Substitutions
Large, honey-coloured cane crystals spun only once, so a thin film of molasses remains on each grain. Crunchy and slow to dissolve.
What it does in a recipe: Sweetness plus a crackly textural finish and light caramel flavour, most often on top of a bake rather than inside it. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Raw sugar, Demerara sugar, Sugar in the raw
Quick answer
Demerara sugar
1 cup turbinado sugar = 1 cup demerara sugarAll substitutes, best first
1 cup turbinado sugar = 1 cup demerara sugarEffectively the same product — large partly refined cane crystals with residual molasses — sold under a different regional name.
Trade-offOccasionally a shade drier and coarser. Nothing that changes a recipe.
1 cup turbinado sugar = 1 cup coarse sanding sugarThe crystals are the same size, which is what produces the crunch, and they hold their shape in the oven just as well.
Trade-offFully refined, so it stays white and brings no caramel note. A scone topped with it sparkles rather than browns.
1 cup turbinado sugar = 1 cup granulated sugarThe same sucrose at the same sweetness per cup, differing only in crystal size and the trace of molasses.
Trade-offStirred into a batter it is a perfect swap. Sprinkled on top it dissolves into the surface and you lose the crunch entirely, which is usually the whole reason turbinado was specified.
1 cup turbinado sugar = 1 cup packed light brown sugarIt brings the same molasses flavour at a similar sweetness, so anything where turbinado was providing caramel notes still tastes right.
Trade-offDamp and fine-grained, so it clumps rather than scatters and melts into a sticky layer on top of a bake instead of staying crisp.
At a glance
| Category | Sweeteners |
|---|---|
| Job in a recipe | Sweetness plus a crackly textural finish and light caramel flavour, most often on top of a bake rather than inside it |
| Suits | Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free, Alcohol-free |
| Swaps available for | Alcohol-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeGluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeVeganVegetarian |
| Number of substitutes | 4 |
Related
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.