Turbinado Sugar Guide: What Is Turbinado Sugar?

Turbinado sugar, a type of raw sugar, is made from sugarcane that is minimally processed. It features 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 and white sugar—also known as refined sugar or granulated sugar—can both be made from sugarcane. These two types of sugar also contain the same caloric and carbohydrate content, but there are key differences between them:

• Processing: White sugar is extracted from sugarcane through a process of juicing and boiling the sugarcane juice until it thickens and crystalizes. From that point, the sugar is filtered in a centrifuge to remove impurities in a process called refining. Turbinado sugar is less refined than white sugar, so it contains a small amount of natural molasses.
• Color: Turbinado sugar is naturally golden-brown and can be turned into white sugar by filtering out the molasses. White sugar is then processed with bone char to make it white—sugar crystals made from sugarcane are not naturally white.
• Sugar crystals: The sugar granules in turbinado sugar are larger and coarser than white sugar, which has finer granules—though not as fine as powdered sugar.
• Flavor: Turbinado sugar has more caramel and molasses flavor than white sugar, which has a more neutral, sweet flavor profile.
• Nutrients: Raw sugar like turbinado sugar may contain more of the nutrients found in sugarcane, such as antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium, because of its minimal processing.

If a recipe calls for turbinado sugar and you don't have any on hand, you can use a brown sugar substitute, particularly light brown sugar, demerara sugar, or muscovado sugar in equal amounts. Dark brown sugars add a stronger molasses flavor. You can also use an equal mix of brown sugar and white sugar as a replacement for turbinado sugar.

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