Demerara equivalents in white and light brown sugar

I swear I posted this earlier today, but I don't see it, so here goes again: I'm making a jam later tonight that calls for demerara sugar. I don't have enough on hand and would like to avoid a run to the store. Can I use white granulated sugar or light brown sugar instead and what's the equivalent volume? A couple of sites I've looked at say there's a one-to-one equivalence for white and demerara (turbinado, which I assume is more or less the same), but demerara has larger crystals, so I question whether this is the case. Does anyone know what the equivalence is? Thanks!

Diana B
  • Posted by: Diana B
  • March 5, 2013
  • 38776 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

Diana B.
Diana B. March 6, 2013
Thank you all for your responses to my question. ChefOno, I've printed yours out to stick in my jam-making notebook - I do prefer to weight ingredients when I can. Oh, and the jam (cranberry-grapefruit with sea salt) turned out fabulous!
 
ChefOno
ChefOno March 6, 2013

And here they are:

White, demerara, raw and even superfine and baker's can be substituted one for one and converted at 7 ounces per cup. I know that may seem strange, but it works out. There's more space between the larger crystals but fewer of them.

Definitely better to go by weight rather than volume for brown (7 1/2 ounces per cup). Powdered can really trip you up. Do you sift then measure or measure then sift? Or not sift at all? 4 ounces per cup is a good place to start. You can sift it right into your mixing bowl set on top of the scale.

 
susan G.
susan G. March 6, 2013
If you have a scale, you can get weight vs volume equivalents, and take it from there -- for future questions like this. And, depending on what you are making, a precise measurement is not crucial.
 
Diana B.
Diana B. March 5, 2013
Thank you so much, Gourmet Metrics!
 

Voted the Best Reply!

Linn
Linn March 5, 2013
From manufactures website: Demerara Washed Raw Cane Sugar has a light golden color from the natural molasses left behind after minimal processing. Demerara Washed Raw is a slightly larger crystal than granulated sugar and with a delicate crunchy texture. The nutrition facts states 4 grams per teaspoon, the same as for white granulated. Substituting white for demerara volume for volume should work okay. Be cautious with the brown sugar because the same volume packed versus unpacked will not have the same weight.
 
Recommended by Food52

Popular on Food52