How to make Icing Sugar

Name: How to make Icing Sugar (confectioners & powdered sugar)
Prep time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Sugar (225g); 1 tbsp Corn Starch (9g)

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Icing sugar recipe aka confectioners sugar recipe aka powdered sugar recipe is a pantry staple, made up of just 2 ingredients which can easily be made at home under 10 minutes. See our recipe and video below.

Icing vs Confectioners vs Powdered?

Being from the UK, I have always known it as icing sugar. However, it is one of those products in the English language which have different names in different places. Yet are exactly the same thing!

How to make icing sugar?

To make homemade powdered sugar you need to finely grind down sugar and blend together with cornstarch (corn flour).

You will need a blender or if you have an electric spice grinder this will work well too.

Also it helps to have a spatula to scrap down the blender to ensure everything is incorporated during the mixing process.

You can use any sugar which you have in the house, this does work with brown sugar or for a healthy version of powdered sugar use coconut sugar.

What is Icing Sugar?

To make confectioners, powdered, icing and also 10X sugar you need to mill granulated sugar into a fine powdered state with an anti-caking agent (such as corn starch), to absorb moisture, prevent clumping, and improve flow (source). The content of cornstarch around 4%: our recipe uses 1 cup sugar (225g) and 1 tablespoon cornstarch (9g).

Uses for Powdered Sugar

The key is in the name which primarily became a use as icing, glazing and dusting for cakes and baking. Check out below some recipes used for powdered sugar;

Hot Chocolate Mix

Candied Oranges

How to make Icing Sugar (confectioners & powdered sugar)

2 ingredients less than 10 minutes homemade icing sugar recipe. Double up the recipe to make larger batches as it will last you months and months.

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Prep Time 5 mins

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

1 cup Sugar 225g
1 tbsp Corn Starch 9g

Instructions

Add the corn starch and sugar into a blender and blitz for 2 minutes,
Stop the blender and use a spatula to scrape the sides of the blender to ensure all of the sugar is being incorporated.
Blend for a further 3 minutes and scrape down again.
Check the texture is smooth by feeling some of the mix with your hands, you should have that fine powdered feeling without any grits of sugar. If it feels gritty, blitz for another minute or so.
Decant into a jar and store in the cupboard to last many months.