Skip to Content

Homemade Browning Sauce

Homemade Browning Sauce

Homemade Browning Sauce is a dark sauce, used to add flavor and color to stew, gravy and even cakes.

It is every easy to make and only contains two ingredients.

Every Caribbean home always have a bottle of Browning Sauce in their cupboard besides all their seasonings.

I don’t think any home is complete without one because it’s multipurpose.

Making this Homemade Browning Sauce is so easy and way cheaper than buying it in the store because the main ingredients is right in your pantry.

The best thing about this Browning Sauce besides easy is that it has no additives or preservatives in it like the store bought type.

I do use the store bought type at times, but I find out that making it at home is way better and cheaper.

Pouring the Homemade Browning Sauce in a small glass bowl.

What is Browning Sauce?

Browning Sauce is a combination of seasonings, vegetable concentrates and caramelized sugar.

It adds flavor to stews, gravies, meaty dishes and also adds color to cakes.

In Jamaica it is used mostly in Christmas Cakes, Stew Pork, Oxtails with Butter Beans and Brown Stew Chicken.

Always keep in mind that a little bit of Browning Sauce goes a long way.

With too much, it leaves a bitter taste, so always start out with just half a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon.

This Homemade Browning Sauce is a great substitute to Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Gravy Master Browning.

How to store your Homemade Browning Sauce?

You can store this Browning Sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Mix-Ins Option

The main two ingredients for making the home version browning sauce it brown sugar and hot water.

However, some people add these options to the base of it.

  • Salt I didn’t add any to the base because I wanted to add to cakes too. However, you can add it if you wont be adding it to any cakes, but just gravy, stews and soups. For this recipe, about 1 teaspoon to the sauce once it is cooled and stir. Then pour it into your container.
  • Beef broth or Beef Bouillon: Add this for additional flavor to your stews, gravy and soups.

How to make Homemade Browning Sauce from scratch?

Firstly, pour the brown sugar in a medium sauce pan, over medium low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon as it melt.

Melting the brown sugar to make Homemade Browning Sauce.
The melted brown sugar starts to get  to change color.
Melted brown sugar getting dark.

Secondly, once the sugar starts to get dark, remove from the heat. Slowly add the boiling water little by little and continue to stir.

Adding the boiling water to the dark melted sugar to make the Homemade Browning Sauce.

Finally, allow to cool before pouring it into an airtight container.

Homemade Browning Sauce.
Homemade Browning Sauce.

Homemade Browning Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup hot (boiling) Water

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, add the brown sugar over medium low heat.
  2. Stir with a wooden spoon as the brown sugar begins to melt and turn into a dark syrup consistency. If it begins to smoke before it gets a dark color, turn the heat down and remove from the heat for awhile.
  3. Once it darkens, remove from the stove.
  4. Slowly add the boiling water, little by little. Keep in mind that the sauce pan will steam a lot. Continue to stir.
  5. Allow to cool. Pour into an air tight container and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Notes

  • Never use cold water. It will cause the heated sugar to clump, gets hard and not dissolve.
  • If it begins to smoke as it melts before it gets to a dark color, turn the heat down and remove from the heat for a while.
  • Please keep the heat on low (if your stove has numbers, I kept it at 3 once the starts to melt) so it doesn’t smoke too much.
  • Keep the fan on while the sugar melts and starts to smoke to prevent too much smoke escaping throughout the house.
Homemade Browning Sauce Recipe.

Please let me know what you think about this Homemade Browning Sauce in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by and please come back again.

Blessings and Love, as you carry on, on your YouNique Journey!

Homemade Browning Sauce Recipe in a small glass bowl.

Homemade Browning Sauce

Yield: 3/4 cup
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes

Homemade Browning Sauce is a dark sauce, used to add flavor and color to stew, gravy and even cakes. It is every easy to make and only contains two ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup hot (boiling) Water

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, add the brown sugar over medium low heat.
  2. Stir with a wooden spoon as the brown sugar begins to melt and turn into a dark syrup consistency. If it begins to smoke before it gets a dark color, turn the heat down and remove from the heat for awhile.
  3. Once it darkens, remove from the stove.
  4. Slowly add the boiling water, little by little. Keep in mind that the sauce pan will steam a lot. Continue to stir.
  5. Allow to cool. Pour into an air tight container and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Notes

  • Never use cold water. It will cause the heated sugar to clump, gets hard and not dissolve.
  • If it begins to smoke as it melts before it gets to a dark color, turn the heat down and remove from the heat for a while.
  • Please keep the heat on low (if your stove has numbers, I kept it at 3 once the starts to melt) so it doesn't smoke too much.
  • Keep the fan on while the sugar melts and starts to smoke to prevent too much smoke escaping throughout the house.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 58Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 15gProtein: 0g

The nutritional information that is provided, is computer generated and therefore it is an estimate. Please do your own research with the ingredients that are listed here, if you have any concern about any specific diet or your health.

Michael

Wednesday 14th of June 2023

Hello Yanique, I can remember when my mum used to make browning at home. The kitchen would be smokey for a few minutes. Her excuse was she was burning sugar to make Guyanese Black cake. I never complained again about a smokey kitchen as I love Black cake! Your instructions were very helpful. If I ever made browning again I would possibly use a 3rd or 1/4 cup of water. Thank you for this and your other recipes! Michael

Yanique Vincent

Thursday 15th of June 2023

Hi Michael, you are most welcome and I am glad the instructions were helpful. Thanks for sharing your story :)

Paula

Monday 23rd of January 2023

How long should it take the brown sugar to turn to syrup? I have been stirring almost an hour and it’s still not syrupy!

Yanique Vincent

Monday 23rd of January 2023

Hi Paula, I am not sure what's happening. Please keep in mind that once the brown sugar starts to melt that's when it turns to a syrup looking mixture which looks like caramel....then as it burns more, it get darker. Look at the instruction in the recipe it has some pictures that can help you know how it should look. I hope this helps.

Dahlia

Sunday 11th of December 2022

Thank you for this! I didn’t want to buy browning because I’d be throwing money away cause I only use it a few times! This recipe didn’t take me long! I took the pot off the stove for 30 seconds and it was already hard by time I turned back around! And to make matters worse I used “warm” tap water instead of boiling water! Lol. BUT…. I put it back on low medium heat and in no time everything was melted again! I definitely won’t ever be buying browning again! I initially spread the sugar out in the bottom of the pot so that the heat would be evenly distributed. Once I see it starts browning a little I start stirring and in no time it became liquid! This was great! It probably took 30 minutes or so.

Yanique Vincent

Friday 16th of December 2022

Hi Dahlia, I am so glad you were able to save it. Yes it will harden quickly but with some hot boiling water, that will do the trick. Thanks for giving it a try and you are most welcome. Merry Christmas when it comes and all the very best for the New Year.

Elle

Friday 25th of March 2022

Do I substitute the water with the stock?

Yanique Vincent

Saturday 26th of March 2022

Hi Elle, Yes you can substitute the water with the choice of stock you use. Hopes that helps. Please let me know how it turns out. Thanks.

Mary Ann

Thursday 3rd of February 2022

I learned something similar about 50 years ago from my aunt. I always LOVED her gravy, and she would never tell anyone how she made it. Until one day.......she told me ! But, she used white sugar. She always had the little jar of 'the secret' in the refrigerator. I will try it with brown sugar. Thank-you.

Kimberly

Saturday 8th of October 2022

@Mary Ann, Can you please tell me the instructions for your aunt’s gravy with white sugar? Sounds like my husband would LOVE this!! PLEASE??

Yanique Vincent

Saturday 5th of February 2022

Hi Mary Ann, You taught me something new. I never used white sugar before but I am going to try it one day. Thanks for your feedback and please let me know what you think about when you give it a try. Thanks again.

Skip to Recipe