Cooking Ingredient Converter

How to use this calculator

Three inputs. All three matter for an accurate result.

Ingredient is the dropdown that determines everything else. The calculator uses the actual density of whichever ingredient you select to convert between volume and weight. Selecting “All-purpose flour” gives different results than “Bread flour” or “Cake flour,” because those are genuinely different ingredients with different densities even though they look alike in a cup.

Amount is how much you have. Type your number in the field. Decimals work fine: 0.5, 1.5, 2.25 are all valid.

From unit and To unit are the source and target measurement. Volume units available include cup, tablespoon (tbsp), teaspoon (tsp), and millilitre (mL). Weight units include gram (g), kilogram (kg), and ounce (oz).

Click Convert and the blue results panel shows 4 values simultaneously: grams, volume in mL, tablespoons, and cups. That all-at-once display is useful when a recipe uses multiple unit types and you need to cross-reference them.

What problem this calculator solves

Volume measures cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons. Weight measures grams and ounces. They are measuring fundamentally different physical quantities, and the only way to convert between them is through density.

American recipes use volume. Almost every other country uses weight. Professional bakers and pastry chefs worldwide use weight because it’s more consistent and faster. A kitchen scale doesn’t care how compressed your flour is, how you leveled off the cup, or whether your “cup” is the US legal cup (240 mL), the old US customary cup (236.6 mL), or a metric cup (250 mL). Weight is weight.

The problem is that most online converters use a single fixed number for each ingredient and pretend the question is settled. It isn’t. The weight of 1 cup of flour varies depending on how you fill the cup, and different sources use different assumed densities. This calculator uses the spooned-and-leveled standard, which is the method most professional recipe developers specify when they say “1 cup.”

The difference between scooping flour directly with a measuring cup (which compacts it) and spooning flour into a cup then leveling it can be 20–30%. That's 25–45 grams per cup. For a recipe using 3 cups of flour, that's up to 135 grams off. Enough to wreck a bread loaf or a cookie batch.

The concept: density makes volume-to-weight work

Density is the weight of a substance per unit of volume. Water has a density of 1 g/mL: 1 mL of water weighs exactly 1 gram. Every other ingredient deviates from this depending on how dense it is.

All-purpose flour has a density of approximately 0.593 g/mL. So 1 cup = 236.588 × 0.593 = 140.3g.

Granulated sugar is denser at about 0.845 g/mL. So 1 cup = 236.588 × 0.845 = 199.9g — roughly 200g.

Vegetable oil is less dense than water at 0.910 g/mL. 1 cup = 236.588 × 0.910 = 215.3g.

Water sits at 1.000 g/mL. 1 cup = 236.6g — which is why liquids are the one case where volume and metric weight are nearly interchangeable.

Ingredient density reference table

The converter uses these densities internally. Having them as a reference helps you understand why different ingredients give such different gram weights for the same cup volume.

Ingredient	Density (g/mL)	1 cup (g)	1 tbsp (g)	1 tsp (g)
Water	1.000	236.6	14.8	4.9
Whole milk	1.030	243.6	15.2	5.1
Honey	1.420	335.9	21.0	7.0
Maple syrup	1.330	314.7	19.7	6.6
Vegetable oil	0.910	215.3	13.5	4.5
Olive oil	0.910	215.3	13.5	4.5
Butter (melted)	0.911	215.5	13.5	4.5
Butter (solid, packed)	0.960	227.1	14.2	4.7
Granulated sugar	0.845	199.9	12.5	4.2
Powdered sugar (sifted)	0.560	132.5	8.3	2.8
Powdered sugar (unsifted)	0.650	153.8	9.6	3.2
Brown sugar (packed)	0.930	220.0	13.8	4.6
Brown sugar (loose)	0.720	170.3	10.6	3.5
All-purpose flour	0.593	140.3	8.8	2.9
Bread flour	0.630	149.1	9.3	3.1
Cake flour (sifted)	0.500	118.3	7.4	2.5
Whole wheat flour	0.640	151.4	9.5	3.2
Almond flour	0.480	113.6	7.1	2.4
Cocoa powder (unsifted)	0.530	125.4	7.8	2.6
Cocoa powder (sifted)	0.440	104.1	6.5	2.2
Baking powder	0.900	212.9	13.3	4.4
Baking soda	1.080	255.5	16.0	5.3
Salt (table)	1.217	287.9	18.0	6.0
Salt (kosher, Diamond Crystal)	0.640	151.4	9.5	3.2
Salt (kosher, Morton)	0.960	227.1	14.2	4.7
Rolled oats	0.340	80.4	5.0	1.7
White rice (uncooked)	0.875	207.0	12.9	4.3
Arborio rice	0.880	208.2	13.0	4.3
Panko breadcrumbs	0.250	59.1	3.7	1.2
Breadcrumbs (fine)	0.430	101.7	6.4	2.1
Cream cheese	0.980	231.8	14.5	4.8
Sour cream	1.010	238.9	14.9	5.0
Greek yogurt	1.030	243.7	15.2	5.1
Peanut butter	1.070	253.1	15.8	5.3
Tahini	1.020	241.3	15.1	5.0
Chocolate chips	0.690	163.2	10.2	3.4
Shredded coconut	0.320	75.7	4.7	1.6
Chopped walnuts	0.480	113.6	7.1	2.4
Cornstarch	0.610	144.3	9.0	3.0
Tapioca starch	0.640	151.4	9.5	3.2

Flour conversions: the most commonly needed table

Flour is where the conversion matters most and where most online sources are most inconsistent. Different flours have different densities, and the same flour measured differently by different bakers compounds the problem.

Flour type	1/4 cup (g)	1/3 cup (g)	1/2 cup (g)	2/3 cup (g)	3/4 cup (g)	1 cup (g)
All-purpose	35.1	46.8	70.2	93.6	105.2	140.3
Bread flour	37.3	49.7	74.6	99.4	111.8	149.1
Cake flour (sifted)	29.6	39.4	59.2	78.9	88.7	118.3
Whole wheat	37.8	50.5	75.7	100.9	113.5	151.4
Almond flour	28.4	37.9	56.8	75.7	85.2	113.6
Rye flour	36.5	48.7	73.1	97.4	109.5	146.0
Oat flour	30.0	40.0	60.0	80.0	90.0	120.0
Spelt flour	33.5	44.7	67.0	89.3	100.5	134.0
Coconut flour	35.5	47.3	71.0	94.7	106.5	142.0

Sugar conversions: granulated, brown, and powdered

Sugar has the largest within-category variation of any common baking ingredient because of how differently types are measured. Packed brown sugar and sifted powdered sugar are almost opposites on the density scale.

Sugar type	1 tsp (g)	1 tbsp (g)	1/4 cup (g)	1/2 cup (g)	1 cup (g)
Granulated white	4.2	12.5	50.0	100.0	200.0
Caster (superfine)	4.4	13.1	52.4	104.8	209.6
Powdered (icing), sifted	2.8	8.3	33.1	66.3	132.5
Powdered (icing), unsifted	3.2	9.6	38.4	76.9	153.8
Brown sugar, packed	4.6	13.8	55.0	110.0	220.0
Brown sugar, loose	3.5	10.6	42.5	85.1	170.3
Raw sugar (turbinado)	4.5	13.5	54.0	108.0	216.0
Coconut sugar	4.0	12.0	48.0	96.0	192.0
Muscovado (packed)	4.6	13.8	55.2	110.4	220.8

Powdered sugar sifted vs packed is a 21% difference per cup (132.5g vs 153.8g). A buttercream recipe calling for 3 cups of powdered sugar unsifted needs 461g. The same recipe with sifted sugar needs 397g. That 64g difference changes the consistency of the frosting noticeably.

Liquid conversions: volume to weight for common liquids

Liquids are the easiest case because most are close to water’s density. But “close” still means meaningfully different for heavy liquids like honey.

Liquid	Density (g/mL)	1 tsp (g)	1 tbsp (g)	1/4 cup (g)	1/2 cup (g)	1 cup (g)
Water	1.000	4.9	14.8	59.1	118.3	236.6
Whole milk	1.030	5.1	15.2	60.9	121.9	243.6
Buttermilk	1.030	5.1	15.2	60.9	121.9	243.6
Heavy cream	1.010	5.0	14.9	59.7	119.5	238.9
Half-and-half	1.016	5.0	15.0	60.2	120.4	240.5
Vegetable oil	0.910	4.5	13.5	53.8	107.7	215.3
Olive oil	0.910	4.5	13.5	53.8	107.7	215.3
Coconut oil (melted)	0.920	4.5	13.6	54.4	108.9	217.7
Honey	1.420	7.0	21.0	83.9	167.9	335.9
Maple syrup	1.330	6.6	19.7	78.6	157.3	314.7
Molasses	1.410	6.9	20.8	83.3	166.5	333.1
Agave nectar	1.380	6.8	20.4	81.6	163.2	326.4
Lemon juice	1.030	5.1	15.2	60.9	121.9	243.6
Soy sauce	1.100	5.4	16.3	65.1	130.2	260.4
Apple cider vinegar	1.010	5.0	14.9	59.7	119.5	238.9

Common conversions: the quick-reference card

The questions bakers search for most often, answered with proper ingredient-specific densities.

Query	Answer
1 cup all-purpose flour in grams	140 g
2 cups all-purpose flour in grams	280 g
3 cups all-purpose flour in grams	420 g
1 cup granulated sugar in grams	200 g
1 cup powdered sugar in grams	120–154 g (sifted vs packed)
1 cup brown sugar (packed) in grams	220 g
1 cup butter in grams	227 g
1 cup honey in grams	336 g
1 cup cocoa powder in grams	104–125 g (sifted vs unsifted)
1 cup oats (rolled) in grams	80 g
1 tablespoon butter in grams	14.2 g
1 tablespoon olive oil in grams	13.5 g
1 tablespoon flour in grams	8.8 g
1 teaspoon baking powder in grams	4.4 g
1 teaspoon baking soda in grams	5.3 g
1 teaspoon salt (table) in grams	6.0 g
1 teaspoon salt (Diamond Crystal kosher) in grams	3.2 g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract in grams	4.3 g
100g flour in cups	0.71 cups
200g sugar in cups	1.00 cups
250g butter in cups	1.10 cups
500g flour in cups	3.56 cups

Why volume measurements cause baking failures

Baking is chemistry. The ratio of flour to fat to liquid to leavening determines the outcome. When those ratios drift because of inconsistent measuring, the result drifts too.

Professional pastry chefs don't own measuring cups. They own scales. Not because they're elitist, but because weight is reproducible and volume isn't. A recipe that works perfectly at a bakery in Denver will fail in a humid kitchen in New Orleans if it's based on volume measurements, because humidity causes flour to absorb moisture from the air and pack differently into the cup. Weight doesn't care about the weather.

Volume unit conversions: cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, mL

If you need to work within volume units without weight conversion, these relationships are exact.

From	To cups	To tablespoons	To teaspoons	To mL
1 cup	1	16	48	236.588
3/4 cup	0.75	12	36	177.441
2/3 cup	0.667	10.67	32	157.725
1/2 cup	0.5	8	24	118.294
1/3 cup	0.333	5.33	16	78.863
1/4 cup	0.25	4	12	59.147
1 tablespoon	0.0625	1	3	14.787
1 teaspoon	0.0208	0.333	1	4.929
1 mL	0.00423	0.0676	0.2029	1
100 mL	0.423	6.76	20.29	100
250 mL (metric cup)	1.057	16.91	50.72	250

Scaling recipes: using the converter to adjust quantities

The converter handles single-unit conversions. For scaling an entire recipe up or down, apply the converted weight to each ingredient separately. Weight scaling is exact; volume scaling introduces compounding errors.

Common measuring mistakes and how to avoid them

Scooping flour directly from the bag. The most common mistake. Scooping compacts the flour by 15–25%. Spoon flour into the measuring cup, then sweep the back of a knife across the top to level. Or better: weigh it.

Packing powdered sugar. Powdered sugar clumps and needs to be sifted or at least stirred before measuring. Packing it creates the same problem as compacted flour — more grams per cup than the recipe assumes. If the recipe says “sifted,” sift before measuring. If it says “measured then sifted,” measure first.

Measuring brown sugar loosely. Most American recipes specify “packed” brown sugar. Loose brown sugar has 23% less weight per cup than packed. If a recipe says packed and you measure loosely, your baked good will be under-sweetened and may spread too much (less moisture-retaining sugar means different texture).

Using the wrong cup standard. As above: 1 Australian cup = 250 mL, 1 US cup = 236.6 mL. A 5.7% difference per cup. Over 4 cups of flour, that’s half a cup difference — enough to matter.

Eyeballing tablespoons. A tablespoon is 14.787 mL. Most people pour a “tablespoon” that’s anywhere from 10 to 20 mL. For ingredients like baking powder and baking soda — where small errors have large effects on rise — measure precisely or weigh.