Sugar Free Brown Sugar Recipe - Gwen's Nest (2024)

FAQs

What can I substitute for brown sugar for diabetics? ›

Liquid Sweeteners Like Agave, Honey, or Maple Syrup

Use 2/3 of a cup of liquid sweetener for every cup of brown sugar, and reduce other liquids in the recipe (like milk) by 2 tablespoons. Your cookies or cake may be ready a few minutes early if you use a liquid sweetener instead, as it can caramelize faster.

Light or dark molasses work well for most baking projects, but seek out unsulphured molasses for the purest flavor. If you don't have molasses on hand, you can substitute an equal amount of pure maple syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, or a dark honey (like buckwheat) in the homemade brown sugar recipe above.

Mix 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses to mimic a cup of light brown sugar. Mix 1 cup of granulated sugar with 2 tablespoons of molasses to mimic a cup of dark brown sugar. If you don't have molasses on hand, you can combine white sugar with another liquid sweetener, like maple syrup or honey.

Brown sugar replacements provide the aroma, sweetness, and texture of regular brown sugar, but without all the calories and sugar content. They are divided into two groups: (1) zero-calories and sugar-free, and (2) reduced-calories and NOT sugar-free.

For people with diabetes, the use of brown sugar has no healthier effects than white sugar. Users should note that any added sugars should be limited as part of a healthy, well-rounded diet.

A combination of white sugar and molasses is your best bet for a brown sugar substitute, as that's exactly what brown sugar is made of (1). To make your own light brown sugar, mix 1 cup, or 200 grams (g), of granulated white sugar with 1 tablespoon (tbsp.), or 15 milliliters (mL), of molasses.

You'll never run out of brown sugar if you keep two simple ingredients on hand: white granulated sugar and molasses. The recipe ingredients are for light brown sugar. For dark brown sugar, double the amount of molasses.

Unsulphured molasses can be light, dark or blackstrap, as long as it hasn't been treated with sulphur dioxide. Most commercially produced molasses is unsulphured.

Light brown sugar: Use 1 tablespoon molasses for every 1 cup sugar. Dark brown sugar: Use 2 tablespoons molasses for every 1 cup sugar.

What is the best sugar replacement for diabetics? ›

Date Sugar

If you're avoiding refined sugars, date sugar may be a perfect brown sugar replacement. It's created from dehydrated dates and has a similarly sweet, more caramel-like flavor to brown sugar. Try ⅔ cup of date sugar for every cup of brown sugar for a healthy brown sugar substitute.

(You know those raw sugar packets found in coffee shops? Yes, that's turbinado sugar.) It has a much larger grain than light brown or dark brown sugar and is drier than both. Don't substitute turbinado for light or dark brown sugar—that large grain size could throw off your recipe.

Truvia and Pure Via, both brands of stevia-based sweetener, are calorie-free, and stevia is often used as a sweetener in foods and beverages. According to the ADA's 2023 Standards of Care in Diabetes, nonnutritive sweeteners, including stevia, have little to no impact on blood sugar.

Used sparingly, honey can be part of a healthy, balanced diet for people living with diabetes. But it's good practice to get into the habit of limiting honey and any added sugar as much as possible. More than focussing on an individual ingredient, think about what you eat for each meal as a whole.

Dates can be dried and ground to make a sugar substitute. Because it comes from a whole fruit, it also adds fiber and nutrients to your recipes. Dates are especially good as a brown sugar substitute, as they keep some of the moisture from their fruit form.