Grams to cups: why the answer depends on the ingredient
Grams measure mass and cups measure volume, so the conversion is only possible if you know how densely the ingredient packs. A cup holds 236.588 millilitres — always, for every ingredient. What changes is the weight of that cup of stuff: a cup of water is 237 g, a cup of all-purpose flour is about 125 g, and a cup of honey is around 340 g. That is why "250 g of flour" is 2 cups while "250 g of sugar" is only 1¼ cups.
The converter above uses one density per ingredient, taken from the standard US baking weight charts (King Arthur Baking and USDA data). Published charts differ by a few percent — King Arthur lists 120 g for a cup of all-purpose flour where USDA-based tables say 125 — and how you scoop matters far more than which chart you trust: the same cup of flour can weigh 100 g sifted or 150 g scooped straight from the bag. Liquids hide a subtler trap — some charts list a flat 227 g for every liquid, because eight fluid ounces is conventionally rounded to 227 g, but a real US cup holds 236.588 mL, so a cup of water physically weighs about 237 g (milk 244 g, honey 340 g). This tool uses the measured values and always prints the density behind each result.
Pick the ingredient, type the amount, choose the unit, and both directions are shown at once: grams to cups and cups to grams. A custom density option is there for anything not on the list — enter grams per cup from your own recipe or packaging.
Common conversions people ask for
- 250 g all-purpose flour = 2 cups (spooned and levelled)
- 200 g granulated sugar = 1 cup
- 100 g all-purpose flour = ¾ cup + 1 tbsp ≈ 0.8 cup
- 1 cup butter = 227 g = 2 US sticks = 16 tablespoons
- 500 g all-purpose flour = 4 cups
- 1 cup of honey = 340 g, and 1 tablespoon = 21 g
US cups vs metric cups — check which one your recipe means
A US cup is 236.588 mL, a metric cup (used in Australia, New Zealand and Canada) is 250 mL, and a Japanese カップ is 200 mL. The difference is 5–18%, which is enough to change a cake. Recipes written in English for a US audience mean 236.588 mL; if a recipe says "1 cup (250 ml)" it is a metric cup. This tool always uses the US cup, which is also the cup the standard gram-per-cup figures refer to.
Measuring by weight beats measuring by volume
Flour is the worst offender: the same cup can weigh 100 g if you sift it, 125 g if you spoon it in and level it, or over 150 g if you scoop straight from the bag. A recipe that needs 3 cups of flour can therefore end up anywhere between 300 g and 460 g — a 50% swing that decides whether a cake is tender or dry. A cheap kitchen scale removes the guesswork, and it also means fewer cups to wash. If you must use cups, spoon the flour in, then sweep the top flat with the back of a knife.
Liquids, tablespoons and millilitres
For water, milk and oil you can skip the density table: 1 cup = 236.588 mL, 1 tablespoon = 14.7868 mL and 1 teaspoon = 4.92892 mL. Milk is slightly heavier than water (about 244 g per cup) because of the fat and protein, cream is around 238 g, and oil is lighter at roughly 216 g. Honey and syrup are the heavy ones — always grease or spray the measuring cup first so they slide out.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in a cup of flour?
A US cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 125 g when you spoon it into the cup and level it off. Bread flour is 127 g, whole-wheat 120 g, cake flour 114 g. If you scoop straight from the bag, the same cup can weigh 150 g or more.
How many cups is 250 grams of flour?
Exactly 2 US cups at 125 g per cup. The same 250 g of granulated sugar is 1¼ cups (200 g per cup), of butter is 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (227 g per cup), and of honey is about ¾ cup (340 g per cup).
How many grams is 1 cup of sugar?
Granulated sugar is 200 g per US cup, packed brown sugar is 213 g, and powdered (icing) sugar is 120 g because it is fluffier and often contains starch. A cup of brown sugar must be pressed firmly into the cup before levelling.
How many grams is a cup of butter?
227 g, which is also 2 US sticks, 16 tablespoons or half a US pound. Outside the US, butter is sold in 250 g blocks, so one cup is just over 90% of a standard European block.
Is a cup 240 mL or 250 mL?
A US cup is 236.588 mL (usually rounded to 240 mL on nutrition labels). A metric cup, used in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and often in the UK, is exactly 250 mL, and a Japanese cup is 200 mL. This converter uses the US cup.
Should I measure flour by volume or by weight?
By weight, whenever you can. Volume measurement of flour varies by 10 to 20% depending on whether it was sifted, spooned or scooped, which is enough to make a cake dry or dense. If you only have cups, spoon the flour in loosely and sweep the top level with a knife.
Why do different conversion charts give different grams per cup?
Because dry ingredients pack differently: 1 cup of all-purpose flour is 120 g on King Arthur's chart, 125 g on USDA-based tables and about 115 g if you sift it first - a dip-versus-spoon difference rather than an error, and the reason baking books increasingly print weights. Teaspoon weights vary too: a teaspoon of active dry yeast is about 3.1 g by the manufacturers' own packet figures (7 g = 2¼ tsp), while the USDA database lists 4.0 g. This tool uses the measured cup values and shows the density it used.
Are these figures the same for tablespoons and teaspoons?
Yes. One US cup is 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons, so a tablespoon of all-purpose flour is about 7.8 g and a teaspoon about 2.6 g. For tiny amounts the volume figure is reliable enough that most recipes never bother with grams.
For the measurement background behind these numbers — why a cup of flour is not 200 g, and what each filling method does to the weight — see the guide How much does a cup of flour weigh?