What’s the Difference Between White Sugar & Brown Sugar?

You probably have them both in your pantry, but do you know why? Let’s find out the difference between white sugar and brown sugar, and why it might matter.

What’s the Difference Between White Sugar & Brown Sugar?

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The sugar section in the grocery store is getting a little bit crazy. There are so many different kinds of sugar and sweeteners available now – white sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, raw sugar, molasses, honey, agave nectar….. should I go on? There are all the different brands. My goodness… how is a person supposed to choose? It can be tough. So let’s stick with the two basics to start with, shall we? White sugar and brown sugar – what’s the difference? And why does it matter?

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Where Does Sugar Come From?

White sugar and brown sugar come from the same place – either from sugar cane or sugar beets. Sugar is simply crystallized sucrose. Sugar cane and sugar beets have tons of sucrose in them. There’s a lot that goes into getting that sucrose out, and that’s not what this post is for. Let’s simplify it for now and say that the sugar cane or beets are crushed to get out all the juice, the juice is boiled down to a syrup (which is sucrose and molasses), the molasses is removed, and the leftover sucrose is dried until it crystallizes into the sugar that we all know and love.

(Yes, that’s a super-simplified description. But it’s all we need for now.)

What is White Sugar?

White sugar is sucrose that has had all the molasses removed. White sugar is about 99% sucrose. Sucrose is naturally white, so there is no bleaching to make it look white. White sugar is just plain sweet, with no other flavors.

What is Brown Sugar?

Brown sugar is white sugar that has a little bit of molasses added back to it. Light brown sugar is around 94% sucrose – the rest is molasses. Dark brown sugar has more molasses, which gives it the darker color.

The molasses changes the liquid content of the sugar a little bit – that’s why white sugar has individual granules that flow freely, and brown sugar clumps together. The molasses in the brown sugar also gives it a little different, richer flavor. The more molasses, the more noticable the flavor.

So, what’s the difference between white sugar and brown sugar? Brown sugar has molasses and a little richer flavor. White sugar has no molasses and is just plain sweet.

Can I Substitute White Sugar for Brown Sugar?

Um, maybe. It depends on what you’re making. White sugar and brown sugar have the same degree of sweetness, so you can exchange the two. But. As we mentioned above, brown sugar has a little different flavor than white sugar, so you might notice a change in the flavor of your recipe. Brown sugar also has a little more liquid in it that white sugar, so it will react a little different in your recipes. I can’t just say “every time you use brown sugar instead of white sugar, change this one thing in the recipe,” but it doesn’t quite work that way. Different ingredients and different amounts of wet or dry ingredients will change the way the brown sugar interacts.

So, maybe you can substitute white sugar for brown sugar. In the words of one of my vet school professors, “It depends.” (That was pretty much his answer to every question. When I was teaching, my answer to almost every question was, “What do you think?” Drove the students batty, but I thought it was a lot of fun.)

Enjoy!

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