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Brown sugar is white sugar plus molasses. That molasses adds moisture, a caramel-toffee note, and slight acidity that helps browning. A good substitute has to cover most of those, which is why the go-to trick is making brown sugar from what you already have.
Best for: Anything · cookies, brownies, sauces, marinades
Use 2 tbsp molasses per cup for dark brown sugar. Whisk with a fork until sandy.
Best for: Cookies, granola, spice bakes
Slightly less sweet and slightly drier · add 1 tbsp extra liquid per cup.
Best for: Bakes where maple flavor fits (oatmeal cookies, breakfast bakes)
Cleaner flavor than brown sugar; ideal for paleo bakes.
Best for: Crumb toppings, streusels, cookies
Coarser crystals · pulse first for smooth bakes; use as-is for topping.
For chewy cookies, don't skip the molasses trick · the moisture matters more than the color. White sugar alone gives you thin, spread-out cookies with no chew.
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Only for a texture change you're okay with · cookies will spread more and lose chew, bakes will taste flatter. If you have molasses, add 1 tbsp per cup and you've made brown sugar.
Similar taste, slightly less sweet, slightly drier. 1:1 works with a small extra tablespoon of liquid per cup. Coconut sugar is also lower on the glycemic index, which is why paleo bakes reach for it.
White sugar + molasses (make your own) is the closest match, at 1 cup white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses = 1 cup light brown sugar. Anything · cookies, brownies, sauces, marinades. Use 2 tbsp molasses per cup for dark brown sugar. Whisk with a fork until sandy.
White sugar + molasses (make your own) (1 cup white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses = 1 cup light brown sugar) if you want the closest result, or Coconut sugar (1:1) for cookies, granola, spice bakes. Which one is right depends on what the brown sugar was doing in the dish.
Related guides: Honey · Sugar (Keto) · All guides