Weight: 1 cup/7 ounces/200 grams
Characteristics: Rough around the edges but can save the day with its versatility, coarse, crunchy, light molasses flavor, rounded sweetness. Also known as demerara sugar.
Where it comes from: Turbinado sugar comes from sugarcane and is produced around the globe. It’s the “raw sugar” that’s the result of the centrifuge-spinning stage in the sugar production process (see Natural Sugars? for more on that operation). That centrifuge can also be a called a turbine, hence the term “turbinado” sugar. Depending on the producer, the depth of molasses flavor and the color of turbinado sugar can vary.
Demerara sugar is essentially the same thing as turbinado, and you’ll often find the terms used interchangeably (“demerara” is the term of choice in Britain, for example). Typically, sugar that is labeled as demerara tends to be a touch lighter in color with a blondish hue and slightly less intense in flavor than turbinado. Both turbinado and demerara sugars are also sometimes referred to as “raw sugar” in recipes and cookbooks.
Best uses: Although it’s much coarser and sometimes doesn’t yield as fine a texture, turbinado sugar usually makes for a reasonable 1:1 swap for white granulated sugar. (Sometimes I love the nubbly texture that turbinado gives baked goods, such as Mrs. Braun’s Oatmeal Cookies.) When in doubt, it helps to grind turbinado finer in a food processor, or use it in recipes where it can be allowed to completely dissolve, like a sugar syrup for candy, or meringues using the Swiss method (see “A Tale of Two Meringues”), or simply given extra time to break down with additional beating time (always in the earlier stages of a recipe, before the flour is added).
But what turbinado lacks in delicacy, it more than makes up for it with flavor and crunch. There’s nothing like a streusel topping made with this hearty, sparkling sugar, and it’s ideal for sprinkling over cookies, cakes, muffins, and scones before baking for a pretty but decidedly natural and rustic look.
Bonus points: Turbinado sugar is less processed than white granulated sugar and not treated with chemicals. Although it’s not a superstar in terms of nutritional value, turbinado hasn’t been stripped of all its molasses and therefore does contain traces of calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and some B vitamins.
How to store: The bit of molasses that still remains in turbinado can tend to keep some brands from staying dry and free-flowing. A cool, dry storage place and a tightly sealed container are your best bets to keep turbinado from absorbing more moisture from the air.