Cups to Grams Converter
Convert between cups and grams for 30+ cooking ingredients
Enter an Amount
Enter cups or grams and select an ingredient to see accurate conversion results.
How to Use the Cups to Grams Converter
Choose Conversion Direction
Select whether you want to convert from cups to grams or from grams to cups using the toggle buttons at the top. Use the swap button to quickly reverse the direction. This determines whether your input value is interpreted as cups or grams.
Enter Amount and Select Ingredient
Type the numeric amount you want to convert, or use the quick fraction buttons (¼, ⅓, ½, ⅔, ¾, 1, 1.5, 2 cups) for common recipe amounts. Then select the specific ingredient from the dropdown menu — ingredients are organized by category (liquids, flours, sugars, fats, grains, misc). The grams-per-cup value for each ingredient is shown in parentheses for reference.
Read Your Conversions
The primary conversion appears in the hero result area. Below it, the All Measurements section shows equivalent values in cups, grams, ounces, tablespoons, teaspoons, and milliliters. The density comparison chart shows how your selected ingredient compares to others in grams per cup, highlighted in the chart for easy identification.
Export or Print
Click 'Export CSV' to download the conversion results as a spreadsheet file — useful for documenting recipe conversions or building a personal reference table. Click 'Print' to print the results directly from the browser for posting in your kitchen or including with a recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many grams is 1 cup of flour?
One cup of all-purpose flour weighs approximately 125 grams when measured using the spoon-and-level method (spooning flour into the cup and leveling with a straight edge). However, this number varies significantly based on measuring technique: scooping flour directly from the bag can yield 140 to 160 grams per cup because scooping compacts the flour. Sifted flour is lighter at around 115 grams per cup. Different flour types also have different densities: bread flour is about 130 g/cup, cake flour about 114 g/cup, whole wheat flour about 128 g/cup, and almond flour about 96 g/cup. For consistent baking results, always use a kitchen scale and the gram weight specified in the recipe.
Why do different ingredients have different grams per cup?
Because grams measure mass while cups measure volume, and different substances have different densities. Density is how much mass is packed into a given volume. Honey is very dense — its thick, heavy molecules are tightly packed, so one cup weighs 340 grams. Flour is light and airy — the tiny particles have lots of air space between them, so one cup weighs only 125 grams. Butter is relatively dense at 227 grams per cup because it is a solid fat with little air. This is why you cannot use a single conversion factor for all ingredients — each ingredient's unique density determines its gram weight per cup. Professional bakers always specify ingredients by weight to avoid this density variation problem.
What is the difference between a US cup and a metric cup?
The US legal cup is 236.588 milliliters, while the metric cup used in Australia, New Zealand, and some other countries is 250 milliliters — about 5.7% larger. The Imperial cup used in older British recipes is 284 milliliters. This converter uses the US cup (236.588 mL), which is the standard in American recipes. If you are following an Australian or metric recipe, reduce the cup measurement by about 5% when using this converter, or better yet, use the gram weight directly. The difference between US and metric cups is small enough that it rarely matters for liquids, but for dry ingredients in precise baking recipes, the 14 mL difference can affect results.
How should I measure flour for the most accurate conversion?
The most accurate method is to skip cups entirely and weigh your flour on a kitchen scale. If you must use cups, the standard method is spoon-and-level: use a spoon to scoop flour from the bag into the measuring cup until it overflows, then level off the top with the straight edge of a knife. Never tap the cup or pack the flour down. Never scoop the measuring cup directly into the flour bag — this compacts the flour and can add 20-30% extra weight. The spoon-and-level method consistently yields about 125 grams per cup for all-purpose flour. If a recipe was developed using the scoop-and-level method instead, it likely assumes about 140 grams per cup, so knowing the recipe author's measuring method matters.
Can I use this converter for liquid ingredients?
Yes. The converter includes common liquid ingredients like water (236.6 g/cup), whole milk (244 g/cup), heavy cream (238 g/cup), vegetable oil (218 g/cup), honey (340 g/cup), maple syrup (322 g/cup), buttermilk (245 g/cup), and yogurt (245 g/cup). Liquids are simpler to convert than dry ingredients because you can measure liquids accurately in a liquid measuring cup without the packing variability that affects dry ingredients. However, different liquids still have different densities — oil is lighter than water, honey is much heavier — so ingredient-specific conversion remains important for accuracy.
How accurate are these conversion values?
The grams-per-cup values in this converter are sourced from King Arthur Baking, the USDA FoodData Central database, and professional baking references. They represent standard averages for each ingredient measured using the conventional method (spoon-and-level for dry ingredients, standard pour for liquids). Real-world values can vary by 5-10% depending on brand, grind fineness, humidity, altitude, and measuring technique. For casual cooking, these values are more than sufficient. For professional baking where precision matters, always use the exact gram weight specified in the recipe and a calibrated kitchen scale. The values are updated periodically based on the latest USDA food composition data.