Brown sugar is refined white sugar with a small amount of molasses added back to give it colour, moisture, and a faint caramel flavour. The molasses content adds trace amounts of minerals (iron, calcium, potassium) compared to white sugar, but these are so small as to be nutritionally insignificant at typical serving sizes. It provides 380–390 kcal/100g, almost entirely from sucrose.
Brown sugar's faint caramel flavour makes it preferable for baking applications like cookies, crumbles, and sauces where that depth is desirable. It can be substituted 1:1 for white sugar in most recipes, though its moisture content may slightly affect texture.
Where Sugar, brown Stands Out
Macronutrients per 100g
Glycemic Index & Load
Medium GI food — moderate effect on blood sugar. Pair with protein, fat, or fibre to lower the overall meal GI.
Glycemic Load (GL = GI × carbs ÷ 100) accounts for portion size. A low GL means this food has minimal real-world blood sugar impact.
Vitamins & Minerals
| Nutrient | Per 100g | % Daily Value* | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium | 140 mg | 7% | |
| Calcium | 56.0 mg | 7% | |
| Magnesium | 17.0 mg | 5% | |
| Phosphorus | 4.00 mg | 1% | |
| Iron | 1.70 mg | 12% | |
| Zinc | 0.100 mg | 1% | |
| Copper | 0.060 mg | 6% | |
| Vitamin A (RE) | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Manganese | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Folate | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Pantothenic Acid (B5) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-TE) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin C | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Selenium | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Niacin equivalents (NE) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Iodine | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) | 0.000 g | — | |
| Trans fat | 0.000 g | — | |
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.000 g | — | |
| Sucrose | 100 g | — | |
| Glucose (dextrose) | 0.000 g | — | |
| Maltose | 0.000 g | — | |
| Fructose | 0.000 g | — | |
| Cholesterol | 0.000 mg | — | |
| Beta-carotene | 0.000 µg | — | |
| Biotin (Vitamin B7) | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Retinol (vitamin A) | 0.000 µg | 0% |
* % Daily Value is the proportion of an adult
EU Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) supplied by 100g of this food.
NRVs are the labelling standard — the same basis as the “%RI” figures printed on
food packaging — so these percentages are directly comparable with a shop label.
They are a single adult figure and do not vary by age or sex, which is why they
sometimes differ from UK dietary reference values: the NRV for vitamin C is 80mg
where the UK RNI is 40mg. When Nutriofia assesses your own intake in the
reports and trackers, it uses the age- and sex-specific UK values instead.
Fibre is shown without a percentage. Our fibre values use the UK
Englyst NSP method, while the published 30g daily goal is an AOAC figure — the two
are measured differently and a single percentage would mislead.
How we source and normalise our data →