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Throughout my childhood my mom kept three seasonings on the counter: salt, pepper, and cinnamon sugar. Amidst a jumble of countertop paraphernalia—keys! Junk mail! Rogue Ticonderoga pencils!—the cellar of cinnamon sugar (yes, she stored it in a salt cellar) sparkled like pixie dust. Taking its omnipresence for granted, I never stopped for a moment to wonder how to make cinnamon sugar—it was always just there, ready to be sprinkled on pancakes or buttered toast.
While my five-year-old self was convinced that my mom’s cinnamon sugar was some magical concoction, the truth is that the blend is remarkably easy to make at home. All it takes is two main ingredients (you guessed it: ground cinnamon and granulated sugar) and just about two minutes of prep time. Keep reading to discover the best ratio of cinnamon to sugar to keep on hand for breakfasts, baking projects, and dessert shortcuts; plus, find out my favorite ways to use a batch, which, yes, I do keep on the counter at all times.
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar
To make your own cinnamon sugar, you’ll need ground cinnamon and a bag of granulated sugar. The perfect cinnamon-sugar ratio is 1 cup granulated sugar to 1 Tbsp. cinnamon, plus, and you can quote me on this, a pinch of kosher salt. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, and salt together with a whisk or a spoon. With a total time of just 30 seconds, it really doesn’t get any easier than this.
This recipe makes 1 cup of cinnamon sugar, which lasts about a month or two in my kitchen. If you want to make a bigger batch, go ahead and scale the recipe as you see fit. Just don’t forget to adjust the salt; the addition complements the sweetness and spice of the cinnamon sugar, heightening the blend’s warm flavors. I recommend using white sugar for batched cinnamon sugar—brown sugar’s tendency to clump makes it difficult to distribute the spice as evenly as in the good ol’ granulated stuff.
Keep in mind that the type of cinnamon you use will impact the flavor profile. Most of the cinnamon you’ll find at the supermarket is cassia, a widely-produced variety with a strong, spicy flavor. Ceylon cinnamon, or “true” cinnamon, has a sweeter, more floral flavor than cassia, but it’s merely the runner-up to the Epi team’s favorite cinnamon variety, Korintje. The winner of Epi’s cinnamon taste test, this Indonesian cinnamon brings its warm, sweet, refreshingly bold flavor and aroma to homemade cinnamon toast and Cinnabon mall kiosks everywhere.
For the most potent cinnamon flavor, source high-quality cinnamon from an artisanal spice shop or fair trade spice company. I could rave on and on about Burlap & Barrel’s Royal Cinnamon, an heirloom variety harvested in Vietnam with warm notes of brown butter and buckwheat honey. If you like your cinnamon bold and spicy, Diaspora Co.’s Sri Lankan Peni Miris Cinnamon is heavy on the woodsy, peppery flavor, with notes of orange blossom and vetiver.
Keep in mind that artisanal spices are often more potent than the stuff you’ll find at grocery stores—a tablespoon of cinnamon might be too much for a cup of sugar. You’ll likely need less to have a similar impact, so start with 1 tsp. artisanal cinnamon to 1 cup granulated sugar. Taste and adjust accordingly.
Store your homemade cinnamon sugar in a shaker, a spice jar, or another airtight container with a tight-fitting lid. If you’re feeling fancy, you can add other spices to this cinnamon-sugar recipe, such as ¼ tsp. ground cardamom, ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice, or ¼ tsp. ground vanilla.
How to Cook With Cinnamon Sugar
Use this cinnamon sugar in any recipe that calls for both cinnamon and sugar—simply swap out the full amount of sugar in the recipe for an equal amount of cinnamon sugar. Or, use it in any of these sweet and warmly spiced ways:
Arguably the best way to use cinnamon sugar is in nostalgic cinnamon-sugar toast. Combine 2 Tbsp. cinnamon sugar with 4 Tbsp. softened unsalted butter. Spread the compound cinnamon-sugar butter in a thick, even layer on a piece of bread, then let it caramelize in the toaster oven.
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Need dessert in a hurry? These 3-ingredient cinnamon-sugar twists have got your back. You’ve heard of cinnamon toast, but what about cinnamon-sugar tortillas? Coating butter-glossed tortillas with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, then letting them crisp in a hot oven (about 5 minutes at 500°F) is one of my all-time favorite snack strategies. Upgrade store-bought pretzels by dunking them in butter and cinnamon sugar and toasting them in the oven at 425°F for a couple of minutes; crush them up to make a sweet-and-salty ice cream topping or snack on them all by themselves.
Use cinnamon sugar as a sweetener in your morning cup of coffee or use it to flavor a pot of oatmeal. Toss cubes of bread in butter and cinnamon sugar to make Cinnamon Toast Bites, caramelize it on top of French toast or waffles or sprinkle cinnamon sugar over a Dutch baby. Don’t forget the whipped cream.
Looking for a savory application? Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over halved, baked sweet potatoes in the last few minutes of cooking and let the surface caramelize in the oven.
Of course, you can use this cinnamon sugar in plenty of baked goods. Pair it with a swoosh of softened butter as the filling for our favorite cinnamon rolls (if you’re short on time, try this quick and easy version), or use part cinnamon and part cardamom and layer it into these glazed sticky buns. Coat snickerdoodles with a shiny cinnamon-sugar sheen or roll a log of slice-and-bake shortbread cookies in the mix before cutting them; toss warm, freshly-fried donuts or churros in a sweet coating; or roll the mixture up with puff pastry to make quick cookies or palmiers.
