How to Make Homemade Brown Sugar: A Simple DIY Pantry Staple

Have you ever run out of brown sugar in the middle of baking? Running to the store or postponing your baking can be very frustrating. Making brown sugar at home is surprisingly easy and not expensive to make. It requires two simple ingredients you may already have in your pantry and no special equipment to make the homemade version.

Since we live in the country, I pride myself on having a well-stocked pantry.  Even when I lived in a town with a grocery store nearby, realizing that I had to run to the store in the middle of baking was irritating. It feels great that I am never (well, almost never)  out of something.  But on a rare occasion, it does happen.

Knowing that I can make pantry staples and discovering that it is an easy thing to make from scratch does excite me!  These items are fresher and usually taste better. Homemade brown sugar is one of the items that tastes so good that you may never buy it from the store again! 

Read my post, Holiday Baking Pantry – Be Ready With This Baking Checklist, and have your pantry ready for baking all your holiday treats.

If you ever find yourself out of sweetened condensed milk, this homemade version is quick, easy, and made with simple pantry staples you already have on hand.

Homemade Brown Sugar Recipe

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Ingredients you will need

​To Make Light Brown Sugar

1 cup of White Sugar

1 Tablespoon Molasses (Unsulfered)​

To Make Dark Brown Sugar

1 Cup of white Sugar

2 Tablespoons Molasses (Unsulfered)

​A note on molasses. There are three types of molasses.

Light Molasses

Light molasses is first boiled molasses after boiling sugar cane and sugar beet during granulated sugar production.   The flavor is mild and sweet.  It is used to sweeten sauces and drinks and used in baking.

Dark Molasses

Dark molasses is the syrup after the second boiling of sugar cane juice or sugar beets during the production of table sugar. It has a bold and rich flavor and is slightly bitter.  It is commonly used in barbeque sauces and marinades and for baked goods with a deeper molasses flavor.

Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap molasses is the product after the third boiling of sugar cane and beet juice.  It has a thick consistency and is less sweet and very bitter.  It is often used as a dietary supplement since it is high in iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.  Besides being a dietary supplement, it is used in savory recipes such as marinades, barbeque sauces, and baked beans.  Blackstrap molasses is not normally used in desserts but is added to hardy breads like pumpernickel bread. It is used moderately so it does not overpower the end product.

Sulfured or Unsulfured Molasses

The only other item to be aware of when purchasing and using molasses is that it can be sulfured or unsulfured (unsulphured). The main difference is that sulfur dioxide is added as a preservative in molasses production when made from immature sugar cane, and unsulfured molasses is made from ripe sugar cane and does not need sulfur dioxide added to the final product.  Unsulfured molasses has a more natural flavor.

I generally use Grandma’s Molasses (Original, Unsulphured Molasses, which is a light molasses).

Equipment Needed to Make Brown Sugar

The best part is that you only need a bowl and a spoon or fork to mix it, but this method can take a long time to incorporate the little balls of molasses into the sugar.

Here are the different ways to mix the molasses

• Spoon or Fork
• ​Wisk 
• ​Pastry Cutter
• Hand mixer
• Stand mixer
• Food Processor  (the fastest and easiest way)

The Easy Steps to Make Homemade Brown Sugar

Add the cup of sugar into a mixing bowl and pour molasses over the sugar. Mix well, that is it!   

Homemade brown sugar can be stored in a zip-top bag for short-term storage. For long-term storage, store the molasses in a glass airtight container, such as a mason jar, to help keep the brown sugar from drying out and getting hard.

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Brown Sugar Making Tips:

• When adding the molasses, drizzle it over the sugar rather than in one spot; this will help to mix it faster.
• Double or triple the recipe for a large batch.
• Make sure the molasses is at room temperature for easier mixing.
• A good idea is to add a clay brown sugar keeper, slice of bread, or marshmallow to your storage jar to retain the moisture in the brown sugar.
• ​Easily adjust the flavor by using more or less molasses when making the brown sugar.
• Try substituting granulated white sugar for raw sugar. This will produce an even more complex flavor and the texture will be coarser.

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Final Thoughts

Making brown sugar at home is a simple yet rewarding skill to have. You will love the depth of flavor. Use your own DIY brown sugar in your favorite recipes, and you may never return to store-bought brown sugar. 

I love using brown sugar, which adds a warm, caramel note to homemade coffee creamer and is easy to make.

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