Caster Sugar: Vegan Cooking Guide
Caster sugar is finely ground white sugar - the fine crystals dissolve more quickly than granulated sugar, making it the standard choice for cakes, meringues and desserts. In the US it's called 'superfine' or 'baker's sugar'. Most vegan baking uses caster sugar, where the smaller crystal size is important for creaming and dissolving.
How to Use Caster Sugar
Cream with vegan butter for cakes. Dissolve in hot water for simple syrups. Use in meringues (aquafaba-based) where it needs to dissolve completely into the foam. Caramelise directly in a dry pan for a toffee sauce.
Nutrition
Pure sucrose - calorie-dense but no significant micronutrients.
Chef's Tips
- Make your own caster sugar by pulsing granulated sugar 5 - 10 times in a food processor - stop before it becomes icing sugar.
- For a more complex flavour in cakes, replace up to half the caster sugar with soft light brown sugar.
- Unrefined golden caster sugar has a subtle toffee note from residual molasses - worth using in biscuits and crumbles.
→ Find the best substitutes for caster sugar
Vegan Recipes Using Caster Sugar
Learn to cook with caster sugar on video
Our Cook Like A Pro course covers vegan cooking techniques including how to get the most from plant-based proteins, flavour bases and dairy alternatives. Watch step-by-step with chefs Rupert Worden and Lisa Hinze.
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