Unrefined sugar is sugar that has gone through some processing to remove impurities, but retains most of the original cane molasses. It is made by taking the juices from the sugar cane and boiling them, which is when dark brown molasses appear around sugar crystals. Different sugars have differing amounts of the molasses removed, and unrefined sugars have a treacly taste. Unrefined sugars include turbinado, demerara, and muscovado sugars. They are substitutes for regular refined brown sugars but offer a more complex flavor.

Unrefined sugars are not necessarily better for you in nutritional terms, as the molasses in the unrefined sugars do have some extra nutrients and minerals but the amounts are very small and don’t make a difference in the quantities we use sugar. However, unrefined sugars provide more nutrition for our bodies than processed sugar meaning they are all-natural and easier for your body to digest and process.

Refined sugar, on the other hand, is sugar that has gone through a refining process, or chemical process to remove the molasses that’s naturally found in it. Refining sugar removes much of the sugar’s natural minerals and nutrients including phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. This type of sugar is highly processed and therefore has a higher shelf-stable life; it also tends to dissolve more quickly than unrefined sugar, which is why it’s so commonly used in the food and beverage industries.

In summary, unrefined sugar is sugar that has gone through some processing to remove impurities, but retains most of the original cane molasses. It provides more nutrition for our bodies than processed sugar, but it is not necessarily better for you in nutritional terms.