Granulated Sugar substitutes
Out of granulated sugar? Here are the best substitutes — what to reach for, why it works, and how much to use. Brown sugar is the top pick.
- 01Brown sugarbest pick
Same sweetening power with a little molasses moisture and caramel flavor.
1:1
- 02Coconut sugar
Granular and swaps straight across; slightly less sweet with a caramel edge.
1:1
- 03Honey
Liquid, so cut other liquids and lower the oven to avoid over-browning.
1 cup sugar = 3/4 cup honey, reduce liquid 1/4 cup
- 04Maple syrup
Liquid sweetener with real flavor; needs the same liquid adjustment.
1 cup sugar = 3/4 cup syrup, reduce liquid 3 tbsp
- 05Powdered sugar
Fine for sweetness, but it won't cream with butter to aerate a batter.
1 cup granulated = 1 3/4 cups powdered
Cooking with granulated sugar?
Paste your recipe into Mise — we'll find every ingredient as a real product you can buy, and swap the ones you can't, like granulated sugar, for the closest match in stock.
Turn a recipe into a basket →How we choose these
These are tested kitchen substitutes, chosen for matching flavor, texture, and role — with ratios so the swap actually works. Taste as you go; substitutes shift intensity, not just flavor.
Flavor data: Epicure (Radzikowski & Chen, 2026), arXiv:2605.22391, CC-BY-4.0.
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