Find out if brown sugar is an ingredient to pay attention to on a gluten-free diet, what it’s made of, and which brands you can trust to be gluten-free.

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If you love to bake, you’re no stranger to using brown sugar in your recipes. If you follow a gluten-free diet, you may be wondering if this ingredient is safe to enjoy regularly.
Brown sugar can be used to add a rich sweet flavor to many cookies, cakes, and other baked goods. It’s also great added to homemade sauces that call for a sweetness with a little depth.
Just like any other ingredient in your gluten-free diet, you’ll want to do your due diligence to find out any potential for gluten finding its way into your home cooked meals or food you buy from the store.
In this post, we’ll dive into the basics of brown sugar and answer the question “is brown sugar gluten-free?” We’ll also break down the ingredients in brown sugar and discuss if each of these can be trusted as gluten-free ingredients.
We’ll wrap the post up with a list of gluten-free brown sugar brands plus answer any gluten-related questions you may have about popular brown sugar brands.

What are the ingredients in brown sugar? What is brown sugar made of?
Brown sugar is made with granulated sugar and molasses. Molasses is added to white sugar in order to add the richness and depth of flavor into this ingredient.
Brown sugar comes in two different options, light and dark. The only difference between these is how much molasses is added to the sugar, so you’ll find the ingredients lists will be the same, but the quantity of each ingredient may vary.
Is sugar gluten-free?
Sugar is naturally gluten-free, however you may want to be on the lookout for brands with a gluten-free label to ensure that the sugar has been processed in a way that minimizes the possibility of cross-contamination and traces of gluten in the product.
Read tips on ensuring your sugar is gluten-free in this post: Is sugar gluten-free?
Is molasses gluten-free?
Molasses is a thick, rich syrup that is made from sugar cane or sugar beets. Molasses is made from the liquid of sugarcane or sugar beets after the sugar has been removed. This liquid is then boiled down into a thick, sweet syrup called molasses.
Molasses is used in plenty of baking recipes to provide a rich and moist ingredient to some of our favorite recipes like ginger snaps, cookies, or other baked goods.
As long as molasses only contains one ingredient: sugar and molasses, you’ll know that this is a gluten-free ingredient and safe for a gluten-free diet.

Is brown sugar gluten-free?
Brown sugar is gluten-free as it is made with only white or granulated sugar and molasses, two naturally gluten-free ingredients. As long as there are no other fillers, flavorings, or additives in the brown sugar, you can feel good about adding this ingredient into your gluten-free diet
The way you can find out if your brown sugar is gluten-free is to read the ingredients list and look for any hidden sources of gluten. You can also look for a gluten-free label on the packaging which will indicate that there is no gluten in that product.
Can I make my own brown sugar?
If you’re worried about gluten being in your brown sugar that you would buy at the store, you can make your own brown sugar at home. This is also a great tip if you are running low on brown sugar in your pantry and need to make some at home for a recipe.
All you need to do is combine white sugar and molasses in a bowl or food processor to process it together and get the molasses well incorporated. Depending on if you need light or dark brown sugar, you can adjust how much molasses you add to your brown sugar. You can use this in all of your baking recipes that call for brown sugar.
Are both light and dark brown sugars gluten-free?
Yes, both light and dark brown sugar are gluten free. Assuming that the brown sugar is made with only two ingredients: sugar and molasses, you can know that this will be safe for your gluten-free diet.
There shouldn’t be a difference between ingredients on light and dark brown sugar, the only difference is how much molasses has been added to the sugar which will create the variation in color.

Brands of gluten-free brown sugar
Since brown sugar is naturally gluten-free, you won’t have a hard time finding an option for you that is safe for your gluten free. Here are a few brands to look for next time you’re at the grocery store that you can add to your gluten-free baked goods and recipes.
These are brands that have a gluten-free label on them, but remember that most brown sugar should contain no gluten. You can find that out by reading ingredient lists to identify hidden sources of gluten before buying.
Where can I buy gluten-free brown sugar?
Since brown sugar is naturally gluten-free, you can look for this ingredient at all grocery stores or wherever you buy your baking ingredients.
Look for it locally in the baking aisle, or if you have a hard time finding brown sugar at stores near where you live, you can also buy it online through Amazon or Thrive Market.
Are my favorite brands of brown sugar gluten-free?
You might have a favorite brand of brown sugar that you like to use in your baking and cooking already, so in this section I’m going to answer some questions about popular brands of brown sugar and whether they’re safe for your gluten-free diet.
Is Crystal brown sugar gluten-free?
According to the Crystal Sugar brand website, their products are all gluten-free. You can feel good about buying this brand.
Is Domino brown sugar gluten-free?
According to the Domino brand website, none of their sugars contain gluten. The packaging does not have a gluten-free label.
Is Great Value brown sugar gluten-free?
According to the Walmart website, Great Value brown sugar is gluten-free.
If you’ve been following a gluten-free diet or just getting started with one, I hope that you’ve found the information you’ve been looking for regarding gluten and your gluten-free diet. Most brown sugar is gluten-free, but you can always look for a brand with a gluten-free label if you need to be extra certain there is not a chance of cross contamination.
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