Brown Sugar vs. White Sugar: What Are The Key Differences?

A naturally occurring ingredient, sugar has been a part of our diet since ancient times. It is cultivated from sugar cane and sugar beets and can come in many varieties. The most common being white and brown sugar. But what is the difference between them?

While they are both cultivated the same way, brown sugar has molasses added back into it during production. Below are some factors that changed due to this process.

Uses

For most people, the key difference between white and brown sugar is when you can use them. If a recipe calls for white sugar, it usually can’t be swapped with brown sugar. The same goes the other way.

The simplest recipe to make with sugar is syrup. All you need to do is boil water and add your sugar. White sugar makes a simple syrup that is typically used in cocktails or for making your cakes extra moist. Brown sugar makes brown sugar syrup it is a staple in boba tea and as a dessert sauce, Honest Food Talks also has other delicious recipes that use brown sugar syrup.

While both sugars are commonly used in baking, they each have a different purpose. Brown sugar is ideal for giving baked goods a soft, chewy, and dense texture. This makes it a perfect ingredient in cookies and fruit cakes. White sugar is better for baked goods that need to rise, such as meringues and sponge cake.

Brown sugar is used in sweet sauces and glazes like barbeque sauce. Since white sugar is so versatile, it can typically be found in other savoury sauces like ketchup.

White sugar is more likely to be found in the average household, so it is commonly used when sweetening hot drinks.

Flavour

The reason there are different uses for each sugar is that they have separate flavors. Brown sugar provides a rich, caramel-like flavor. The lack of molasses in white sugar means that it is purely sweet without any other flavors. White sugar is sweeter than brown sugar, but that makes it easier to adjust the sugar levels in a dish with it.

Colour

The most obvious difference between the sugars is their colors. Whatever is made with them also has different shades, brown sugar will make foods darker than white sugar.

Brown sugar can come in light and dark varieties. Dark brown sugar has more molasses in it, which means it has a higher liquid content so it clumps together.

Types

There are many different types of sugar, each having different uses.

White

• Caster – Smaller crystals make it perfect for desserts.
• Confectioners – Very fine crystals, this is used to make icing and as decoration.

Brown

• Muscovado – Unrefined and natural. Gives a stronger molasses flavor.
• Demerara – Larger crystals that are lighter in color and have a mild flavor.

Production

The reason for all these differences is because of how they’re differently produced. 

All sugar starts as a juice extracted from crops. This is then boiled down into molasses. It is then spun fast to separate the crystal sugars from the molasses.

For white sugar, these sugar crystals then have any excess molasses removed and it is refined down into smaller crystals. Brown sugar has molasses added back into it.

Nutrition

When it comes to nutrition, there is not much difference between them. Brown sugar has slightly fewer calories with about 377 calories per 100g, compared to white sugars 387 calories per 100g. Brown sugar also has slightly higher quantities of calcium, potassium, and iron. 

Neither of these sugars is a good source of vitamins or minerals, and the nutritional difference between the two is small.

It is not worth swapping out all the white sugar in your house for brown sugar because it has fewer calories. In the long run, your sugar content is what’s important in a healthy diet rather than what sugar it is.

Summary

Arguably the main difference between white and brown sugar is the flavor. While there are other reasons, they’re so small that it doesn’t affect many dishes.

Remember that sugar is addictive, and can be bad for your health in large quantities. It is recommended that no more than 10% of your daily calorie intake is added sugar. It is important to be responsible with your sugar consumption but it is still needed in a healthy diet.

Due to these small differences, whichever sugar you choose is mainly down to personal preference. However, if you are a fan of baking and cooking, we recommend having both in your pantry just in case.

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