How Many Grams Of Butter Is 1 Cup? | 1 Cup Butter In Grams

One U.S. cup of butter weighs 227 grams, which equals 2 sticks or 16 tablespoons.

If you bake from U.S. recipes but weigh ingredients in grams, butter is the one that trips people up. A “cup” feels clear until you open the fridge and see sticks, blocks, tubs, and wrappers with lines that don’t match your measuring cups.

This article pins the number down, then shows how to get the right amount in real kitchens: sticks vs. blocks, tablespoons vs. grams, solid vs. melted, and what to do when a recipe was written outside the U.S.

How Many Grams Of Butter Is 1 Cup? In Real Baking Terms

For standard U.S. measuring cups, 1 cup of butter is 227 grams. You’ll also see it listed as 8 ounces, 1/2 pound, 16 tablespoons, or 2 sticks of butter.

That answer assumes the butter is measured as a solid fat (softened is fine) and the cup is the U.S. “customary” cup used in American recipes. It also assumes you’re talking about plain butter, not whipped butter or a spread that mixes in extra air or oils.

Why This Conversion Is So Stable

Butter is sold in standardized sizes in many places. In the U.S., the common stick is marked by tablespoon lines and cup fractions, so cooks can portion butter without touching a measuring cup.

Because those sticks are made to consistent weights, the cup conversion stays consistent too: 2 sticks make 1 cup. When you weigh 2 U.S. sticks together, you land at 227 grams.

Pick The Measuring Method That Matches Your Recipe

Best Method: Weigh It

A scale removes the “Is it packed?” guesswork that comes with any cup measure. Put a bowl on the scale, tare to zero, and add butter until you hit the gram target. If your recipe calls for 1 cup, aim for 227 g.

King Arthur Baking keeps a widely used ingredient weight chart that lists gram equivalents for common baking measures, including butter. King Arthur Baking’s ingredient weight chart is a handy cross-check when you convert cups to grams.

Fast Method: Use The Wrapper Marks

If you buy butter in sticks, the wrapper usually shows tablespoon lines plus 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup blocks. Cut at the lines, then add pieces until you reach the volume your recipe lists.

Land O Lakes explains the stick system clearly: 1 stick equals 1/2 cup and 8 tablespoons, so 2 sticks equal 1 cup. Their butter measurements and abbreviations reference also includes a conversion calculator.

Backup Method: Convert Tablespoons To Grams

Tablespoons are often printed on the wrapper, and many recipes call for butter by the spoon. One tablespoon of butter weighs 14 grams, so 16 tablespoons land at 224 grams, then the full cup target rounds to 227 grams when you work from stick weights.

If you want an official nutrition label source for the tablespoon weight, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service publishes a butter nutrition sheet that uses a 14 g tablespoon serving size. See USDA FNS “Butter, Salted” PDF for the serving-size reference.

What Changes The Result (And What Doesn’t)

Softened Butter Vs. Cold Butter

Temperature changes how butter behaves, not how much it weighs. Two sticks still weigh the same whether they’re cold, softened, or close to melting. So the gram conversion stays the same.

The part that changes is how easily butter fills space. Cold butter is stiff and won’t settle into a cup well. Softened butter presses in and can fill gaps. That’s why weighing beats scooping.

Melted Butter Is A Different Measurement

Many recipes specify “1 cup melted butter,” and that can cause confusion. Melted butter measured by volume can vary because you might melt it, then pour and read a line on a liquid measuring cup. Tiny splashes left in the pan or clinging to the cup walls can shift the final amount.

When a recipe wants melted butter, weigh it before melting. If it calls for “1 cup butter, melted,” it still means 227 grams of butter, then melt it. If it calls for “1 cup melted butter” without stating the solid amount, check the recipe context. Some authors mean “the melted output from 1 cup of solid butter,” and some mean “pour to the 1-cup line.” A scale avoids the ambiguity.

Whipped Butter And Spreads

Whipped butter has air mixed in. A cup of whipped butter can weigh far less than a cup of regular butter. Many spreadable products also blend in oils or water. If a recipe needs real butter for structure, use standard butter and measure by weight.

Butter Conversions You’ll Use All The Time

Once you lock in the 227 g per cup anchor, the rest becomes quick mental math. Half a cup is one stick. A quarter cup is half a stick. A tablespoon is one wrapper line. The table below puts the common cuts in one place.

Butter Amount	Grams	How It Shows Up In Kitchens
1 cup	227 g	2 sticks; 16 Tbsp; 8 oz
3/4 cup	170 g	1 1/2 sticks; 12 Tbsp
2/3 cup	151 g	Often used in European-style cake formulas
1/2 cup	113 g	1 stick; 8 Tbsp; 4 oz
1/3 cup	76 g	5 Tbsp + 1 tsp on many charts
1/4 cup	57–58 g	4 Tbsp; half a stick
2 Tbsp (1/8 cup)	28 g	Quarter-stick cut; common for pan greasing
1 Tbsp	14 g	One wrapper mark; nutrition label serving size
1 tsp	5 g	Small adds for finishing, pans, or sauces

U.S. Cups, Metric Cups, And Why Recipes Disagree

A cup is not a universal volume. A U.S. cup is 240 mL. A metric cup used in some countries is 250 mL. That 10 mL gap can matter for water-like liquids, and it can matter for melted butter measured by volume.

For solid butter, the bigger source of confusion is the packaging style. Many non-U.S. butters come in blocks without tablespoon markings. If your recipe is written in grams, stay in grams. If it’s written in cups and sticks, convert to grams and weigh.

When Your Recipe Uses “Cups” But Your Butter Comes In Blocks

Start with the gram target, then cut and weigh. If you need 227 grams, slice off a chunk, weigh it, then trim until you hit the number. A cheap scale does this faster than trying to press butter into a cup.

If you’re working from a U.S. brand in sticks, the wrapper marks do the work. If you’re working from a block, weighing is cleaner and less messy.

How To Weigh Butter Cleanly

Use Parchment Or The Wrapper As A Liner

Place a small sheet of parchment on the scale, tare, then add butter. This keeps the scale clean and lets you lift the butter straight into the mixer bowl.

If you cut butter from a stick, keep it on the wrapper and place the whole thing on the scale. Tare, then cut off pieces until the remaining butter shows the weight you want to remove.

Choose The Right Scale Mode

Set the scale to grams for baking. Gram steps are small enough that you can hit 227 g without guesswork. If your scale toggles between ounces and grams, grams are easier for partial sticks and odd amounts like 151 g.

For general measurement accuracy standards, NIST’s Handbook 44 is a widely adopted reference used by weights-and-measures programs. It’s written for commercial devices, but it underlines why a properly functioning scale matters. See NIST Handbook 44 for the broader measurement context.

Common Recipe Scenarios And The Gram Amounts That Match

Recipes rarely stop at exactly 1 cup. You’ll see 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons, 3/4 cup, 5 tablespoons, and other “in-between” calls. Here’s a second table you can glance at while you bake.

Recipe Call	Weight Target	Fast Way To Portion
1 cup butter	227 g	Weigh 227 g or use 2 sticks
1/2 cup butter	113 g	Use 1 stick or weigh 113 g
3/4 cup butter	170 g	Use 1 1/2 sticks or weigh 170 g
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp	141 g	1 stick plus two wrapper marks
6 Tbsp butter	85 g	Cut 6 Tbsp from the wrapper or weigh 85 g
5 Tbsp butter	71 g	Cut 5 Tbsp or weigh 71 g
2 Tbsp butter	28 g	Quarter stick; 2 wrapper marks
1 Tbsp butter	14 g	One wrapper mark

Small Details That Affect Results In Butter-Heavy Bakes

Salted Vs. Unsalted Butter

Salt doesn’t change the cup-to-gram conversion in a way you’ll notice in home baking. Still, recipes often specify unsalted butter so the author can control salt levels. If you swap salted for unsalted, cut back added salt a bit and keep the butter weight the same.

Butterfat And Water Content

Different butters can vary in butterfat and water content. That influences texture and browning, yet the weight conversion for a cup stays the same because you’re weighing the product as sold. If you’re chasing consistent pastry layers or cookie spread, stick with one brand and weigh each time.

Measuring For Success Without Extra Dishes

One tidy trick is to weigh directly into the mixing bowl. Put the bowl on the scale, tare, then add butter. Add sugar next, then eggs, without washing extra cups. You’ll get cleaner counters and repeatable bakes.

Mid-Recipe Butter Recap

One cup of butter equals 227 grams. If you have sticks, use 2 sticks. If you have a block, weigh 227 g and trim to match. If your recipe calls for tablespoons, each tablespoon is 14 g, and the wrapper marks get you close fast.

Once you start weighing butter, you’ll notice your cookies, cakes, and frostings come out more consistent. The bowl feels the same each time, and you spend less time second-guessing a packed cup.