Cooking conversions
A cup of flour and a cup of honey weigh nothing like the same — 125 g against 340 g. That is why a single "cups to grams" number does not exist, and why these conversions are per ingredient.
Flour
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 1 tbsp |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour (plain flour) | 125 g | 7.81 g |
| Bread flour (strong flour) | 127 g | 7.94 g |
| Cake flour | 114 g | 7.13 g |
| Whole wheat flour (wholemeal flour) | 120 g | 7.5 g |
| Almond flour | 96 g | 6 g |
| Cornstarch (cornflour) | 120 g | 7.5 g |
Sugar
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 1 tbsp |
|---|---|---|
| Granulated sugar (white sugar) | 200 g | 12.5 g |
| Brown sugar | 213 g | 13.3 g |
| Powdered sugar (icing or confectioners sugar) | 120 g | 7.5 g |
Liquid
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 1 tbsp |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 340 g | 21.3 g |
| Maple syrup | 322 g | 20.1 g |
| Water | 237 g | 14.8 g |
| Vegetable oil | 218 g | 13.6 g |
| Olive oil | 216 g | 13.5 g |
Dairy
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 1 tbsp |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 227 g | 14.2 g |
| Milk | 240 g | 15 g |
| Heavy cream (double cream) | 238 g | 14.9 g |
| Yogurt | 245 g | 15.3 g |
| Sour cream | 230 g | 14.4 g |
| Cream cheese | 232 g | 14.5 g |
| Shredded cheese | 113 g | 7.06 g |
| Grated parmesan | 100 g | 6.25 g |
Grain
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 1 tbsp |
|---|---|---|
| Uncooked white rice | 185 g | 11.6 g |
| Rolled oats | 90 g | 5.63 g |
| Breadcrumbs | 108 g | 6.75 g |
Baking
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 1 tbsp |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa powder | 85 g | 5.31 g |
| Chocolate chips | 170 g | 10.6 g |
| Peanut butter | 258 g | 16.1 g |
| Table salt | 273 g | 17.1 g |
| Chopped nuts | 120 g | 7.5 g |
Cup sizes are not universal
| Cup | Volume | Where |
|---|---|---|
| US customary | 236.6 ml | United States — the default in American recipes and on this site |
| US legal | 240 ml | US nutrition labelling only |
| Metric | 250 ml | Australia, New Zealand, Canada, much of Europe |
| Imperial | 284 ml | Older British recipes |
A metric cup is about 6% larger than a US cup. For most cooking that is within tolerance; for baking it is enough to matter.
The tablespoon trap
A US tablespoon is 14.8 ml and an Australian one is 20 ml — 35% larger. If an Australian recipe calls for a tablespoon of baking powder and you use a US spoon, the result will be noticeably flat. Teaspoons, fortunately, are 5 ml almost everywhere.