Cooking Measurement Converter

Convert spoons, cups and millilitres, and find what a cup of flour, sugar or butter weighs in grams.

Enter the values to see the result here.

Formula

Kitchen volumes are stored in millilitres, then converted:

xto=xfrom×ffromftox_{\text{to}} = x_{\text{from}} \times \frac{f_{\text{from}}}{f_{\text{to}}}

with teaspoon 4.929 mL, tablespoon 14.787 mL, US cup 236.588 mL, metric cup 250 mL, fluid ounce 29.574 mL. To get weight, multiply the volume in mL by the ingredient’s density ρ\rho in g/mL:

m (g)=V (mL)×ρm\ (\text{g}) = V\ (\text{mL}) \times \rho

Typical densities: water 1.00, milk 1.03, flour 0.529, sugar 0.845, butter 0.959, oil 0.92, honey 1.42.

Worked example

A recipe asks for 2.5 US cups of all-purpose flour.

  • Volume: 2.5×236.588=591.52.5 \times 236.588 = 591.5 mL.
  • Weight: 591.5×0.529=312.9591.5 \times 0.529 = 312.9 g, so about 313 g.
  • In tablespoons: 2.5×16=402.5 \times 16 = 40 tbsp.

If you measured it with a 250 mL metric cup instead, the same 2.5 cups would be 625 mL and 331 g, an extra 18 g.

Common mistakes

  • Using the dry-ingredient weight for water, or the reverse. A cup of water weighs 236 g, a cup of flour 125 g.
  • Measuring flour by scooping, which packs it.
  • Assuming a tablespoon is the same everywhere. UK and US use 15 mL and 14.8 mL; Australia uses 20 mL.
  • Mixing metric and US cups in one recipe.

Frequently asked questions

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, and tablespoons in a cup?

Three teaspoons make a tablespoon, and sixteen tablespoons make a US cup. So a cup is 48 teaspoons. Australian tablespoons are larger (20 mL), which can matter in baking.

Why does a cup of flour weigh less than a cup of sugar?

Flour is lighter and fluffier per unit volume. A US cup of all-purpose flour is about 125 g, granulated sugar about 200 g, butter 227 g and honey about 336 g. Weighing is more reliable than using cups.

Is a metric cup the same as a US cup?

No. A metric cup is 250 mL and a US cup is 236.6 mL, about 5.6% smaller. In bread, a 5% difference changes the hydration noticeably.

How do I measure flour in cups accurately?

Fluff the flour, spoon it into the cup and level the top. Scooping with the cup packs it and can add 20 to 30 g per cup.

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