How Many Grams in a Cup of Powdered Sugar?
One cup of powdered sugar weighs 113 grams, spooned loosely and levelled off. Powdered sugar — called confectioners' sugar or icing sugar too — compacts at the slightest pressure, so how you fill the cup moves the number most of all the sugars. Here are its conversion tables, a converter for any amount, and the gentle method it needs.
Convert powdered sugar instantly
This converter uses the same chef-reviewed database as our Cups to Grams converter for all 128 ingredients. Weights assume a US cup of 236.588 ml; see our methodology and sources.
Cups to grams: powdered sugar
| Cups | Grams |
|---|---|
| ¼ cup | 28 g |
| ⅓ cup | 38 g |
| ½ cup | 57 g |
| ⅔ cup | 75 g |
| ¾ cup | 85 g |
| 1 cup | 113 g |
| 1½ cups | 170 g |
| 2 cups | 226 g |
| 3 cups | 339 g |
| Measure | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 7.1 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 2.35 g |
| 1 cup in ounces | 4 oz |
Grams to cups: powdered sugar
| Grams | Cups (decimal) | Cups (fraction) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 g | 0.44 cups | ½ cups |
| 100 g | 0.88 cups | ⅞ cups |
| 125 g | 1.11 cups | 1 ⅛ cups |
| 150 g | 1.33 cups | 1 ⅓ cups |
| 200 g | 1.77 cups | 1 ¾ cups |
| 250 g | 2.21 cups | 2 ¼ cups |
| 300 g | 2.65 cups | 2 ⅔ cups |
| 400 g | 3.54 cups | 3 ½ cups |
| 500 g | 4.42 cups | 4 ⅜ cups |
Working with more than one ingredient? The grams in a cup chart puts 40 ingredients in one table, and the Whole Recipe Converter converts a full ingredient list in a single paste.
How to measure powdered sugar properly
Spoon it, never scoop or shake. Powdered sugar is mostly air when it is fresh from the bag. Spoon it into the cup and level it for 113 grams; scoop it and the powder compresses, and the same cup can pass 140 grams — a difference that turns a soft glaze gritty and stiff.
Sift after measuring, not before. Unless a recipe says “sifted powdered sugar” (sift first, then measure the lighter result), measure the 113 grams first and sift afterwards to clear the lumps before it goes into icings and frostings. Weighing makes the distinction disappear entirely.
Know what is in the bag. Commercial powdered sugar contains about 3 percent cornstarch to stop it caking, which is already accounted for in the 113-gram cup. Homemade powdered sugar — granulated blitzed with a spoonful of cornstarch — matches it closely enough for glazes and dusting.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in a cup of powdered sugar?
113 grams, spooned loosely and levelled. Powdered sugar, confectioners' sugar and icing sugar are the same ingredient under three names, and all weigh 113 grams per cup measured this way — far less than granulated sugar's 198 grams, because the powder traps so much air.
How many grams are in a tablespoon of powdered sugar?
7.1 grams. A teaspoon is about 2.4 grams. These spoon weights assume the same loose, level fill as the cup; a heaped tablespoon of powdered sugar can weigh half as much again, so level it for anything beyond dusting.
How many cups is 250 grams of powdered sugar?
About 2.2 cups. The maths is 250 ÷ 113 ≈ 2.21. Because powdered sugar compacts so unpredictably, the gram weight is the only reliable way to hit 250 grams — the cups are an estimate at best.