Vegetable Oil:
Grams to Cups
By Stefan Ulrich · Last updated
Vegetable oil weighs 218 grams per cup — slightly less than water (which is 240 g/cup) because oils are less dense than water. This conversion applies to any neutral cooking oil: canola, sunflower, safflower, corn, or generic vegetable oil blends.
How much Vegetable Oil weighs at each cup measure.
Convert Vegetable Oil
1 cup = 218 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 | 27 g | 0.95 oz |
| ¼ cup | 55 g | 1.94 oz |
| ⅓ cup | 73 g | 2.57 oz |
| ½ cup | 109 g | 3.84 oz |
| ⅔ cup | 145 g | 5.11 oz |
| ¾ cup | 164 g | 5.78 oz |
| 1 cup | 218 g | 7.69 oz |
| 1¼ cups | 273 g | 9.63 oz |
| 1½ cups | 327 g | 11.53 oz |
| 2 cups | 436 g | 15.38 oz |
| 3 cups | 654 g | 23.07 oz |
About Vegetable Oil
All common neutral cooking oils cluster in the 215–220 g/cup range. Olive oil runs slightly heavier at around 220–224 g/cup due to its density. Coconut oil in liquid form is about 218 g/cup, but solid coconut oil packs differently in a cup depending on temperature — weighing is especially recommended here.
Oil substitutions work straightforwardly by weight: if a recipe calls for 1 cup vegetable oil and you want to use olive oil, use 218 g of either. The flavor will change, but the fat content and baking chemistry remain the same.
Converting butter to oil (or vice versa): butter is roughly 80% fat and 20% water + milk solids. To substitute oil for butter, use 75% as much oil by weight (1 cup butter = 227 g butter × 0.75 = 170 g oil, roughly ¾ cup). Conversely, to replace oil with butter, use 133% the weight of oil called for.
Tips for measuring Vegetable Oil
- Use a liquid measuring cup at eye level for accuracy.
- All neutral oils (canola, sunflower, corn) weigh approximately the same per cup.
- Coconut oil: measure in solid form by weight — 218 g = 1 cup regardless of state.
- Butter-to-oil ratio: multiply oil amount by 1.33 to get equivalent butter weight.
- Neutral oils are best when you want the flavor of the other ingredients to stay front and center.
Common mistakes
- Measuring oil in a dry measuring cup and eyeballing — liquid cups are more accurate
- Using room-temperature coconut oil volume when it was measured solid (or vice versa)
- Using a strongly flavored oil in a delicate loaf or pound cake can overpower the batter.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many grams in a cup of Vegetable Oil?
- 1 cup of Vegetable Oil weighs 218 grams — the standard used in most American recipes. Use the converter above for any other amount.
- How many grams is 1 tablespoon of Vegetable Oil?
- 1 tablespoon of Vegetable Oil weighs about 14 grams. The full table above lists every common cup fraction.
- What's the most common mistake when measuring Vegetable Oil?
- Measuring oil in a dry measuring cup and eyeballing — liquid cups are more accurate. Weighing on a kitchen scale avoids it entirely.
- How do I measure Vegetable Oil accurately?
- Weigh vegetable Oil whenever possible. For cup measures, soften solid fats and press out air pockets, or use the water-displacement method.