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How many grams in a cup of powdered sugar?
About 120 g in a US cup (240 ml), 127 g in a metric cup (250 ml) and 101 g in a 200 ml cup.
Powdered sugar
1 cup = 120 g
- Tablespoons16
- Teaspoons48
- Millilitres237
- Grams120
Dry ingredients are spooned into the cup and levelled. Scooped straight from the bag, flour can weigh up to 20% more — for baking, a scale is the safest bet.
Good to know:
- Powdered (icing, confectioners') sugar is light and fluffy: a cup is about 120 g — little more than half a cup of granulated sugar.
- It settles and clumps in the bag, so sift it before measuring for frosting: lumps don't dissolve in buttercream.
- US powdered sugar has a little cornstarch to stop caking. That's fine in frostings and glazes, but don't swap it for granulated sugar in a cake.
Conversion tables (US cup · 240 ml):
Cups to grams
| Cups | Grams |
|---|---|
| ⅛ | 15 g |
| ¼ | 30 g |
| ⅓ | 40 g |
| ½ | 60 g |
| ⅔ | 80 g |
| ¾ | 90 g |
| 1 | 120 g |
| 1½ | 180 g |
| 2 | 240 g |
| 3 | 360 g |
Grams to cups
| Grams | Cups |
|---|---|
| 25 g | 0.2 |
| 50 g | 0.4 |
| 100 g | 0.8 |
| 150 g | 1¼ |
| 200 g | 1⅔ |
| 250 g | 2.1 |
| 300 g | 2½ |
| 500 g | 4.2 |
Spoons to grams
| Spoons | Grams |
|---|---|
| ½ tsp | 1.2 g |
| 1 tsp | 2.5 g |
| 2 tsp | 5 g |
| ½ tbsp | 3.7 g |
| 1 tbsp | 7.5 g |
| 2 tbsp | 15 g |
| 3 tbsp | 22 g |
| 4 tbsp | 30 g |
| 8 tbsp | 60 g |
Powdered sugar substitutes
Powdered sugar is ground sugar with a little cornstarch: blend 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar with 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch to get about 1¾ cups of powdered sugar.
Homemade powdered sugar
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar + 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
Blend on high for 1–2 minutes until powdery: it makes about 1¾ cups, for frosting, glazes and dusting. Sift it before measuring. The cornstarch only keeps it from caking; skip it if you use the sugar right away.
Granulated sugar
½ cup (100 g) + 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
In place of 1 cup (120 g) of powdered sugar in whipped cream, meringue and cake batters, anywhere it dissolves. It stays gritty in frosting and glazes, and won't do for dusting.
Other ingredients (US cup · 240 ml):
Sources: USDA FoodData Central, FAO/INFOODS, NIST · checked October 2026 · How we convert →
Questions:
- How many grams is ½ cup of powdered sugar?
- About 60 g. A ¼ cup is 30 g.
- How do I make powdered sugar?
- Blend granulated sugar on high for a minute or two until fine. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per cup if you want to store it.
- How much powdered sugar for a glaze?
- About 1 cup (120 g) with 2–3 tablespoons of milk or lemon juice covers a loaf cake or a dozen cookies.
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