Cooking Measurements: Cups, Grams, and Recipe Conversions
Start with the recipe’s units and measuring convention. If it supplies grams, use those grams. If it supplies only cups or spoons, choose a reference that matches the ingredient and preparation, and treat the mass result as an estimate.
Ingredient cups-to-grams estimates
The table uses the original author portions below, rather than an assumed universal density. Spoon and cup estimates scale the reference using 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons per cup. The ingredient chart does not specify its cup volume in mL. Water uses a separate density source; rice has no verified cross-quantity reference.
| Ingredient | Original reference | Estimated grams per cup | Preparation and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-Purpose Flour | 120 g / 1 cup | ≈ 120 g | All-purpose flour; fluff, spoon, and level King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Bread Flour | 120 g / 1 cup | ≈ 120 g | Bread flour King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Whole Wheat Flour | 113 g / 1 cup | ≈ 113 g | Whole-wheat flour King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Granulated Sugar | 198 g / 1 cup | ≈ 198 g | Granulated white sugar King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Brown Sugar (packed) | 213 g / 1 cup | ≈ 213 g | Brown sugar, packed King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Powdered Sugar (unsifted) | 113 g / 1 cup | ≈ 113 g | Confectioners’ sugar, unsifted King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Butter | 113 g / 0.5 cup | ≈ 226 g | Butter King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Honey | 21 g / 1 tbsp | ≈ 336 g | Honey King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Milk | 227 g / 1 cup | ≈ 227 g | Milk, fresh King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Water | 0.99820675 g/mL | ≈ 236.16 g | Air-free water at 20°C; density changes with temperature NISTIR 7383 (2019), water-density example |
| Rice (uncooked) | Not verified | Unavailable | No verified uncooked-rice portion or density is available. Volume-to-volume and mass-to-mass conversions still work. |
| Rolled Oats | 89 g / 1 cup | ≈ 89 g | Rolled oats, old-fashioned or quick-cooking King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Cocoa Powder (unsweetened) | 42 g / 0.5 cup | ≈ 84 g | Unsweetened cocoa King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Cornstarch | 28 g / 0.25 cup | ≈ 112 g | Cornstarch King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Table Salt | 18 g / 1 tbsp | ≈ 288 g | Table salt (not kosher or flaky salt) King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Yogurt | 227 g / 1 cup | ≈ 227 g | Yogurt King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Vegetable Oil | 198 g / 1 cup | ≈ 198 g | Vegetable oil King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Peanut Butter | 135 g / 0.5 cup | ≈ 270 g | Peanut butter King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Cream Cheese | 227 g / 1 cup | ≈ 227 g | Cream cheese King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Sour Cream | 227 g / 1 cup | ≈ 227 g | Sour cream King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Mayonnaise | 113 g / 0.5 cup | ≈ 226 g | Mayonnaise King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Maple Syrup | 156 g / 0.5 cup | ≈ 312 g | Maple syrup King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Grated Cheese (cheddar, jack, mozzarella, or Swiss) | 113 g / 1 cup | ≈ 113 g | Grated cheddar, jack, mozzarella, or Swiss King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Breadcrumbs (dry) | 28 g / 0.25 cup | ≈ 112 g | Dried breadcrumbs King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
| Chopped Walnuts | 113 g / 1 cup | ≈ 113 g | Walnuts, chopped King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart |
Choose an ingredient converter
For selected baking ingredients and fractional cups, see the generated baking reference chart.
Which cup and spoon does the recipe mean?
Check a recipe’s measurement notes before treating “cup” as a fixed mL amount. The scopes below are different: a nutrition-label convention does not establish the cup used in an ingredient chart.
| Convention and source | Cup (mL) | Tablespoon (mL) | Teaspoon (mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| US customary — NIST | 236.5882 | 14.78676 | 4.928922 |
| US nutrition labeling — FDA | 240 | 15 | 5 |
| Australian recipe convention — NSW Health, p.39 | 250 | 20 | 5 |
Calculated from those measures, 250 mL is about 5.67% more than a customary US cup, or 4.17% more than a 240 mL labeling cup. A 20 mL tablespoon is one-third larger than 15 mL. Identify the convention rather than treating these differences as interchangeable.
Volume and mass answer different questions
Cups, spoons, and mL measure volume; grams and mass ounces measure mass. A volume-to-volume conversion works for any ingredient. A mass-to-mass conversion also works without density. Moving between the two requires evidence about the ingredient, not just a unit factor.
The recipe-reference portions support estimated cups or spoons to mass. They do not establish verified mL-to-grams conversions. Those remain unavailable for every ingredient here except water, whose independently sourced density is stated at 20°C. The familiar 1 mL water ≈ 1 g shorthand is approximate and must not be extended to milk or oil.
Read more in the cups-to-grams guide and recipe measurement workflow.
Match the measuring technique
For its all-purpose-flour reference, King Arthur instructs readers to fluff, spoon, and level. Filling a cup densely changes the mass. Keep preparation words such as “packed,” “unsifted,” and “chopped” when selecting a reference.
A mass ounce is different from a fluid ounce: the former converts to grams, the latter to volume. Check the recipe’s wording and the scale or jug’s markings before choosing a converter. A result displayed to two decimals describes calculation rounding, not the accuracy of a kitchen estimate.
Convert oven temperatures, then check the setting
Exact arithmetic gives 180°C = 356°F and 350°F ≈ 176.67°C. A rounded setting printed by a recipe author is a separate instruction. Use the recipe’s supplied alternate setting when available; otherwise calculate the conversion and choose an available setting on your appliance.
For convection, consult the mode and manual. GE’s convection-baking advice gives a general 25°F reduction (about 13.89°C), and some models adjust automatically. That advice is appliance-specific, not a universal 20°C rule.
Use the exact Celsius/Fahrenheit chart or read the oven temperature guide. A verified gas-mark mapping is not available in this release.
Practical questions
How big is a cup?
It depends on the stated convention. Check the customary, labeling, and Australian recipe measures above, then use the recipe’s own definition if it provides one.
Why must I choose an ingredient?
The same volume can contain different masses. Ingredient choice and preparation select the reference used for a cup-to-grams estimate.
Why is mL-to-grams unavailable for flour?
No independently verified density is stored. The author’s cup weight alone cannot establish a density when its cup volume is unspecified.
Is an oven conversion exact or rounded?
The unit formula is exact. Displayed decimals may be rounded, and recipe or dial settings may use a different practical rounding. Keep those steps separate.
Sources and review
- King Arthur ingredient weight chart: original portions and preparations.
- King Arthur flour measuring instructions: flour technique.
- NIST SP 811 Appendix B.8: rounded unit factors.
- FDA household-measure guidance: nutrition-label measures.
- NSW Health cookbook, p.39: Australian recipe measures.
- NISTIR 7383, GLP 10 example table: air-free-water density at 20°C.
- NIST temperature units: Celsius/Fahrenheit arithmetic.
- GE convection guidance: appliance-specific adjustments.
Reviewed . Values derived by scaling or unit arithmetic are identified above. See our methodology.