What Is Molasses and How Can I Use It?

Wondering what to do with molasses? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it, plus 816 recipes to put it to work.

What are molasses?

Molasses  is a viscous byproduct of the processing of sugar cane or sugar beets into sugar. The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet, the amount of sugar extracted, and the method of extraction. Sweet sorghum syrup is known in some parts of the United States as molasses, though it is not true molasses.

Cane molasses is a common ingredient in baking, often used in baked goods such as gingerbread cookies.

There are a number of substitutions that can be made for molasses. For a given volume of molasses, one of the following may be used (with varying degrees of success): an equal volume of honey, dark corn syrup, or maple syrup, or ¾ that volume firmly packed brown sugar.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find molasses: Molasses are usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Molasses are a member of the Sweets US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

糖蜜

British (UK) term

dark treacle

en français

la mélasse

en español

la melaza

How much do molasses weigh?

Related

Sweets

Recipes using molasses

There are 816 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Gloria's Best Gingerbread Cookies

Soft, warmly spiced gingerbread cookies made with molasses, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Roll and cut into festive shapes for Christmas decorating with simple icing.

T.M.'s Gingerbread Cookies

Classic roll-out gingerbread cookies with ginger, nutmeg, and molasses, perfect for cookie cutters and holiday decorating. The traditional Christmas cookie kids and grown-ups both love to ice.

Newbest Pecan Pie

Chocolate pecan pie spiked with Kahlua and molasses, loaded with toasted pecans and semi-sweet chocolate chips. A grown-up Thanksgiving pie with deep coffee-bourbon undertones.

Whole Wheat Two Seeds Bread

Nutty whole wheat bread machine loaf topped with sesame and poppy seeds. Molasses adds subtle sweetness and soft texture to this high-fiber sandwich bread.

Homemade Noodles Bird’s Nest

This recipe is very easy and fun to make. And it’s a kid friendly recipe. Try it.

Turkey Scallopini & Squash Ravioli with Cranberry Brown Butter

Turkey Scallopini and Squash Ravioli with Cranberry Brown Butter recipe

Tom's Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

Old-fashioned pumpkin pie with molasses, evaporated milk, and the four classic spices: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. The grandmother-style holiday pie with a deep, dark filling.

Awesome Ginger Spice Waffles

Gingerbread-style waffles with molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, half whole-wheat flour for body. Topped with vanilla yogurt and bright fruit, they taste like holiday morning.

Vegan Peanut Butter Muffins

Vegan peanut butter muffins sweetened with dark molasses and made dairy-free with soy milk. No eggs, no butter, just a one-bowl stir-and-bake batter for tender, nutty muffins.

Holiday Vegan Pumpkin Pie

A vegan pumpkin pie with a silky tofu-set custard, spiced with cinnamon, ginger and mace and sweetened with molasses, in a flaky from-scratch crust. An egg- and dairy-free holiday classic.

Oatmeal Waffles/Pancakes

Oatmeal waffles or pancakes: hearty whole-wheat batter with quick oats, buttermilk, and a touch of molasses for warm depth. Heart-healthy breakfast made with egg substitute and canola oil.

Homemade String Hopper Sweet Rolls

Homemade string hopper sweet rolls, delicate steamed rice-flour noodle disks wrapped around a sweet coconut treacle and cinnamon filling. A soft, lightly sweet Sri Lankan steamed treat for breakfast or tea.

Homemade Milk Rice with Coconut Stuffing

Milk Rice is a traditional specialty food item of Sri Lanka made for special occasions. Some Sri Lankans believe it is a lucky food. It is simple to make and very tasty.

Granola Bars Bw

Homemade granola bars sweetened with molasses and orange juice concentrate, packed with oats, raisins, apricots, sunflower seeds, wheat germ and sesame. Dense, cakey, and naturally fruit-sweetened.

Treacle Scones

Treacle scones blend flour and cornmeal with light molasses for sturdy, lightly sweet British tea scones with toasty corn texture and molasses depth. Split warm and serve with butter and jam.

Pumpkin or Squash Pie

Vegan pumpkin or squash pie with silken tofu, honey or maple, molasses, and a hint of coriander and almond extract. Egg-free and dairy-free, with custard-like texture from blended tofu.

Favorite Chewy Spice Cookies

Chewy spice cookies are low-fat molasses cookies sweetened with applesauce, scented with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, then drizzled with lemon icing. Holiday spice cookies without butter or eggs.

Silky Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Vegan pumpkin pie made with silken tofu instead of eggs and cream, sweetened with date sugar and molasses. Silky custard texture with classic Thanksgiving spice.

Cakey Gingerbread Squares

Cakey gingerbread squares with molasses, fresh orange zest, and warm holiday spices. Tender old-fashioned gingerbread, dusted with powdered sugar for a snowy finish.

Holiday Gingerbread Waffles

Holiday gingerbread waffles bring molasses, fresh ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the breakfast table. Whipped egg whites give them an impossibly light, crisp-edged crumb.

Old Fashion Ginger Snaps

Crispy old fashioned ginger snaps made with whole wheat flour, molasses, cinnamon, and cloves. These spiced cookies bake up flat and crackled in just 8 minutes with a warm, snappy bite.

Rubber Stamp Gingerbread Cookies

Rubber stamp gingerbread cookies bake up firm enough to hold cutter shapes and decorate, with a pinch of cayenne hiding behind the molasses, ginger, and cloves for unexpected warmth.

First Ginger Molasses Cookies

Chewy ginger molasses cookies with crackly, sugar-dusted tops and a warm hit of ginger and cinnamon. Brown sugar and molasses keep them soft in the center with crisp, sparkly edges.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Muffins

Wholesome whole wheat peanut butter muffins sweetened with molasses, not sugar, and quick to mix in one bowl. Crunchy peanut butter and whole wheat pastry flour make a hearty, lightly sweet breakfast or snack.

Pumpkin Pie with Short Pastry Crust

Pumpkin pie sweetened with honey and molasses, lightened with whipped cream folded into the custard, in a buttery short pastry crust. A holiday classic with a silkier-than-usual filling.

Holiday Gingerbread Cookies

Holiday gingerbread cutout cookies made with molasses, brown sugar, and warm spices. Dough chills for 1 hour, rolls to perfect thickness, then cuts into festive shapes ready for decorating.

Rich Pumpkin Bread or Muffins

Make a bunch of these buttery and moist pumpkin bread or muffins for Thanksgiving. Cream adds extra richness. Honey, molasses and vanilla with all the spices make the bread taste incredibly flavorful and tasty. They are also wonderful gifts for you to give away.

Orange & Ginger Cookies

Orange and ginger cookies: soft-centered molasses cookies with fresh orange zest and ground ginger, rolled in citrus-sugar before baking. Holiday classic with bright modern twist.

Whole Wheat Gingerbread People Cookies

Whole wheat gingerbread people cookies sweetened with honey and molasses, spiced with ginger and allspice. A wholesome roll-and-cut Christmas cookie with a deep, earthy flavor and snappy edges.

Yummy Homemade Bread

Traditional hand-kneaded white bread made with scalded milk and molasses for three golden loaves with a tender, slightly sweet crumb. This old-fashioned method takes time but rewards you with bakery-quality bread that fills your kitchen with irresistible aroma.

Homemade Steamed Sweet Buns

Steamed buns can be easily made with a variety of fillings. They’re shaped like a flower! Try this recipe.

Light Whole Wheat Bread - Pan-1

Light whole wheat bread for the bread machine, blending whole wheat with bread flour for a soft sandwich loaf with molasses sweetness. A no-knead loaf using the wheat cycle.

Banana Curry Muffins

Unusual banana curry muffins flavored with curry powder, treacle, and sweetened condensed milk, plus mashed bananas and bran. A high-fibre breakfast muffin with a savory-spice twist.

Easy Moravian Christmas Cookies

Moravian Christmas cookies rolled paper-thin with molasses, brown sugar, and warm spices like clove, cinnamon, and ginger. A heritage Pennsylvania Dutch holiday cookie that snaps with every bite.

Amazing Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Lemon Glaze

Poppy seeds pop in this lemon poppyseed muffins with glaze recipe. Easy to make.

Eggless Rolled Ginger Cookies For Easter

Eggless rolled ginger cookies cut into Easter egg shapes, sweetened with molasses and warmed with ginger and cinnamon. An old-fashioned holiday cookie perfect for decorating with kids.

Country Whole Wheat Bread

Hearty country whole wheat bread enriched with beer, wheat germ, honey, and molasses. Two dense, malty-sweet loaves with a tender crumb. Slice thick for sandwiches or toast with butter.

Kathleen's Fantastic Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread with dark molasses, brown sugar, and three warm spices, plus walnuts and optional raisins. Makes three loaves. Tender, deeply spiced, and freezes beautifully for the holidays.

Moist Gingerbread Cake

Moist gingerbread cake sweetened with molasses and applesauce, no butter or oil added. Whole wheat and white flour blend with buttermilk for tender low-fat texture and warm spice.

Shoofly Pie 2

Classic Pennsylvania Dutch shoofly pie with a rich molasses filling and buttery brown sugar crumb topping. This old-fashioned molasses pie recipe bakes up with a gooey bottom and crumbly top that'll have you reaching for seconds.

Molasses Cookies A.K.A. Ginger Cookies (Christmas)

Just in time for Christmas, these delicious cookies made with molasses and brown sugar are full of the holiday spirit.

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzel Bread

Chewy, golden whole wheat pretzel bread with a hint of molasses sweetness, topped with sesame seeds and coarse salt. Just toss everything in the bread machine and let it work its magic!

Grandma Cottington's Pumpkin Pie

Grandma Cottington's pumpkin pie is a heritage Thanksgiving classic: flaky butter-and-lard double crust, custardy pumpkin filling with cream, molasses, cinnamon, and allspice. Yields 2 pies.

Whole Wheat Yeast Waffles

Yeast-leavened whole wheat waffles use rising time instead of baking powder for crisp, deeply tangy waffles. No eggs, no oil, just whole wheat pastry flour, bran, molasses, and yeast.

Gingerbread Men Cookies

Gingerbread men cookies with deep molasses, warm ginger and cinnamon, and currant eyes. The classic Christmas cutout cookie with a soft chewy center perfect for kids' decorating projects.

Pumpkin Scones with Two Glaze

Copycat pumpkin scones with two glazes: tender, spiced pumpkin scones finished with a plain sugar glaze and a drizzle of spiced pumpkin glaze. The fall coffee-shop favorite at home.

Spiced Christmas Cookies

Treat the kids this Christmas with these scrumptious snacks that will bring out the holiday spirit in your baking!

Desperately Healthy Pancakes

High-fiber pancakes packed with soy flour, whole wheat, wheat germ, and bran, lifted with whipped egg whites and brightened with orange juice. A wholesome breakfast that doesn't taste like cardboard.

Never Fail Wholewheat Bread

It is a never fail whole wheat bread recipe, have made this bread for years, it has never failed.

Amy's Chili with Hominy (Vegan)

Amy's vegan chili with hominy, pinto beans, chickpeas, zucchini, and a hint of molasses for depth. The dump-and-simmer one-pot weeknight chili that's hearty enough to skip the meat entirely.

All 816 recipes