The Coffee Shop Sugar You Need to Have at Home

A spoonful of turbinado sugar

If you love to bake regularly, there’s a chance your pantry may be stocked with various sugars, but if only bake around the holidays and other special occasions it might be a little overwhelming sorting out all of the sugar options in the baking aisle.

One of the many specialty sugars that come up in recipes is turbinado sugar.  We spoke to a culinary and pastry expert, Michael Laiskonis, chef at the Institute of Culinary Education, to understand what exactly turbinado sugar is, the difference between it and other sugars and why you should consider adding it to your pantry.

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What is Turbinado Sugar?

Surprisingly, turbinado has more in common with white granulated sugar than the light and brown sugars we often bake with. Laiskonis explains that turbinado sugar, although it can vary in size, typically has a larger crystal that is much coarser than white sugar—and although it goes through a similar processing to white (cane) sugar, it is less refined.

Turbinado still contains traces of the original molasses, which he says lends the light brown color and a caramel-like flavor. And although turbinado can sometimes be referred to as ‘raw’ or ‘whole cane’ sugar, it does have some degree of typical refining, “notably the partial evaporation of the base sugar cane juice,” says Laiskonis. He says that the turbinado name comes from the way the sugar is processed in a cylinder or turbine. The “centrifuge processing that helps remove the required amount of molasses,” he says. The processing also creates a sugar with larger granules.

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How is Turbinado Sugar Different from Other Sugars?

Granulated sugar is snow white because the molasses are removed during the refining process, whereas turbinado (along with demerara and muscovado) retains traces of molasses.

And although turbinado sugar is blown in color, it's not the same thing as brown sugar. “What we call brown sugars, however—whether light or dark—are simply made up of refined white sugar mixed with molasses added after the fact,” says Laiskonis. Typical brown sugar has a richer flavor and a higher moisture content than turbinado sugar, which means that you can't substitute one for the other. “Turbinado is usually not an ideal substitute for brown sugars, where the inherent moisture content and deeper flavor may be crucial to the recipe,” he says.

The larger turbinado crystals also mean that it's not the best for baking, because the granules won't easily incorporate with the rest of the ingredients, leaving you some crunchy bits you might not want.

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What Are The Best Uses for Turbinado Sugar?

? Sweeten what you're sipping.
Thanks to its caramel undertones, turbinado is excellent for sweetening hot beverages. Speaking of, it's likely that most people know turbinado sugar as Sugar In The Raw because the tan packets are at many coffee shops.

? Roll with it.
You'll often see turbinado sugar used on the outside of cookies. Bakers sometimes roll the cookie dough balls in turbinado before baking to add sparkle and texture. It's also a fun way to make muffins or quick breads, like banana bread or zucchini bread, look bakery-worthy. Just sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top before baking. The large granules hold up well under heat, so it's also a great choice for sprinkling on pies, crumbles, crisps and cobblers before baking. Queen Ina is a fan, too. She likes to sprinkle a little turbinado sugar on the biscuits for her strawberry shortcake.

? A sweet finishing touch.
Turbinado sugar is also a fun ingredient to add to cookies after they're baked. Sprinkle a bit on top of a frosted cookie before the frosting sets for a little sparkle and crunch. You can also add a little bit to the whipped cream on top of hot chocolate or whatever dessert you've made. Making crème brulée? Laiskonis likes to swap out granulated sugar for turbinado on top of the custard before torching.

? Skew savory.
Turbinado sugar isn't just for sweets. It's also great in dry rubs for barbecuing or smoking meats and poultry (it brings caramelization and crust to the party —the plus point is it doesn’t burn as fast as light or dark brown sugar).

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What Can I Substitute for Turbinado Sugar?

If you are in a bind and a recipe calls for turbinado and you can’t get hold of any, Laiskonis recommends demerara and muscovado sugar as good substitutes because they are close cousins and share some of the same qualities, though they do vary in molasses content, crystal size and flavor. Date and coconut sugar are other alternatives with a similar nature, but they both have more pronounced flavor, which may or may not work with whatever you're making.

What you substitute also depends on the use. You can roll cookie dough in granulated sugar, which will add shine and a bit of texture, just not as much as turbinado would. The same goes for sprinkling on pie crusts and other pastries. If turbinado sugar is mixed into a dough or batter, demerara and muscovado are your best bets. Subbing in regular brown sugar for turbinado in those cases might work, but it will give you a different result and it's not a 1-to-1 measurement swap.

And if you're looking for something else to sweeten your tea or coffee, there are plenty of other options, of course. If you want something that has a deeper flavor than granulated sugar, try light molasses or maple syrup.

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