Turbinado Sugar vs. Brown Sugar: How Do They Compare?

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.

Brown sugar is a sugar product that gets its brown appearance and soft consistency from the addition of controlled amounts of molasses and refined cane sugar. Brown sugar is made by processing raw sugar into white sugar by removing all the molasses. After processing, molasses is added back into the sugar crystals, turning them brown and moist. Light brown sugar and dark brown sugar differ in their molasses content, with the latter having a more intense flavor.

Turbinado sugar and brown sugar are two types of refined sugar that have similar nutritional value. They are often confused with one another because they have a molasses flavor and dark brown color. However, there are plenty of different characteristics between these two types of sugar.

• Processing: Brown sugar is made by refining sugar into white sugar (which involves extracting its molasses) and then adding the molasses back to it. Turbinado sugar is created by boiling and pressing sugar cane juice, then filtering out the water. In this process, turbinado sugar retains more of its natural molasses, making it less processed than brown sugar.
• Molasses content: Though the molasses is added back to brown sugar after it is initially processed into white sugar, it has a more molasses-forward flavor than turbinado sugar.
• Moisture: Brown sugar has more moisture than turbinado sugar. Using brown sugar in baked goods like cookies and cakes will yield sweet, chewy textures and a deep molasses flavor with plenty of moisture. Turbinado sugar, however, is drier, which can make your baked goods more crumbly or crunchy.
• Color: Brown sugar is much darker than turbinado sugar, which has more of a golden hue than a deep brown color.
• Texture: Turbinado sugar has larger, coarser crystals than brown sugar, which has smaller and softer crystals that dissolve easier in creamed mixtures, sauces, and marinades.

In some cases, brown sugar and turbinado sugar can be substituted for one another, though it depends on their usage. Brown sugar dissolves easier in recipes, so you may need to grind down turbinado sugar into smaller crystals if you’re using it as a substitute. Otherwise, you can make a one-to-one swap, but keep in mind that brown sugar has a stronger flavor.

If you don’t have brown sugar or turbinado sugar and need to use either one in a recipe, you can use the following swaps.

• Coconut sugar: Coconut sugar can be used as a one-to-one swap for brown sugar. Keep in mind that it will not create the same moist, final product brown sugar can. You can add some butter, coconut oil, or olive oil to your baked goods to keep them from drying out.
• Maple syrup: Along with honey and agave nectar, you can substitute two-thirds of a cup of maple syrup for brown sugar.
• Muscovado sugar. Muscovado sugar contains a higher molasses content than brown sugar, though it can be swapped in an equal ratio. If you’re using muscovado sugar in a baking recipe, keep in mind that you should de-clump it first.
• Demerara sugar: This light brown sugar is a minimally processed sugar with a golden color. Demerara sugar adds a toffee-caramel flavor to baked goods, and can be substituted for turbinado sugar in an equal ratio.
• Castor sugar: This granulated sugar can be swapped with turbinado sugar in an equal ratio, and also provides a crunchy texture topping for baked goods.

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