Have you ever wondered, if powdered sugar is gluten free? Most of the time powdered sugar is gluten free, but it can sometimes contain gluten. Read and find out the answer to this and more in this article all about powdered sugar.
Powdered sugar is fluffy and soft. It is the key ingredient when coating donuts, making frosting and dusting over desserts.
What is Powdered Sugar?
Powdered sugar, also known as confectioners or icing sugar. This is a combination of white sugar and anti-caking agent grounded into fine powder, exactly what it sounds like granulated. It helps bring fluffiness and lightness to baked goods, frosting and more.
Powdered sugar is often dusted over baked goods as decoration. Because of its low melting point, it makes icing, glazes and frosting when mixed with a liquid.
Powdered sugar can be made at home by milling the ingredients (pouring granulated sugar) in a coffee grinder, or by grinding it with a mortar and pestle to result in a powder with a superfine texture.
Note: It is not advised to substitute powdered sugar for regular sugar in a recipe. Although powdered sugar has many uses, it has a lower melting point than regular sugar, which can affect the recipe.
What is Powdered Sugar Made With?
Powdered sugar is made up of just two ingredients, which are sugar and an anti-caking agent. That is it unless it has added flavoring like vanilla.
Cornstarch, potato starch and tapioca starch are the most common anti-caking agents used in powdered sugar. They mostly make up to 5% of the total blend of powdered sugar.
Note: It is critical to ingest any products containing gluten if you have celiac disease or are gluten intolerant.
Is Powdered Sugar Gluten Free?
It is a raw sugar and has no added starch, therefore, it is safely gluten-free. It isn’t common for gluten ingredients to be used to make powdered sugar, but a brand could use wheat starch as the anti-caking agent. Another potential red flag is if the powdered sugar is manufactured in a plant where gluten ingredients are made.
To be safe, it is always best to read the ingredients label on the powdered sugar package to ensure no gluten was added. If possible, buy powdered sugar labeled gluten-free.
Gluten Free Powdered Sugar Brands
These are brands that say gluten free on the package. For clarity sake, you can also go to the manufacturer’s website to double-check the safety. You can find some of these on Amazon.
- Aldi Brand Powdered Sugar (It is called icing sugar)
- Great Value Powdered Sugar (Walmart brand)
- HEB Organic Powdered Sugar
- Kroger Powdered Sugar
- Simple Truth Organic Powdered Sugar
- Wholesome Powdered Sugar
Conclusion
Powdered sugar is a great option, if you need something sweet to add to baking recipes. It is gluten-free and made with minimal ingredients. However, it needs to be consumed in moderation, as many negative health effects come with overconsuming sugar.
