How to Make Powdered Sugar
Learn how to make homemade powdered sugar in under 3 minutes! Making powdered sugar without cornstarch is affordable for your favorite recipes like frosting, icing, or whipped cream. You’ll never need to buy icing sugar again.
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Have you ever been in the middle of making a delicious dessert, only to realize you’re out of powdered sugar? Doh! The good news is, you can totally make your own.
Making your own powdered sugar could not be any easier. And I’m going to teach you to do it in your own kitchen…in just three minutes. Seriously, you’ll never run out again.
When you learn how to make icing sugar at home, you can use it in Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, Super Soft Pumpkin Cookies, Homemade Marshmallows, Mocha Frosting, or Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls.
Once you tackle homemade confectioner’s sugar, you’ll want to learn how to make brown sugar. Pretty soon, you’re going to be a pantry staples master.
How to Make Powdered Sugar Without Cornstarch
Simply place your sugar of choice in a food processor, high-powered blender, coffee grinder, or magic bullet. Process it until it’s fine and fluffy, which should take about three minutes depending on your device.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Store homemade powdered sugar in an air-tight container. I prefer a mason jar.
- If you’re using the confectioner’s sugar the same day, you do not need to add anything to the mixture. If you want to store it for longer than a week, adding 1 tbsp of cornstarch or arrowroot powder will help keep things clump-free.
- If you are using this sugar for frosting, I highly recommend making it an hour or so before you need to use it. The sugar will become warm during the processing, thus makes it harder for the frosting to set.
More DIY Pantry Staples Like This
- Check out my Homemade Seasonings page
- Homemade Vanilla Extract
- Stovetop Candied Pecans
- Homemade Peppermint Extract
- Honey Simple Syrup
- Homemade Mayo
- Whole30 Taco Seasoning
- Gluten-Free Teriyaki Sauce
- Homemade Cinnamon Almond Butter
- Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce
- Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
- Homemade Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
How to Make Powdered Sugar
Ingredients
- sugar {as much as needed}
Instructions
- Place the desired amount of sugar in a food processor, high-powered blender, or Magic Bullet.
- Process for 1-3 minutes, or until it has reached your desired consistency. {Do stay near the blender while it is processing.}
- Finished powdered sugar should be fine, and easy to sift.
Notes
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Hi I don’t have a blender could I use a whisk
I don’t think it will be powerful enough to work. Do you have a food processor or maybe a clean coffee grinder?
You state that we should add 1 Tbsp of cornstarch or arrowroot powder if we’re not going to use all of this sugar in a week. Commercial confectioner’s sugar contains about 1 Tbsp of corn starch per cup of sugar. Is that the rate that you recommend that we add them?
I would go with 1 tbsp per 2 cups.
I am going to try this. I am allergic to all corn products, and miss icing so much!!
That is a hard food to be allergic to because it is in everything!
I’m actually making a batch of this in a few hours to make frosting for my kiddo’s birthday cake.
Me: what weirdo makes powdered sugar?
Sarah: ????
Jealous my friend? 🙂
Mary – Most commercially made powdered sugar has cornstarch, which grain-intolerant people cannot have. So judge not, my friend!
A person who has moved to a country where it is hard to find
Mary (the person you were responding to) is a dear friend of mine who likes to tease me about the little kitchen things I make. She meant no harm. Swearsies. 🙂
I still can’t believe this works!
Science!!
Oh my gosh, thank you for this recipe! Emma (my 15 year old daughter) was having a fit a while back because she wanted some kind of dessert, but we didn’t have powdered sugar. I remembered you had a post on how to DIY it, so I sent her to your site. She was so freaking proud of herself for making powdered sugar! Thanks for that!
Yahoo!!! Go Emma, good job girl. But stop having a fit and give your mom a break. 🙂
Be advised that while the lack of cornstarch can be a very good thing where it is not needed, the cornstarch works a kind of magic in recipes such as shortbread cookies, etc. and would need to be added for authentic texture. That said, whatever you like is fine. It’s just that baking is chemistry, remember. ‘Not a hater. Love your posts.
I’ve never made shortbread before but I have had success using homemade powdered sugar with these cookies.
That being said, I need a good shortbread recipe. Do you have one! I looooooooove shortbread!