How to Sift Powdered Sugar

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Do I Really Need To Sift Powdered Sugar.

Call me lazy but do I really need to do this? Can it really make that much difference??
Please enlighten me.

I don’t.

Most of the time it is fine unsifted. When you need an icing for fine work, like tup #1 details, it is essential to sift. Otherwise, you will certainly have to strain your icing.

If I add sugar to fondant because it needs just a touch more, I always sift it to avoid tiny lumps. but in the initial mix, I don’t sift.

Of course there can be lumps but it depends on how you measure it and what the recipe calls for. 3 cups of sifted is not 3 cups unsifted but if you go by weight. I don’t know what the diff would be (other than the occasional lump). I have had problems getting my coloring even when I don’t sift enough also.

My wilton instructor told us the 10x on the powdered sugar meant it had been sifted 10 times and that we didn’t have to sift it. Not sure if that helps or not!

I don’t sift unless the PS is lumpy. I try not to buy it if it’s hard or lumpy. I buy in plastic bags and squeeze the bag to make sure it’s light and airy.

I also do not sift unless I notice limps. Don’t think we see this as much a way back when they were packages in a box rather than a plastic bag. Never have any problems!

thanks, this makes me feel much better.

Originally Posted by ccoth

My wilton instructor told us the 10x on the powdered sugar meant it had been sifted 10 times and that we didn’t have to sift it. Not sure if that helps or not!

I’ve read in other threads that the “sifting theory” (10x means sifted 10 times) isn’t true. Sounds like a bakign urban legand!

here in Australia we have both a pure version and a mixture which has some cornflour (I think you call it cornstarch).

If using the pure then I sift. When using the mixture I don’t.

I always sift my Powder Sugar The other day I sifted it and then added a little more, but threw it in without sifting it and my frosting was lumpy and everything I tried wouldn’t work, so I ended up using it for oreo cookie filling.

The scoop! (verified by several sites. so it’s the grind not the sift! from “What’s Cooking America”

powdered sugar Also called confectioners sugar. In Britain it is called icing sugar and in France sucre glace. It is granulated sugar ground to a powder, sifted, and a small amount (3%) cornstarch has been added to prevent caking. The fineness to which the granulated sugar is ground determines the family X: factor: The X: designations are derived from the mesh sizes of the screens used to separate powdered sugar into various sizes. Thus, 4X would have a larger particle size, whereas 10X would have a smaller particle size.14 X is finer than 12X, and so on down through 10X, 8X, 6X, and 4X (the coarsest powdered sugar). Confectioners or powdered sugar, available at supermarkets, is usually 10X. Always sift it before using.

have to get some 14x — interesting to see how smooth a frosting that would make.

Icing sugar is what we call it here in Australia also.

Pure icing sugar is what is used for royal icing and has lots of lump and must be sifted to make good royal icing.

Icing sugar mixture is our version that has the cornstarch in it and its pretty smooth. No need to sift and great for buttercream.

I always sift first now. I end up with a smooth creamy buttercream great for smooth cakes where as before I always had trouble getting it flawless.

I don’t sift and I haven’t had any problems with lumps or smoothing. I think it is just preference.

I have never sifted my pawdered sugar and my frosting turns out fine even using a tip #1. Maybe someday I’ll buy a sifter and try it and see what the difference is.

I sifted my sugar at first. Now I never do and I don’t even notice a difference in the frosting at all. All the sifter used to do is make my hand hurt..LOL

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Is There A Quicker Way To Sift Powdered Sugar.

Other than the crappy hand held sifter that takes for ever that I own is there a secret way to sift sugar other than this way?

I hope there is.

I haven’t found one yet! However, when I bought a decent sieve from a catering supplier it worked alot better and the icing went through alot faster. so my recommendation is buy a professional sieve.

If you’re using a shifter with a hand crank of any kind on it, throw it away.

Just “shake and bake”!

i have a hand crank that was my mothers but i just use a spoon or my small rolling pin and mix it around lift it up and do it more, or buy one of the hand help strainer and do the same thing

I “reverse” sift. I store my sugar (50# at a time) in a large plastic bin. I use a metal strainer type to sift. I rub the BOTTOM of the strainer back and forth ON the surface of the sugar, thus filling up the strainer. It’s quick and oh so easy. I never sift the regular way now.

Jen

Originally Posted by indydebi

If you’re using a shifter with a hand crank of any kind on it, throw it away.

Just “shake and bake”!

Yes!! it is the hand crank kind, it is awful. I will definetly try one of the wire mesh type. Thanks for the visual It is always so helpful.

Originally Posted by indydebi

If you’re using a shifter with a hand crank of any kind on it, throw it away.

Just “shake and bake”!

I use the wire mesh strainer too, and it does the job well.

I can also vouch for the mesh sifter. love it!

in the I wonder. department

and put it on your hand? would you sift faster?

or could you rig up something with that on it that would also hold the sifter and then it would sift it for you?

(ok, who’s got a backyard genius inventor spouse to rig one up for us!?)

dating myself so big time

of course a real antique one would just be so nice to have!

Yes!! I LOVE Hoosier cabinets.

I’m gonna find a rickety one for the bookstore to display stuff on.
I was just talking about it this weekend too.

I have the sifter that requires you to squeeze the handle..what a pain! Then I saw an eppy of Martha S and she suggest just to whisk. which I now do, and it seems to be working just fine considering I’m whisking tons of PS for my MMF. I save the squeeze method for small quanity ie cake mix etc.

Doug, in the last few years two elderly neighbor ladies, both very dear friends, passed away. Each had that type of cabinet in their kitchens, and in spite of my shameless hints, they were willed to family members. I would have torn out a wall of cabinets to have one of those things!!

Would this do the job for you?

of course you would be sieving a lot of sugar.

I do the whisking thing too. just have to be careful not to get over zealous with my whisking or I have a big mess on my hands.

Originally Posted by grandmom

Doug, in the last few years two elderly neighbor ladies, both very dear friends, passed away. Each had that type of cabinet in their kitchens, and in spite of my shameless hints, they were willed to family members. I would have torn out a wall of cabinets to have one of those things!!

would it have been tacky to stand there and offer to buy it from them on the spot as they came to clear the house?

sad to say, those cabinets probably were sold off or even junked in short order. People just don’t realize how practical and valuable some of the “old time” stuff actually is. Too enamored of modern whiz-bang technology.

Ever wonder what does sifting sugar do?

What are sifters? Is there a need to sift flour or powdered sugar in baking? Is it a must to sift each time you bake?

The word sift came from the word sieve. It is commonly used as a term that intends to separate. In cooking, a sifter is a term or a process used to separate crumbs or lumps in common ingredients such as flour and sugar. A sifter for flour is called a flour sifter.

Powdered sugar may contain lumps that affect the texture of the baking projects. It is because it absorbs the moisture in the air. One way to remove these lumps is by sifting. Sifting is a process wherein you separate and retain parts of sugar, flour, ashes etc. This means that these dry ingredients will pass through fine mesh material. This procedure will separate dry and unwanted particles.

When sifting, there may be different materials that you may need. Having your sifter is very important, a container that will contain the sifted product, kitchen towel, and utensils.

Now a sifted powder sugar is a sugar that ha s gone through the process. I mean that it has been trough a sifter, which is a kind of strainer made with a fine mesh screen in a container. This is used to separate the particles and incorporate air. This also used to break up clumps and separate other foreign matters. A flour sifter is one type of this strainer. Once the flour has undergone the sifting process, it has more volume to it.

Types of sifters and its uses:

• Scalping – this sifter removes oversize and foreign materials. This can be insects, moldy materials, taken as flour mixes.
• Removing fines – this removes small and de dusts materials. Examples of such materials are fine herbs, spices, sugar, and other small materials.
• Grading – it controls both the oversize and undersized materials. It removes lumps and fines.

How to sift sugar using a sifter or a flour sifter

First and foremost you have to be ready with your ingredients. You need to have your sugar, wide bowl, your sifter of course and a hand towel. You may need to check your recipe if it requires your sugar measurement done before or after sifting. For example, your recipe would require you to add 350mL of sifted sugar then it should be done after sifting. If your sugar contains clumps, then the more it needs to be sifted. Now choose a bowl.

Use the widest bowl possible to avoid unnecessary clutter. If your sifter is wider than your bowl you may use a paper towel to prevent the clutter. Now to start sifting pour a small amount of sugar on the sifter. Add a few more spoonful as you go with the process. To sift gently shake it and tap the side if necessary especially if are the sugar is stuck.

So is there really a need to sift sugar?

Well, it depends on what you are baking. Sifting sugar would simply get rid of the lumps that are formed by the absorption of moisture in the air. If you want to get away with the lumps so there is a must for you to sift your sugar. But if you do not notice lumps it is safe to go on without sifting

I’ll start this post off with complete honesty: I never do this. I never “sift dry ingredients together.” I consider it a waste of time and effort. My wife disagrees. She thinks that if a recipe tells you to sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, etc., you absolutely must do this.

Sift Together: What Does This Mean?

When a baking recipe says to sift together ingredients, it is always referring to dry ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, etc. To sift these ingredients together, you place them into a sifter and then sift them all into a bowl. This is done using a flour sifter, like the one shown below, or by using a fine metal mesh sieve. Sometimes the word sieve is used as in “sieve the flour and salt together in a bowl.” This means the same thing and a sifter or sieve can be used. A sifter has a handle that turns a wheel which forces the dry ingredients through a metal screen, similar to a food mill for dry ingredients. With a sieve, you have to shake to get the ingredients to move through the mesh or push then through with a spoon or rubber spatula.

Why Sift Together?

What is the reason for sifting together dry ingredients? The usual reason given is to thoroughly mix together those ingredients. Otherwise, you would simply place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir them together. The idea, then, is that this is not adequate.

To be honest, the only time I sift flour is if a recipe calls for sifted flour rather than flour, sifted. Otherwise, I skip the sifting.

Sure, I’m not an expert baker but the idea that mixing dry ingredients together thoroughly is so difficult that you must run the ingredients through a sieve seems a little extreme to me. But, that is not the only reason I defy this baking rule. The real reason is that I do not think it actually “thoroughly mixes” the dry ingredients at all.

How do we sift together dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, and salt? We place them in a sifter or a fine mesh sieve (strainer).

So, you would put your flour into the sifter. Then your baking powder and/or baking soda. Then your salt. Then you’d sift them into a bowl. How does the baking powder and salt become perfectly distributed into the flour while you sift? What is causing these dry ingredients to thoroughly intermingle? If your baking powder is on top of a pile of flour, what do you think will end up in the bowl first? A perfectly even layer of flour and baking powder? It makes no sense. The ingredients will be mixed together somewhat, but that is all.

If you want to thoroughly mix together ingredients, you have to actually mix them. It is not rocket surgery to mix together some flour and other dry ingredients in a bowl. A spoon or a whisk will do. You just…stir. Thoroughly. That is if you don’t plan to skip this step entirely, which I often do, as for instance when I’m making pancakes.

Do you need to sift together dry ingredients, then? If you are using a pre-measured amount of flour that is supposed to be measured and then sifted, then sifting together the dry ingredients will probably serve little purpose. The only reason to pre-sift flour, to me, is if a recipe is developed using measured amounts of sifted flour. This is because if you don’t sift the flour in these recipes before you measure it, you’ll end up with the wrong amount of flour. Keep in mind that this post is not actually considering how to correctly measure out flour, or how it is more accurate to weigh it, and all of that.

You Don’t Need to Sift Together Ingredients

But in a recipe that calls for sifting ingredients for no other reason but to mix them, you can safely skip this step. If you want to mix together dry ingredients, mix them together. Sifting and mixing are two different things.

However, there is a time when sifting may help. If you wanted to thoroughly mix together flour and lumpy confectioners sugar, for example, you may want to remove the clumps from the sugar by passing it through a sifter, as in the image above (in this case an old-fashioned crank shifter) would be the best way. Even then, there is probably no need to sift the flour and sugar together, should you need to mix the two. Granulated sugar may have some lumps as well. And brown sugar is often lumpy. Of course, if your brown sugar has turned into hard clumps, you need more than a sifter.

Powdered sugar icing uses only 3 ingredients and can be made in a pinch. Elevate your cookies, cakes and muffins with this easy, no fuss and absolutely delicious glaze!

I think we can all agree that most often, the best part of any cake, donut or quick bread is the powdered sugar glaze on top. There is something about licking off the icing first before getting down to the main event and this glaze does not disappoint!

This easy icing adds the perfect delicate touch to any muffin, cookie or turnover. I love it because it’s not overbearing or overly sweet like a frosting would be. Add some food coloring and have different colors set up for a birthday party. It’s a super simple way to get creative and have everyone decorate their own treats! Use orange for some fun Halloween cookies and keep this recipe on hand for your next cookie exchange when the holidays come around.

Whether you’re topping off a special dessert with this icing or using it to satisfy a sweet tooth on a Tuesday morning, this quick and easy powdered sugar glaze recipe is something to have on hand because you will be coming back to it time and time again!

3 simple ingredients

• Heavy cream: You can also use whole milk. The higher the fat content, the thicker the icing will be. It is easier to thin out the icing by adding the cream or milk little by little than it is to thicken it.
• Powdered sugar: This is sugar ground up to a powder and usually contains cornstarch to act as an anti-clumping agent. Even still, make sure to sift it to guarantee a smoother glaze.
• Vanilla extract: I use pure vanilla extract.

How to make icing with powdered sugar

1. Combine: Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and add heavy cream (or whole milk) and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
2. Add: If you are finding it too thick, add more cream a teaspoon at a time, as needed. You want it on the thicker side, otherwise, it will run off of your baked goods!
3. Use Immediately: Once your cookies, muffins, donuts, quick bread or other baked goods have cooled, drizzle the icing over top using a spoon. If you do this while they are still hot, the icing will thin out almost completely.

Have fun with the flavor combination and substitute the vanilla for almond extract, lemon juice, butter extract or coconut extract.

Tip: If you’re wanting to decorate using a piping bag, make your own by placing the icing in a zip-top bag and snip the end to create a small opening. Best used immediately while nice and smooth!

Storing tips

This glaze will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. The small amount of milk is preserved by a large amount of sugar and will remain safe.

Favorite ways to use it

There are tons of different ways to use this glaze. It tastes delicious on cakes, danishes, muffins, quick bread, cookies, scones…you name it. Below are a few of my favorite recipes to use it in:

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Cooking certain recipe that calls for several cups of powdered sugar? This case might quite be a challenge on your part. Why? Well, it is because you might not know how many pounds of sugar to buy. So, there is a need for you to learn the exact measurement of how many cups in a pound of powdered sugar is.

The number of cups might vary based on the type of powdered sugar that you will buy and use – unsifted or sifted. So better be guided well when it comes to measure your needed powdered sugar for a certain recipe.

What is Powdered Sugar?

Containing 3% of cornstarch, powdered sugar or also referred to as confectioner’s sugar is a finely ground granulated sugar. This cornstarch will prevent the powdered sugar to the cake. It has a smooth texture that perfectly suits once into making the frosting, icing and other embellishments of cake.

As for giving subtle sweetness, powdered sugar is mostly dusted on baked products such as cakes and brownies. This kind of sugar is being grounded into three degrees of fineness, and they are XXX, XXXX, and 10X.

The 10X is the finest one, and it is used in whipping confections and cream while the other two kinds are utilized by those industrialized bakers.

How Many Cups in a Pound of Powdered Sugar?

Now, you need to know the number of cups that a pound of powdered sugar contains. Well, the number of cups might vary depends the sugar is sifted or unsifted. However, it is approximately assumed that once powdered sugar is unsifted, there could be 3 and ¾ cups, or in metric units, a kilogram is equivalent to 1956 milliliters.

Besides, not all kinds of sugar could have the same volume in every pound. For granulated sugar, a pound might be equal to an approximate of 2 ¼ cups. While finer granules of sugar would create more volume. To increase the volume by introducing additional air, you might sift the sugar before measuring.

Once into reading recipes, it is important to be careful with regards to measurements and also use the right type of sugar. So, again, a pound of powdered sugar is equal to 4 and ½ cups once unsifted, and 3 and ½ to 4 cups once sifted.

How to Measure Sugar?

A powdered sugar could be measured right away if a recipe calls for an unsifted sugar.

Prepare The Needed Materials

First, there is a need to prepare a bowl, knife, and measuring spoons or cups. As the same with how you measure other ingredients, directly measure the powdered sugar with the use of scoop and sweep motion.

Scoop The Powdered Sugar

With the use of measuring spoons or cups, just scoop the powdered sugar from the package and sweep the mounds with the back of the knife to level it off.

Transfer to The Bowl

After that, transfer it to a bowl. You shouldn’t tap or shake the measuring cup since it can cause more sugar to settle in the cup, therefore, just leave more sugar than the demands of your recipe.

Sifting Powdered Sugar

Since powdered sugar could develop some hardened lumps once stored for a long period of time because of the absorbed moisture from the air, sifting is the best way to remove these lumps. For icing and frosting purposes, sifting powdered sugar is essential.

Preparing The Items Needed

There is a need for a wide bowl, hand-cranked sifter, and fine mesh strainer.

Sift The Powdered Sugar With Strainer

To do the sifting, only hold the strainer or sifter above and pour a couple of spoonful in the sifter. Since it might spill over and makes some mess, it’s not recommended that you fill the sifter with the sugar. Work on the crank or shake the strainer gently.

Sift Without Strainer

For those without hand-cranked sifter or fine mesh strainer, hard lumps could be removed by stirring the sugar with a wire whisk. And with a fork, you can also make the powdered sugar a lot fluffier.

Indeed, measuring and sifting powdered sugar should be considered especially if you need to answer the question “how many cups in a pound of powdered sugar.”

N.B. You may be searching for The Best Masticating Juicer.

Final Thoughts

So, how many cups in a pound of powdered sugar? Have you discovered the exact measurement already? Indeed, once a recipe calls for the use of several cups of powdered sugar, you should know how many pounds you need to buy. Either sifted or not, the right measurement is important. To learn more about measuring powdered sugar, watch this.

Let us know your thoughts about this article! Please leave your comments below. Hit like and share this article too! Thank you!

Sifting your flour seems a bit old-timey to modern bakers. After all, who of us has one of those handheld metal sifters with the hand crank? Though it seems unnecessary, sifting your ingredients serves a purpose in baking recipes, and you may not want to skip this step. Read on to learn about sifting and when it’s appropriate for your recipes.

Sifting does two things for you when you’re baking. It lightens dry ingredients like flour and sugar that have gotten packed down during packaging, which makes them lighter and truer to their intended volume—a good thing. Think of it like this: One cup of packed down, dense flour is a very different amount than one cup of lightly packed, airy, fluffy flour; the former will unintentionally make a denser, thicker baked good, while the latter will result in a more fluffy, light baked good. (Professional bakers actually measure their dry ingredients out with weight, not volume, because it’s more precise.)

Sifting also breaks up any clumps in dry ingredients (especially baking powder or baking soda), making them easier to all combine cohesively in your mixing bowl. Hopefully you aren’t using ingredients so old that they’re clumping together like crazy, but even if you are, sifting will help make your powdered ingredients a fine “powder” once again.

These are the basic foods that can benefit from sifting in baking recipes:

• Flour
• Confectioners’ sugar (also called powdered sugar)
• Cocoa powder
• Cornstarch or arrowroot
• Baking soda or baking powder

When your recipe calls for sifting, it’s important to note how it’s listed with the ingredient. “1 cup flour, sifted,” means you should measure out a cup of flour, then sift it into the mixing bowl. But “1 cup sifted flour,” means that you should sift flour into a measuring cup until it reaches 1 cup total. The difference may seem negligible, but when it comes to baking, every ounce can make the difference between a good pastry and an excellent one.

While you can use an official kitchen sifter to get the job done, any regular strainer or sieve will work just as well. Just hold your strainer over a mixing bowl and gently tap your dry ingredient into it, shaking the strainer gently to sift. Sift your ingredients one at a time—don’t dump them into the strainer/sifter all at once; they won’t break down and sift as effectively. So sift your flour first, then your sugar, and so on.

If your recipe doesn’t call for sifting, should you do it anyways? It doesn’t hurt. Sifting will always break up clumps and can help any baking venture come together a bit better. When your recipe calls for flour, sugar, cocoa powder, etc. without the sifting note, measure out the amount called for first, then sift into your mixing bowl.

Do you sift when you bake? Let us know when you do, and how you do it.

You only need three things to make corn-free powdered sugar: granulated sugar, tapioca starch, and a high-powered blender.

Corn sneaks into all sorts of unexpected things, like powdered sugar. If you have a corn allergy or are avoiding grains, this comes as decidedly unsweet news.

The reason powdered sugar contains cornstarch is simple: it keeps the sugar from caking. There are a few brands of corn-free powdered sugar on the market but they can be hard to find.

Thankfully, as with paleo baking powder, it’s easy to make at home. From start to finish, it’ll take about one minute. One minute. Not bad, eh?

Corn-Free Powdered Sugar: Step-by-Step

To make powdered sugar at home, you really need a high-powered blender or food processor. If your blender struggles with ice and frozen fruit, it probably won’t work. I use my to make powdered sugar. I’m sure a Vitamix would also work. (I’m not familiar with other brands.)

First up, sugar. Regular granulated sugar is all we need. Nothing special. (Note: if you have a plastic jar on your blender or food processor, granulated sugar might scratch during blending.)

Next up: tapioca starch! Like cornstarch, tapioca starch will keep our powdered sugar from caking. And, I think, makes for a better powdered sugar.

Tapioca starch absorbs liquids faster, and a lower temperature, than cornstarch. This means that it makes smooth and silky icings and buttercream. And, in my opinion, I think it tastes less chalky than cornstarch-based powdered sugar. But that’s just a personal taste-thing. When you try it, let me know what you think.

Since tapioca starch absorbs liquids so quickly, it’s prone to clumping after it has sat around a bit. So be prepared to sift corn-free powdered sugar before using.

Place the granulated sugar and tapioca starch in your blender. Blend the sugar and tapioca starch together until powdery, about 30 seconds.

Seriously. That took 30 seconds!

How pretty is that? (True confession: it’s hard to get that sugar off the lid and into the bowl. I don’t even bother. I just rinse it off when cleaning. )

Sift to remove any clumps.

Corn-Free Powdered Sugar: Best Uses and What to Avoid

Thanks to our friend tapioca starch, corn-free powdered sugar makes excellent icing and buttercream. The smooth tapioca starch granules swell and make for a really smooth icing. In fact, it’s my favorite powdered sugar to use in buttercream icings.

That’s the upside.

Now the downside! Since tapioca starch loves to suck up moisture so much, it will dissolve quickly when dusted onto cakes, desserts, and berries. How quick? Under ten minutes.

If you want to dust something with corn-free powdered sugar, do so right before serving and expect the sugar to dissolve pretty fast.

It’s happened to the best of us: you pull out all the ingredients needed to bake your favorite cookies or that celebratory birthday cake when you realize all you have in your pantry is plain old white sugar. But the recipe wants powdered or maybe brown sugar. So are your baking plans a bust?

Not at all. If the recipe calls for superfine, powdered, or brown sugar, you can actually make any of them at home from regular white sugar. “If you don’t have it in the house, you don’t have to run out to the store—it’s totally fine to make it yourself,” says our Food Editor, Rhoda Boone. All you need is a blender (or food processor) and a bit of ingenuity:

Superfine

For one cup: Grind one cup and two teaspoons of white granulated sugar in a blender or food processor for 30 seconds.

Also called castor sugar, this is simply sugar that has been ground into finer crystals than regular granulated. This makes for sugar that is lighter in weight and dissolves more quickly. It’s often called for in recipes like meringue or angel food cake that are known for being light and airy.

Hibiscus Pavlova with Lemon-Hibiscus Cream

Powdered

For one cup: Grind one cup of white granulated sugar and one teaspoon of cornstarch in a blender or food processor for one minute, then sift through a fine mesh strainer

Keep grinding granulated sugar past the fineness of superfine sugar and the sugar will become powdery, hence powdered sugar. This is essential for dusting over cakes and whipping into frosting or icing. Store-bought powdered or confectioners’ sugar also contains a small amount of cornstarch, which prevents clumping and contributes to its floury texture.

Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

Brown

For one cup: Pulse one cup of granulated white sugar with one tablespoon of molasses in a food processor until combined. For dark brown sugar, use two tablespoons of molasses.

The soft, moist brown sugar you buy in boxes at the supermarket for your cookies and quick breads is made by simply adding molasses into refined white sugar. You only need to do the same to recreate it at home.

Learn how to make powdered sugar at home, with the sugar of your choice (including cane sugar, raw turbinado sugar, maple sugar or coconut sugar). It only takes 30 seconds!

Powdered Sugar

Powdered sugar is one of those items that you seem never to have in your pantry when you need it. Like when you’re halfway through a recipe and your hands are all covered in goop and you just assumed you had some in your pantry. Murphy’s law, right?

Well, not to worry. The good news is that you can make powdered sugar yourself, from virtually any granulated sugar, in about 30 seconds.

What Sugar to Use for Homemade Powdered Sugar?

When it comes to granulated sugar you can use refined, organic or unrefined cane sugar (like white sugar, raw turbinado sugar or sucanat), as well as maple sugar or coconut sugar.

I’m sure you can use others as well, but those are the ones I’ve tried with success. The one sugar that won’t work very well is brown sugar, which is simply white sugar with molasses added to it, making it a bit too sticky for powdered sugar.

Depending on where you live in the world, powdered sugar is also known by a variety of names, including confectioners sugar and icing sugar. But they’re all the same thing. And typically made from overly processed white sugar, with low grade cornstarch used as the anti-caking factor of choice. Yuck.

But with a homemade powdered sugar, you have options, brilliant options. Choose from a variety of unrefined (or less refined) granulated sugars that retain some trace minerals and which will add heaps more flavor into your recipe.

Tip: sub a maple powdered sugar on top of a chocolate mug cake, for a maple chocolatey flavor. Yum!

How to Make Powdered Sugar without Cornstarch

The other reason I like to make powdered sugar at home is because I can then choose if I’d like to add a starch or not. If I’m just using the powdered sugar for dusting on top of a cake or dessert, I’ll usually skip the starch. But if I’m making a batch to store in my pantry, then I’ll add a starch to keep it dry.

My starches of choice are arrowroot powder or tapioca flour, as they’re both grain-free. I’m not a huge fan of cornstarch, but if you decide to use cornstarch I’d recommend purchasing an organic version.

How to Make Powdered Sugar in 30 Seconds

So how do you make the powdered sugar? First, it’s best done in a high-powered blender, like my favorite Vitamix. It really won’t fluff up as much in a food processor, so stick with a blender.

Add one cup of your granulated sugar of choice and one tablespoon (or not) of your starch. Blend on high for 30 seconds…and there you have it. Homemade powdered sugar. Watch the video below to see how I do it!

Is Confectioners Sugar the Same as Powdered Sugar?

Yes, confectioners sugar, powdered sugar and icing sugar are all the same thing. It’s simply different terminology used in different parts of the world.

More cooking tutorials you might like:

• How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (Without Corn Syrup)
• How to Make Homemade Nutella
• How to Make Coconut Whipped Cream

Watch How I make powdered sugar (quick video!):

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