Butter:
Grams to Cups
By Stefan Ulrich · Last updated
Butter is one of the easiest ingredients to convert: 1 cup = 227 grams = 2 US sticks. The printed tablespoon markings on US butter wrappers make it uniquely convenient to measure — 1 tablespoon = 14 grams, and 8 tablespoons = 1 stick = ½ cup = 113 grams.
How much Butter weighs at each cup measure.
Convert Butter
1 cup = 227 grams
= — grams
= — cups
Quick reference
Measurement Table
| Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 5 g | 0.18 oz |
| 1 tbsp | 14 g | 0.49 oz |
| ⅛ cup | 28 g | 0.99 oz |
| ¼ cup | 57 g | 2.01 oz |
| ⅓ cup | 76 g | 2.68 oz |
| ½ cup | 114 g | 4.02 oz |
| ⅔ cup | 151 g | 5.33 oz |
| ¾ cup | 170 g | 6.00 oz |
| 1 cup | 227 g | 8.01 oz |
| 1¼ cups | 284 g | 10.02 oz |
| 1½ cups | 341 g | 12.03 oz |
| 2 cups | 454 g | 16.01 oz |
| 3 cups | 681 g | 24.02 oz |
About Butter
American butter comes in 4-stick boxes with tablespoon markings printed on the wrapper — a system so practical that it's often faster to use the wrapper than a measuring cup. The wrapper markings are accurate to within 1–2 grams per tablespoon, well within acceptable baking tolerance.
European butter is typically sold as 250 g blocks without volume markings. When a German or French recipe calls for '125 g butter,' that's just over half a US stick (approximately 9 tablespoons, or a fraction under ½ cup + 1 tablespoon).
Unsalted vs. salted butter: same weight per cup. The salt content (typically 1.5–2% by weight) contributes a negligible amount to the overall mass. Always use unsalted butter for baking unless a recipe specifies otherwise — it gives you control over total salt levels.
For softened butter, the measurement is identical whether firm or soft. Volume expands slightly as butter warms, but not enough to matter in practice. For browned butter, note that browning drives off about 15–20% water weight — 227 g raw butter yields approximately 185–190 g browned butter.
Tips for measuring Butter
- US wrapper markings: 1 tbsp = 14 g, 4 tbsp = ¼ cup = 57 g, 8 tbsp = ½ cup = 113 g.
- European 250 g block = about 1 cup + 1½ tbsp (= 17.5 tbsp).
- Browned butter loses ~15% weight — adjust if your recipe is sensitive to fat ratio.
- Ghee (clarified butter): same weight per cup as butter, ~227 g.
- For creaming, soften butter until it yields to light pressure but still feels cool.
- If a recipe says melted butter, measure it after melting so the fat level is accurate.
- For cookies, use softened butter that yields to gentle pressure but is not greasy; that gives the best spread.
Common mistakes
- Measuring cold butter in a liquid measuring cup — air pockets cause significant error
- Forgetting that browned butter is lighter than the original raw butter weight
- Using butter straight from the fridge for creaming, which leaves lumps
- Measuring butter by volume when a recipe is written by weight for consistent results
- Melting butter for a recipe that expects softened butter changes the texture and spread.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many grams in a cup of Butter?
- 1 cup of Butter weighs 227 grams — the standard used in most American recipes. Use the converter above for any other amount.
- How many grams is 1 tablespoon of Butter?
- 1 tablespoon of Butter weighs about 14 grams. The full table above lists every common cup fraction.
- What's the most common mistake when measuring Butter?
- Measuring cold butter in a liquid measuring cup — air pockets cause significant error. Weighing on a kitchen scale avoids it entirely.
- How do I measure Butter accurately?
- Weigh butter whenever possible. For cup measures, soften solid fats and press out air pockets, or use the water-displacement method.