How to Make A Molasses Substitute Recipe

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Made with 4 things you most likely have in your cupboard, my Homemade Molasses Substitute is a full bodied, full flavored, thick syrup that can replace molasses in any recipe!

By Gemma Stafford | January 27, 2019 | 140

Last updated on November 22, 2022

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One of my goals when creating any recipe is to create things that you can easily make your own. By providing you with tools like my Egg Substitute Chart, a Corn Syrup Substitute recipe, and even How to Make Powdered Sugar at Home, I am hoping I’m giving you the go-ahead to take my recipes and make them meet your dietary needs, likes, and dislikes.

As many of you either can’t find molasses or might not want to use it, I created this super simple Homemade Molasses Substitute. Made with 4 things you most likely have in your cupboard, this is a full bodied, full flavored, thick syrup that can replace molasses in any recipe!

What is Molasses?

Molasses is that thick, dark brown syrup somewhere between the texture of real maple syrup and golden syrup. 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. Light molasses was extracted from the first batch of boiled cane juice, and blackstrap has been boiled down several more times. This process is what creates that unique flavor that goes beyond sweetness and really has a bit of a spiced kick. The kick is why molasses pairs so well with rich spiced desserts.

[ Find out how to make your own Brown Sugar at home with my How to Make Brown Sugar recipe! ]

What Types of Desserts Need Molasses?

Some of my favorite desserts like gingerbread cookies and sticky toffee pudding often include molasses. The texture and deep color you get from molasses adds a really unique texture and flavor, but guess what, this can be achieved by combining brown sugar, cream of tartar, water, and lemon.

What’s the Difference Between the Substitute and Real Molasses?

There is a slight flavor difference between molasses and my Homemade Molasses Substitute, as the flavor cannot be exactly replicated. The purpose of this substitute is to provide whatever you’re baking with the same texture as molasses, that moist dense chew.

This molasses substitute adds just the right toothy bite and is made by adding all the ingredients into one pot and simmering for just 3-4 minutes. It’s how quickly and easily this substitute comes together — and you’ll never worry about not being able to find molasses again!

Why Did My Molasses Harden?

Over time, sugar crystals can form in your homemade molasses — but fear not, because you can still use it. Simply heat it gently in the microwave or on the stove until the sugar granules dissolve. Once it cools down, use as directed in your recipe.

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Watch The Recipe Video!

4.71 from 164 votes

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Made with 4 things you most likely have in your cupboard, my Homemade Molasses Substitute recipe is a full bodied, full flavored, thick syrup that can replace molasses in any recipe!

Author: Gemma Stafford

Servings: 2 cups

Limited Ingredients
Stovetop
Saucepan

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 minutes mins

4 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Made with 4 things you most likely have in your cupboard, my Homemade Molasses Substitute recipe is a full bodied, full flavored, thick syrup that can replace molasses in any recipe!

Author: Gemma Stafford

Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients

2 cups (16oz/450g) dark brown sugar
3/4 cups (6floz/170ml) water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons lemon juice freshly squeezed

Instructions

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, over medium heat, add the sugar, water, cream of tartar, and lemon juice.
Once the sugar dissolves, turn down the heat and let the syrup simmer steadily until it becomes a slightly thick syrup that drips off your spatula slowly. This will takes just 3 to 4 minutes. Don't worry if you think it is a bit runny at this stage because as it cools it will get thicker.
Use this molasses substitute in any recipe in place of molasses. It will last 3-4 months in an airtight container at room temperature. After a while, if you notice it hardens, heat it back up again to dissolve the granules. It makes 1 1/2 cups of molasses substitute.
Check out my recipes like crockpot gingerbread, soft and chewy molasses, homemade bran flakes, and my ginger crinkle cookies that call for molasses.

Recipe Notes

For more precise instruction I suggest you watch my video

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Christine

4 years ago

I was so excited to see your molasses recipe since they don’t sell it here. However, your recipe calls for brown sugar, which they also don’t sell here. I was going to make the molasses to make the brown sugar. Oh well.

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Mishka Karkal

3 years ago

Hi Gemma, what can I substitute for cream of tartar?

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Raymond Doctor

5 years ago

Much easier to replace the brown sugar with Jaggery which you can find at Indian stores. I always make molasses that way.

View Replies (6)

Charlotte

3 years ago

Can I use it to make light brown sugar?

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seit

3 years ago

hi! can i use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar?

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Sasha

4 years ago

Hi Gemma, thank you for sharing the recipe! 😁 Just wondering if there’s any substitute for lemon juice? Thank you❤️

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Kathy Beezley

3 years ago

I made this yesterday! I used Muscovado (dark)! Divine! Thank you!

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Della Darwiana

3 years ago

Hi gemma, how if I made molasses by boiling sugar cane? Is there any additional ingredients to put in? Bcs I already boiling 500ml of sugar cane juice for 30mnt an it’s become 100ml left but still not as dark and thick as yours Thankyou

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Huda

3 years ago

Hello Gemma, Is there any way to use jaggery to make molasses? The brown sugar we get in India is of a different consistency.

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Nina

3 years ago

Amazing! Thank you so much for providing clear and concise instructions and videos! I’m in Japan and molasses is expensive. This was a great relief and so easy!

View Replies (1)

About Us

Meet Gemma

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

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

FAQs

How to make molasses substitute? ›

Replace one cup of molasses with one of the following:

1 cup dark corn syrup, honey, or maple syrup.
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar.
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup water.

Jan 23, 2023

Show Me More ›

How can I make molasses? ›

The most popular way to make molasses is to use sugarcane. Strip each cane of its leaves with a knife, then crush the cane to produce a thick, light green juice. Next, strain the juice through a cheesecloth and pour it into a boiler pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer it for 6 hours.

Keep Reading ›

How much syrup to replace molasses? ›

Golden syrup, also known as "light treacle," is made from the evaporation of sugarcane, which creates a light, golden syrup very reminiscent of honey. Lyle's is a popular brand of golden syrup. Try using 1 cup golden syrup for every 1 cup molasses in a recipe.

Discover More ›

What does molasses do in baking? ›

Molasses serve several purposes in baked goods such as: Sweetening: contributing to sweetness, although with lower intensity than sucrose. Its sweetness decreases as color darkens. Flavor: providing a broad and complex range of flavors, from caramel to bitter notes.

Discover More Details ›

What is a good substitute for molasses in baking? ›

9 best molasses substitutes

Honey.
Maple syrup.
Dark corn syrup.
Sorghum syrup.
Golden syrup.
Brown sugar.
Black treacle.
Simple syrup.

More items...

Nov 27, 2022

Find Out More ›

How do I substitute molasses for sugar in baking? ›

When substituting molasses for sugar, use 1 1/3 cups molasses for 1 cup sugar, and reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 5 tablespoons. Molasses is also more acidic than sugar; add ½ teaspoon baking soda for each cup of molasses used. Replace no more than half the sugar called for in a recipe with molasses.

Read The Full Story ›

What is the key ingredient in molasses? ›

Molasses is a thick, dark syrup and a by-product from processing sugar beets or sugar cane. When sugar is produced, the sugar cane or sugar beets are first crushed and their juice is extracted. Then that juice is boiled down until it forms sugar crystals, which are extracted as sugar. The remaining liquid is molasses.

See Details ›

How do you make molasses step by step? ›

If you are interested in making your own molasses at home, follow these steps:

Heat water in the pan until it boils.
Add sugar to boiling water.
Stir until the sugar dissolves or is mixed evenly with the water.
Turn off the stove.
Cool the mixture until it thickens.
Molasses is ready to use.

Apr 14, 2024

What are the ingredients in molasses? ›

Molasses is type of liquid sugar that primarily contains sucrose and smaller amounts of the monosaccharides fructose and glucose.

Find Out More ›

Can I substitute molasses with syrup? ›

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.

Learn More Now ›

Can you substitute golden syrup for molasses? ›

Golden Syrup

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.

What happens if you use too much molasses? ›

In addition to containing vitamins and minerals, molasses is very high in sugar. In excess, sugar can be very harmful to a person's health. Excess sugar intake has been linked to some of the world's biggest health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Get More Info ›

What happens if you add too much molasses to cookies? ›

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.

Can you make molasses from brown sugar? ›

Ingredients for homemade molasses substitute

2 cups of dark brown sugar (you can substitute this with a brown sugar substitute, e.g., muscovado sugar)
1 cup of water.
1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Feb 23, 2023

Can I substitute maple syrup for molasses in a recipe? ›

How to make brown sugar without molasses? ›

If you don't have molasses on hand, you can easily swap it out for maple syrup with almost no change to your recipe's final product. Combine 1 cup (200 g) of granulated white sugar with 1 tbsp. (15 mL) of pure maple syrup to make a brown sugar substitute that can fool even the most sophisticated palette.