What Is Sucanat and How Can I Use It?
If sucanat has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 7 recipes to try it in.
Key Points
- Brand-name whole dried cane juice; grainy, not crystalline, because it keeps all its molasses.
- Tastes like a strong dark brown sugar with a pronounced molasses note.
- Substitute roughly cup for cup for brown sugar, expecting a coarser, sandier texture.
- Unlike turbinado, which keeps only a trace of molasses, sucanat retains the full amount.
What is sucanat?
Sucanat is a brand name for whole dried cane juice, sold as small tan-to-brown granules. The name is a contraction of "sugar cane natural."
Where white and brown sugar are spun in a centrifuge to separate the molasses from the crystals, sucanat skips that step: the cane juice is pressed, heated, and dried with all its molasses left in. That is why it looks grainy and porous rather than glassy and crystalline. It also tastes stronger than supermarket brown sugar, closer to a dark brown sugar with a pronounced molasses note.
In baking it behaves like a strong brown sugar and works well in dark, sturdy bakes. It carries the molasses depth in a Sour Cream Banana & Walnut Bread and deepens the flavor of Fat-Free Fudge Brownies. Substitute it roughly cup for cup for brown sugar, but expect a coarser, sandier texture. The hard granules do not dissolve or cream as readily, so for smooth batters or frostings give it extra mixing time, or pulse it finer first.
Do not confuse it with turbinado, which is centrifuged to keep only a trace of molasses. Turbinado is a crunchy, mostly refined crystal with a hint of color; sucanat keeps the full molasses and the deeper flavor that comes with it. For how molasses affects moisture and browning, plus general storage, see sugar.
Quick facts
Where to find sucanat: Sucanat is usually found in the asian section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
- In Chinese
- sucanat
- British (UK) term
- Sucanat
- en français
- sucanat
- en español
- Sucanat
Recipes using sucanat
There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Fat-Free Fudge Brownies (2)
Fat-free fudge brownies use applesauce in place of butter or oil for a moist, chocolatey square. Whole wheat flour and egg whites keep them lighter without losing the brownie chew.
Sour Cream Banana & Walnut Bread
Very moist and fluffy inside, golden brown outside; sour cream added the extra moist and tangy flavor, I used 3/4 cup of brown sugar, and I thought it was the right sweetness. If you have some ripe bananas on hand or you love banana bread, I will definitely recommend this recipe.
Pissaladiere Pizza
Pissaladiere-style pizza with caramelized leeks, roasted eggplant, roasted peppers, capers, basil, and balsamic vinegar on a homemade whole wheat crust. Vegan-friendly.
Wonderful Chocolate Pie
Vegan chocolate pie with a cocoa-couscous crust, silky tofu chocolate cream filling, and roasted pecan topping. Dairy-free, egg-free, and naturally sweetened with sucanat and maple syrup.
Oat Bran Russian Black Bread
Oat bran Russian black bread with rye flour, whole wheat, carob, molasses, caraway, and fennel seeds. A dense, dark, vegan loaf with just one short rise.
Millet Oatmeal Bread
Whole wheat millet oatmeal bread with sunflower seeds and sucanat. A hearty, multigrain yeast bread with a tender crumb from cooked millet folded into the dough.
Carob Chip Banana Bread
Whole wheat carob chip banana bread made without eggs or dairy. Sweetened with sucanat and ripe bananas, this makes two tender loaves in under an hour.
