100 grams of powdered sugar is about 14.2 tablespoons. One tablespoon of powdered sugar weighs about 7.1 g, and one teaspoon is about 2.4 g. It is the lightest sugar in the kitchen by volume, which is why a recipe that needs 100 g of it asks for a startling 14 tablespoons, and why weighing it is almost always the better idea.
All figures on this page are approximate, and they come from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. Granulated sugar ground to a fine powder with a little cornstarch. Icings, glazes, dusting and buttercream. When a recipe has to work the first time, verify with a kitchen scale.
How the measurement works
The figure on this page comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. One US cup is 16 tablespoons, so every figure here is the cup weight of 113 g divided by 16, rounded to one decimal place. Granulated sugar ground to a fine powder with a little cornstarch. Icings, glazes, dusting and buttercream.
A note on disputed figures. King Arthur lists 113 g unsifted; sifted powdered sugar is about 100 g per cup because sifting adds air.
All results on this page are approximate. Ingredient weights vary with brand, humidity, temperature and how firmly you pack the spoon, so when a recipe has to work the first time, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale and use the numbers here as a guide.
Conversion table
| Amount | Grams of powdered sugar |
|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 2.4 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 7.1 g |
| 2 tablespoons | 14.1 g |
| 3 tablespoons | 21.2 g |
| 4 tablespoons | 28.2 g |
| 5 tablespoons | 35.3 g |
| 6 tablespoons | 42.4 g |
| 8 tablespoons | 56.5 g |
| 10 tablespoons | 70.6 g |
| 12 tablespoons | 84.8 g |
| 1 cup (16 tablespoons) | 113 g |
| 100 g | 14.2 tablespoons |
One tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, so every figure above is simply the cup weight divided by 16, rounded to one decimal place. The last row is the headline figure for this page: 100 g of powdered sugar is about 14.2 tablespoons. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
Three real kitchen examples
A buttercream for a birthday cake
A buttercream for a two-layer cake uses 12 tablespoons of powdered sugar, about 84.8 g, beaten into softened butter with a splash of milk. Powdered sugar dissolves instantly into the butter because it is ground so fine, which is what makes buttercream smooth instead of gritty. Sift the sugar first if it has lumps, but measure it before sifting: sifted sugar weighs about 100 g per cup against 113 g unsifted, so measuring after sifting leaves the frosting short on sugar.
A simple glaze for lemon drizzle cake
A lemon drizzle glaze needs 8 tablespoons of powdered sugar, about 56.5 g, whisked with lemon juice until it runs off the spoon in a thick ribbon. The glaze should be just thick enough to set on the warm cake without sliding off, and the weight of sugar decides that: too little and the glaze soaks in and vanishes, too much and it sits on top like a white shell. Weighing the sugar gives the same glaze every time.
Dusting a tray of fresh doughnuts
Dusting a tray of warm doughnuts takes about 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar, roughly 28.2 g, shaken through a small sieve. The fine powder melts slightly on the warm surface and gives the doughnuts their classic snowy finish. A sieve is the right tool here, because spooning the sugar straight over the doughnuts leaves clumps and bare patches, and the cornstarch in the sugar stops it dissolving too fast.
Getting it right in your kitchen
Powdered sugar is all about texture. Because it is ground to a fine powder with a little cornstarch to stop it clumping, it dissolves instantly and gives icings and buttercream their silky finish, something granulated sugar can never do. Its lightness is the trap: a cup weighs only 113 g, so 100 g needs about 14.2 tablespoons, and counting out that many spoonfuls one by one invites error. Worse, the sifting question changes the weight by more than 10 percent, since sifted powdered sugar is about 100 g per cup. For icings and buttercream, where the sugar-to-butter ratio decides whether the frosting pipes or slumps, weighing 100 g on a scale is faster and far more reliable than spooning.
When should you weigh powdered sugar instead of measuring it in tablespoons? Whenever the recipe has to work the first time, and whenever the amount is large. A kitchen scale costs less than a single failed cake, and it removes the biggest source of variation in home cooking: the way ingredients pack into a spoon or a cup. Put the bowl on the scale, press tare, and add the powdered sugar until the display shows the number you need. There is nothing to wash afterwards except the bowl, and the result is the same every time. For small amounts, a level spoon is accurate enough, but for anything where precision matters, the scale is the tool to reach for.
Storage. Airtight container, cool and dry, indefinitely.
- Measure powdered sugar before sifting, never after, because sifting adds air.
- Spoon it lightly into the measure; scooping packs the fine powder and adds weight.
- Weigh it for buttercream and icings, where 14 spoonfuls invite counting errors.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons is 100 grams of powdered sugar?
100 grams of powdered sugar is about 14.2 tablespoons, spooned and levelled, using the King Arthur Baking value of 113 g per cup. One tablespoon weighs about 7.1 g. The figure is approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters, especially for icings.
How many grams is 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar?
One level tablespoon of powdered sugar weighs about 7.1 g, and one teaspoon is about 2.4 g. That is barely more than half the weight of a tablespoon of granulated sugar, which is why the two sugars can never be swapped spoon-for-spoon.
Should I sift powdered sugar before measuring it?
No, measure first and sift second. Sifted powdered sugar weighs about 100 g per cup against 113 g unsifted, so measuring after sifting leaves an icing short on sugar. If a recipe says sifted, it usually means measure then sift, and a scale removes the doubt entirely.
Can I use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar in a cake?
It works in a pinch, but the cake will be different: powdered sugar contains cornstarch, which thickens the batter, and its fine grind creams differently with butter. For the same sweetness you need the same weight, not the same volume, so 100 g of granulated sugar swaps for 100 g of powdered sugar by weight, never by spoonfuls.
Why does my powdered sugar icing taste gritty or lumpy?
Lumps are the usual cause: powdered sugar clumps in a humid cupboard, and the lumps do not dissolve in butter. Sift the sugar after measuring it, and beat the buttercream for a full two or three minutes. If the icing still feels gritty, the sugar may have been measured after sifting, leaving it short and under-sweetened.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is measuring powdered sugar after sifting it, which makes it lighter and leaves a frosting short on sugar. Always measure first, then sift. The second mistake is scooping the sugar with the spoon, which packs the fine powder and can add a third more weight than a spooned and levelled measure. The third is forgetting that powdered sugar contains cornstarch: it is fine for icings, but it makes a poor substitute for granulated sugar in baking, where the cornstarch thickens and the fine grind changes the crumb. Finally, do not dust a cake with powdered sugar hours ahead of serving in a humid kitchen, because the sugar absorbs moisture and disappears into the surface.