Sweeteners
Granulated Sugar
The all-purpose fine crystal sugar; creams air into butter for cakes, dissolves in batters and drinks, and caramelizes evenly for sauces and brittle.
Granulated sugar is the workhorse sweetener of the modern kitchen: refined sucrose, approximately 99.9% pure, extracted from either sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) or sugar beet (Beta vulgaris). The two sources are chemically identical once refined, which is why most recipes simply call it "sugar" and trust you to grab the bag in your pantry. In the United States, "sugar" without a qualifier almost always means this fine, free-flowing crystal; in much of the English-speaking world it is most often labeled simply as "sugar" or "white sugar."
Its crystal size — roughly 0.3 to 0.6 mm — is the secret to its versatility. The grains are small enough to dissolve readily in batters, custards, and cold drinks, yet large and hard enough to cut through solid butter and whip air into it when creamed. That single behavior is the mechanical foundation of butter cakes, pound cakes, and tender cookies. The same crystals melt cleanly in a hot pan to give you an even caramel, and they sweeten, stabilize, and add gloss to whipped egg whites without weighing them down. Few ingredients do so many different jobs with such predictable results.
Sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts and holds water, which is why it keeps baked goods moist, draws juice out of macerated fruit, and can turn rock-hard in a damp cupboard. It is also the reference point for sweetness (1.0×) against which honey, maple syrup, agave, and most non-nutritive sweeteners are measured. Understanding those two traits — its ability to manipulate texture and its thirst for water — is what separates a cook who follows recipes from one who can adjust them.
- Measured in
- g
- Storage
- Sealed Airtight In A Cool, Dry Pantry
Find it in
Suits
Types & varieties
The default fine, free-flowing crystal sold as plain "sugar" in U.S. supermarkets.
Functionally interchangeable; some bakers report a slightly softer crumb and faint aftertaste from beet sugar, but most cooks cannot tell the difference.
Finer crystals (around 0.1–0.3 mm) that dissolve almost instantly; ideal for meringues, sponge cakes, and sweetening cold drinks.
The British equivalent of fine/baker's special and the standard sugar in most British baking recipes.
Larger crystals that dissolve more slowly; useful when you want visible crunch or slower, more even browning.
Large, often colored crystals that resist melting in the oven; made for sprinkling, not creaming into batter.
Same refined crystals, but produced from organically grown cane or beet and processed without synthetic clarifying agents.
Why crystal size matters
Granulated sugar's mid-range crystal is the reason it is the default in so many recipes. Compare it to its neighbors on the shelf and the trade-offs become clear.
- Caster and baker's special dissolve almost on contact, which is why they are preferred for meringue, pavlova, angel food cake, and any cold drink where undissolved grit would be obvious. They cream poorly with butter, however, because the tiny crystals cannot cut into the fat and trap air the way larger grains can.
- Coarse and demerara crystals give a pleasant crunch and resist dissolving too quickly on the surface of muffins, crumbles, fruit crisps, and streusel toppings. They are a poor choice inside a delicate cake batter, where they may remain undissolved and produce a gritty crumb or sink to the bottom of the pan.
- Sanding sugar is even larger and is sized to survive the oven without melting. It is a finishing sugar, not a structural one — never cream it into butter or use it to sweeten meringue.
- Regular granulated sits in the middle: large enough to aerate butter, small enough to dissolve in most batters and syrups. For everyday baking it is the most forgiving choice.
Common uses
Tips & pitfalls
- Measure by weight whenever a recipe gives grams; volumetric cups of granulated sugar can vary by 10% or more depending on how tightly the sugar is packed.
- Cream butter and sugar until visibly pale and fluffy — usually 3 to 5 minutes in a stand mixer on medium. Rushing this step is the single most common cause of dense, flat cakes.
- Add sugar to egg whites in a slow, steady stream once they reach soft peaks; dumping it in all at once deflates the foam and weighs the meringue down.
- Dissolve sugar in a small splash of warm liquid before adding it to cold mixtures, custards, or cream, or the grains can sink and stay gritty at the bottom.
- For drier, crisper cookies, lean toward granulated sugar; for chewier, moister cookies, swap some or all of it for brown sugar.
- Brush the inside of the pan with a wet pastry brush while cooking sugar syrups to wash stray crystals back down and prevent the whole batch from seizing.
- Never substitute granulated sugar one-for-one for confectioners' sugar in frostings or glazes — the missing cornstarch and coarser grind will leave the icing sandy.
- A small pinch of salt sharpens perceived sweetness without making baked goods taste savory; add it with the dry ingredients rather than at the end so it dissolves evenly.
Nutrition
Energy
1619 kJ · per 100 g
Where the calories come from
Protein
0g
0% DV
Carbs
100g
36% DV
Fat
0g
0% DV
Fiber
0g
0% DV
Sugars
99.8g
of which
Sodium
1mg
0% DV
Source · USDA FoodData Central · Sugars, granulated
View on FDC →In the shops
Matched grocery products
No matched grocery products for Granulated Sugar yet.
Good to know
- Source
- Refined sucrose from sugarcane or sugar beet; chemically identical regardless of source.
- Composition
- About 99.9% sucrose, with trace moisture and no protein, fat, or fiber.
- Crystal size
- Roughly 0.3–0.6 mm — finer than demerara or sanding sugar, coarser than caster or baker's special.
- Weight
- Approximately 200 g per U.S. cup (sifted, spooned, and leveled); about 4 g per teaspoon.
- Sweetness
- The reference point (1.0×) against which other sweeteners are compared.
- Caramelization
- Melts near 160 °C / 320 °F; full caramelization runs 160–170 °C / 320–340 °F.
- Solubility
- Highly soluble in water; solubility rises sharply with heat, reaching about 487 g per 100 mL water at 100 °C / 212 °F.
- Storage
- Airtight, cool, and dry; indefinitely shelf-stable, but hardens into a solid lump in humid conditions.
Substitutes
- Caster / superfine sugar — The closest 1:1 swap; works even better than granulated in delicate batters, meringues, and cold drinks because it dissolves faster.
- Light brown sugar — Substitute 1:1 by volume for chewier, more molasses-flavored results; pack the cup firmly and expect slightly more moisture in the dough or batter.
- Demerara or turbinado — Larger crystals with a light molasses coating; acceptable in crumbles, streusel, and rustic toppings, but not ideal inside delicate cakes where the grains may not fully dissolve.
- Honey — Replace cup for cup, then reduce other liquid in the recipe by about ¼ cup and add ¼ teaspoon baking soda per cup of honey; lower the oven temperature by roughly 25 °F (15 °C) to prevent excess browning.
- Maple syrup — Follow the same liquid-reduction rule as honey; contributes a pronounced maple flavor, so it suits recipes where that profile belongs.
- Coconut sugar — Substitute 1:1 by volume; lower on the glycemic index and lightly caramel-flavored, but the granules run a touch coarser and the color is tan rather than white.
- Agave nectar — Use about ⅔ cup per cup of sugar and reduce other liquids by a similar amount; very sweet with a mild, neutral flavor.
Pairs with
Also called
white sugar · table sugar · caster sugar
