How to Make Quick and Easy Cinnamon Sugar

Prep: 2 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 2 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 1/2 cup

Once you see how easy it is to put cinnamon sugar together, you may wonder why you ever bought it in a little jar in the spice aisle. And, like lots of things in the kitchen, it's more economical to do it yourself.

Cinnamon comes from the bark of plants from the genus Cinnamomum. It is usually labeled Sri Lanka or Ceylon and is considered "true cinnamon." It has a mild, sweet flavor. Cassia cinnamon, the most common and least expensive type, comes from a related species. It is the cinnamon usually found in the home cook's spice cabinet and the one most commonly used in cooking. Sometimes, it is labeled Saigon, Vietnamese, or Korintje; these are all types of cassia cinnamon. 

If you love cinnamon and use it a lot and therefore want to up your cinnamon game, you can buy it in bulk in some specialty grocery stores or online spice and herb purveyors. These types of retailers will often specify the types of cinnamon they have available or offer a blend, so you can choose.

Light-brown cinnamon sugar in a glass jar and on a small wooden spoon

The Spruce Eats

"Simple, affordable, and easy to make, this cinnamon sugar recipe has a great balance of cinnamon-to-sugar. Most people have these ingredients already available in their homes, so why pay for pre-made cinnamon sugar? I used this as a topping for a banana pudding recipe I made for dinner one night and everyone raved over it." —Victoria Heydt

How to Make Quick and Easy Cinnamon Sugar Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

    Ingredients for cinnamon sugar recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats

  2. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and blend thoroughly.

    Thoroughly stirred cinnamon and sugar in a small white bowl on a marble counter

    The Spruce Eats

  3. Pour it into a small canning jar with a screw-top lid, another small, lidded container, or a zip-close food storage bag. Use as desired. Enjoy.

    Light-brown cinnamon sugar in a glass jar and on a small wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats

Recipe Variations

  • To scale the recipe down to 1/4 cup, use 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
  • Double the cinnamon to 2 tablespoons if you prefer a higher ratio of cinnamon to sugar.

How to Use

Cinnamon sugar can be used in a variety of ways:

  • Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over a pie crust or cobbler before baking.
  • Use it to sweeten French toast.
  • Toss 1 or 2 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar with 1/4 cup of chopped pecans and sprinkle over the top of a loaf of quick bread, muffins, or coffee cake before baking for a streusel-like topping.
  • Top bread pudding to add a little spice.
  • Sprinkle on top of sweet pretzels.
  • Give sliced apples a little cinnamon sweetness, or add to baked or fried apples.
  • Dust the top of whipped cream as a garnish.
  • Sweeten up your morning cereal or oatmeal.
  • Add a dash to plain Greek yogurt.
  • Enhance buttered toast or even bacon with a sprinkle.
  • Add to your coffee for a spiced, sweet flavor.
  • Toss fried dough in the cinnamon sugar, as in sopapillas.

How to Store

  • This recipe makes about 1/2 cup of cinnamon sugar. Once you've made it, store the cinnamon sugar in the pantry in a jar or sealed food storage bag.
  • Or, if you anticipate using it regularly, you can repurpose a used plastic spice container (ideally from cinnamon, to avoid flavor mixing) and keep that handy. Store the jar in the pantry, refilling from it as needed. 
  • Cinnamon sugar will keep indefinitely, but because of the cinnamon, it may lose its potency over time.

What Is the Difference Between Cinnamon and Cinnamon Sugar?

Cinnamon is a spice made from the ground bark of a plant and is used in sweet and sometimes savory dishes. It has a spiced, slightly sweet flavor. Cinnamon sugar combines ground cinnamon with sugar to make a sweet ingredient or topping for desserts. It is different from brown sugar, which is sugar that is less processed than granulated sugar, leaving behind some moisture and giving it a more caramel-like flavor. Brown sugar does not have spices like cinnamon added.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
34 Calories
0g Fat
9g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 34
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 7mg 1%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 3mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)