Browning Sauce – This 3-ingredient sauce recipe is a game-changer to your usual stews, soups, barbecues, and even cakes. It adds a wonderful deep flavor with its lovely combination of sweet and salty and gives your dish a beautiful color. This homemade sauce will surely be your new favorite condiment alongside Worcestershire and Oyster Sauce.
I used to buy bottles of browning sauce until a friend taught me how to make it from scratch. And how simple this famous Caribbean seasoning is to make will surprise you. I bet you’ll never buy a bottle again after you see how. 😉
Contents…Recipe Ingredients |
Jamaican Browning Sauce
Caribbeans use this condiment in most of their recipes. Though it’s just water, sugar, and salt, it creates an exceptional flavor when added to any dish. That’s because the sugar’s caramelization produces a richer and deeper flavor than just plain sugar.
In short, you toast the sugar to give our sauce its robust and smoky flavor. Adding a teaspoon or two of this browning sauce is enough to give our dish a flavor boost. However, adding too much will make your finished dish a little bitter. The right amount is a deal-breaker.
Browning Sauce Recipe Ingredients
Surprisingly, this brown sauce is made with only three pantry staples and is ready in about 15 minutes. Making it from scratch is straightforward, cheaper, and better because it has no unnecessary additives and preservatives. Oh yes!
- Brown Sugar – Caramelized sugar is so delectable. If you’ve never tried it, try making some flan. But browning it even more adds exciting flavors to our dishes like Jamaican Oxtail Stew. You can also use white sugar to make this; however, it won’t be as dark and rich.
- Water – Boiling water works best for this recipe because cold water may cause the sugar to clump and harden. Then it’ll be harder to mix and take longer to cook.
- Salt – A pinch of salt is enough to balance the sweetness of our seasoning and give a hint of saltiness in the background.
How to Make Browning Sauce
Caramelize the Sugar
- Heat on Low – Heat a small pot over low heat.
- Melt the Sugar – Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar melts. (Photos 1-4)
Boil and Simmer
- Add Boiling Water – When the sugar becomes frothy and turns from light brown to dark brown, carefully add boiling water a little at a time while stirring. Do not let the sugar turn too black, as you will end up with bitter-tasting browning sauce. Note: Be very careful when adding the hot water as the sugar may sputter and rise up. (Photos 5-6)
- Stir – Keep stirring for about 5 minutes until your sauce is ready. (Photos 7-8)
- Allow to Cool and Set Aside – Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Use or Store – Use immediately or bottle and store in the fridge.
Recipe Variations
- Chinese Brown Sauce – This version is more savory because of its rich umami flavors from the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and broth. It also uses cornstarch as a thickener.
- Spanish Brown Sauce (a.k.a. Espagnole) – The Spanish version is loaded with great flavors from herbs such as thyme and parsley. And fresh veggies, too, like celery, carrots, and tomatoes.
Tips and Tricks
- Keep the heat on low while cooking our browning sauce to avoid burning the sugar quickly.
- Please leave the window open and keep the fan on to reduce the accumulation of smoke throughout the house.
- Add the hot water carefully as the sugar mix may rise and splatter. You may do this in the kitchen sink to avoid messy spills and accidents.
- If it begins to smoke as it melts before it gets dark enough, lower the heat or remove it from the heat for a bit.
- If possible, use a nonstick saucepan for easy clean-up.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Aside from adding our Brown Sauce to stewed meat, you can use it to add flavor to grilled meats and give them a beautiful dark brown color. And, surprisingly, it goes great in cakes, too.
The best thing about our homemade Browning Sauce is its long shelf life since sugar and salt are natural preservatives. You can keep your condiment in a clean and dry airtight container, squeeze bottle, or glass bottle, and store it in the fridge from six months to a year.
FAQs
Although these two are similar in appearance and consistency, they are actually two different seasonings. Because browning sauce is water and brown sugar, it tastes similar to molasses. On the other hand, the Worcestershire sauce base is vinegar and spices. It has a rich umami flavor from anchovies and soy sauce and tastes a little sour.
I would describe the taste as slightly bitter (pleasantly so) with a hint of sweet and salty. This is because browning sauce is technically toasted brown sugar, water, and salt.
Adding too much browning sauce may ruin your finished dish due to its slightly bitter flavor profile. A teaspoon of this seasoning is enough to add flavor to your dishes.
Where to Use Browning Sauce
Our Browning Sauce enhances and deepens the flavor of the sauce and broth of the following dishes.
This brown gravy also makes excellent flavoring and creates a lovely dark hue to the following desserts.
More Homemade Sauces to Try
Watch How to Make It
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Browning Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
- ¾ cup (6oz) boiling water
- ½ teaspoon (3g) salt, optional
Instructions
- Heat a small pot over low heat.
- Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar melts.
- When the sugar becomes frothy and turns from light brown to dark brown, carefully add boiling water a little at a time while stirring. Do not let the sugar turn too black, as you will end up with bitter-tasting browning sauce. Note: Be very careful when adding the hot water as the sugar may sputter and rise up.
- Keep stirring for about 5 minutes until your sauce is ready.
- Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Use immediately or bottle and store in the fridge.
Tips & Notes:
- Keep the heat on low while cooking our browning sauce to avoid burning the sugar quickly.
- Please leave the window open and keep the fan on to reduce the accumulation of smoke throughout the house.
- Add the hot water carefully as the sugar mix may rise and splatter. You may do this in the kitchen sink to avoid messy spills and accidents.
- If it begins to smoke as it melts before it gets dark enough, lower the heat or remove it from the heat for a bit.
- If possible, use a nonstick saucepan for easy clean-up.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Mikey says
It’s pretty difficult to find much in the way of anything Caribbean in my nape of the woods, down in New Zealand, so trying to find browning sauce would be an arduous task in and of itself. Hence, finding this recipe and making it from scratch was a great joy – there is something about knowing what goes in that appeals to the cook in me.
This sauce was almost like a toffee, and one of my nieces mentioned how good it would be frozen and mixed with ice cream. Whether or not I will be cooking the Brown Stew Chicken is irrelevant, because this is good enough to experiment with other meals (hello barbecue baste).
There is something under-rated and wholesome about the cuisine of the islands. I kind of know just on the cusp of my frontal lobes the reason, but still can’t exactly formulate the words.
Best yet, this sauce is super easy (barely and inconvenience) and can be whipped up without a hitch.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Mikey!
It’s fantastic that you’ve discovered the joy of making browning sauce from scratch and are exploring Caribbean cuisine, especially in a place like New Zealand where these flavors might not be as commonly found. Browning sauce, with its rich, deep flavor reminiscent of toffee, is indeed a versatile ingredient that can enhance a variety of dishes.
Your niece’s idea of combining it with ice cream sounds delightful and innovative. The sauce’s rich caramel-like quality could pair wonderfully with the creamy sweetness of ice cream, creating a unique dessert experience. Additionally, using it as a barbecue baste is a brilliant idea. Its depth of flavor would complement grilled meats or vegetables beautifully.
Caribbean cuisine indeed has a wholesome, comforting quality, often featuring fresh ingredients, vibrant spices, and a blend of various culinary traditions. It’s a cuisine that tells a story of history, culture, and community, which might be why it resonates so deeply even when you’re just on the edge of understanding why.
It’s great to hear that you’ve found the sauce easy to make and are inspired to experiment with it in different culinary contexts. If you’re interested in exploring more Caribbean dishes or want tips on how to incorporate browning sauce into other recipes, feel free to ask. Happy cooking and experimenting!
debbie chovanetz says
should you use light or dark brown sugar?
Imma says
It doesn’t matter. Whatever you have on hand.
Jackie says
Should the salt be added with the brown sugar prior to carmalizing or after adding the boiling water? Does it make a difference when you add the salt?
Imma says
You can add it with the sugar or after. It doesn’t matter. Let me know how it goes.
linda callahan says
I made this recipe, it’s delicious,actually easy to make..I had my burner or eye on very low and stirred constantly with a wooden spoon. So happy to have found this recipe.
Imma says
Good to hear that, thank you for sharing your experience:) Stay tuned to have more amazing recipes:)
Crystal says
Just like Kitchen Bouquet.
I will have to try your homemade version. I like that it’s only 3 ingredients. Thank you for sharing