The number of grams in a cup varies significantly depending on the ingredient because a cup measures volume, while grams measure weight. Here are key points to understand:
- By the metric system, 1 cup is often considered as 250 grams, but this applies only if the ingredient has a density similar to water (1 ml = 1 g)
- Different ingredients weigh different amounts per cup due to their densities. For example:
- Water: about 237 grams per US cup (236.59 ml)
* All-purpose flour: approximately 120–125 grams per cup
* Granulated sugar: around 200 grams per cup
* Butter: roughly 227 grams per cup
* Salt: about 287 grams per cup
* Honey: about 335 grams per cup
- The exact conversion depends on the density of the ingredient and the cup size used (US customary cup = 236.59 ml, US legal cup = 240 ml, metric cup used in some countries = 250 ml)
- To convert grams to cups or vice versa accurately, you need the formula:
cups=gramscup size (ml)×density (g/ml)\text{cups}=\frac{\text{grams}}{\text{cup size (ml)}\times \text{density (g/ml)}}cups=cup size (ml)×density (g/ml)grams
and
grams=cups×cup size (ml)×density (g/ml)\text{grams}=\text{cups}\times \text{cup size (ml)}\times \text{density (g/ml)}grams=cups×cup size (ml)×density (g/ml)
where density is the weight per unit volume of the ingredient
Summary Table of Approximate Grams per US Cup for Common Ingredients
Ingredient| Grams per 1 US Cup (236.59 ml)
---|---
Water| ~237 g
All-purpose flour| ~120–125 g
Granulated sugar| ~200 g
Butter| ~227 g
Salt| ~287 g
Honey| ~335 g
Because of these variations, using a kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure ingredients by weight rather than relying on volume conversions alone
. In short, there is no single answer to "how many grams in a cup"-it depends on the ingredient and the cup size used. For water, 1 cup is about 237 grams, but for flour or sugar, it will be less or more accordingly
