Homemade Powdered Sugar

One ingredient, a good blender, and you are done

Personally, I have not bought powdered sugar in a long time. Why? Simply because I make it myself, in moments, with ordinary white sugar and a good blender.

And believe me, since adopting that small habit I have never gone back.

But before explaining why, let us take a moment to look at this powdered sugar that is so present in pastry.

Powdered sugar, a pastry essential

In French, powdered sugar is called sucre glace, a name it owes to its traditional use in the glazes that cover and finish pastries.

In Belgium it is also called sucre impalpable — “impalpable sugar” — a name that describes its extremely fine, almost airy texture perfectly.

Unlike ordinary granulated sugar, whose small crystals you can still see, powdered sugar is obtained by grinding crystallized sugar very finely.

That fineness lets it dissolve quickly and fold easily into preparations.

It has become essential for making creams, cookies, glazes, whipped ganaches, macarons, or simply for that pretty white, delicate finish on our desserts.

But do you know what the powdered sugar we buy actually contains?

Store-bought versus homemade: what is the difference?

In shops, many powdered sugars contain about 3% starch, generally corn and sometimes potato.

Why is it added? Quite simply to limit moisture and keep the sugar particles from clumping together.

That starch can also play a role in the texture of certain preparations.

But not all store-bought powdered sugars contain it.

For my part, I chose simplicity: white sugar, and nothing else.

I blend it long enough to get a very fine powder, and that is all.

With this homemade version I make my creams, my cookies, my glazes and many other preparations. It meets my needs perfectly, even if certain very technical recipes may call for a particularly fine grind or for the presence of starch.

And what about the price?

That is another reason I adopted homemade powdered sugar for good.

As an example, in October 2026 you could find at the same retailer:

• Béghin Say white granulated sugar: €1.89 per kilo.
• Béghin Say powdered sugar: €2.95 for 500 g, or €5.90 per kilo.

You read that correctly: in this example, powdered sugar costs more than three times the price of ordinary white sugar.

Prices vary by brand and by shop, of course, but when you bake a great deal, these small savings add up.

And frankly, why spend more on a product you can make this easily at home?

My tip for keeping homemade powdered sugar

Once my sugar is perfectly blended, I transfer it to an airtight container, which I keep somewhere dry, away from moisture.

It keeps for a very long time that way.

Of course, since I add no starch, it can sometimes form small clumps over time.

But nothing complicated: I shake the container lightly and the sugar generally returns to its fine, powdery texture. If needed, a quick pass through a sieve is enough.

And there it is, ready to join my next creation.

A word from the chef

You will have gathered that I love these small tricks that simplify our everyday work in the kitchen, save a little money and keep us in control of the ingredients we use.

This is probably the simplest recipe I share on the blog, but it is one of those I use most regularly.

Which goes to show that pastry does not always need long preparations or a multitude of ingredients to be effective.

I hope this small trick proves as useful to you as it is to me, and that it gives you the urge to make your own powdered sugar from now on.

And above all, come and tell me if you have adopted homemade powdered sugar.

I love hearing about your experiences, your attempts and your own small tricks. You can find me on my social media or write to me directly by email.

It is always an immense pleasure to read you and to share this passion that brings us together.

See you very soon for another recipe, and above all, take a great deal of pleasure in your baking.

Les Secrets d’une Cheffe