Now that baking season is in full swing, I have found myself going through ingredients lightening fast. I swear, there is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you are short on one measly ingredient. That’s why I like knowing how to make substitutes with common staple ingredients. Powdered sugar is one of those items that I typically buy, but in a pinch, it’s totally easy to make on your own. So, if you are running short and don’t want to run to the store, you can just whip some up in under 5 minutes.
Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Directions
In a high powered blender or food processor, combine the sugar and cornstarch until powdery. So easy, so deliciously easy.
~Mavis
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Pauline Petros says
Here in UK our fine/powdered sugar is called icing sugar and does not contain Cornstarch or other ingredients apart from Sugar.
Leslie says
WHAT.
Ashley M. says
I’m an American living in Brazil, and the closest thing to powdered sugar is glaçucar or glazing sugar, but the grain is still too coarse for some recipes, especially buttercream frosting. Because bringing bags of sugar back from the US is not always feasible, I tried a similar recipe for making your own powdered sugar some time ago, and it totally didn’t work. There may not have been enough sugar in the food processor (it called for 1/3 c. white sugar and no cornstarch). I’m heading back to the US for Christmas, and if I can make this instead of putting 2 or 4 pounds of sugar in my already overstuffed bags, I will be thrilled. Thanks for posting, Mavis!
Mavis says
Smuggling powdered sugar out of the United States just made me giggle. Let us know how it turns out for you.
Michelle says
This is news to me. I don’t usually have powdered sugar but this will come in handy. Your recipe for making brown sugar I followed and it was great. Used my leftover molasses from making shoo fly last year…
Deanna Allen says
I used to make mine when we lived in Costa Rica as I too found the ‘powdred sugar’ there too grainy. I used a round type coffee bean grinder, doing 1/2 sugar at a time, no corn starch (only made what I needed so I didnt have to worry about moisture) Worked great. If you don’t or can’t use corn products arrowroot starch is a good substitute.
Stephanie says
I make this all the time. You can use arrowroot or tapicoa starch instead as well. I don’t do well with corn, and corn free powdered sugar is really expensive, so this is the only economical option!