How to Make Powdered Sugar
Homemade powdered sugar is so easy to make! Learn how in this simple tutorial. Use any sugar you have on hand (healthier options like coconut sugar work!).
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Today, I’m sharing a super simple tutorial on how to make your own powdered sugar. Your powdered sugar will be ready in just a few minutes! You’ll just need a reliable blender or food processor.
You may know this sugar as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar, but I grew up calling it “powdered sugar.” My grandmother makes the best frosting with it.
Powdered sugar has a not-so-great reputation because it’s typically made out of refined sugar, which is then mixed with corn starch to prevent caking. Since we’re making ours fresh, you can skip the corn starch when you make it at home.
Plain white sugar makes the fluffiest homemade powdered sugar. Or, you can use more natural, less refined options such as coconut sugar. Coconut sugar actually contains trace minerals like iron and zinc, which are lacking in regular sugar. Let’s get to it!
Uses for Powdered Sugar
Life’s too short to go without the occasional glazed treat. Here are a few delicious options:
- Blueberry Maple Tea Cake
- Citrus Olive Oil Cake
- Classic Cream Cheese Frosting, which is great on Banana Cake, Carrot Cake and Gingerbread Cake
- Healthier Gingerbread Cookies
- Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Maple Glaze
- Vegan Banana Nut Scones
How to Make Powdered Sugar
Homemade powdered sugar is so easy to make! Learn how in this simple tutorial. Use any sugar you have on hand (healthier options like coconut sugar and turbinado sugar work great!). One cup sugar will yield about two cups powdered sugar.
Ingredients
- Approximately half as much granulated sugar as you need powdered sugar (I’ve had best results with cane sugar, turbinado sugar and coconut sugar but even brown sugar and sucanat work!)
Instructions
- Pour granulated sugar into a blender or food processor. Blend the sugar until it is a fine, fluffy powdered sugar. The more refined, whiter sugars make the fluffiest powdered sugars.
- Use powdered sugar immediately or save it for later. You may want to sift the sugar before use for clump free, super fluffy sugar.
Notes
Make it vegan: Use sugar that is labeled vegan/hasn’t been filtered through bone char.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Thank you very much, it is helpful
I’m glad it was helpful, Mercy! Thanks for your review.
thanks kept me out of a jam with my daughters birthday (53rd)Jo
Making now! I ran out of powdered sugar for frosting and this was perfect since the kid was sleeping.
How did it go, Lindsay?
How much sugar would I need? Do I use the amount that the glaze calls for? Wanted to make muffins that has a glaze on top but don’t have enough powdered sugar to use. I have coconut sugar or organic cane sugar but not the raw sugar.
Approximately half as much granulated sugar as you need powdered sugar (I’ve had best results with cane sugar, turbinado sugar and coconut sugar but even brown sugar and sucanat work!)
Thank you so much, you’re a lifesaver I could not get any icing sugar for my son’s birthday cake, someone told me you can make it with sugar, so I googled and found your post as it didnt need the corn starch. I will never buy powered sugar again!
Hi, Kate thank you for sharing such a wonderful tip with us. I am practicing some new dishes, making powder sugar will help me in cooking. Thanks once again.
Hi there I have a recipe that asks for half a cup of powdered sugar , I only have castor sugar , can I use a quarter cup of that instead ?
Many thanks
Hi Angela, you could turn your 1/4 cup castor sugar into powdered sugar using this tutorial, and then yes, that should work perfectly!
Whoa!thank you so much for this great idea!can’t imagine how useful my meat processor. so this is it?problem solved.
Good, but can I use a hand mixer instead?
Thanks
Hi Lois, I’m confused by your question. This is about making powdered sugar. You need something that can break up the coarse sugar. Let me know!
I did this in the nutri bullet and it worked PERFECTLY – thank you!
Hi Kate Will this sugar make a glaze that will firm up like when we use regular powdered sugar? As in a water + powdered sugar glaze? I am doubtful that it doesn’t need cornstarch for this… Please clarify
Hi! If a recipe calls for powdered sugar, this will work in its place as it is the same thing. I hope this helps!
We tried this in our food processor but we never really got the powdered sugar or as much as your instructions say. We did not even get 1c powdered from1 c regular.
Rita_gazitano@hotmail.com
Hi Rita, I’m sorry to hear that. What kind of food processor do you have?
How do you make the equivalent of 4x confectioners sugar?
10x sugar is too sweet for my chocolate icing recipe.
Hi Deanna, I’m not sure I can provide direction with out understanding the recipe or trying it myself. Sorry!
Is it possible to make powdered sugar but without a blender, or food processor? Like, can I make it purely by hand and without machine?
Hi Hadley, I don’t believe so. Sorry!
Very happy I found this super quick and easy recipe. Using my small Moulinex nut grinder, it took me less than half a minute (!!) to make 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to sprinkle on my Linzer cookies.
So easy – I just poured 2 TBs of cane sugar into the grinder and 10 seconds later I got my 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. I funneled the unused portion into a reusable glass spice jar. Never buying the packaged stuff again. Thank you, Kate! :)
12/22/20
What is chocolate confectionery sugar? I have a recipe asking for it. I want to make the recipe with the my children as a Christmas present tonight.
Hi Norreen, I’m not sure without looking at the recipe. But, I assume chocolate powdered sugar?
Thank you so much for the recipe, we never use the powder sugar, because it will sit in the cabinet forever!
How can I get boiled caramel (2 cup brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 1 cup cream) frosting to not be grainy when done boiling and mixed with butter and vanilla extract and on my yellow cake?
Thinking of powdering my brown sugar in my blender. Heard a cap full of white vinegar in boiling mixture prevents grainyness. But did not work for me.
Heey so I don’t have powdered sugar but I want to make oatmeal carrot cups for my bf and I also don’t have any icing what can I use instead and is there any fast and easy recipes
Was making donuts and almost done when I realized I didn’t have powdered sugar for the glaze. TOTAL LIFE-CHANGER. Thanks so much for the tip :)
Great to hear, Elizabeth! Thank you for your review.
My home economics teacher taught us this trick back in 1975! Two tips for those who are having difficulty getting the graininess out of the sugar with less powerful equipment.
• Don’t try to do too much at one time. My 40 year old cheap plastic Waring blender worked well, but I started with only 1/3 cup cane sugar. Multiple small batches is quicker than trying to do one big batch.
• PULSE the sugar. It makes the sugar rise and fall around the blades and gives a more consistent result. I even picked up the blender and shook it a couple times to mix the sugar inside. As I mentioned, it’s a 40 year old, made lotsa margaritas in the 80’s, well loved, still hanging in there but definitely tired machine.
Thank you for this information.. it’s exactly what I was looking for!
Just found you plan to check already onse week
Can I use brown sugar?
Hi Sandy, This works with white cane sugar.
Wow! Started out with my food processor without much success. Everything changed once I switched to smaller batches in my 30+ yr old blender! Probably will still need to sift before making the cream cheese frosting but we’ll worth the effort!
This was a life saver! Tan out half way through a recipe! Blitzed up in my nutri bullet in about 30 seconds. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Jen! Thank you for your review.
I am a diabetic. Can you use sugar substitute to make powdered sugar?
I don’t know if it would the same, sorry!
My daughter is allergic to corn (ie cornstarch.) This is perfect to make icing.
My question— if not used immediately, how do I store it for future use?
Store in an air tight container as you would other sugar.
Food processor does not work at all, blender worked great though!!
I tried this when I ran out of powdered sugar while making butter cream frosting. Unfortunately, even though the sugar appeared fluffy the butter cream was very grainy.
I’m sorry to hear that. What type of blender did you use?
I always wondered why BROWN powdered (confectioner’s) sugar wasn’t readily available, but have since found it on the web at a steep price that I refused to pay! I had considered trying to make it myself but never tried until today.
I finally gave it a try this morning for making a buttercream caramel frosting. Worked GREAT and the resulting frosting is fantastic!
I’m an obsessive experimenter when it comes to cooking and baking, and I actually made it before I saw your post. After I finished frosting my cake, I started searching websites out of curiosity. Most websites that mention making powdered sugar say it won’t work with brown sugar. Yours is one of two I found that say otherwise.
So, thumbs up! YES, you CAN make brown powdered sugar! WooHoo! This is one of the best kept secrets in bakeland!
It didn’t work for me:/ I used a food processor and tried both raw cane sugar and turbonado and blended for forever and it never fully got powdered. Did I do anything wrong?
Hi Maysa, what type of food processor do you have? I use a 11 cup Cuisinart or a Vitamix blender.
I have a ninja one! It’s been pretty good for me so far
Hi Kate,
Would this work with muscavado sugar?
Hi Daniel, I don’t believe it would get to a powder state, but I haven’t tested it.
If I use raw cane sugar will it make my cream cheese frosting brown?
Hi Amy, yes it will have a warmer, less white color.