Guide to Granulated Sugar: The Favorite and Most Versatile Sweetener of All

Nothing beats the real thing. The favorite among all. We call it simply "sugar," regular sugar, or table sugar, but it's labeled as granulated. It's considered the gold standard of sweet taste: clean, pleasant sweetness from start to finish, that hits quickly without lingering — showing no secondary taste or aftertaste. Because of this perfect sweetness profile, it’s the benchmark by which we judge every sugar substitute — and the reason we often dismiss anything that falls short.

In this guide, I'll cover the essential characteristics of granulated sugar — why it's so hard to replace, what makes it so versatile, and why we love it more than any other sweetener. You’ll also get to know the companies behind it, so you can understand not just the sugar itself, but the players who bring it to your table.

Is it Cane Sugar? Beet Sugar? A Blend?

Granulated sugar is made from either sugar cane or sugar beet — but blends of both are common because many sugar producers don't sell directly to consumers. Instead, their sugar is sold and distributed by large sugar marketing organizations, which may blend beet and cane sugars, based on price and availability.

People often ask me, "Does the brand of sugar matter?" For most home cooks, the answer is no. Whether it’s cane, beet, or a blend, white granulated sugar generally looks, tastes, smells, and works the same in your recipes. But it turns out some people strongly disagree — you can see the debate (and my full breakdown) here: 👉 Cane vs. Beet Sugar: A Difference?

Sucrose: The Scientific Name

Granulated sugar is one of the purest food products. Chemically speaking, it's about 99.95% sucrose, whether it comes from cane or sugar beet. The remaining 0.05% is mostly water plus a minuscule amount of impurities. Sucrose is a double sugar made up of two single sugars – glucose (50%) and fructose (50%) – connected by an oxygen bond.

Crystal Size of White Sugars

As I explained in my post Here's a Quick Way to Learn About the Top 20 Sweeteners, the refining process produces pure white sugar crystals while concentrating impurities into thick, dark syrups — molasses (also called refiners’ syrup). These two are separated in a centrifuge before the sugar is dried and packaged.

Most sugar producers and distributors define granulated white sugar as a type of refined sugar with an average crystal size ranging from 0.3 to 0.55 mm. Granulated sugar is typically the starting point for the production of other white sugars and brown sugars. 

Finer crystals are made by grinding granulated sugar and then passing it through specifically sized screens. Because smaller crystals have more surface area, they dissolve faster — a quality that makes them especially popular for baking, where quick and even mixing is key.

Sugar factories and refineries produce a range of white sugars with average crystal sizes from coarse (0.75–0.6 mm) to medium (0.5–0.3 mm) to small (0.3–0.02 mm). From largest to smallest, the types are: sparkling → sanding → granulated → fine → extra fine → superfine → ultrafine → powdered 6X → powdered 10X → powdered 12X → fondant.

Top Brands of Granulated Sugar

For most shoppers, the “top” granulated sugars are often store brands. You’ll find them under names like Great Value (Walmart), Market Pantry and Good & Gather (Target), Roundy's and Smidge & Spoon (Kroger), Nice (Walgreens), 365 Everyday Value (Whole Foods), Happy Belly (Amazon), First Street (Smart & Final), Wegmans, Publix, and many more.

Two well-known granulated sugar brands in the U.S. include Domino on the East Coast and C&H on the West Coast — both made from cane sugar. They’re owned by American Sugar Refining (ASR Group), one of the largest cane sugar producers in the country. Domino and C&H sugars come out of four refineries in California, Louisiana, Maryland, and New York. Domino Chalmette Refinery, located just outside New Orleans, is the largest refinery in the country. Learn more here: About Domino Granulated Sugar / About C&H Granulated Sugar.

Imperial Sugar and Dixie Crystals are sister brands offering essentially the same cane sugar. Both are owned by Imperial Sugar Company, which as of late 2022, is wholly owned by U.S. Sugar Corp. (Imperial was formerly under Louis Dreyfus Commodities — a Netherlands-based firm and one of the world’s top three sugar marketers.) Their sugars are produced at the company’s cane sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia.

Crystal Sugar is a brand owned by United Sugars Corp (United), which is the nation’s second–largest marketer of refined sugar. It provides beet and cane sugars, distributing almost 25% of the country's total refined sugar. United is a cooperative owned by three producers: American Crystal (beet sugar), Minn-Dak Farmers Coop (beet sugar), and US Sugar Corp. (cane sugar).

Café Delight brand, owned by Cargill, is another leading marketer of refined sugar. It sells and distributes cane and beet sugars from the U.S. and Mexico, representing the following sugar producers: Louisiana Sugar Refining (cane sugar), Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Coop, Spreckels Sugar Co. (beet sugar), Wyoming Sugar Co. (beet sugar), Zucarmex (cane sugar from Mexico), and other producers from Mexico.

Widely available brand names include N'JOY (owned by Sugar Foods Corporation), Community Coffee, Genuine Joe, Shrurfine, and Essential Everyday.

White Satin (Amalgamated Sugar), GW (Western Sugar Coop), and Pioneer (Michigan Sugar Company) are brands of granulated sugar from sugar beets.

The Sweetness of Granulated Sugar

When we think about sweetness, the first thing that comes to mind is granulated sugar, and we often describe the sweet taste simply as "tastes like sugar."

• Granulated sugar is the gold standard of sweet taste to which all other sweeteners are compared for three reasons: (1) sugar is the most common sweetener used in home food preparation and cookbooks; (2) sugar is the favorite and most versatile type of sweetener of all; (3) all we taste from sugar is sweet as it has no secondary taste or aftertaste.

• Granulated sugar and other sweeteners taste sweet but they certainly don't taste alike. Each sweetener has a specific taste profile, which means the sweetness sensation begins, peaks, and lingers differently for each sweetener. The "sweetness intensity over time" is how quickly the sweet taste is perceived (registered with our brain) and how long the taste perception lasts in our mouth. When the sweet taste subsides, what is left is called aftertaste. Common secondary tastes, or off-notes, in sweeteners include metallic, bitter, and cooling. Granulated sugar has a clean, pleasant sweetness from start to finish that hits quickly, without lingering. It has no aftertaste.

• How sweet is sugar? Wondering how sweetness is measured? The sweetness is an essential attribute of a sweetener that does not change. However, the perceived sweetness is affected by the concentration of the sweetener in the food, temperature, pH level, and interaction with other ingredients. Imagine having a sweetener simply dissolved in water versus in iced tea, hot coffee, lemonade, yogurt, cereal, or fruit. The best way to taste a sweetener is in water. So, to measure sweetness, granulated sugar and other sweeteners are dissolved in water. Refer to the image below to learn how sweetness is measured.
  

Why is it so Difficult to Substitute it?

Granulated sugar is not only sweet. It has many culinary roles. Consequently, it is usually not easy to remove it altogether, or even just reduce or replace sugar without affecting the outcome of foods.

At the simplest level, sugar is used just as a sweetener, such as in hot and cold drinks. But it often performs more than one role, obtained either individually or in combination with other ingredients. It is a precursor of flavor and color, as discussed next, but the importance of sugar also comes from safety and structure.

Granulated sugar contributes to the so-called "mouthfeel," providing bulk (weight and volume), increasing viscosity, and changing the texture of foods. It offers glaze and sparkle, binds water, increases boiling temperature, lowers the freezing temperature when dissolved in water, and much more. In non-sweet foods, sugar is used to balance sour, bitter, salty, and spicy tastes.

Sugar is not a perfect sweetener, but it is definitely the most versatile type of sweetener of all.

Granulated Sugar: Color & Flavor

Crystals of granulated sugar are naturally white and, when dissolved in water, they are colorless and transparent. But sugar is added to foods because it offers subtle to rich color and flavors. The color, aroma, and taste of many foods are a result of the decomposition of sugar that happens when sucrose changes chemically into one or more new substances. Granulated sugar (sucrose) may be decomposed by some common processes:

• Sugar Inversion is a process where sucrose decomposes into glucose and fructose, resulting in what is called "invert sugar". The sucrose molecule consists of a glucose and a fructose ring, connected by an oxygen (glycosidic) bond. When a solution of sucrose is heated in the presence of an acid or the enzyme invertase, 50 to 90% of the sucrose molecules break down into their component parts (glucose and fructose), as the image below shows. The resulting syrup is called invert sugar. The reaction is called inversion because when sucrose breaks apart, its optical properties change. Sucrose rotates the polarized light to the right and is called a right-hand sugar (aka dextrorotatory). The rotation of the polarized light for invert sugar is to the opposite direction, and so, it is called a levorotatory sugar.

• Caramelization is the process of decomposing sucrose into invert sugar (glucose and fructose) and caramel (coloring substances). Sucrose is extremely stable in its granulated form at room temperature. Still, it turns into a liquid at about 340°F (a very high melting point), forming caramel, which has a brown color and pleasant taste and aroma (buttery, fruity, flowery, sweet, rum-like, and roasted). Prolonged caramelization may result in bitter and very dark products. Be aware that "melting sucrose" is a different process from "dissolving sucrose." Both turn sucrose crystals into liquid. Sucrose changes chemically or decomposes into other substances during the melting process. On the other hand, it is not chemically changed or decomposed when it is simply dissolved in water, as sucrose molecules and water molecules remain intact. If the water is allowed to evaporate from this solution, sucrose crystals are formed again.

• The Maillard Reaction is another process where decomposed sucrose results in changes in color and flavor. It occurs through complex and multiple reactions at high temperatures in the presence of amino acids (or proteins). The Maillard reaction produces a high color and viscous juice, as well as a particular smell and taste. Both caramelization and Maillard are referred to as browning reactions. However, Maillard results in a much larger range of compounds than caramelization, and a richer and more complex flavor. Be aware that sucrose (granulated sugar) is a non-reducing sugar, which means it does not have a carbonyl group "exposed" for Maillard reactions to occur. But after sucrose is decomposed, it turns into glucose and fructose, which are reducing sugars and so have a carbonyl group "exposed" and undergo the Maillard reaction.
  

Measuring & Counting Calories

When measuring sugar, you might wonder: What is one serving of sugar? How many grams of sugar are in one serving? How many calories are in a teaspoon of sugar? How many cups in a pound of sugar? Find the answers below.

For those who like to measure volume, I list some reference amounts obtained via the dip and sweep method — using proper measuring tools, not utensils. To measure a level cup or spoon of sugar, simply dip your measuring tool into the sugar package or bin and sweep away any excess with a knife. (Note: teaspoon = tsp; tablespoon = Tbsp)

Why Do We Love Sugar So Much?

The human evolution explanation as to why we love sugar so much relates to survival. The way our ancestors found and consumed enough nutrients and energy was through the sense of taste. The purpose of taste was to assess if potential foods were nutritious or toxic before swallowing them, and resulted in acceptance or rejection.

The taste is a sense that nature undoubtedly set us up, making pleasurable foods taste sweet, poisonous ones taste bitter, and spoiled food tastes sour. Our response to sweetness is innate, and if you have any doubt that we are born liking it, watch this baby tasting ice cream for the first time.

• Of the five tastes — sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory) — sweetness is undeniably the favorite of most people. It is the one that gives us the most pleasure. Some of us like the sweet taste more than others, depending on many factors such as age, sex, health, education level, income, food preferences, consumption habits, as well as the environment or context in which the sweet food is consumed.

• Because we are hard-wired to love sugar — combined with the fact that it is widely available, can be stored for a long time, and is inexpensive — it is easy to have too much of it. Therefore, we have to learn to live with it and use it responsibly.

• Granulated sugar is harmless in small amounts but can be harmful in large quantities. It is energy-dense, 4 to 13x more than fruits, as most ripe fruits have just 10 to 12 percent sugar. High intake of sugar (or any other caloric sweetener) significantly increases our risk for dental caries, weight gain, obesity, and other chronic diseases.

• How much sugar is too much? The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests no more than six teaspoons per day for women and children. Men's upper daily limit is nine teaspoons. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 (DGA) advise limiting sugar to 10% of daily calories, which is twelve teaspoons a day on average. The WHO states it is best to keep it below 5% of daily calories, meaning no more than six teaspoons a day. If you are having more than that, it is probably too much. Be aware that those limits are for all sugars, not just granulated sugar.

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