Heavy Cream:
Grams to Cups
By Stefan Ulrich · Last updated
Heavy cream (also called heavy whipping cream) weighs 238 grams per cup — slightly lighter than whole milk. This counterintuitive fact makes sense when you remember that fat is less dense than water: cream floats on milk for exactly this reason.
How much Heavy Cream weighs at each cup measure.
Convert Heavy Cream
1 cup = 238 grams
= — grams
= — cups
Quick reference
Measurement Table
| Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 5 g | 0.18 oz |
| 1 tbsp | 15 g | 0.53 oz |
| ⅛ cup | 30 g | 1.06 oz |
| ¼ cup | 60 g | 2.12 oz |
| ⅓ cup | 79 g | 2.79 oz |
| ½ cup | 119 g | 4.20 oz |
| ⅔ cup | 159 g | 5.61 oz |
| ¾ cup | 179 g | 6.31 oz |
| 1 cup | 238 g | 8.40 oz |
| 1¼ cups | 298 g | 10.51 oz |
| 1½ cups | 357 g | 12.59 oz |
| 2 cups | 476 g | 16.79 oz |
| 3 cups | 714 g | 25.19 oz |
About Heavy Cream
Heavy cream contains 36–40% milkfat, which makes it the lightest common dairy liquid per cup despite being the richest in calories. Light cream (20% fat) weighs about 240 g/cup, falling between heavy cream and milk.
When whipped, heavy cream roughly doubles in volume. 1 cup liquid heavy cream (238 g) produces approximately 2 cups of whipped cream. This matters for recipes that specify 'whipped cream' rather than 'heavy cream' — if a recipe calls for 2 cups whipped cream, you need only 1 cup (238 g) of liquid cream to whip.
For ganache, the cream-to-chocolate ratio is given by weight: a 1:1 ratio means equal weights of cream and chocolate. One cup of heavy cream (238 g) paired with 238 g of chopped dark chocolate produces a pourable glaze. A 1:2 ratio (half as much cream by weight) makes a thick, truffle-like ganache.
Half-and-half (10–12% fat) weighs approximately 242 g/cup. It cannot replace heavy cream in whipping applications but works for custards and sauces where fat content can be lower.
Tips for measuring Heavy Cream
- Heavy cream: 238 g/cup. Light cream: ~240 g/cup. Half-and-half: ~242 g/cup.
- 1 cup liquid cream → ~2 cups whipped cream.
- For ganache: 1:1 cream-to-chocolate by weight = pourable; 1:2 = truffle consistency.
- Chill bowl and whisk for best whipping results — cream whips faster cold.
Common mistakes
- Confusing liquid cream volume with whipped cream volume (2:1 ratio)
- Using half-and-half in recipes that rely on cream's fat content for structure
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many grams in a cup of Heavy Cream?
- 1 cup of Heavy Cream weighs 238 grams — the standard used in most American recipes. Use the converter above for any other amount.
- How many grams is 1 tablespoon of Heavy Cream?
- 1 tablespoon of Heavy Cream weighs about 15 grams. The full table above lists every common cup fraction.
- What's the most common mistake when measuring Heavy Cream?
- Confusing liquid cream volume with whipped cream volume (2:1 ratio). Weighing on a kitchen scale avoids it entirely.
- Should Heavy Cream be measured cold or at room temperature?
- Temperature barely changes the weight of heavy Cream, but a liquid measuring cup read at eye level gives the most accurate result.