Make your own Homemade Brown Sugar using coconut sugar instead of cane sugar! Add molasses and that’s it! Vegan and just as delicious as regular brown sugar. Choose from plain, cinnamon, pumpkin spice or vanilla flavors. It is delicious sprinkled on toast or in oatmeal!
HOMEMADE COCONUT BROWN SUGAR
For all those times you didn’t want to use refined brown sugar in a recipe, I found a solution for you! This refined sugar-free Homemade Coconut Brown Sugar produces the same exact result in baking and tastes every bit as delicious!
You probably already know that brown sugar is made from just 2 ingredients, refined white table sugar and molasses. There is different types of brown sugar depending on the depth of the refining process (raw sugar, turbinado, etc.) but most likely the store bought stuff you find, is just white sugar plus molasses. If you do buy white sugar, make sure it is labeled vegan, as many white sugars are not since they are processed with animal bone char, which gives it a white appearance. We definitely want to have some vegan sugar to use.
I love the flavor and texture of brown sugar because it is delicious, moist and gives a wonderful depth of sweetness and a touch of moisture to baked goods. However, I don’t really like to use those types of refined sugars in my baking anymore, except when it’s crucial to the texture, color of flavor, like in these vegan vanilla wedding cupcakes.
So, when I was testing a recipe with it and wanted to use light brown sugar and not syrup, for texture reasons, I already knew people would immediately ask me about subbing the brown sugar. So, I decided right then and there to try to just simply mix coconut sugar with molasses and see how it tastes. One word: amazing. So caramel-ish and sweet and has the same exact texture and look as traditional brown sugar, but a much better alternative. Coconut sugar is still sugar, duh, but supposedly from everything I’ve read, it is a lower glycemic index and has some nutrients in it, unlike refined sugar does.
So, you only need like a minute to make this stuff and that’s it. Store it in your pantry just like you would regular brown sugar.
I decided to make a few different flavors just for fun, because, why not?
Pumpkin spice brown sugar, cinnamon brown sugar and vanilla brown sugar. Just store all of these and use them for coffees, teas, oatmeal, baking, etc. Just a quick measure and it’s easy peasy.
I hope you all enjoy this easy DIY Homemade Vegan Coconut Brown Sugar! Let me know if you try it below and any flavors you try!
RECIPES TO USE THIS BROWN SUGAR IN:
How To Make Homemade Brown Sugar (3 Flavors)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups organic coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons regular Grandma's unsulphured molasses (do not use blackstrap, it is way too strong)
- optional flavors: 1 teaspoon vanilla powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Use the 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of brown sugar. Use them for coffees, teas, oatmeal, baking, etc.
Instructions
- Just simply add the sugar and molasses to a bowl and using a fork, mix it until it all comes together and becomes damp and resembles brown sugar. It may seem too dry at first, but keep mixing and mashing/pressing it with the back of your fork and it will happen. Make sure to scrape all the molasses off the bowl and fork. Store in a tightly sealed container to keep it moist, or it can harden and dry out (just like regular brown sugar). But save it for tomorrow's new recipe!
- This yields a very similar to taste to light brown sugar, which I prefer, if you want it darker, add a tiny bit more molasses.
Can I use regular liquid vanilla? Powdered vanilla isn’t something I’d have hanging around in my pantry.
Sure that should work.
I just made this and OH MY!!! So good! It’s been years since I’ve had brown sugar and this tastes even better than I remember. I absolutely can’t wait to use this to make your quick bread. I’ll have to play around with the different flavors next because they all sound heavenly…I’m surprised you didn’t create an espresso one 😉 Awesome idea, friend!
Yay!! SO happy you loved it Mandy! Isn’t it just so good and addictive?! And LOL, look at my comment above to Sophia about the espresso…I actually thought about that after I posted this. I guess I should update the recipe to reflect that because hello, espresso is like my favorite thing ever, hahaha!
I used to do a Tupperware demonstration of this (using white sugar) – put the sugar & molasses in a bowl, seal, and shake until mixed. It can be stored in the same bowl.
Awesome! Yes, I’ve seen it done with white sugar! Never coconut sugar and my, oh my, is it delicious! It was a spur of the moment idea I had while testing a recipe and I’m so glad I did it!
Im LOVING all the flavors!!!! So fun! I started doing this a few months back when my hubby was begging for some brown sugar for his oatmeal, that’s ALL he eats every morning. LOL Such a varied eater. And we love it! I use blackstrap though, and for us it’s perfect because we love the deep strong flavor. It’s a part of my “mush” cake I’m working on, LOL. I’m going to make a few of these flavors for him to use for breakfast to force him and be a bit varied! Love the jar too. SO SO cute! I’ll post a pic of my flavors on IG I try in mason jars and tag you! I think I’ll try all 3! And maybe one with a touch of spice!
Yes, the pumpkin spice one is soooo good! So is the vanilla, heck all of them, lol. I even though of another one, espresso. I mean YUM. Haha!
Love that you give three flavor options to your readers! I bet there is something for every taste. Great idea!
Thank you so much Florian!
How awesome is this?!?! I’ve made my own powdered sugar, but never brown sugar! Need to do this asap! MMMMMM! And I love the flavors, too. Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s recipe!!
Thank you my friend! Try it, you will love it, especially since you love BOTH coconut sugar and molasses 🙂
Haha how cool is this? This is such a great and useful idea. Thanks for sharing this. I would have never thought of something like this. You have a very gifted culinary mind in my opinion. It seems as if stuff just comes to you. And I am constantly amazed when I see your recipes like dang how does she do it. It is definitely a skill I totally don’t have. But really I love this idea, I wont eat brown sugar it is too processed for my liking. I have no problem adding sugar to things but I buy sugar that is unprocessed as possible and I love coconut sugar so this is perfect. Brown coconut sugar just brilliant. Now I just need to bake something so I can use it. Hahaha
Aww thank you so much Christina! I have never seen brown coconut sugar either and to be honest, the idea never crossed my mind until the day I made this. I have of course seen homemade sugars online before and especially powdered sugar. I remembered from before when I made a recipe using brown sugar that several people asked about subbing with coconut sugar and unfortunately, even though the flavor is the same, the result in baking varies because of obviously, the texture from one having molasses and the other, not. Coconut sugar is much drier and no moisture. This solves it now. I truly will never buy brown sugar anymore. I rarely ever used it anyways.
How fun! It never even occurred to me to try making brown sugar! I love it – especially using coconut sugar!
It never occurred to me either until the day I made this bread, haha! Luckily, my spur of the moment idea worked on the first try! It was so delicious, I thought…mmmm gotta make some flavors with it too now, haha!
how MUCH molasses per amount of coconut sugar? The quantity is not listed?
TO SHARNELL: Yes, darlin’, Brandi DOES show the amounts! (Just read her specific recipe: “1-1/4 c. coconut sugar” and “1 T. + 2 tsp. molasses” . . .
Dear Brandi . . . Hi there!! I have not known anything much about coconut sugar, so I went on the internet to try to see if I could learn something. I found this site which SEEMS valid, but, well, you know, on the net there can be LOTS of “misinformation”, so I don’t know how accurate this info is, but here’s the link to what this site says about coconut sugar, if you wanna check it out:
https://authoritynutrition.com/coconut-sugar/
I am wondering if coconut sugar has a “coconutty” flavor…..I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the flavor of regular DARK brown sugar, although I try to only use it EXTREMELY sparingly. In my cookbook project (which has stalled until I can get my knees “fixed”!), I have an INCREDIBLY delicious recipe for Pecan Pie, which is MUCH healthier, in MANY ways, than the real thing, and I am DYING to try this recipe of yours IN PLACE OF the minimal amount of regular dark brown sugar I use. (Pecan pie was ALWAYS my all-time favorite pie, and I had a regular recipe I created decades ago which was absolutely to DIE FOR…..LITERALLY, unfortunately!! So, when I began the cookbook project and gave up all the “good (killer) stuff”, I created my pecan pie recipe as a healthier replacement…..but I think this wonderfully creative and thoughtful recipe of yours for coconut brown sugar may just make my recipe even healthier!!) Of course, I have to wait until I can walk and stand long enough to try it out, but I can hardly wait to try it, and I will DEFINITELY let you know…..Incidentally, I was scheduled to have a full knee-replacement surgery on March 1, but had to postpone it for a number of reasons….hopefully will have it done in a few months, so I can begin the recovery process (3-6 months, usually) and then FINALLY get back my life (and start really COOKING & BAKING again….and working on my cookbook!)……Anyway honey lamb, thank you SOOOOOOO much for this recipe!! I anticipate it will taste wonderful, as I trust your opinions and sensibilities with food. (I think it is VERY like my own, because I strive, as it appears YOU do, to make all of my recipes as MUCH like “the real thing” as possible, in flavor and texture, but much HEALTHIER!)
Oh, one more thing about this recipe…..how do you think it compares to regular DARK brown sugar in flavor….I almost NEVER use “Light Brown Sugar” (regular) in my recipes, as I love the more intense, richer flavor of DARK……
Anyway, thanks again adorably creative and thoughtful Brandi, for yet another AMAZING-looking recipe!!!…..I think once I get my knees fixed up, I’m gonna be spending the first 2 months after recovery just trying out all of YOUR recipes……I CAN HARDLY WAIT!!!…..I’m CHAFING AT THE BIT!!!!!……..your devoted fan…….Daryl (yes, still “motor-mouth”…haha!)
Hi Daryl! Always love to hear from you 🙂 This actually has NO coconut flavor at all, so the title “coconut sugar” can be confusing, it tastes a lot like brown sugar but more like a caramel-ish flavor. It gives a deeper flavor to baked goods, in a really good way. When mixed with the molasses it tastes almost identical to light brown sugar, which I love. I prefer the lighter taste of it, but it’s more deep because of the coconut sugar. You could always add a little bit more molasses if you want it to be more of a dark brown sugar taste 🙂
Thank you so much Daryl! You sound busy and all sounds exciting!
Hi sweet thang!…..Oh, I’m THRILLED to hear it has no coconut taste…I LOVE coconut, but when I want brown sugar taste, I DON’T want it to be coconutty (unless I’m going for a “coconut-brown sugar” flavor). And HOLY CANOLI, that “caramel-ish flavor” of your recipe sounds fantastic too, as I DEARLY LOVE the taste of caramel, and it makes me think even more that it will taste wonderful in my pecan pie recipe…..OOOOOOOOOOH, I am SOOOOOOOOO darn FRUSTRATED!!!! (Because I can’t cook much, or stand very long right now.) I am so eager to try your recipes…..well, just as soon as I can order some coconut sugar and receive it, I am GOING to try this right away, since it’s so easy and doesn’t require me standing or moving around much…..I’m gonna order that same brand you use……..
And thanks for the “good well wishes” for the knee surgery…..yeah, I’ve been VERY stressed out over the whole prospect, so much so that I got SICK with the flu just before the operation (that was the main reason I had to postpone the surgery)……I absolutely NEVER get sick….I haven’t had as much as even a tiny little “sniffly” cold in nearly 5 years, but the week before this surgery I got one of the NASTIEST flu bugs known to man…..it moved through my system pretty quickly, however, and I didn’t even have to take any drugs or even any over-the-counter stuff, even though it was pretty ROTTEN while it was having its way with my poor ol’ body. But I’m CERTAIN my resistance was low because I had been so stressed about the operation. I’ve had virtually ZERO contact with the medical community over my 66 years of life; I guess that’s been due to a mixture of good genes, good luck and, of course, my wonderful plant-based diet! HOWEVER, all of this stuff with the operation was sort of thrust upon me all of a sudden, and I didn’t really have time to process it….had to go for all kinds of tests, x-rays, examinations, etc., just to have surgical CLEARANCE…..all those doctors’ and hospital visits, after hardly ANY throughout my life, just sort of threw me for a loop. Anyway, I’m adjusted to it all now. I really have no choice but to get this operation, so I’ve settled down and am OK about it now. I also have a HUUUGE amount of confidence in the surgeon AS WELL AS the hospital and ALL the medical staff there (right here in my home town of Seaford!)…..The “joints program” in particular there has won awards and is innovative and revolutionary, so I feel I’m in the best hands possible. I’ll get through it, and then, hopefully, will TRULY get my life back. I can hardly wait, so now I am actually EAGER to reschedule the operation, get it over with and get on with the recovery……ANYWAY sweet pea….thanks for the support of your well wishes….I NEEDED that, and I GENUINELY appreciate it too, as we don’t have too many friends down here. (Most of our friends are everywhere ELSE in the world, except for here…haha!!)…….[OK Daryl, now you’ve taken up ENOUGH of Ms. Brandi’s time…..so STOP TYPING!!!…..”OK, I will!”……Hey, is it a mark of INSANITY to “talk to myself” like this???…..”Hmmmm….yeah, probably!”….(hahaha)……WEEEEEEEEE…….whoooopEEEEEEEEEE!!!…..(Stop it, Daryl….RIGHT NOW!!!!….”OK…I will!”……) ………..bye for now (no, reeeeally!!!)……….Daryl Grant Crazy….Ooops!…I mean Lindsay!
Oh and many good well wishes on your knee surgery, I can only imagine how stressful that is!!
It was my fault Daryl, I had missed it earlier! 🙂
It has been updated, sorry about that! I was up very late getting the post up and half asleep, haha!
Ah yea! I always have to make my own (on rare occasions) since I don’t believe in using added sugar! Haha! I like to add just a tad of molasses to my erythritol! Works wonders!
The coconut sugar is incredible with it, such a better flavor than the white stuff. The flavor I just died! I’ve tried xylitol before and that did not make my insides happy, lol!