What Is Powdered Sugar?

If you’ve made a dessert recipe or two in your life, then you’ve probably noticed there’s a lot of different types of sugar out there. Recipes might call for sugars that are granulated, brown, coconut, white, pearl, sanding, cane, and on and on. What’s even more confusing is powdered sugar—the softest and fluffiest type of sugar—has several different names for the same product. You’ve probably seen it referred to as powdered, confectionary, and icing.

But what even is powdered sugar (or confectionary sugar, icing sugar…)? And what makes it different from regular, granulated sugar?

What is powdered sugar?

No matter which of the three names you call it (I’ll stick with powdered to keep it simple), the only difference between granulated and powdered sugar is the consistency. Powdered sugar is blended into more of a, well, powder. This finer, softer texture does wonders in baking. You’ve probably had to beat butter and sugar together when making a dessert. Well, if you use granulated sugar, the texture will be light and airy from the tons of little pockets of air left behind. But with powdered sugar, the finer texture means no air pockets, and a denser final product.

Put it this way: When making a dessert where the desired texture is crumbly (like a shortbread), you want to use powdered sugar. But if you’re looking for something crunchier, go for granulated.

Another area where powdered sugar is perfect is icing and glazes. That powdered texture gives a very smooth consistency, which is exactly what you want in icings. The powder also helps create a gloriously shiny finish, which comes from the cornstarch present in powdered sugar.

Can you make your own powdered sugar?

Say you want to make said shortbread or icing, but alas, you are out of the powdered stuff. Well, if you have a spice grinder or a high-powered blender, you can make your own with granulated sugar and some cornstarch. The magic ratio is one cup sugar to one tablespoon corn starch. Keep the batches small—the process can all get very messy. It’s the perfect solution for when you need less than a cup of powdered sugar to sprinkle on top of your gingerbread house.