Demerara Sugar vs. Turbinado Sugar: What’s the Difference?

Demerara sugar is a raw sugar extracted from sugarcane. It is minimally processed, so it has a golden-brown color and large grains that give it a crunchy texture. Demerara sugar originated from the British colony of Demerara, now called Guyana. You can find demerara sugar in grocery stores. You can use it in baked goods such as sugar cookies, as a natural sweetener for beverages, or as a crunchy topper for desserts like crème brûlée.

Demerara sugar is great for adding a finishing touch to baking recipes, as it lends a pleasant crunch to the tops of muffins, breads, and cakes. It has less sucrose than powdered sugar, impacting the texture of baked goods more than the overall sweetness. Use it as a sugar substitute for confectioner's sugar when you want to add a crunchy topping that’s slightly less sweet. Keep in mind that demerara sugar doesn't readily dissolve into batters and is best used as a topping rather than an active ingredient.

Turbinado sugar, a type of raw sugar, is made from sugarcane that is minimally processed. It has a golden-brown color, large crystals, and a small amount of natural molasses. You can use turbinado sugar as a sweetener for beverages and as a baking ingredient.

Turbinado sugar is a great substitute for white granulated sugar. Instead of using white sugar in your coffee or tea, substitute turbinado sugar instead. It lends beverages a more complex, caramel flavor and it contains trace amounts of calcium and potassium, making it a slightly healthier choice than regular table sugar.

Both demerara sugar and turbinado sugar are processed by extracting sugar cane juice from pressed sugar cane. However, there are a few differences between these two types of sugar.

• Processing: Turbinado sugar is made from the first pressing of sugar cane and retains a greater amount of molasses than demerara sugar.
• Flavor: Turbinado sugar has a stronger molasses flavor than demerara sugar. Demerara sugar has slightly less molasses content and therefore has more of a toffee-caramel flavor.
• Crystal size: Though the difference is slight and tends to have little impact on texture, demerara granules are slightly larger than turbinado crystals.

Demerara and turbinado can be used interchangeably. They are both light brown sugars that lend sweetness and crunchy texture to baked goods and can be substituted for white sugar in hot beverages.

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