Tessa Arias, Chef and Cookbook Author
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Have you ever been in the middle of a recipe only to discover you don’t have enough – or ANY – powdered sugar on hand? And the last thing you want to do is run all the way back to the store? Well today I’m going to be showing you How to Make Powdered Sugar right at home for those times when you need some in a pinch. It takes just 5 minutes. All you need is granulated sugar and a blender or food processor.
This method for homemade powdered sugar couldn’t be simpler. Be sure to watch the video below ALL the way to the end because you’ll need to know some of my tips before you make your own.
Powdered sugar is also called confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar. It’s basically granulated sugar that has been ground into a fine powder. It’s perfect for recipes that require a fine consistency, such as icings and buttercreams. Be sure to check out my guide on How to Make the Best Buttercream.
Homemade powdered sugar is perfect for when you need some in a pinch and don’t want to run to the store. It has the added bonus of being cheaper than store-bought. However, since we’re just using household appliances homemade powdered sugar might not be as fine and fluffy as the commercially manufactured kind. You want to make sure you use a blender or food processor that has a powerful motor.
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Ingredients
- 1/2 as much granulated sugar as you need powdered sugar
Instructions
- Pour the granulated sugar into the bowl of a powerful blender or food processor. You don’t want to do this in a cheap or old appliance because it probably just won’t get fine enough. Blend until the sugar is fine, fluffy, and powdered. Keep the lid on until the powder has completely settled.
- If using right away, sift before adding to a recipe. If storing for later, add in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch or arrowroot then sift the sugar into a storage container. This helps prevent the sugar from caking and clumping.
Awesome!
How can I make the DIY Powdered Sugar less sweet?
Sugar in Thailand is extremely sweet.
Tessa is very knowledgeable. I ran into her on my computer today and I am very impressed.
To make granulated sugar into powdered sugar could u use a coffee grinder?
As read from other sites, yes.
Hi you said to use a blender or food processor with a bit of power to it, so how powerful should the motor be?
I don’t have any exact specifications to give you, but it shouldn’t be that 10 year old appliance you picked up from a garage sale if you know what I mean 😉
You give some great tips.
Every time I need to run out to the store to re-stock on powdered sugar, my husband urges me to make powdered sugar with our blender. I’ve always hesitated because I didn’t think our blender would be able to get the granules to be as fine as powder. I think you’ve just settled this one for us, Tessa!