Why Is My Sugar Clumping, And How To Stop It

Sugar will last indefinitely. That is, its shelf life is forever. However, there’s a problem I’ve had in the past… Clumped sugar. So, how in the world do you stop it from clumping?

First, I’m into practical prepping and preparedness. Sugar is one of the many dry food staples we’ve stored in bulk.

I store white sugar in a 5-gallon bucket (actually two). In one, we purchased bulk bags and dumped the sugar into the bucket until it was full. In the other, we placed as many 5-pound bags as we could fit (in the original packaging).

We use Gamma Lids on these (and some of our other accessible food storage, too) for convenient access.

The problem has been that after a while (I’m not exactly sure how long it took), the white sugar got hard. In fact, it can get very hard indeed! I’ll give you some suggestions on how to ” unclump” the sugar in a minute.

How to Prevent White Sugar Clumping

So, why is the sugar clumped? How can it be prevented from clumping in the first place?

Granulated sugar will harden when exposed to any moisture.

Regardless of the quantity and whatever container you store sugar, it will begin to clump when exposed to moisture.

Store sugar in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from moisture and heat to prevent clumping.

Use Crackers or Bread in the sugar.

“It was a common practice to add a saltine cracker to the sugar canisters in restaurants to prevent the problem. If you did eventually have a little clumping, it was time to replace the cracker.”

Another way to prevent white sugar from clumping is to use a dispenser purposely made for sugar. OXO recommends the following: The side spout allows easy, controlled pouring and minimizes moisture to help prevent sugar from clumping.

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What about sugar in a 5-lb bag? How do you store it so it won’t clump? You might consider using the following airtight container to hold 5 pounds of sugar.

Storing White Sugar In A 5-Gallon Bucket

Unlike brown sugar, white sugar is pretty dry to begin with. I thought it wouldn’t be a problem for my 5-gallon bucket of white sugar, but here’s what I believe happened.

Why did my 5-gallon bucket of sugar turn into hard clumps? The container with sugar was on a concrete floor for quite a while in my shop/garage building where I keep some of my storage.

The cool concrete floor created a seasonal temperature differential, transferring into the bucket. This may have instigated just enough condensation inside to begin the sugar clumping.

I have learned to isolate food storage containers from concrete, thus avoiding this potential temperature difference. I’ll use wood boards if I place any food storage containers on the concrete floor.

However, I also use foamboard insulation for an even more effective and reassuring solution. This insulation, which comes in 4×8 sheets (Home Depot, etc..) and is easy to cut/slice with a long-blade razor knife, provides excellent protection for your food storage containers, giving you the confidence that your food is stored in the best possible conditions.

[ Read: Gamma Seal Lids – And Here’s Why You Want Them… ]

How to Un-Clump White Sugar

My 5-gallon bucket of hardened white sugar? I had to chip away at it. Breaking the top layer into chunks took some effort.

Use A Food Processor To Remove Clumps From Sugar

Unclump? De-clump? Whatever you call it, I used a food processor.

It worked well enough. I kept pulsing it on and off and then let it run steady. This process brought it back to granulated sugar (with some powder, too – given the food processor action).

Use the Oven To Remove Clumps From Sugar

Domino Sugar says…

“Granulated sugar will harden when exposed to any moisture. Here is an easy way to make hardened granulated sugar soft again —

• Preheat oven to lowest temperature, 150-200 degrees.
• Remove sugar from the package and put in an ovenproof container that will hold the sugar.
• Place in the warm oven for approximately 15 minutes.
• Tap sugar with a spoon. If it starts to fall apart, turn oven off and leave sugar in the oven for an hour or two to completely dry out.
• Always store granulated sugar in an airtight container.

Note: I’ve tried this with severely chunked up sugar and it partially worked. Maybe if your sugar isn’t too severely clumped, it will work well.

How To Keep Brown Sugar From Clumping

To prevent brown sugar from clumping, you actually add some moisture (like those brown sugar bears, for example).

Or, to unclamp brown sugar quickly, put it in the microwave. To create moisture in the microwave, add a small bit of water in a separate bowl.

Brown Sugar Bear – Original Sugar Saver and Softener:

[ Read: Foods That Will Last Forever – Indefinite Shelf Life ]