Bread Baking

Cups to Grams: Baking Conversion Chart for Every Ingredient

Mariusz Lasak · May 12, 2026 · 11 min read

I baked the same bread recipe four times before switching to a scale. Each loaf came out different, sometimes dense, sometimes spread, sometimes perfect, and I couldn’t figure out why. Same recipe, same flour brand, same oven.

When I finally weighed out “1 cup of flour” four times in a row using a measuring cup, I got 118g, 132g, 141g, and 155g. The last one had been packed without realizing it. That single measurement difference was big enough to change a 65% hydration recipe into a 78% hydration recipe, completely different bread.

After that test, I never measured by volume again. The scale costs $15-25, lives on the counter, and makes every recipe work the first time. The conversion chart below is the one I built up over the first few months, verified across dozens of recipes from King Arthur, Joy of Cooking, and modern bread books.

Why Grams Beat Cups for Baking

The math behind the inconsistency

The problem with volume measurements isn’t that bakers measure carelessly. It’s that the same cup of flour can hold dramatically different amounts depending on tiny technique variations.

The four ways “1 cup of flour” varies:

1. Dipped and scooped: You dip the cup straight into the flour bag and level off. This packs the flour by about 25-30%. Result: 145-160g per cup.
2. Spooned and leveled: You spoon flour into the cup until it overflows, then level. Less compaction. Result: 120-130g per cup.
3. Sifted before measuring: You sift the flour into the cup. Maximum aeration. Result: 110-115g per cup.
4. Measured after sifting: You measure first, then sift. Same as spoon-and-level. Result: 120-130g.

That’s a swing of over 50g, about 40%, for the same “1 cup.” For bread, where every percentage point of hydration matters, this variation is enough to change everything from texture to oven spring.

Other ingredients vary too:

• Brown sugar packed vs unpacked: 213g vs 145g
• Powdered sugar sifted vs spooned: 113g vs 130g
• Cocoa powder: 75g sifted vs 95g packed
• Shredded cheese: 85g loose vs 113g packed

Weight is absolute:

120g of flour is always 120g, whether it’s been sifted, scooped, or vacuum-packed. Once you weigh, every measurement is repeatable. You bake the same recipe, you get the same result.

Flour: Cups to Grams Chart

All common flour types, weighed

Flour is where volume measurements fail hardest. These weights use the King Arthur standard (120g per cup AP), which is what most modern American recipes assume.

Notes on flour weights:

• Joy of Cooking and some older cookbooks use 125g per cup AP, close enough to substitute but slightly more flour
• USDA lists 130g per cup AP, this is for less aerated flour
• Whole wheat is denser per particle but packs differently because of bran texture
• Semolina is much heavier because the particles are coarser and round

Sugar: Cups to Grams Chart

Granulated, brown, and specialty sugars

Sugar is more reliable than flour because the particles are uniform. But brown sugar is sneaky, packing matters enormously.

Notes on sugar weights:

• “Packed” brown sugar means firmly pressed into the cup until level, this is the standard
• Unpacked brown sugar is rare in recipes; almost always packed unless specified
• Powdered sugar weights vary if it’s been sifted (lighter) or compacted (heavier)
• Liquid sweeteners (honey, syrup) are heavier per cup than granulated because there’s no air

Butter, Oil, and Other Fats

Solid and liquid fats by weight

Butter is one of the most consistent volume measurements because American sticks come pre-portioned with markings.

Notes on fats:

• 1 American stick of butter = 1/2 cup = 113g = 4 oz, print this on a sticky note above your scale
• European butter is sold by weight (250g is most common), a 250g block is slightly more than 1 cup
• Oils all weigh roughly 215-220g per cup but melt-volume varies (cold solid oil is denser when packed)
• Peanut butter is the heaviest because it’s mostly oil + protein with minimal air

Liquids: Milk, Water, Cream, Eggs

Volume converts cleanly when ingredients are pure liquid

For pure liquids, the conversion is mostly geometry: 1 cup is 240ml, and the weight depends on density. Water is the reference at exactly 240g per cup.

Egg measurements (USDA large eggs):

• 1 large egg without shell: ~50g (white 30g + yolk 20g)
• 1 large egg with shell: ~57g
• 1 large egg white: 30g
• 1 large egg yolk: 20g
• 4 large eggs ≈ 200g
• 6 large eggs ≈ 300g

For recipes that say “1 egg,” large is the assumed default in American recipes. European recipes often default to medium eggs (~44g without shell). The 6g difference per egg matters in delicate baking, for bread, it’s negligible.

Yeast, Salt, and Baking Powder

The small but critical ingredients

Small amounts matter most. Salt and yeast are usually 1-3% of total flour weight in bread, getting them right is essential.

Yeast conversion (important):

• 1 packet active dry or instant yeast = 7g (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 packet fresh (cake) yeast = ~14g (different from dry)
• 1g instant yeast ≈ 1g active dry yeast (modern instant doesn’t need proofing, but the active mass is similar)
• See the yeast converter for fresh-to-dry conversions

Salt is sneaky:

Different salt brands weigh dramatically different amounts per teaspoon. Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs about half what Morton’s kosher salt does for the same volume, because the crystals are different shapes. If a recipe was tested with Diamond Crystal and you use Morton’s, you’ll oversalt by 50%. Weighing salt eliminates this entirely.

For sourdough, target 1.8-2% salt by flour weight. For 500g flour, that’s 9-10g salt. This is exact regardless of which salt you have.

How to Convert Any Recipe

A simple workflow for cup-based recipes

Most cookbooks under 20 years old print weights alongside cups, but plenty of older recipes (and inherited family recipes) only have cups. Converting them is straightforward once you’ve done it a few times.

Step 1: List every ingredient in cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons

Write or type the recipe out so each ingredient is a single line. This forces you to look at every measurement carefully.

Step 2: Multiply by the gram-per-unit value from the charts above

For each ingredient: cups × g/cup = grams. Tbsp × g/Tbsp = grams. Tsp × g/tsp = grams.

Example conversion of a basic bread recipe:

Step 3: Save the converted recipe and never go back

Write the gram values directly into the recipe (or save them in a recipe app). The next time you bake it, you skip the conversion entirely.

Step 4: Adjust based on results

The conversion gives you the recipe writer’s intended amounts. If your bread is too wet (too much hydration) or too dry, adjust by 5-10g per ingredient on the next bake, that’s the level of precision weight measurement enables.

The Right Tools for Weighing

A $15 scale changes everything

You don’t need expensive equipment to switch from cups to grams. The right basic tools cover every recipe.

The essentials:

1. Digital kitchen scale, must measure to 1g precision, ideally 0.1g for small amounts like yeast

   • Look for: tare/zero function, gram and ounce switch, weight capacity at least 5kg
   • Price range: $15-30 for a great one (OXO, Escali, KD-7000 are reliable)
   • Avoid: spring/analog scales (less accurate, harder to tare)

2. Wide, low bowl, wider than your scale platform, so you can tare and add ingredients in one container

   • Best: stainless steel or glass mixing bowls
   • Why: lets you weigh sequentially with tare without dirtying multiple bowls

3. Small precise scale (optional), for yeast, salt, and small spices when 1g precision isn’t enough

   • 0.01g scales cost $10-15
   • Useful for very small bakes (single loaves under 300g) or precise sourdough work

The tare workflow:

The single biggest time-saver is using the tare button:

1. Place bowl on scale, press tare (now reads 0g)
2. Add first ingredient until target weight, press tare again
3. Add second ingredient until target weight, press tare
4. Continue until all ingredients are in the same bowl

This means one bowl per recipe, no measuring spoons, no transfers. After a few bakes, the workflow becomes faster than measuring cups.

Conclusion: Switch Once, Bake Better Forever

Cups are a holdover from American cookbooks before kitchen scales were common. They’ve been outdated for serious baking for at least 30 years, but recipes still use them because that’s what people are familiar with. Switching to grams is a one-time learning curve that pays off on every bake afterward.

The conversion charts above cover almost every ingredient you’ll encounter. Bookmark this page or save the chart as a phone screenshot, and within a few bakes you’ll have the values memorized for the ingredients you use most.

For your next recipe: weigh out one ingredient in grams to compare to the cup measurement. You’ll see why every serious baker has a scale on the counter, and why every modern bread recipe lists weights first, cups second.

Frequently Asked Questions