Out of Brown sugar, one case

Can you substitute stevia for brown sugar?

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Brown stevia blend

1 cup for every cup of brown sugar

Partly. Stevia replaces the sweetness of brown sugar but not its bulk, moisture or molasses flavor. In baking, use a brown stevia blend made to measure cup for cup, at the amount on the bag. Pure stevia powder or liquid is far stronger, about 1 teaspoon per cup of brown sugar as a starting point, and it suits drinks, oatmeal and sauces, not cookies or cakes. Strength varies by brand, so the conversion on the label overrides any chart.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Read the bag before measuring. Cup-for-cup blends replace brown sugar 1:1. Blends that still contain real sugar, such as Truvia Brown Sugar Blend, use ½ cup per cup of brown sugar.
Best for —: cookies, muffins and quick breads
Pantry —: Special trip

One casethe full brown sugar card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Brown sugar substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup brown sugar	Verdict
1	Brown stevia blendcookies, muffins and quick breads	1 cupTweak it	Tweak it
2	Cup-for-cup stevia baking blend + molasseswhen you have a white stevia baking blend but not a brown one	1 cup + 1 tspTweak it	Tweak it
3	Granulated sugar + molassesany recipe written for brown sugar	1 cup + 1 tbspWorks	Works
4	Pure stevia extract powdercoffee, tea and smoothies	1 tspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Liquid steviahot and cold drinks	1 tspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Brown stevia blend

sweet with a brown sugar flavor and a slight cooling or bitter aftertaste

Stevia mixed with a bulking crystal, usually erythritol, and a brown sugar flavor, sold as a brown sugar replacement. Because it is a dry crystal it measures and creams like sugar, which pure stevia cannot do.

Best for: cookies, muffins and quick breads, oatmeal and hot cereal, rubs and sauces
Prep: Read the bag before measuring. Cup-for-cup blends replace brown sugar 1:1. Blends that still contain real sugar, such as Truvia Brown Sugar Blend, use ½ cup per cup of brown sugar.
Where it fails: Cookies bake drier, paler and more cakey than with brown sugar. It will not caramelize, so it is not for caramel, toffee or a crackly brown sugar topping.

A blend that lists sugar or molasses in its ingredients is reduced-sugar, not sugar-free.

Cup-for-cup stevia baking blend + molasses

close to light brown sugar, with a stevia aftertaste

A white granulated stevia baking blend that measures like sugar, with a teaspoon of molasses rubbed in for the brown sugar flavor and color. The molasses adds about 5 g of sugar to the whole cup.

Best for: when you have a white stevia baking blend but not a brown one, muffins, quick breads and cookies, sauces and rubs
Prep: Confirm on the bag that the blend measures 1:1 with sugar; some are twice as sweet and use half as much. Rub the molasses in until the color is even.
Where it fails: The same limits as any stevia blend: less browning, less chew, no caramelizing.

Granulated sugar + molasses

the same as brown sugar

If you are only out of brown sugar and not avoiding sugar, this is the real thing: 1 tbsp molasses per cup of white sugar for light brown, 2 tbsp for dark.

Best for: any recipe written for brown sugar, chewy cookies, gingerbread and spice cakes
Prep: Rub the molasses into the sugar until no dark streaks remain.
Suits: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Where it fails: No use if the aim is to cut sugar: it is sugar.

Pure stevia extract powder

sweet, with a bitter, licorice-like aftertaste if you use too much

Concentrated stevia with no filler, many times sweeter than sugar. A teaspoon stands in for the sweetness of a cup and for none of its volume.

Best for: coffee, tea and smoothies, oatmeal and yogurt, sauces, marinades and dressings
Prep: Start with 1 tsp per cup of brown sugar, or a small pinch per tablespoon, and taste. In a batter, replace the missing bulk with 1/3 cup of applesauce, yogurt or pumpkin puree per cup of sugar removed.
Where it fails: Cookies, cakes that cream butter and sugar, caramel, meringue and yeast doughs. Without sugar's bulk they do not spread, brown or set as written.

Brands differ widely in strength. Use the conversion printed on the label when there is one.

Liquid stevia

sweet with no caramel note; bitter if overdone

Stevia extract in water, alcohol or glycerin, dosed by the drop. It dissolves instantly, which makes it the easiest form for anything you can taste as you go.

Best for: hot and cold drinks, oatmeal, barbecue sauce, glazes and marinades
Prep: Start with 6 drops per tablespoon of brown sugar, or 1 tsp per cup, then taste and add by the drop.
Where it fails: Baking, for the same reason as the powder: it replaces sweetness and nothing else. Sauces that rely on brown sugar to thicken and gloss stay thin.

A drop of molasses or ¼ tsp of maple extract puts back some of the brown sugar flavor in a sauce.

Tips for substituting brown sugar

5 tips

For baking, replace only half the brown sugar with a stevia blend the first time. Keeping half the sugar keeps most of the browning, spread and chew.
Stevia does not brown. Bake by time and a toothpick, not by color, and expect a paler top.
When pure stevia replaces a full cup of sugar in a batter, add 1/3 cup of applesauce, yogurt or pumpkin puree to make up the lost bulk.
Packets: one packet of most brands sweetens like about 2 tsp of sugar, so 1 ½ packets stand in for 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
For brown sugar flavor without brown sugar, 1 tsp of molasses per cup of blend adds about 5 g of sugar; ½ tsp of maple extract adds none.

Questions

5 questions

How much stevia equals 1 cup of brown sugar?

It depends on the form. A cup-for-cup brown stevia blend: 1 cup. A half-strength blend that contains sugar: ½ cup. Pure stevia extract powder or liquid stevia: about 1 teaspoon to start. Packets: about 24. Products differ, so use the conversion on the package where it gives one.

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

With a granulated blend, yes, with a different result: the cookies spread less and come out paler, drier and more cakey. With pure stevia powder or drops, no. A cookie dough that loses a cup of sugar loses the bulk that makes it a cookie.

Can I use liquid stevia in place of brown sugar?

In drinks, oatmeal and sauces, yes. Start with about 6 drops per tablespoon of brown sugar and taste. It will sweeten but not thicken a glaze or add the molasses flavor. It does not work as the only sweetener in most baking.

Does stevia taste like brown sugar?

No. Stevia is sweet with a slightly bitter, licorice-like finish and has none of the molasses flavor. Brown stevia blends add flavoring to get closer. A teaspoon of molasses or a little maple extract helps in recipes where the brown sugar taste matters.

Is a brown stevia blend sugar-free?

Some are and some are not. Blends made of erythritol and stevia have 0 g of sugar. Half-strength baking blends are part real sugar and molasses. The ingredient list and the nutrition panel on the bag tell you which one you have.