Shredded Coconut:
Grams to Cups
By Stefan Ulrich · Last updated
Shredded coconut weighs 85 grams per cup — one of the lightest dry baking ingredients alongside cocoa powder. Its airy, fibrous strands create significant void space in a measuring cup, which is why it's particularly important to measure by weight for consistent results.
How much Shredded Coconut weighs at each cup measure.
Convert Shredded Coconut
1 cup = 85 grams
= — grams
= — cups
Quick reference
Measurement Table
| Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 2 g | 0.07 oz |
| 1 tbsp | 5 g | 0.18 oz |
| ⅛ cup | 11 g | 0.39 oz |
| ¼ cup | 21 g | 0.74 oz |
| ⅓ cup | 28 g | 0.99 oz |
| ½ cup | 43 g | 1.52 oz |
| ⅔ cup | 57 g | 2.01 oz |
| ¾ cup | 64 g | 2.26 oz |
| 1 cup | 85 g | 3.00 oz |
| 1¼ cups | 106 g | 3.74 oz |
| 1½ cups | 128 g | 4.51 oz |
| 2 cups | 170 g | 6.00 oz |
| 3 cups | 255 g | 8.99 oz |
About Shredded Coconut
The 85 g/cup figure applies to standard sweetened shredded coconut (like Baker's brand). Unsweetened desiccated coconut is slightly denser at approximately 93 g/cup because it's drier and the shreds are finer. Coconut flakes (larger, broader pieces) are even lighter at about 60–70 g/cup due to the greater air gaps between flakes.
Sweetened shredded coconut contains added sugar (typically 6–8 g sugar per 15 g serving) and more moisture than unsweetened varieties. In baking, substituting unsweetened for sweetened coconut means you may need to add a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of water per cup to compensate.
Toasting shredded coconut is a game-changer: spread in a thin layer at 325°F (165°C) for 5–8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Coconut goes from white to burned in about 60 seconds, so watch constantly during the final minutes. Toasted coconut weighs approximately the same as raw — the small moisture loss is negligible.
For coconut macaroons, the measurement can make or break the cookie: too little coconut produces flat, chewy cookies; too much makes them dry and crumbly.
Tips for measuring Shredded Coconut
- Sweetened shredded: ~85 g/cup. Unsweetened desiccated: ~93 g/cup. Flakes: ~65 g/cup.
- Toast at 325°F/165°C for 5–8 min, stirring often — it burns very quickly.
- Sweetened-to-unsweetened swap: add 1 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp water per cup.
- Fluff with a fork before measuring for the most consistent results.
Common mistakes
- Using flaked coconut when shredded is called for — much lighter per cup
- Not watching coconut when toasting — 60-second window between golden and burned
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many grams in a cup of Shredded Coconut?
- 1 cup of Shredded Coconut weighs 85 grams — the standard used in most American recipes. Use the converter above for any other amount.
- How many grams is 1 tablespoon of Shredded Coconut?
- 1 tablespoon of Shredded Coconut weighs about 5 grams. The full table above lists every common cup fraction.
- What's the most common mistake when measuring Shredded Coconut?
- Using flaked coconut when shredded is called for — much lighter per cup. Weighing on a kitchen scale avoids it entirely.
- Does Shredded Coconut need to be levelled in the cup?
- Yes — spoon shredded Coconut in and sweep a straight edge across the top. Scooping or tapping compacts it and changes the weight.