10 Delicious Brown Sugar Substitute Ideas (2024)

The Ultimate Guide to Baking Substitutions

More White Sugar

Even if you’re out of brown sugar, chances are you’ve got plenty of granulated white sugar on hand—so use it to your advantage. Use the same amount of white sugar as the recipe calls for brown sugar, and you should be just fine. If you’re making cookies, they may turn out a bit crispier than if you’d used brown sugar, but it won’t be a deal-breaker.

Muscovado Sugar

Muscovado sugar is basically unrefined sugar cane that still has molasses in it (and plenty of it), which makes it a smart substitute for brown sugar if you’re looking for something that packs a real punch flavor-wise.

It comes from the island of Mauritius, just off the coast of Africa, and is much darker than your usual brown sugar variety. As a result, it’s much richer in flavor. You'll likely notice its delicious caramel flavor and slightly smoky aftertaste, which is why it can be found in everything from ginger cookies to barbecue sauce.

One more perk? It’s known for being moister than other sugars, so it won’t clump together when used in baking recipes.

Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar comes from the palm of a coconut that’s been boiled and dehydrated. And while it has around the same general calorie count as white sugar, it’s much lower in fructose, which is why it’s often pegged as a “healthier” option. (Take this with a grain of—ahem, salt—since the same amount of calories is the same amount of calories.)

Its caramel color looks fairly similar to brown sugar, but its similar taste to white sugar is what really makes it an ideal substitute when you’re looking for a replacement.

White Granulated Sugar + Molasses

In a pinch, you can go the DIY route and make your own brown sugar by "blitzing" some granulated white sugar with molasses. That’s all brown sugar really is, anyway.

And the best part is, it’s super-easy.

Start with 1 cup of white sugar and a tablespoon of molasses for light brown sugar. Use 2 tablespoons of molasses for dark brown sugar. Combine the two by mixing them with a fork or a mixer until evenly combined. Voila! You have yourself some fluffy and delicious brown sugar in seconds.

Maple Sugar

Maple sugar comes straight from maple syrup as opposed to sugar cane, and as a result, it adds a sweet and unmistakably delicious maple taste to almost any recipe. It’s commonly used to top off dishes like oatmeal or porridge but can easily stand in as a substitute for brown sugar in baking and works well in things like pies and cookies.

You can also look into trying other unrefined sugar options like palm sugar, which comes from sugar palm trees, or piloncilo, which comes from Mexican sugar cane and is typically sold in the form of a cone. While trickier to find in a grocery store, their interesting flavor profiles make them well worth hunting down and trying.

White Granulated Sugar and Honey, Agave, or Maple Syrup

Combining white sugar with molasses may be a better brown sugar substitute, but if you don't have molasses, other liquid sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar will work as well. You should mix a tablespoon or two of the liquid sweetener into a scant 1 cup of white sugar to replace a cup of brown sugar.

Liquid Sweeteners Like Agave, Honey, or Maple Syrup

If you don't have granulated sugar, either, you can opt to just use a liquid sweetener like honey, maple syrup, or agave—but you'll need to make a few tweaks to the recipe to make it work. Use 2/3 of a cup of liquid sweetener for every cup of brown sugar, and reduce other liquids in the recipe (like milk) by 2 tablespoons.

Turbinado Sugar

Consider this (often called raw sugar) a lighter version of muscavado sugar. It's sugar that's partially refined, so it still retains some of the molasses and some of that brown sugar flavor and taste. You can use it one-for-one in lieu of brown sugar.

Date Sugar

Date sugar is actually fruit—dried dates are pulverized into a fine powder that's similar to granulated sugar. It's often used as a healthier alternative to white or brown sugar, and you can use it as a one-to-one replacement. However, keep in mind that date sugar doesn't "melt" into the baked good like regular sugar, so you may have a little grittiness.

Applesauce

Applesauce has long been used to help make baked goods healthier, either as a substitute for oil or for sugar. You can use it as a one-to-one substitute (1 cup applesauce for every cup of brown sugar). However, you will need to reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 2 tablespoons to account for the extra liquid.