The Ultimate useful and clear Cups to Grams Baking Converter

The definitive guide to converting cups to grams. Uncover the science of density and why weighing ingredients is the secret to perfect cakes, cookies, and breads. Includes charts and pro tips.

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Common Baking Conversions

Weight

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour ≈ 125g
  • 1 cup granulated sugar ≈ 200g
  • 1 cup brown sugar ≈ 220g
  • 1 stick butter = 113g
  • 1 large egg ≈ 50g

Volume

  • 1 cup = 237ml = 16 tbsp
  • 1 tbsp = 3 tsp = 15ml
  • 1 fl oz = 30ml = 2 tbsp
  • 1 liter = 4.23 cups
  • 1 gallon = 3.785 liters

Temperature

  • 350°F = 175°C = Gas Mark 4
  • 375°F = 190°C = Gas Mark 5
  • 400°F = 200°C = Gas Mark 6
  • 425°F = 220°C = Gas Mark 7
  • 450°F = 230°C = Gas Mark 8

Pro tip: For accuracy in baking, always prefer weight measurements (grams) over volume measurements (cups).

The Real Reason Your Bakes Don't Look Like the Picture

You followed that beautiful recipe to the letter, but your cookies spread into thin crisps and your cake turned out a bit dry. It's a frustratingly common story, and the culprit is almost never you—it's that innocent-looking measuring cup in your drawer. Baking is a form of chemistry, and chemistry relies on precise amounts. This guide will reveal the simple secret that professionals use to achieve perfect results every single time.

The "Stones vs. Cotton" Secret: Why a Cup Isn't Just a Cup

Imagine filling a measuring cup with small stones, and another with fluffy cotton balls. Both are "one cup," but one is dramatically heavier. This is the simple, powerful secret behind baking measurements.

Meet Your Ingredient Personalities:

  • ☁️ The Fluffy Ones (Flour, Cocoa Powder): Like cotton balls, they are light and airy. Scooping directly from the bag compacts them, forcing too much into the cup. This is the #1 cause of dry, tough baked goods.
  • 💎 The Crystalline Ones (Sugar, Salt): Like little stones, they are dense and heavy. A cup of sugar (200g) weighs much more than a cup of flour (125g). Treating them the same by volume throws off the entire recipe's balance.
  • 💧 The Sticky Ones (Honey, Molasses): These are the heavyweights. A cup of honey weighs a whopping 340g! They also love to cling to the cup, meaning you lose a significant amount of your sweetener.

The Science Behind It (The Simple Version):

This concept is called density (an ingredient's mass relative to its volume). Recipes are built on precise mass ratios. A measuring cup only measures volume, which is why weighing in grams—a unit of mass—is the only way to guarantee you are following the recipe's true formula.

Baking Clinic

Problem: My cookies spread into thin, greasy puddles.

Diagnosis: This is a classic sign that the fat-to-flour mass ratio was too high. You most likely scooped your flour directly, resulting in up to 20% *less* flour by weight than the recipe developer intended, leaving the butter with nothing to hold onto.

Solution: Weigh your flour. The professional standard for 1 cup of all-purpose flour is **125 grams**. This single change will transform your cookies.

Problem: My cake or bread is dry and tough.

Diagnosis: This is the opposite problem: too much flour. Scooping flour can lead to over-packing, increasing its weight to 150g or more per cup. This excess flour absorbs all the moisture, resulting in a dry, dense crumb.

Solution: Use the 'fluff, spoon, and level' method, or better yet, weigh your flour to the recipe's specified gram amount. If none is given, use 125g per cup as your starting point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why can't I just use a '1 cup = X grams' chart?

A: You absolutely can, and that's what our converter is for! The key is to use a chart that is specific to the *ingredient*. There is no universal conversion for a cup because every ingredient has a different density. A cup of lead weighs more than a cup of feathers; similarly, a cup of honey weighs more than a cup of flour.

Q: How do I measure properly if I absolutely must use a cup for flour?

A: Use the method professionals rely on when they don't have a scale: **Fluff, Spoon, Level.** First, fluff the flour in its container with a fork. Second, use a regular spoon to lightly deposit the flour into your measuring cup. Third, use the back of a knife to sweep the excess off the top. This minimizes compaction and gets you much closer to the standard 125g.

Q: Is it really worth buying a digital scale?

A: It is the single best investment, under $20, that will elevate you from a home cook to a home baker. It removes all guesswork and is the only way to ensure you can perfectly replicate a recipe—your own, or one from a professional—every single time.