Which brown sugar is best for your baking?

November 10, 2025 •

3 min read

Dark brown sugar contains nearly double the molasses of light brown sugar, a key difference that impacts both flavor and texture in your cooking. Understanding this distinction is crucial when deciding which brown sugar is best for achieving your desired results, whether you're making soft, chewy cookies or a deeply spiced gingerbread.

Quick Summary

This article explores the key differences between various types of brown sugar, including light, dark, and muscovado, to help you select the right one for your cooking. Compare their unique flavors, moisture levels, and textures to find the ideal match for your recipes, from chewy cookies to rich glazes.

Key Points

Light vs. Dark: Light brown sugar has a milder flavor and is best for versatile, everyday baking, while dark brown sugar offers a richer, stronger molasses flavor ideal for bolder recipes like gingerbread.
Moisture and Texture: The higher molasses content in dark brown sugar provides more moisture, resulting in chewier baked goods, whereas light brown sugar produces a more standard, softer texture.
Unrefined Options: Muscovado sugar is an unrefined, intensely flavored, and sticky brown sugar, while turbinado and demerara are less refined sugars with large, coarse crystals, best used as toppings.
Recipe-Specific Choices: The best brown sugar depends on the desired outcome; for example, dark brown sugar creates a richer flavor and chewier texture in chocolate chip cookies.
Strategic Substitution: While you can often swap light and dark brown sugar, be mindful that it may alter the final flavor, color, and moisture of your dish. For the best results, stick to the type specified by the recipe developer.
Storage is Key: To prevent brown sugar from hardening, store it in an airtight container to preserve its moisture.

Understanding the Molasses Factor

Brown sugar's color, deep caramel flavor, moisture, and slight acidity come from molasses, a byproduct of sugar cane refining. Most commercial brown sugar is white sugar with added molasses.

Light Brown Sugar: Contains about 3.5% molasses, offering a subtle caramel flavor. It's versatile for most baking, including cookies and cakes. It's typically the default brown sugar in recipes.
Dark Brown Sugar: With roughly 6.5% molasses, this sugar has a richer flavor with stronger caramel and toffee notes. More molasses means more moisture and acidity, leading to a chewier texture in baked goods. It's suited for recipes with bold flavors like gingerbread and BBQ sauces.

The World of Unrefined Brown Sugars

Less-refined brown sugars offer distinct characteristics:

Muscovado Sugar: An unrefined cane sugar (also called Barbados sugar) that retains all its natural molasses. It is darker, stickier, and has a more intense flavor than dark brown sugar. Its complex, treacle-like taste is great for rich fruit cakes and savory marinades.
Turbinado Sugar: A minimally processed sugar from the first pressing of sugar cane. It has coarse, amber crystals and a subtle, toffee flavor. Its large crystals don't dissolve easily and are best used as a crunchy topping.
Demerara Sugar: Similar to turbinado, this less-refined raw sugar has large, crunchy golden crystals and a delicate caramel flavor. It works well as a textural finishing sugar or in hot drinks.

Comparison of Brown Sugar Types

Choosing the best brown sugar depends on the desired flavor, moisture, and texture. This table summarizes the key differences:


Sugar Type	Molasses Content	Moisture	Flavor Profile	Best For	Considerations
Light Brown	~3.5%	Soft, moist	Mild caramel	Most cookies, cakes, baked goods	Most versatile; standard brown sugar
Dark Brown	~6.5%	Soft, moister	Rich caramel, toffee	Gingerbread, spice cakes, BBQ sauce	Provides extra chewiness
Muscovado	All natural molasses	Very moist, sticky	Intense treacle, molasses	Rich fruitcakes, decadent chocolate cakes, savory dishes	Strong flavor may dominate delicate recipes
Turbinado	Minimal natural molasses	Low, coarse	Subtle caramel	Topping for baked goods, coffee, tea	Doesn't dissolve easily; for texture and garnish
Demerara	Minimal natural molasses	Low, large crystals	Mild toffee, caramel	Crunchy topping for baked goods, coffee	Very similar to turbinado, often interchangeable

Conclusion: Selecting the Perfect Sugar for Your Needs

Choosing the appropriate brown sugar enhances your cooking and baking. Light brown sugar is a reliable choice for everyday baking, offering balanced sweetness and a soft texture. Dark brown sugar provides a deeper flavor and chewier result, suitable for bolder recipes like chocolate chip cookies. For intense molasses flavor, muscovado is ideal for rich, dark baked goods. Turbinado and demerara sugars are best for adding a crunchy finish. Following recipe recommendations is best, as the specific sugar type likely balances the flavor and texture. Keeping both light and dark brown sugar on hand covers most culinary needs. For further baking insights, visit King Arthur Baking's blog.

What is brown sugar and how is it made?

Brown sugar is a sucrose product colored and flavored by molasses. Most commercial brown sugar is refined white sugar with added molasses syrup.

Can I substitute dark brown sugar for light brown sugar?

Yes, substitutions are generally possible. However, using dark brown sugar adds a richer molasses flavor, darker color, and more moisture, resulting in a chewier texture.

What is the best brown sugar for cookies?

Dark brown sugar is often preferred for chewy chocolate chip cookies due to its higher molasses content, which aids in a softer texture. Light brown sugar is better for a milder, crisper cookie.

Is muscovado sugar the same as brown sugar?

No, muscovado is a type of brown sugar but is unrefined, retaining all its natural molasses. This results in a stickier texture and more intense flavor than standard brown sugar.

How should I store brown sugar to prevent it from hardening?

Store brown sugar in an airtight container away from heat and light to maintain moisture. To soften hardened sugar, add a slice of bread or apple wedges to the container overnight.

What is the difference between turbinado and demerara sugar?

Both are minimally refined raw sugars with large, golden crystals. Demerara has slightly larger crystals and a bit more toffee flavor, while turbinado is slightly finer. They are mostly interchangeable as toppings.

What kind of brown sugar is best for savory dishes like marinades and BBQ sauce?

Dark brown sugar or muscovado are best for savory dishes like marinades and BBQ sauce. Their rich molasses flavor and acidity balance spices and tenderize meat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product that gets its characteristic brown color and flavor from molasses. Most commercially available brown sugar is made by adding a precise amount of molasses syrup back to refined white sugar crystals.

Yes, you can substitute dark brown sugar for light brown sugar, and vice versa, in most recipes. However, using dark brown sugar will lead to a richer, stronger molasses flavor, a darker color, and a moister, chewier texture due to the higher molasses content.

For a classic, chewy chocolate chip cookie with a rich flavor, dark brown sugar is often the best choice, as its higher molasses content contributes to a softer, chewier texture. If you prefer a milder, crisper cookie, light brown sugar is a better option.

No, muscovado sugar is not the same as standard brown sugar, although it is a type of brown sugar. Muscovado is an unrefined sugar that retains all of its natural molasses, resulting in a stickier texture and a more intense flavor than the standard, molasses-added brown sugar.

Store brown sugar in an airtight container in a cool, dark place to prevent its moisture from evaporating. If it has already hardened, you can soften it by placing a slice of fresh bread or a few apple wedges in the container overnight.

Turbinado and demerara are both minimally refined raw sugars with large, golden-brown crystals. The main difference is subtle: demerara has slightly larger crystals and a slightly more pronounced toffee flavor, while turbinado crystals are slightly finer and drier. They are largely interchangeable as crunchy toppings.

Dark brown sugar or muscovado sugar are best for savory dishes like marinades, glazes, and BBQ sauce. Their rich, robust molasses flavor and higher acidity work well to balance and enhance savory spices and to tenderize meat.