Light brown and dark brown sugar can be substituted for one another; the flavor and color of your baked goods will change slightly. Combine white granulated sugar with molasses to make a brown sugar equivalent.
Mix 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses to mimic a cup of light brown sugar. Mix 1 cup of granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons of molasses to mimic a cup of dark brown sugar. If you don't have molasses on hand, you can combine white sugar with another liquid sweetener, like maple syrup or honey.
Light and dark brown sugar can usually be used interchangeably in recipes. However, keep in mind that the flavor and color of your baked goods may be affected by the type of sugar you use.
In a pinch, dark brown sugar can be substituted for light brown; however, when baking recipes sensitive to moisture and density (such as cakes) the difference in moisture content between can affect how well the cake rises. Swapping the two will also affect the recipe's taste and color.
Main Differences Between Light and Dark Brown Sugar
Flavor: Light brown sugar has a mild sweet flavor similar to white sugar or mild caramel. On the other hand, dark brown sugar has a deep, almost bitter flavor similar to toffee.
A light brown sugar has about 3.5% molasses and dark brown sugar has about 6.5%. That added molasses in dark brown sugar is what gives it more depth of flavor, which is why you'll see it in recipes where it's an important ingredient like when you make barbecue sauce.
Light brown sugar
Commonly packaged as 'brown sugar'. Their crystals are coated with a molasses like syrup. Light brown sugar is often used in sauces and most baked goods. These attract and keep more moisture in the sugar itself, making brown sugars great for baking, as the products will stay fresher for longer.
Interchanging Light and Dark Sugar
That said, you can keep the ratio of dark brown sugar to light brown sugar 1:1. The difference between light and dark brown sugar will be most pronounced in recipes that call for baking soda. This is because the acidic moisture in brown sugar reacts with baking soda.
The two types of brown sugar, light and dark, refer to the amount of molasses that is present. Light brown sugar is used more often in baking, while dark brown sugar, with a bolder molasses flavor, is delicious used as a rub for steaks. A lot of bakers, however, will use light and dark brown sugar interchangeably.
Anytime that a recipe just only says “brown sugar”, you can rest easy knowing that they're talking about the light version. Due to the complex flavor of dark, it's not as common. This means that it will be specifically asked for in recipes so that you know the difference.
To quickly soften brown sugar: place the sugar in a microwave safe bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel for about 20 second, or use a food processor to loosen the brown sugar. If you aren't pressed for time, use a slice of bread or an apple in an airtight container with the brown sugar for 24 hours.
Muscovado sugar is the most similar in moistness, flavor, and color to light and dark brown sugars. It is an unrefined cane sugar with naturally occurring molasses and is usually more expensive than light and dark brown sugar.
The distinction comes from the amount of molasses each sugar contains. Light brown sugar contains around 3.5 percent molasses and dark brown sugar contains 6.5 percent. Regardless, the body processes these sugars the same. While these two sugars are nutritionally almost identical, their tastes can vary quite a bit.
The difference between light and dark brown sugar is simply the amount of molasses added. When a recipe calls for "brown sugar," it is usually referring to light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar should be used only when specified.
While sugar beets and sugar cane are used to make white granulated sugar, only molasses from sugar cane is used in the production of brown sugar. Molasses from sugar cane is what gives brown sugar its color, with less needed to make light brown sugar and more for dark brown sugar.
Measure 1 cup granulated sugar. Measure 1 tablespoon molasses for light brown sugar or 2 tablespoons for dark brown sugar.
It's also what distinguishes light brown sugar, which contains 3% to 4% molasses, from dark brown sugar, which contains 6% to 10% molasses. Light and dark brown sugar can be used interchangeably in a pinch, but if you're making homemade brown sugar, it's easy to adjust based on what the recipe calls for.
The baking experts would tell you no. Since white and brown sugars have different characteristics, they will have slightly different effects on your baked goods. But the impact will vary depending on what exactly you're baking (sometimes, it's not that big of a deal to use one in place of the other).
Granulated sugar has bigger crystal-like pieces and is not very commonly used in baking. Because of its size, granulated sugar can be hard to dissolve while mixing batter and can leave an unwanted crunch later when the goods are baked. However, it can still be used to make a caramel, fruit coulis, or fruit jams.
If the recipe calls for light but dark is all you have, use a packed 2/3 cup dark and 1/3 cup white for every packed cup of light sugar needed.
If you don't have molasses on hand, you can substitute an equal amount of pure maple syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, or a dark honey (like buckwheat) in the homemade brown sugar recipe above.
Loved by Australians for generations, CSR Dark Brown Sugar is 100% natural with a dark colour and rich, distinctive flavour. Crafted with molasses, this sugar is ideal for sweetening fruits, puddings and cakes. It's also suited for savoury dishes including barbecue sauces and marinades.
Light brown soft sugar: a popular sugar for making fruit cakes and puddings where a rich, full flavour is required. It's damp and denser than caster or demerara.
Brown sugars that have been only mildly centrifuged or unrefined (non-centrifuged) retain a much higher degree of molasses and are called various names across the globe according to their country of origin: e.g. panela, rapadura, jaggery, muscovado, piloncillo, etc.