How to Make Homemade Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is one of those ingredients I use all the time, so knowing how to make it from two simple pantry staples is incredibly handy. All you need is sugar and molasses, and within a few minutes you’ve got soft brown sugar ready for baking, sauces, marinades and everyday cooking.
Making it yourself also means you can control how light or dark you want your brown sugar. White sugar creates a more traditional light brown sugar, while raw sugar brings a little extra caramel flavour. If you’d like something darker and richer, simply increase the molasses slightly.
This recipe makes a generous batch, but there’s no need to make the full quantity every time. It can easily be halved—or scaled down even further—depending on how much you need.
Other Recipes You May Like
If you enjoy making everyday pantry staples from scratch, you might also like:
- Homemade Golden Syrup
- Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Homemade Baking Powder
- How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter
Love This Recipe?
This recipe features in my The Home Pantry – Volume One eBook, a collection of simple homemade pantry staples designed to help you make more of the everyday ingredients you use at home.
If you’d like to keep building your homemade pantry, you can find the complete collection here: The Home Pantry – Volume One.
Recipe Card
Homemade Brown Sugar
Makes: Approximately 10 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 10 cups white or raw sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
Method
- Place the sugar into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Pour the molasses over the sugar and begin mixing. At first, the mixture will look patchy, but continue mixing until the molasses has evenly coated the sugar.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to make sure all of the sugar is incorporated.
- The brown sugar will darken slightly as it sits, so avoid adding extra molasses straight away. If you’d like a darker, richer brown sugar, add a little more molasses and mix again.
- Transfer to a clean airtight jar or container and use as you would store-bought brown sugar.
Ways to Use Homemade Brown Sugar
- Biscuits and cookies
- Cakes and muffins
- Homemade sauces and marinades
- Pancakes and French toast
- Porridge or overnight oats
- Homemade BBQ sauce
- Sweet and savoury slow cooker recipes
Stacey’s Kitchen Tips
- Don’t worry if the molasses looks uneven when you first start mixing. It takes a little time to work through all the sugar.
- Scrape the bowl occasionally so you don’t end up with pockets of white sugar.
- Give the brown sugar time to settle before deciding whether it needs more molasses, as the colour will deepen slightly.
- A stand mixer makes a large batch particularly easy, although you can mix it by hand.
Variations & Substitutions
- Use white sugar for a lighter brown sugar.
- Use raw sugar for a slightly deeper caramel flavour.
- Add a little extra molasses if you prefer a darker, richer brown sugar.
- Halve the quantities to make approximately 5 cups instead of 10.
- Scale the recipe down further when you only need enough for a particular recipe.
Storage, Freezer & Make-Ahead Notes
Store homemade brown sugar in a clean, airtight jar or container in a cool, dry pantry.
It will keep well for approximately 6 months when stored correctly.
I’ve found that my homemade brown sugar stays soft without needing any special equipment. Keeping the container properly sealed is the most important part.
There’s no need to freeze brown sugar, as it stores very well in the pantry.
Final Thoughts
Making brown sugar is such a simple pantry skill, but it’s also one of those recipes that can save you an unnecessary trip to the supermarket. With sugar and molasses on hand, you can make as much or as little as you need in just a few minutes.
I particularly like that you’re not locked into one type of brown sugar either. You can keep it lighter for everyday baking or add a little more molasses when you want a darker, richer flavour.
And if making everyday ingredients like this from scratch appeals to you, The Home Pantry – Volume One brings a whole collection of these recipes together in one place. It’s all about having useful pantry staples on hand and knowing you can make them yourself when you need them.
Stacey
How to Make Homemade Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- 10 cups white or raw sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
Instructions
- Place the sugar into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Pour the molasses over the sugar and begin mixing. At first, the mixture will look patchy, but continue mixing until the molasses has evenly coated the sugar.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed to make sure all of the sugar is incorporated.
- The brown sugar will darken slightly as it sits, so avoid adding extra molasses straight away. If you’d like a darker, richer brown sugar, add a little more molasses and mix again.
- Transfer to a clean airtight jar or container and use as you would store-bought brown sugar.
Notes
Notes
- White sugar gives a lighter, classic flavour, while raw sugar adds more caramel depth.
- The mixture will look patchy initially; keep mixing until evenly combined.
- The colour will deepen slightly as the brown sugar sits.
Variations
- Add a little extra molasses for darker brown sugar.
- Use either white or raw sugar.
- Halve or scale the recipe depending on how much you need.
Storage
- Store in a clean, airtight container.
- Keep in a cool, dry pantry.
- Use within approximately 6 months.
