Grams to Cups Converter
Convert grams to cups for 20+ baking and cooking ingredients using real densities, or run the reverse: enter cups to get grams. Choose your cup standard (US customary, US legal, or metric), and the calculator shows cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, milliliters, and ounces all at once.
Formula
Worked example
200 g of all-purpose flour (120 g per US cup): 200 / 120 = 1.667 cups, or 26.7 tbsp, 80 tsp, 394 mL, 7.05 oz. Reverse: 1.667 US cups x 120 = 200 g.
How the conversion works
Volume and weight are not interchangeable without knowing density. This converter uses established density values for each ingredient: all-purpose flour at approximately 120 g per cup, granulated sugar at 200 g per cup, and butter at 227 g per cup. Dividing your gram input by the grams-per-cup figure gives the cup equivalent. You can also flip the direction: select cups-to-grams mode, enter a cup amount, and multiply by the same density to get grams. Every output, including tablespoons, teaspoons, milliliters, and ounces, follows from the same density look-up, so all values are consistent.
Which cup standard should I use?
Three cup sizes are in common use around the world. The US customary cup holds exactly 236.588 mL and appears in most American and many Canadian recipes. The US legal cup holds exactly 240 mL and is used on US nutrition labels. The metric cup holds 250 mL and is the standard in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. If your recipe comes from one of those countries, switch to the metric cup: the difference is about 5-6% per cup, enough to matter in baking. When in doubt for US recipes, use the US customary cup.
What affects the result
Density varies with how an ingredient is prepared before measuring. Flour scooped directly from the bag compresses into a cup and can reach 150-160 g, while flour that has been sifted or spooned-and-leveled lands near 120 g. This converter uses the spooned-and-leveled standard, which is the method assumed by most US recipe developers. Humidity, settling during shipping, and fat content in specialty flours can also shift real-world densities slightly away from the reference values used here. For maximum accuracy, enable the custom density input and enter the figure from your ingredient packaging.
Why weighing in grams is more accurate
A kitchen scale eliminates the human error introduced by how tightly an ingredient is packed into a cup. Professional baking sources consistently show that cup measurements for flour alone can vary by 20-30% between different bakers using the same recipe. If your recipe lists weights in grams, use those weights directly rather than converting to cups. Use this converter when adapting a volume-only recipe to weight-based baking, or when your scale is unavailable and you need the closest cup equivalent for a given gram amount.
Grams per cup by ingredient and cup type
| Ingredient | US cup (236.6 mL) | Legal cup (240 mL) | Metric cup (250 mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 120 | 122 | 127 |
| Bread flour | 130 | 132 | 138 |
| Whole-wheat flour | 130 | 132 | 138 |
| Rye flour | 120 | 122 | 127 |
| Cake flour (sifted) | 100 | 102 | 106 |
| Cornstarch | 128 | 130 | 135 |
| Granulated sugar | 200 | 203 | 212 |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 220 | 223 | 233 |
| Powdered sugar | 120 | 122 | 127 |
| Coconut sugar | 180 | 183 | 190 |
| Butter | 227 | 230 | 240 |
| Olive oil | 216 | 219 | 228 |
| Vegetable oil | 218 | 221 | 231 |
| Water | 237 | 240 | 250 |
| Milk (whole) | 244 | 248 | 258 |
| Heavy cream | 238 | 241 | 251 |
| Honey | 340 | 345 | 359 |
| Maple syrup | 322 | 327 | 341 |
| Rice (uncooked) | 185 | 188 | 196 |
| Rolled oats | 90 | 91 | 95 |
| Cocoa powder | 100 | 102 | 106 |
| Table salt | 288 | 292 | 304 |
| Whole almonds | 143 | 145 | 151 |
All values use the spooned-and-leveled measuring method. Sources: King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart and USDA FoodData Central.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in a cup of flour?
A US customary cup of all-purpose flour weighs approximately 120 grams when measured by the spoon-and-level method. Scooping flour directly from the bag compresses it and can push that figure to 150 g or higher, which is a leading cause of dense baked goods. Bread flour and whole-wheat flour are slightly denser, landing closer to 130 g per cup.
Is a cup of sugar the same weight as a cup of flour?
No. Granulated sugar is denser than flour and weighs about 200 grams per US cup, compared to roughly 120 grams for all-purpose flour. Powdered (icing) sugar is closer to 120 g per cup because it is much finer and traps more air. Substituting equal cup volumes of these ingredients will produce very different weights and alter your recipe.
How do I convert cups to grams?
Switch the conversion direction to "cups to grams" using the mode selector at the top of the calculator. Enter the cup amount, choose your ingredient and cup standard, and the calculator multiplies the volume by the ingredient density to return grams. This is useful when scaling a volume-only recipe for a kitchen scale.
What is the difference between a US cup and a metric cup?
A US customary cup is 236.588 mL, a US legal cup (used on nutrition labels) is 240 mL, and a metric cup (used in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK) is 250 mL. The metric cup is about 5.7% larger than the US customary cup, which is significant for baked goods where precision matters. Choose the cup type that matches your recipe source.
Can I use this converter for liquids like water or milk?
Yes. Water is 237 g per US cup and milk is approximately 244 g per cup. These are listed in the ingredient dropdown. For other liquids not listed, enable custom density, look up the ingredient density in g per mL, and multiply by the cup volume in mL to get grams per cup, then enter that figure.
What if my ingredient is not in the list?
Enable the "use custom density" toggle. Look up the density of your ingredient in g per mL (or g per cm3, which is the same), enter it in the field that appears, and the calculator will compute the correct conversion. Most food density references, including the USDA FoodData Central database, list densities you can use directly.