Grams to Cups Converter
Convert baking ingredients between grams and cups. Pick the ingredient and the cup size; type in either box.
About this tool
Weights are averages for ingredients spooned into the cup and levelled (brown sugar packed). How you fill the cup changes the weight, so a scale is always more accurate for baking.
Recipes from different countries measure in grams or in cups, and a cup of flour weighs far less than a cup of sugar or honey. Choose the ingredient and the cup size, then type grams to see cups and tablespoons, or type cups to get grams. South African and most metric recipes use a 250 ml cup; American recipes use a smaller 236.6 ml cup.
How to use the Grams to Cups Converter
- Choose the ingredient, for example flour or white sugar.
- Choose the cup size: metric (250 ml) or US (236.6 ml).
- Type the grams in your recipe, or type the number of cups.
- Read the cups, the tablespoons and what one cup of that ingredient weighs.
250 g of flour and a cup of butter
One metric cup of cake or all-purpose flour weighs about 127 g, so 250 g of flour is about 1.97 metric cups, close to 2 cups. In US cups (about 120 g of flour each) the same 250 g is about 2.08 cups. A metric cup of butter weighs about 240 g, so a 125 g block of butter is about half a metric cup.
What one cup weighs
Averages used by this tool, for spooned and levelled ingredients.
| Ingredient | Metric cup (250 ml) | US cup (236.6 ml) |
|---|---|---|
| Flour (cake or all-purpose) | 127 g | 120 g |
| Whole-wheat flour | 119 g | 113 g |
| White sugar | 209 g | 198 g |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 225 g | 213 g |
| Icing sugar | 119 g | 113 g |
| Butter | 240 g | 227 g |
| Vegetable oil | 209 g | 198 g |
| Honey | 355 g | 336 g |
| Milk | 256 g | 242 g |
| Water | 250 g | 237 g |
| Rolled oats | 94 g | 89 g |
| White rice (uncooked) | 209 g | 198 g |
| Cocoa powder | 89 g | 84 g |
Why grams and cups don’t match
A cup measures volume, while grams measure weight, and every ingredient packs differently. Flour is light and airy, sugar is denser and honey is heavier than water. The weights here are averages for ingredients spooned into the cup and levelled with a knife, with brown sugar pressed down. Scooping flour straight from the bag packs it in and can add 20% or more, which is why many bakers weigh dry ingredients.
Common mistakes
- Using one conversion for everything. 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar differ by about 80 g.
- Mixing cup sizes. A US recipe’s cup is about 5% smaller than a 250 ml metric cup.
- Scooping flour with the cup. It packs the flour down; spoon it in and level it instead, or weigh it.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups is 250 g of flour?
About 2 metric cups (1.97), or about 2.08 US cups, for spooned and levelled cake or all-purpose flour.
How many grams is a cup of sugar?
About 209 g for a 250 ml metric cup of white sugar, or about 198 g for a US cup.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
16 US tablespoons in a US cup. A 250 ml metric cup holds about 16.7 metric tablespoons of 15 ml.
Why is my result different from the packet?
Brands, how finely an ingredient is milled and how you fill the cup all change the weight. For baking, a kitchen scale is the most accurate.