What is a substitute for golden caster sugar in baking?

January 3, 2026 •

4 min read

Did you know that golden caster sugar, a staple in many British kitchens, can be easily substituted in most recipes without compromising texture or flavor? Knowing what is a substitute for golden caster sugar in baking is essential for any keen baker, as it can often be hard to find outside of the UK. This guide explores the best alternatives to ensure your baked goods are always a success.

Quick Summary

Several suitable substitutes for golden caster sugar exist, including homemade caster sugar, white caster sugar, and light brown sugar. The best option depends on the recipe's specific requirements for texture, flavor, and color. Making your own superfine sugar at home is a reliable and easy alternative for delicate baked goods.

Key Points

White Caster Sugar: The most direct substitute due to its identical fine grain size, making it ideal for delicate bakes.
Homemade Caster Sugar: Easily made by pulsing granulated sugar in a blender or food processor, perfect for achieving the right texture for meringues and sponges.
Light Brown Sugar: A good alternative for moist, chewy bakes like cookies and brownies, though its moisture content will affect texture.
Demerara or Turbinado Sugar: Can be used as a substitute after grinding, offering a slightly deeper, caramel-like flavor.
Granulated White Sugar: An acceptable 1:1 substitute in many recipes, but may require longer creaming times to avoid a grainy texture.
Consider the Recipe: The best substitute depends on the recipe's needs for texture, flavor, and color, with fine-textured sugars best for light bakes and brown sugar better for moist ones.

Understanding Golden Caster Sugar

Before diving into alternatives, it's helpful to understand what makes golden caster sugar unique. It is a finely granulated, unrefined sugar with a delicate, pale golden color and a hint of caramel flavor from the residual molasses. The key characteristics are its superfine texture, which allows it to dissolve quickly, and its subtle flavor profile, which is less pronounced than regular brown sugar. This combination makes it ideal for light and airy bakes like sponges, meringues, and mousses.

Making Your Own Homemade Caster Sugar

If you have regular granulated sugar, you can easily make your own caster sugar substitute at home. This is often the best option for recipes where the texture is critical, such as meringues.

Instructions:

Place regular granulated white sugar in a food processor or blender.
Pulse in short bursts for a few seconds until the sugar reaches a fine, sandy texture—be careful not to over-process, or you'll end up with powdered sugar.
Let the dust settle before opening the lid to avoid a sugar cloud.

Common Pantry Substitutions

If you don't have a food processor, several other pantry staples can be used, with some slight adjustments for your recipe.

Regular White Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar): This is the most direct substitute. It has the same fine grain size and dissolves just as easily. The only difference is the absence of the golden variety's subtle molasses flavor, which is often unnoticeable in the final bake.
Granulated White Sugar: In many recipes, especially denser cakes or cookies, a 1:1 substitution with granulated sugar is perfectly acceptable. Since the crystals are larger, it may take longer to dissolve, so you might need to cream the butter and sugar for longer to avoid a slightly gritty texture.
Light Brown Sugar: This substitute works well for baked goods where a fudgier, moister texture and richer caramel flavor are desired, like brownies or chocolate cake. However, its higher moisture content and more pronounced flavor mean it is not a good choice for delicate bakes like meringues.
Demerara or Turbinado Sugar: These raw sugars have a similar golden color and flavor but much larger crystals. To use them, you should grind them down in a food processor to achieve a finer texture, similar to the homemade caster sugar method.
Golden Syrup: In some liquid-based recipes, golden syrup can be used as a replacement, but it's significantly sweeter and will add moisture. You will need to adjust the amount used and may need to reduce other liquids in the recipe to balance the consistency.

Comparison Table of Golden Caster Sugar Substitutes


Substitute	Texture Match	Flavor Match	Best For	Considerations
Homemade Caster Sugar	✅	🟡 (Neutral)	Delicate bakes (meringues, sponges)	Requires a food processor/blender.
White Caster Sugar	✅	✅ (Neutral)	Most recipes	The most direct alternative, but lacks golden color.
Granulated White Sugar	❌ (Coarser)	✅ (Neutral)	Denser cakes, cookies	May require longer creaming time; can create a slightly gritty texture.
Light Brown Sugar	❌ (Moist)	🟡 (Caramel)	Brownies, fruitcakes, chewy cookies	Adds moisture and a richer flavor; not for meringues.
Demerara/Turbinado	❌ (Coarser)	🟡 (Caramel)	Crumble topping, decorating	Must be ground down for baking; good for textural topping.

Choosing the Right Substitute for Your Recipe

To decide on the best substitute, consider what the golden caster sugar contributes to your specific recipe. For light and airy textures, like meringues or classic sponge cakes, the fine grain size is the most important factor. In these cases, homemade or white caster sugar is the ideal choice. For recipes where a richer flavor and moist crumb are a plus, such as gingerbread, fruitcakes, or specific cookies, light brown sugar could be an excellent alternative. For a satisfying, crunchy topping, a raw sugar like demerara or turbinado works well, providing a textural contrast. The key is to match the substitute to the desired outcome of your finished product. An exploratory baker might even find a new, preferred variant by experimenting with different sugars.

Conclusion

While golden caster sugar is a fantastic ingredient prized for its fine texture and delicate caramel flavor, running out doesn't have to spell disaster for your baking plans. For most recipes, the most reliable and direct substitute is either homemade or store-bought white caster sugar, which perfectly mimics the fine grain required for light, delicate bakes. For richer, denser bakes, light brown sugar offers a delicious flavor and texture change. By understanding the properties of each potential replacement, you can confidently choose the best alternative and continue baking successfully with what you have on hand.

Here is a fantastic baking guide that can offer more insights on the different types of sugar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, for many recipes like dense cakes and cookies, you can substitute regular granulated sugar 1:1 for golden caster sugar. However, because the crystals are coarser, you should cream it with the butter for a longer period to prevent a gritty texture.

To make a substitute at home, simply pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender for a few seconds. You are aiming for a fine, sandy texture, not a powdery one.

Light brown sugar can work as a replacement, but it will change the final product. It contains more moisture and will impart a richer, more caramel-like flavor, often resulting in a chewier or fudgier texture. It's best for cookies or brownies, not delicate sponges or meringues.

The main difference is the presence of molasses. Golden caster sugar is unrefined and retains some molasses, giving it a golden hue and a subtle caramel flavor. White caster sugar is fully refined, has a neutral sweetness, and is perfectly white.

Yes, in most cases, you can use golden caster sugar and white caster sugar interchangeably as they have the same fine grain size and behave similarly in recipes. Any flavor difference is usually minimal.

For meringues, the fineness of the sugar is crucial for a smooth, stable result. Using a coarser sugar like granulated white will result in a grainy texture. Therefore, use either white caster sugar or homemade superfine sugar for the best results.

Demerara and Turbinado sugars have a similar flavor profile to golden caster sugar but larger crystals. They must be ground down in a food processor before being used as a substitute to prevent a grainy texture in baked goods.

Powdered sugar is too fine and often contains cornstarch, which will change the texture of your baked goods, especially delicate ones. It is not a suitable 1:1 substitute.