Out of Brown sugar, one case
Can you substitute white sugar for brown sugar?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use White granulated sugar
1 cup for every cup of brown sugar
Yes: use 1 cup of white granulated sugar for each cup of packed brown sugar. The recipe will work, but white sugar has no molasses, so cookies bake paler, crisper and thinner, and the toffee flavor is gone. If you have molasses, rub 1 tablespoon into each cup of white sugar for light brown sugar, or 2 tablespoons for dark, and the swap is exact.
- Verdict —
- You'll taste it
- The tweak —
- Measure it level, not packed. If a dough looks dry and stiff, add 1 tbsp of water or milk per cup of sugar swapped.
- Best for —
- recipes where brown sugar is a small part of the sugar
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full brown sugar card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup brown sugar | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | White granulated sugarrecipes where brown sugar is a small part of the sugar | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 2 | White sugar + molasseschewy chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies | 1 cup + 1 tbspWorks | Works |
| 3 | White sugar + maple syrupcookies and bars | 1 cup + 1 tbspYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | White sugar + honeycookies leavened with baking soda | 1 cup + 1 tbspYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Powdered sugar | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
White granulated sugar
cleanly sweet, with no caramel or toffee note
A cup of granulated sugar weighs the same 200 g as a cup of packed brown sugar, so the sweetness matches. It creams with butter correctly. What it cannot do is hold water the way molasses does.
- Best for
- recipes where brown sugar is a small part of the sugar, cookies you do not mind thinner and crisper, streusel and crumble toppings, sauces, marinades and rubs
- Prep
- Measure it level, not packed. If a dough looks dry and stiff, add 1 tbsp of water or milk per cup of sugar swapped.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
- Where it fails
- Chewy cookies turn crisp, spread wider and go hard by the second day. Gingerbread, butterscotch, baked beans and other dishes that taste of brown sugar come out flat in flavor.
If the recipe uses baking soda and no baking powder, add ¼ tsp lemon juice or vinegar per ½ tsp of soda. Brown sugar is slightly acidic and was helping the soda work.
White sugar + molasses
the same as brown sugar
Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added, so this is the same ingredient made at home. It behaves the same in the bowl and in the oven.
- Best for
- chewy chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, gingerbread, spice cake and sticky toffee pudding, any recipe written for brown sugar
- Prep
- Rub 1 tbsp molasses into 1 cup sugar with your fingers, or pulse in a food processor for about 30 seconds, until the color is even. Use 2 tbsp for dark brown sugar.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
- Where it fails
- Molasses added to the batter separately streaks. Blackstrap molasses is bitter; use regular molasses.
White sugar + maple syrup
a light maple note in place of toffee
With no molasses in the house, a tablespoon of maple syrup gives white sugar back the moisture that keeps cookies chewy.
- Best for
- cookies and bars, oatmeal and pecan bakes, crumble toppings
- Prep
- Stir the syrup through the sugar until evenly damp before creaming. Keep it to 1 tbsp per cup.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
- Where it fails
- More than about 2 tbsp per cup makes the dough slack and the cookies spread thin.
White sugar + honey
faintly floral, slightly sweeter
Honey holds moisture and is mildly acidic, so it covers both things plain white sugar is missing.
- Best for
- cookies leavened with baking soda, muffins and quick breads, peanut butter cookies
- Prep
- Stir 1 tbsp honey through the sugar and lower the oven 25°F, because honey browns faster.
- Suits
- gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
- Where it fails
- At full oven temperature the edges darken early. Not for food a child under 12 months will eat.
Powdered sugar
sweet and starchy, with no caramel
The other white sugar in the cupboard. It is granulated sugar ground to dust with a little cornstarch added.
- Best for
- frostings and glazes, not as brown sugar in baking
- Where it fails
- It has no crystals to cream air into butter, a cup of it holds far less sugar than a cup of brown sugar, and the cornstarch makes cookies dense and pale.
Tips for substituting brown sugar
5 tips- Brown sugar is measured packed and white sugar is measured level. Both come to 200 g per cup, so 1 level cup of white sugar replaces 1 packed cup of brown.
- For chewier cookies with white sugar only, chill the dough 30 minutes and pull the cookies when the edges are set and the centers still look soft.
- Add 1 tbsp of milk or water per cup of white sugar if the dough is dry; brown sugar carried a little moisture.
- In a soda-only recipe, add ¼ tsp lemon juice or vinegar per ½ tsp baking soda to replace the acid from the molasses.
- Bakes made with all white sugar stale faster. Eat them the same day or store them airtight with a slice of bread.
Questions
5 questionsIs white sugar a 1:1 substitute for brown sugar?
Yes, by measure: 1 level cup of white sugar for 1 packed cup of brown sugar, both 200 g. The amount is the same; the result is not. Expect a paler, crisper bake with no molasses flavor.
What happens if I use white sugar in place of brown sugar in cookies?
The cookies spread wider and bake thinner, paler and crisper, and they taste plainly sweet without the toffee note. They also harden faster. Stirring 1 tablespoon of molasses, maple syrup or honey into each cup of white sugar keeps them chewy.
How much molasses turns white sugar into brown sugar?
For light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon per cup of white sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons per ½ cup, or ¾ teaspoon per ¼ cup. Double those amounts for dark brown sugar. Mix until the color is even.
Can I use white sugar for brown sugar in banana bread or a sauce?
Yes, cup for cup, and the difference is small. Banana bread comes out a little lighter in color and flavor but stays moist from the bananas. A barbecue sauce or marinade loses some depth; a teaspoon of molasses, if you have it, puts some of it back.
Can I swap white sugar for brown sugar in a canning recipe?
Do not change the sweetener, acid or proportions in a tested canning recipe. Follow the recipe as written, including the sugar it names.