How To Make Homemade Powdered Sugar

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5 from 1 vote

How To Make Homemade Powdered Sugar

Learn how to make homemade powdered sugar with just 2 ingredients!

Prep Time5

Cook Time0

Total Time5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cups

Calories: 457kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

Add 2 cups granulated white sugar to the blender or food processor.
Add in 2 Tablespoons cornstarch.
Blend on high until blended into a fine powder. A Vitamix will take about 30 seconds to 1 minute. A food processor may take 3-5 minutes. The blend time will vary depending on the equipment you are using.
Be sure to stop and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to make sure it's been evenly blended. If it still feels gritty, then continue to blend.
You can sift the mixture if you want to get to a finer texture and make it fluffy.
Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Notes

Storage: Homemade powdered sugar will last indefinitely! Be sure to store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. If you're not using right away, then be sure to not skip the cornstarch when making it so it will keep for a long time.
Brown Sugar: I do not recommend using brown sugar. Brown sugar has molasses added to it, which can make it sticky.
Cornstarch: Corn starch is added to prevent clumping in the sugar when storing it. If you are using the homemade powdered sugar in a no bake recipe right away like frosting, you can actually skip this ingredient as it's just used an anti-caking agent. If using in a baked goods recipe like a cake, then don't skip as the cornstarch will lend itself to a light and tender crumb. Do not use all purpose flour as they are not the same thing.
Cornstarch substitute: If you need to use a grain free or gluten free alternative to cornstarch then you can swap in arrow root powder, tapioca flour, or potato starch instead. But use twice as much arrowroot powder or tapioca flour to get the same results (2:1 ratio). You can use potato starch in a 1:1 ratio.
Sugar substitute: If you want to make an unrefined powdered sugar you can try swapping the granulated sugar for coconut sugar, raw cane sugar, turbinado sugar, maple sugar, or organic cane sugar but I haven't tried it myself so I can't say for sure. Your sugar may come out grainier than you would like, and you may need to run your blender or food processor longer than the recipe calls for. Just keep in mind, the sugar will not be as white as using granulated white sugar.
Powdered sugar still grainy? This sounds like your blending equipment isn't strong enough. You may need to use a different piece of equipment. A powerful blender is key to getting homemade powdered sugar that is super fine in texture just like a bag of store bought powdered sugar.

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