Molasses is a thick, dark brown liquid sweetener made from sugarcane. It’s used mainly in baking to add a deeper flavor and darker color.
Where is molasses in grocery store? You will find molasses in the baking aisle of grocery stores like Walmart, Safeway, Publix and Kroger. It’s usually sitting next to other sweeteners like corn syrup and sugar.
Since it’s a liquid sweetener, look for bottles, jars, or cartons.
If it’s not in the baking aisle, you may check the flavored syrups and honey in the cereals/breakfast food aisle. The last places to look are the spice aisle or natural foods aisle, although these are less common places to find molasses.
There are 5 different types of molasses, which vary in how they are refined – blackstrap, light, dark and fancy. They can all be used in baking but will yield slightly different results. Each type of molasses can be organic, depending on the brand that produces it.
Most recipes call for either light or dark cooking molasses. This is what you’re most likely to find in your local grocery store and online.
What does molasses look like in the supermarket?
Molasses is a dark liquid stored in a jar. The most common size is 12 ounces, similar to a bottle of corn syrup you’d use for baking.
What is the price of molasses?
A 12-ounce jar of molasses costs about $3 to $5 in most grocery stores. This size is standard for molasses that you find on the shelf. If you want to order a 24-ounce jar, you’ll pay anywhere from $12 to $20.
What are the best brands of molasses to buy?
There are several popular brands of molasses you can find in your grocery store. Some of the best brands are:
- Grandma’s Original Molasses: Get it here
- Brer Rabbit Full Flavor Molasses: Get it here
- Golden Barrel Blackstrap Molasses: Get it here
- Plantation Organic Blackstrap Molasses: Get it here
- Crosby’s Cooking Molasses: Get it here
Where to buy molasses near me
Molasses is available at most large local grocery store chains and local supermarkets, such as:
- Kroger:
Kroger sells jars of molasses in a variety of sizes. The most popular brands are Grandma’s, Plantation, Brer Rabbit, and Wholesome. Original molasses is available at different strengths, as well as blackstrap molasses.
- Walmart:
Walmart sells molasses in jars and cartons. The most popular brands available are Grandma’s, Great Value, Plantation, and Wholesome. Most types of molasses are available at Walmart, including original, blackstrap, fancy, and specialty varieties like pomegranate molasses.
- Whole Foods:
Whole Foods sells molasses in jars and bottles of varying sizes. The most popular brands are Grandma’s, Wholesome, Plantation, Crosby, and Golden Barrel. Specialty molasses, including pomegranate molasses and blackstrap molasses, are also available.
- Safeway:
Safeway sells molasses in bottles and jars. The most popular brands they sell are Grandma’s, Brer Rabbit, Plantation, Wholesome, and Sultan. These brands offer original, blackstrap, and pomegranate molasses.
- Publix:
Publix offers molasses in jars or bottles. The most popular brands sold are Grandma’s, Plantation, Publix brand, Slow As, and Cortas. At Publix, there are options for blackstrap, regular, and pomegranate molasses.
You may also find molasses at other local grocery stores or markets in your area. You might even find different flavors of molasses at specialty baking shops.
If there is a local farmer’s market in your area, check for molasses there as well. Specialty molasses is often made by local businesses or farms and sold directly to customers. Farmer’s markets are likely to have more varieties of fruit molasses, such as cherry or sugar beet molasses.
How to buy molasses online
Molasses can be ordered online for delivery to your home. Try these sites for buying molasses online.
Amazon has molasses of all types, in containers ranging from 12 oz. to 5 gallons. They sell popular brands like Grandma’s, Plantation, Brer Rabbit, Golden Barrel, and Wholesome as well as many other smaller brands.
Specialty molasses types are also on Amazon. There are different options for cane, grape, cherry, and pomegranate molasses. Most specialty molasses products are only available up to 16 oz.
Walmart sells molasses online as well as in-store. It’s available in sizes ranging from 12 oz. to 1 gallon. Many popular brands are sold through Walmart, including Wholesome, Grandma’s, Golden Barrel, Plantation, and Viva Doria as well as other brands.
Some specialty molasses types are available at Walmart, including pomegranate, blackstrap, and grape molasses.
- Amish Country Store
Amish Country Store sells Golden Barrel molasses in 32 oz. jars. This is currently the only brand offered for sale from this online retailer.
- Golden Barrel
Buy Golden Barrel molasses from the company’s website directly. It’s sold in 12, 32, and 128 oz. jars. Both regular baking molasses and blackstrap molasses are available in multiple sizes.
- Zingerman’s
Zingerman’s sells specialty fruit molasses, including fig and pomegranate. Fig molasses comes in 120-gram bottles and pomegranate in 12 oz bottles.
How long does store-bought molasses last after opening?
If you properly store your opened store-bought molasses, you can use it for years. If you have bottles of molasses that you haven’t opened, they’ll last even longer. You can store them in the pantry or another cool, dark place for up to 10 years.
Many people only use molasses in certain recipes, like for gingersnaps during the winter or soft molasses cookies to pack in school lunches. Since it’s not such a common ingredient, most people store it for an extended period.
Molasses is similar to honey but lasts much longer. If you store it properly in a cool, dry place, then you’ll be able to use the same jar for anywhere from one to five years—if you don’t eat it all before then. Make sure you seal the lid tightly after every use to prevent bacterial growth.
Some chefs recommend replacing your molasses every six months, just to be on the safe side. You can check and see if molasses has gone bad by checking the color, flavor, and consistency. Even if you can’t see mold in the molasses, you’ll be able to smell that something’s off, so always check an old jar before using it.
How to properly store molasses after opening?
Molasses reacts to heat and humidity, so you always want to keep it as cool as possible. That doesn’t mean you have to refrigerate the jar; just keeping it at room temperature is enough.
Keep it away from any heat source, though. This means you shouldn’t store it in the cabinet next to the oven, because that area gets warm when you’re cooking.
Should molasses be refrigerated?
You can store molasses in the refrigerator, but freezing it will change its texture.
You’ll find that refrigerated molasses is much thicker than that kept at room temperature. This issue is a quick fix, though. Just immerse the jar in warm water for a few minutes to thin out the molasses inside.
Some people wonder about freezing molasses, but it’s not recommended. You’d have to put it in a different container to prevent the glass from shattering. Also, since molasses keeps so well in a dark pantry, you don’t need to freeze it to make it last any longer.
What can i get instead of molasses?
If you’re having trouble finding molasses, there are many different alternatives you can try. Here are the top 3 common pantry staples you can substitute for molasses.
Honey
Honey has a lighter color than molasses and is sweeter. If you choose honey with a darker color and deeper flavor, like coffee honey or buckwheat honey, you can get a similar taste to molasses.
Replace honey using a 1:1 ratio for molasses in your recipe. Honey is sweeter than molasses, so you may want to reduce the amount you use or mix it with another less sweet ingredient.
Can’t find honey? See our article on: Where is Honey in the Grocery Store? (and How to Buy Online)
Maple Syrup
Dark maple syrup can work well as a substitute for molasses since it has a similar caramel flavor and color. Even lighter maple syrups work, but you may miss the depth of flavor.
Because it’s thinner than molasses, you may want to use slightly less than a 1:1 ratio or reduce another liquid from elsewhere in your recipe.
Brown Sugar
Since brown sugar has molasses in it, it can be a great substitute sweetener. Choose dark brown sugar rather than light brown sugar for a richer molasses flavor.
Substitute brown sugar at a 1:1 ratio for molasses, with some adjustment to the liquid in the recipe. Since brown sugar is dry, you may need to add up to 4 tablespoons of water per cup of brown sugar. You can also mix in another substitute ingredient, such as maple syrup or honey, to create a texture and flavor more similar to molasses.
Make sure that any alternative you choose mimics what molasses does in the dish, whether that means providing color, flavor, or both.
Choose a liquid sweetener with a strong flavor if you want the most similar taste results. Go for a dark brown liquid sweetener for a similar color profile.
Dry ingredients can replace molasses, with some adjustments. Add more liquid ingredients of another type or mix in a few tablespoons of water as needed to get the right consistency. Doing so will ensure you get the delicious outcome you want.
