How Many Cups in a Pound of Sugar? What You Need to Know (2024)

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When the holiday baking season rolls around (or you find a recipe you can't wait to make, but the measurements are in metric), knowing how many cups are in a pound of sugar for different sugar types can be very helpful. Each variety of sugar has a different number of cups per pound due to their varying textures and consistency. To make your baking life even easier, you could stick to weights of sugar and use a handy kitchen scale for the most precise measuring. If you don't have a kitchen scale, we break down the cups per pound of sugar here.

Cups of Powdered Sugar in a Pound

One pound of powdered sugar contains approximately 4 cups. This is the usual size and amount in one box of powdered sugar. Compared to the other sugars listed here, powdered sugar (or confectioners sugar) is fluffier and light, so you get more cups per pound.

Cups of Brown Sugar in a Pound

One pound of brown sugar (light or dark) contains about 3½ cups when loose and 2¼ cups when packed into measuring cups ($15, Target). Packed brown sugar is called for in most recipes.

Cups of Sugar in a Pound

One pound of granulated sugar contains approximately 2 cups. The grain of granulated sugar is the smallest of these sugars, so it's much heavier by weight, and you get the fewest cups per pound of this type of sugar.

Helpful Sugar Tips

In addition to knowing how many cups of sugar are in a pound, it's helpful to know how to measure sugar properly, what kind of substitutions you can make for brown sugar, and other substitutions for sugar in case you run out.