Learn How To Make Molasses From Sorghum Juice

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How to Make Molasses

Learn how to make molasses from sorghum! Where you get the sorghum does not affect the outcome, but if you buy it, make sure it’s organic.

Fall, to me, is the best time of the year. I love baking, and fall, with its cool temperatures, is the best time to bake. It warms the house and smells incredible. In my recipes, I use a lot of molasses, but it’s hard to find locally made molasses and when I do, it’s so expensive (although non-local is relatively cheap). So, I set out to learn how to make molasses from sorghum juice.

What is real molasses made from?

True molasses is made from sugarcane. But sorghum juice boiled down has also come to be called molasses. And that is what we’re after here, sorghum molasses.

What are the ingredients in molasses?

Sugarcane and water, boiled down. Much like maple syrup.

Why Use Molasses or Blackstrap Molasses?

Molasses comes from several sources, and all of them have different attributes. Most of them lend moisture to baked dishes like pecan pie and brown bread. It also adds considerable flavor to baked beans. In addition to these, molasses has the following benefits:

  • rich in copper
  • rich in iron
  • its low glycemic index (digested slowly by the body)
  • natural stool softener for constipation
  • high in calcium
  • high in magnesium
  • high in Vitamin B6

How to Make Molasses From Sorghum Juice

Most commercial molasses is made from sugar cane, which only grows in tropical and subtropical areas. Here in North Carolina, sugar cane may grow well in the summer, but it doesn’t get to the size it needs to produce a lot of juice. So we use sorghum since it grows well in temperate regions.

What Are the Ingredients to Molasses?

Sugar Beets

I would not use sugar beets because over 90% of sugar beets grown in the United States are genetically modified.

Sorghum

Sorghum is a grass that grows well in most climates. “Sugar Drip” and “Rox Orange” are two good varieties and it’s inexpensive to buy these seeds. Plant as you would corn and harvest the canes when ready to make molasses.

Note from Matt and Betsy: If you don’t have access to sorghum, non-local molasses is relatively cheap to purchase. You can find an organic variety here.

Process for Making Molasses

Step 1

Cut the canes off about 6 inches from the ground. These need to be juiced. Often a crushing mill is used and can sometimes be borrowed from neighboring farms. If you don’t have access to one, a cider press will work as well as an herb press. And if you don’t have one of these, you can boil the cane in a bit of water and crush it in a chinois, the conical sieve used for straining fruit peels and seeds for jam.

Step 2

It takes about 10 gallons of juice to make a gallon of molasses. I keep several gallon jugs on hand when I make molasses. Crush enough cane to make 10 gallons of juice. Then, in a large kettle or pot, start simmering part of it. I start with about 4 gallons. Next, I turn it on low and warm it slowly. Remember, there is a lot of natural sugar in cane juice and it can scorch easily. Bring the mixture to a simmer and keep it there for several hours. This can also be done outside to reduce the energy used. I use my firepit and keep it topped off with wood. (Incidentally, I use the wood char for biochar later.) A splatter screen used for frying foods works well to keep any ashes out of the pot.

Step 3

As the molasses juice simmers, you’ll notice a foam starting to form on the top. Skim this off. (This foam is nutritious so I keep it and add it to water for my plants.) As the liquid starts to reduce, add more until it’s all in the pot. It will be clear or greenish, working down to green and then to brown. This is a result of the sugars in the cane juice oxidizing. Several factors affect the color of the juice, including the content of the soil, moisture, and even seed variety and quality. So your end product may be different in color and taste.

You’ll know it’s done when it no longer tastes like raw juice and is a thick syrup like dark corn syrup. The end result will be even thicker when it cools. Be sure to bring it all the way to this stage as undercooking it can cause it to spoil and can cause mold to grow.

Final Step

When the juice is reduced to about 10% (1 gallon from 10 gallons), it’s ready to can. Pour into clean jars and seal in a hot water bath, as you would for canning tomatoes. Storing in an airtight container like this will help to prevent crystallization. Then to use, use it as you would any other molasses.

Gingerbread Cake, Ginger Molasses Cookies, and BBQ Sauce

Ever had gingerbread cake? You have to try this recipe we found, you’ll love it! How about a warm batch of chewy ginger molasses cookies? MMM.

Or use it to make this delicious barbecue sauce!

Bonus Content

Now that you know how to make molasses, try making some gingerbread!

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About Debra Maslowski

Debra is a master gardener, a certified herbalist, a natural living instructor, and more. She taught Matt and Betsy how to make soap so they decided to bring her on as a staff writer! Debra recently started an organic herb farm in the mountains of Western North Carolina. You can even purchase her handmade products on Amazon!

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Comments

  1. Avatar photoBethany says

    I’m from southeastern Iowa, and we call this syrup sorghum instead of molasses. I actually prefer the flavor of sorghum! When I was a kid, we went on a school field trip to a farm that was making it. They had a HUGE kettle going. It was really neat to see!

    Since I don’t have access to a press, I will have to press it through a strainer myself. (Thanks for giving me the name for the cone strainer, by the way! 🙂 ) Can you give me an idea how much sorghum cane it takes to produce 10 gallons of juice?

    Thanks for the great information! Since I saw it on such a large scale as a kid, it just never occurred to me to do it myself on a small scale.

    Have a great weekend!

    • Avatar photoDebra Maslowski says

      Hi Bethany! I’ve never made much at a time. I usually have my hands full and end up with about a gallon or so after the 10 gallons (give or take) boil down. I used about 3 shocks that I could get my arms around, if that makes sense. I had it tied like corn shocks to get it home. So for 10 gallons of juice, you’ll probably need about 40 stalks, figuring 10-12 in a shock. Next year I’ll be growing my own, so it may be different depending on the variety. And of course you need to consider if it has been dry or wet during the growing season and how long ago it was cut, since it looses moisture after being stored for a while. There are a lot of variables, but this should be close. Have fun!