Baking Conversions: Sugar, Butter and Liquids

Flour gets most of the attention, but sugar, butter and liquids are measured just as loosely in many recipes. Brown sugar can be packed hard or lightly, honey clings to the cup, and a "stick" of butter means nothing outside North America. Converting these to grams makes a recipe easier to repeat, to scale and to share.

The chart below covers the ingredients that appear in most home baking, with notes on where the conversions can wobble. Liquids are given in both milliliters and grams, because water-based liquids are close to 1 g per ml, while oils and syrups are not.

Sugars

White granulated sugar is the most consistent dry ingredient to measure by volume because its crystals do not compress much. Brown sugar is the opposite: recipes almost always mean packed, pressed firmly into the cup until it holds its shape when turned out.

Powdered sugar is fluffy and settles a lot in the bag. Weigh it if you can, and sift it after weighing if the recipe needs a smooth result, such as glazes and buttercream.

• Granulated sugar: 1 cup ≈ 200 g; 1 tbsp ≈ 12.5 g
• Brown sugar, packed: 1 cup ≈ 210 to 220 g
• Powdered sugar, unsifted: 1 cup ≈ 115 to 120 g
• Superfine (caster) sugar: 1 cup ≈ 200 to 210 g
• Turbinado or demerara: 1 cup ≈ 180 to 200 g

Butter and solid fats

American butter is sold in 1-pound boxes of four sticks, each marked in tablespoons. That makes the conversion simple: one stick is 113 g, and one tablespoon is about 14 g. European blocks are usually 250 g, so half a block is slightly more than two sticks.

Vegetable shortening and coconut oil are less dense than butter because they contain no water. A cup of shortening weighs roughly 190 g, compared with 227 g for a cup of butter.

• Butter: 1 cup = 2 sticks = 227 g; ½ cup = 1 stick = 113 g; 1 tbsp ≈ 14 g
• Shortening: 1 cup ≈ 190 g
• Solid coconut oil: 1 cup ≈ 200 to 210 g

Liquids, oils and syrups

A US customary cup is 240 ml in nutrition labeling and most recipes; the strict measure is closer to 237 ml. The difference is irrelevant for home baking. Water is 1 g per ml, and milk, buttermilk and cream are within a few grams of that.

Fats and sugars change the density. Vegetable oil floats on water because it is lighter, so a cup weighs less than 240 g. Honey, molasses and corn syrup are much heavier. Weighing sticky syrups directly into the mixing bowl also avoids scraping them out of a cup.

• Water: 1 cup ≈ 240 g; 1 tbsp ≈ 15 g
• Whole milk or buttermilk: 1 cup ≈ 240 to 245 g
• Heavy cream: 1 cup ≈ 230 to 240 g
• Vegetable oil: 1 cup ≈ 215 to 220 g; 1 tbsp ≈ 14 g
• Honey: 1 cup ≈ 340 g; 1 tbsp ≈ 21 g
• Maple syrup: 1 cup ≈ 315 to 320 g; molasses and corn syrup: about 330 to 340 g

Eggs by weight

US egg sizes are graded by the weight of a dozen in the shell, so individual eggs vary. A large egg weighs about 57 g in the shell and about 50 g once cracked. When a recipe gives an egg weight, beat the eggs together and pour off what you need.

For recipes where eggs are a major structural ingredient, such as sponge cakes, custards and choux pastry, weighing them is worth the extra minute.

• Whole large egg, shelled: ≈ 50 g (about 3 tbsp)
• Large egg white: ≈ 30 g (2 tbsp)
• Large egg yolk: ≈ 18 to 20 g (about 1 tbsp)

Leaveners, salt and other small amounts

Small amounts are easiest to keep in spoons unless you own a scale that reads to 0.1 g. Most kitchen scales round to the nearest gram, which is too coarse for a teaspoon of baking soda.

Salt is the big trap. Table salt, fine sea salt and the two common brands of kosher salt have very different crystal sizes, so a teaspoon of each weighs a different amount. Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about half as salty per spoonful as table salt.

• Baking powder: 1 tsp ≈ 4 g
• Baking soda: 1 tsp ≈ 5 to 6 g
• Instant or active dry yeast: 1 tsp ≈ 3 g; one envelope = 7 g (2¼ tsp)
• Table salt or fine sea salt: 1 tsp ≈ 6 g
• Morton kosher salt: 1 tsp ≈ 5 g; Diamond Crystal kosher salt: 1 tsp ≈ 3 g
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: 1 cup ≈ 85 to 100 g; 1 tbsp ≈ 5 to 6 g

Common questions

Why do some charts list 1 cup of water as 236 g and others as 240 g?

A strict US customary cup is about 236.6 ml, while US nutrition labels round it to 240 ml. Either number works for baking because the difference is under 2 percent.

Is a British or Australian tablespoon different?

The UK tablespoon is about 15 ml, the same as the US tablespoon for practical purposes. The Australian tablespoon is 20 ml, so in Australian recipes a tablespoon of baking powder or salt is noticeably more.

How do I measure sticky syrups by volume without losing some?

Lightly oil the measuring cup or spoon before filling it, and the syrup will slide out cleanly. Better still, place the mixing bowl on a scale and pour the syrup straight in by weight.