials on homemade buttermilk and how to make cake flour, too!
Can you make brown sugar at home? Yes! And it’s SO easy to do. If you have 5 minutes, a bag of white sugar, and a jar of molasses in your pantry (leftover from your last batch of molasses cookies, obviously), you can make this easy substitute. Here’s why you should:
Once upon a time, brown sugar consisted of unrefined sugar crystals that still contained some traces of molasses. Nowadays, however, it’s made mostly by adding molasses to refined white sugar. Essentially, what we’re doing today!
Below are some quick ingredient notes. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a printable ingredients list.
To make your own light brown sugar, all you need to do is combine 2 cups of granulated white sugar with ¼ cup of molasses. Stir. Tada! If you’d like to make dark brown sugar instead, double the amount of molasses to ½ cup. See the recipe card for printable instructions.
How easy was that? I’ll leave you with these quick final tips:
Yes! If you’re out of brown sugar, you can use this homemade substitute in any baking or cooking recipe, from roasted carrots to pound cake to chocolate chip cookies.
If you don’t have molasses, you can try substituting equal amounts of pure maple syrup or dark buckwheat honey in this recipe. It won’t be the real thing, however, so it won’t have the same depth of flavor.
Exposure to air causes the molasses in brown sugar to dry out, resulting in hardened sugar. Proper airtight storage is key! I recommend storing your sugar in a Ziploc bag or airtight container, with as much air removed as possible. See the section below for details.
If your sugar has hardened, there are a couple of tricks that you can use to soften it. The first option is to place a bread slice in with the sugar. Weird, maybe, but your sugar should soften within a few hours! If you’re in a hurry, microwave the hardened sugar in a microwave-safe bowl covered with a damp paper towel for 20 seconds. This helps to soften it quickly.
The best way to store brown sugar is in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag. I like the Ziploc method as it’s easy to press out the excess air.
If you’re using a Tupperware container or similar, I recommend pressing a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the sugar before closing the lid. Properly stored, sugar will keep for up to 6 months (or longer).
Learn how to make brown sugar at home with just 2 ingredients: white sugar and molasses! This homemade brown sugar substitute is ready in minutes. Double the amount of molasses for dark brown sugar!
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