Out of Brown sugar, one case

Can you substitute honey for brown sugar?

4 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 4 options

Use Honey

¾ cup for every cup of brown sugar

Yes, in sauces, glazes, marinades, muffins and quick breads: use ¾ cup of honey for each cup of packed brown sugar, cut another liquid in the recipe by 3 to 4 tablespoons, and lower the oven 25°F because honey browns faster. Do not replace all the brown sugar with honey in cookies that cream butter and sugar; there, use 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of honey stirred in. Honey must never be given to a child under 12 months, even baked into food.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Use ¾ cup per cup of brown sugar, or 2 ¼ tsp per tablespoon. In baking, cut another liquid by 3 to 4 tbsp per cup of sugar replaced and lower the oven 25°F.
Best for —: barbecue sauce, glazes and marinades
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full brown sugar card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Brown sugar substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup brown sugar	Verdict
1	Honeybarbecue sauce, glazes and marinades	¾ cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	Granulated sugar + honeychocolate chip and oatmeal cookies	1 cup + 1 tbspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
3	Granulated sugar + molassesany recipe written for brown sugar	1 cup + 1 tbspWorks	Works
4	Maple syrupglazes and sauces	¾ cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option4 options

Honey

floral and sweeter; the molasses note is gone

A liquid sweetener that is sweeter than brown sugar and about one-sixth water. It keeps bakes moist and browns quickly, and it brings a floral flavor in place of the toffee of molasses.

Best for: barbecue sauce, glazes and marinades, baked beans and stir-fry sauces, muffins, quick breads and banana bread, oatmeal and granola
Prep: Use ¾ cup per cup of brown sugar, or 2 ¼ tsp per tablespoon. In baking, cut another liquid by 3 to 4 tbsp per cup of sugar replaced and lower the oven 25°F.
Suits: gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Where it fails: Creamed cookie doughs bake flat and cakey, because a syrup cannot cut air into butter. Not for caramel, toffee or candy cooked to a temperature, for a tested canning recipe, or for any food a child under 12 months will eat.

If the recipe has no other liquid to cut, as in most cookie doughs, use the granulated sugar and honey row instead.

Granulated sugar + honey

faintly floral, slightly sweeter than brown sugar

White sugar keeps the crystals that cream with butter, and a tablespoon of honey supplies the moisture and mild acidity that molasses gave. This is the way to use honey in cookies.

Best for: chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, cakes that cream butter and sugar, batters leavened with baking soda
Prep: Warm the honey for 10 seconds if it is stiff, stir it through the sugar until evenly damp, and lower the oven 25°F.
Suits: gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Where it fails: More than 1 tbsp of honey per cup changes the liquid balance of the dough and the cookies spread.

Granulated sugar + molasses

the same as brown sugar

If there is molasses in the cupboard, this is brown sugar itself: 1 tbsp per cup for light brown, 2 tbsp for dark.

Best for: any recipe written for brown sugar, gingerbread and spice cakes, chewy cookies
Prep: Rub the molasses into the sugar until no dark streaks remain.
Suits: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Where it fails: Blackstrap molasses is bitter and much stronger; use regular molasses.

Maple syrup

clearly maple, a little less sweet

The other syrup most kitchens have, and the one to use when the food is for a baby under one or for someone who does not eat honey. It is thinner than honey and less sweet.

Best for: glazes and sauces, oatmeal and baked beans, muffins and quick breads
Prep: Cut another liquid by 3 to 4 tbsp per cup of sugar replaced and lower the oven 25°F.
Suits: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Where it fails: The same limit as honey: creamed cookie doughs bake flat and cakey.

Tips for substituting brown sugar

5 tips

Sauces, glazes and marinades: ¾ cup honey per cup of brown sugar, or 2 ¼ tsp per tablespoon, with no other change. Taste before adding more; honey is sweeter.
Muffins and quick breads: ¾ cup honey per cup of brown sugar, 3 to 4 tbsp less milk or water, and an oven 25°F lower. Start checking 5 minutes early.
Cookies: keep the sugar crystalline. Use 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tbsp honey per cup of brown sugar.
Under a broiler or on a grill, a honey glaze scorches quickly. Brush it on in the last 3 to 5 minutes.
Oil the measuring cup or spoon first and the honey slides out cleanly.

Questions

5 questions

How much honey replaces ½ cup or ¼ cup of brown sugar?

Use 6 tablespoons of honey for ½ cup of brown sugar and 3 tablespoons for ¼ cup. For 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, use 2 ¼ teaspoons of honey. In baking, cut the other liquid by about 2 tablespoons for the ½ cup amount.

Can I use honey in place of brown sugar in cookies?

Not as a full replacement in cookies that cream butter and sugar. Honey has no crystals to aerate the butter and adds water, so the cookies bake flat, dark and cakey. Use 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of honey stirred in for each cup of brown sugar, and lower the oven 25°F.

Does honey taste like brown sugar?

No. Brown sugar tastes of molasses and toffee; honey is floral and sweeter. In a spiced bake, a barbecue sauce or a marinade the difference is small. In butterscotch, sticky toffee pudding or anything where brown sugar is the main flavor, honey gives a different dish.

Can I use honey in place of brown sugar in a recipe for canning?

No. Do not change the sweetener, acid or proportions in a tested canning recipe. Honey carries water that sugar does not, and that changes the balance in the jar. Follow the tested recipe as written.

Is food made with honey safe for a baby?

Honey must not be given to a child under 12 months, including when it is cooked or baked into food, because it can carry botulism spores. For that portion, use maple syrup or granulated sugar with molasses. For anything else about feeding an infant, ask your pediatrician.