Out of Powdered sugar, one case
Powdered sugar substitute for frosting
5 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Granulated sugar + cornstarch, blended
2/3 cup sugar + 1 tsp cornstarch for every cup of powdered sugar
For frosting, make the powdered sugar: blend 2/3 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon cornstarch for each cup of powdered sugar the recipe calls for, in a dry blender for 1 to 2 minutes, until it feels like flour. It then behaves the same in buttercream and cream cheese frosting. Do not stir unblended granulated sugar into a frosting: it will not dissolve in butter or cream cheese, and the frosting stays gritty.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Blend in a dry blender or spice grinder for 1 to 2 minutes, let the dust settle for a minute before opening the lid, then sift. Rub a pinch between your fingers: if you feel grains, blend longer.
- Best for —
- American buttercream
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full powdered sugar card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup powdered sugar | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Granulated sugar + cornstarch, blendedAmerican buttercream | 2/3 cup sugar + 1 tsp cornstarchWorks | Works |
| 2 | Granulated sugar + arrowroot or tapioca starchcorn-free buttercream | 2/3 cup sugar + 1 tsp starchTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Granulated sugar, blended on its ownfrosting you will serve the same day | 2/3 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Powdered erythritol or monk-fruit blendsugar-free buttercream | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Coconut sugar, blendedfrosting for spice cake, carrot cake or banana cake | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Granulated sugar straight from the bag | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Granulated sugar + cornstarch, blended
the same
Powdered sugar is granulated sugar ground to dust with a little cornstarch, so this is the same product made at home. The starch keeps it from clumping and helps the frosting hold.
- Best for
- American buttercream, cream cheese frosting, glazes and royal icing
- Prep
- Blend in a dry blender or spice grinder for 1 to 2 minutes, let the dust settle for a minute before opening the lid, then sift. Rub a pinch between your fingers: if you feel grains, blend longer.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
- Where it fails
- A weak blender leaves fine grit you can feel in a smooth buttercream. Sifting catches the largest grains but not all of them.
A food processor does not grind fine enough. Blend 1 cup of sugar or less at a time so it all reaches the blades.
Granulated sugar + arrowroot or tapioca starch
the same
The same method with a different starch, for cooks who avoid corn. It grinds and sweetens the same way.
- Best for
- corn-free buttercream, glazes, cream cheese frosting
- Prep
- Blend and sift as for the cornstarch version.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
- Where it fails
- Frosting made with it is a little softer and can turn slightly slick if it sits for days. Use it within a day or two.
Granulated sugar, blended on its own
the same
Ground sugar with no starch. It sweetens and dissolves the same way, but nothing stops it from pulling in moisture.
- Best for
- frosting you will serve the same day, glazes that are stirred and poured right away
- Prep
- Blend flour-fine and use it at once; it clumps in storage.
- Where it fails
- The frosting is slightly looser and can weep or soften after a day. Add the liquid in the recipe a teaspoon at a time.
Powdered erythritol or monk-fruit blend
sweet with a cooling aftertaste
A sugar-free product sold as a 1:1 confectioners' replacement. Buy the powdered kind, not the granular kind, or grind the granular kind the same way as sugar.
- Best for
- sugar-free buttercream, sugar-free cream cheese frosting
- Prep
- Sift it and beat it in as you would powdered sugar.
- Where it fails
- It can turn gritty again after the frosting has been chilled, and it does not form the crust that a sugar buttercream does.
Erythritol contains no sugar. Check the bag for the carbohydrate count of the blend you buy.
Coconut sugar, blended
caramel and slightly toasted, less sweet
Coconut sugar ground flour-fine with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch per cup. It makes a tan frosting that tastes of caramel.
- Best for
- frosting for spice cake, carrot cake or banana cake, caramel-flavored glazes
- Prep
- Blend 1 cup coconut sugar with 1 tsp cornstarch until flour-fine, then sift.
- Suits
- vegan
- Where it fails
- It is brown, so it cannot make a white frosting or take food coloring cleanly. It grinds less fine than white sugar, so expect a trace of grain.
Granulated sugar straight from the bag
sweet but crunchy
The crystals are too large to dissolve in the small amount of liquid a buttercream or cream cheese frosting contains.
- Best for
- cooked frostings written for granulated sugar
- Where it fails
- Every beaten frosting. It stays gritty however long you beat it. Grind it first, or make a cooked frosting that dissolves the sugar with heat.
How it behaves in this recipe
In a beaten frosting, powdered sugar does two jobs. It sweetens, and because it is dust-fine it disappears into the fat without any heat. It is also most of the bulk: a typical buttercream is 4 cups of powdered sugar to 1 cup of butter. That is why liquid sweeteners such as maple syrup cannot stand in for it there: they add water where the recipe expected a dry powder.
Tips for substituting powdered sugar
5 tips- For a batch of buttercream that calls for 4 cups of powdered sugar, blend 2 2/3 cups granulated sugar with 4 tsp cornstarch, in three batches.
- By weight the swap is even: 120 g of granulated sugar makes 120 g of powdered sugar, which is 1 cup.
- No blender: make a cooked flour frosting, which uses granulated sugar. Cook 5 tbsp flour with 1 cup milk until thick, cool it completely, then beat it into 1 cup butter that has been creamed with 1 cup granulated sugar.
- Cream cheese frosting thins out when it is overbeaten. Beat the butter and homemade powdered sugar first, then mix in cold cream cheese only until smooth.
- Sift homemade powdered sugar every time. It catches the grains that the blades missed.
Questions
5 questionsCan I use granulated sugar in frosting without a blender?
Not in a beaten buttercream or cream cheese frosting, where it stays gritty. Make a frosting that cooks the sugar: a flour frosting, a Swiss meringue buttercream, or a boiled chocolate fudge icing all start with granulated sugar and dissolve it with heat.
What can I substitute for powdered sugar in cream cheese frosting?
Homemade powdered sugar, at 2/3 cup granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch blended for each cup. For a frosting with no powdered sugar at all, beat 8 oz cream cheese with 2 to 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, tasting as you go. That version is soft and spoonable: it spreads on a sheet cake but will not pipe or hold between layers.
How much granulated sugar makes 1 cup of powdered sugar?
2/3 cup, blended with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Grinding puts air between the particles, so the powder takes up more room than the crystals it came from. For 2 cups, blend 1 1/3 cups sugar with 2 teaspoons cornstarch.
Do I need the cornstarch?
For frosting you will use the same day, no. Store-bought powdered sugar contains about 3% starch to stop clumping, and it gives a frosting a little more hold. Without it the frosting is slightly looser and softens sooner.
Can I use brown sugar in place of powdered sugar in frosting?
Not stirred in as it is: it is as coarse as granulated sugar and it is moist. It works in a cooked frosting, such as a brown sugar or penuche icing, where it is melted with butter and milk before it is beaten.