Icing Sugar Substitutes

Out of icing sugar? These are the swaps that actually work, with conversion ratios for any recipe size and notes on how each one changes the result.

Need to convert icing sugar between cups, grams, or ounces first? Open the icing sugar converter.

What to use instead of icing sugar

  • Caster sugar + corn flour, blended

    DIY mix

    1 cup caster sugar + 1 tbsp corn flour, blitzed

    Blitz caster sugar with a little corn flour in a blender until powdery to make a stand-in for icing sugar. The corn flour stops it clumping and matches the anti-caking starch in shop-bought icing sugar. Use it for frostings and dusting straight away.

  • Sugar

    Ingredient swap

    Not 1:1; blend to a powder or weigh first

    Granulated sugar is the coarse crystal that icing sugar is milled from, and it is heavier per cup (201 g vs 125 g), so it will not dissolve smoothly in frostings. Blend it to a fine powder first, or weigh rather than swapping by volume.

    See sugar substitutes →

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I substitute for icing sugar?
There are 2 workable substitutes for icing sugar, depending on what you have on hand and which property of icing sugar matters most for your recipe. The closest swap is usually Caster sugar + corn flour, blended. Each option below lists the conversion ratio for any recipe size, plus notes on how the swap changes the texture, flavour, rise, or browning.
Will substituting icing sugar change how my recipe turns out?
Yes, every swap trades one property for another: fat content, moisture, acidity, or protein. The notes on each substitute describe what changes in texture, flavour, rise, or browning, so you can choose the swap that matters least for your recipe. Open the icing sugar converter
How do I measure icing sugar accurately?
Weighing in grams is more reliable than scooping cups, especially when a substitute has a different density from what the recipe expects. The icing sugar converter on this site converts between cups, grams, ounces, tablespoons, and teaspoons, so you can scale a recipe up or down without losing the ratio. Open the icing sugar converter

Other ingredient and produce substitutes

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