Baking
Turbinado Sugar Conversion
Turbinado Sugar weighs 200g per US cup.
| Amount | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 200.0 g | 7.05 oz |
| 1/2 cup | 100.0 g | 3.53 oz |
| 1/4 cup | 50.0 g | 1.76 oz |
| 1 tbsp | 12.5 g | 0.44 oz |
| 1 tsp | 4.2 g | 0.15 oz |
| 100 g | 100.0 g | 3.53 oz |
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Turbinado sugar weighs 200g per cup, the same as standard granulated sugar, but it looks and behaves quite differently — it's a minimally refined, coarser-crystal sugar (sometimes sold as "raw sugar") that retains a thin coating of the molasses naturally present in sugar cane juice, giving it a light amber color and a faint caramel note.
That's a genuinely different process from how brown sugar gets its molasses — brown sugar has molasses deliberately added back into fully refined white sugar, while turbinado sugar simply skips some of the refining steps that would otherwise strip that molasses out entirely, leaving a lighter, more subtle molasses presence than brown sugar's more assertive flavor.
Turbinado's large, coarse crystals resist dissolving as readily as fine granulated or superfine sugar, which is exactly why it's popular as a finishing sugar — sprinkled on top of muffins or a crème brûlée before baking, where its crunch and slow-melting crystals stay visually and texturally distinct rather than disappearing into the batter.
Turbinado sugar's large, golden-brown crystals — partially refined, still coated with a thin film of molasses — pack less densely into a cup than fine granulated sugar, coming in at 190g per cup; that same coarse crystal keeps its shape and crunch even after baking, which is the trait bakers are actually after when they scatter it across a scone or muffin top before it goes in the oven.
Turbinado is less refined than white sugar but more refined than raw sugarcane products like muscovado, sitting at a distinct point on the refining spectrum — a real processing difference, not simply a marketing distinction between "raw" and "white" sugar.
It's the sugar most commonly sold under the brand name Sugar in the Raw in US supermarkets.
Frequently asked questions
Is turbinado sugar the same as brown sugar?
No — brown sugar is fully refined white sugar with molasses added back in, while turbinado sugar is minimally refined cane sugar that never had all its natural molasses removed; turbinado is coarser and its molasses flavor is lighter and more subtle.
Why is turbinado sugar often used as a topping rather than mixed into batter?
Its large, coarse crystals resist dissolving quickly, which makes it ideal sprinkled on top of a baked good before baking — it keeps a crunchy texture and visible sparkle rather than melting smoothly into the batter the way finer sugars do.
Can I substitute turbinado sugar for granulated sugar in baking?
It works, though the coarser crystals dissolve more slowly and can leave a slightly grainier texture if not given time or moisture to fully dissolve during mixing — it performs more reliably as a topping than as the primary sweetener mixed throughout a batter.
Is turbinado sugar the same as demerara sugar?
They're very similar — both are minimally refined, coarse cane sugars with a light molasses coating; demerara is a specific type traditionally from Guyana with slightly larger crystals, but the two are close enough to use interchangeably in most recipes.
Does turbinado sugar's coarser crystal size affect this conversion's accuracy?
Not meaningfully — despite the visual difference from granulated sugar, turbinado's crystals pack to a very similar overall density in a spooned-and-leveled cup, so the 200g figure holds as a reliable conversion.