Food & Cooking Recipes How to Make Brown Sugar at Home Be the first to rate & review! This DIY is a quick and easy solution when you're out of either light or dark brown sugar. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Published on December 8, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Rebeca Mello / Getty Images Prep Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins Servings: 1 Cup Yield: 1 Cup If you're out of brown sugar, there is an alternative to a trip to the store. Make homemade brown sugar—with just two ingredients. If you have granulated sugar and molasses, you’re almost there. All you need to do is measure and mix the two together. We’re not overstating it when we say this is probably our simplest recipe ever. And, you have options. Whether you want a substitute for light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, the ingredients and process are the same. All that varies is the amount of molasses you add to the granulated sugar; for dark brown sugar you need more molasses to give it the darker color and more pronounced caramel flavor. The Ultimate Guide to Sugar: Everything You Need to Know About Each Type of Sugar Found at the Grocery Store What Is Brown Sugar? Brown sugar adds richness and depth to anything you add it to. Its softer texture and caramel flavor sets it apart from granulated sugar. You may be surprised to learn store-bought brown sugar is actually refined sugar with added molasses. Brown sugar is available in light and dark varieties, the difference between these supermarket staples is the amount of molasses added to them, with dark brown sugar having a darker color and more pronounced caramel flavor because it is made with more molasses. There are other natural brown sugars such as raw sugar, muscovado, and turbinado. Brown sugar weighs slightly more than white sugar, but there's no need to worry about that when you're making homemade brown sugar. Once you add the molasses, the weight of your DIY brown sugar will be very close to the weight of store-bought brown sugar, so you can substitute it one-for-one in recipes. What Is Molasses? Molasses is a liquid sweetener, a dark, syrup-like byproduct of the sugar-making process. There are three main types of molasses: light, dark or medium, and blackstrap. To make brown sugar, use light or dark molasses, not blackstrap molasses, which is unsweetened and has a bitter flavor. How to Soften Brown Sugar If your brown sugar hardens when storing, here are a few ways to soften it. To use the brown sugar right away: Place brown sugar in a microwavable bowl.Drape with one or two damp paper towels.Cover bowl with plastic wrap.Microwave on high for 10-second intervals until the sugar becomes soft.Break apart with a fork and use right away. To soften the brown sugar to use later: Cover with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap, and let sit overnight at room temperature.Place a wedge of apple or a slice of bread in the bag overnight. The sugar will absorb the moisture from these foods. Ingredients Ingredients for Light Brown Sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses Ingredients for Dark Brown Sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup molasses Directions Mix sugar and molasses: Combine granulated sugar and molasses in a bowl. Stir to combine. Storing Homemade Brown Sugar Just like store-bought brown sugar, when homemade brown sugar is exposed to air, it can solidify as it loses moisture and become very hard. You can prevent this by limiting brown sugar's exposure to air and dry conditions. Store it in a cool, dark place in a nontransparent, airtight sealable container. Frequently Asked Questions What is a good substitute for brown sugar? The best substitute for brown sugar depends how you are using the sugar. Swapping brown sugar for another sweetener is more complicated in baking recipes than in sauces, savory dishes, or your coffee. Popular substitutes for brown sugar include maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, raw sugar, muscovado sugar, and date sugar. Can you swap dark brown sugar for light brown sugar? In some situations, you can swap dark brown sugar for the same amount of light brown sugar, but this won't work for some baking recipes. For a closer swap in baking recipes, using you can use equal parts of white granulated sugar and dark brown sugar to make light brown sugar substitute. Which is sweeter, maple syrup or brown sugar? Maple syrup is sweeter than brown sugar, which means you can use less of it if you want to sub it for brown sugar, using about 2/3 cup maple syrup for every 1 cup of sugar the recipe calls for. It's also a liquid sweetener rather than a solid, so it behaves differently in baking recipes and you'll need to reduce other liquids in the recipe. Rate It PRINT Updated by Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years.