How to Make Your Own Powdered Sugar If You Don’t Have Any on Hand
Have you ever been in the middle of baking the perfect yellow cake and realized you have no powdered sugar to make the buttercream frosting? Or none to delightfully dust a homemade Belgian waffle on a Sunday morning? No fun! But luckily, powdered sugar isn’t hard to make at all, and you can do it with two ingredients you’ve already got in your pantry — all you need is sugar and cornstarch!
Little did we know, powdered sugar is actually just finely blended white sugar. The addition of cornstarch prevents the sugar from sticking together so you get that light, fluffy texture, perfect for baking or dusting on top of pancakes. You can use brown sugar for this recipe, but white granulated sugar works best since it contains less moisture. You can also keep your homemade powdered sugar in an airtight container in the pantry for up to six months! To make your own DIY powdered sugar, follow the instructions below.
Note: For this recipe, you can use a regular high-speed blender, a smaller, high powered blender like a Nutribullet ($49.88, Amazon), a small food processor, or a spice grinder. You may have to test this hack out to see which device works the best.
Instructions
- Whichever device you choose, pour one cup granulated white sugar into your blender, or more if desired. You will use a ratio of 1 cup sugar to one teaspoon cornstarch. Add one teaspoon cornstarch to the blender.
- Blend your mixture on high speed for about 3 minutes. Stop the blender then, using a spoon or spatula, stir your sugar to make sure it doesn’t clump together.
- Blend again for another few minutes, until sugar reaches a powdery consistency. Stop the blender and sift it through your fingers to check the texture, and blend more if needed.
And, there you have it! With just two ingredients and in three easy steps, you can make powdered sugar in a flash for those emergency situations. Try your DIY creation in our warm delicious Honey Apply Gingerbread Cake perfect for fall, or gear up for Halloween and try it in one of these treats!
