How to Make A Molasses Substitute Recipe - Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

FAQs

What is a good substitute for molasses in baking? ›

Molasses is a thick, dark syrup made during the sugar-making process. First, the sugar cane is crushed and the juice is extracted. The juice is then boiled to form sugar crystals and removed from the liquid. The thick, brown syrup left after removing the sugar from the juice is molasses.

Brown sugar is actually a combination of granulated sugar and molasses, so it's a good substitute for molasses. While measurements may vary per recipe, you can generally replace 1 cup molasses with 3/4 cup packed brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will have a stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar.

Molasses adds moisture and color to baked goods like pecan pie, and it thickens up barbecue sauce for meat like pulled pork. Some other ways to use molasses in cooking include: 1. Syrup: Light molasses can be a substitute for maple syrup, drizzled over pancakes or to sweeten a bowl of oatmeal.

Don't fret if you ever need to swap maple syrup for molasses (or vice versa). As a general rule, you can sub in molasses for maple syrup 1:1 as a liquid ingredient, but since molasses isn't as naturally sweet as maple syrup, keep that in mind for how it might affect the final flavor.

The Best Molasses Substitutes

"Other substitutes include Sorghum syrup, and Treacle, an English version of molasses, you may find at an international market." Honey, dark corn syrup, and maple syrup can also be used to replace molasses in recipes.

In addition to its properties as a sweetener, molasses adds moisture, consistency and crust to baked goods such as cookies, dark breads, gingerbread and pies, as well as thickness to baked beans, marinades and sauces.

Blackstrap is extremely dark, impossibly thick, bitter, and will corrupt nearly anything you put it in with its overwhelming flavor. It should be mentioned that blackstrap molasses is often used in farm animal feed (per Southern Living)!

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

Can you substitute golden syrup for molasses? ›

With its golden, amber color, it is lighter than molasses, though the two are similar in their thickness. Golden syrup also a liquid sweetener, so 1 cup of golden syrup can replace 1 cup of molasses. Golden syrup has a unique flavor, so it may alter the flavor of your recipe slightly.

Molasses is made as a by-product of the refined sugar making process. Molasses is what's left over after boiling down the cane juice. There are a few different kinds of molasses: dark, light, and blackstrap. What differentiates them is how many times they have been boiled down to be made into sugar.

While molasses can be a good alternative to refined sugar, consuming too much of any added sugar can have adverse effects. The effects may be particularly harmful to people with diabetes. Also, because people make molasses in a process called fermentation, it can cause digestive problems.

Doubling up on molasses softened the cookies significantly.

Molasses is also extremely dark in color, so this batch of cookies turned out to be a deep brown.

Many people use blackstrap molasses in place of refined sugars for health reasons. They're lower on the glycemic index than conventional sweeteners, which means they won't spike your blood sugar as much. This makes blackstrap molasses a great alternative for people working to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Dark corn syrup is the best substitute for molasses in baking, but you can achieve similar results using honey, maple syrup, and packed brown sugar.

For gingerbread recipes, a mixture of dark corn syrup and brown sugar will make a close molasses substitute in both taste and texture. Start with a base of dark corn syrup and slowly mix in brown sugar. Taste and adjust until you reach the right flavor.