Baking Conversion Calculator
Convert between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, milliliters, and grams for common baking ingredients like flour, sugar, and butter.
Baking ingredient conversions are critical because unlike cooking, baking is chemistry — precise ratios of flour, sugar, fat, and leavening determine whether a cake rises or collapses. Volume measurements (cups) are imprecise; weight measurements (grams) are exact.
Core conversion formula: Grams = Cups × Cup-to-Gram Conversion Factor
Or equivalently: Cups = Grams ÷ Conversion Factor
The conversion factor varies by ingredient because density differs — a cup of flour weighs far less than a cup of sugar.
Standard weight references per 1 US cup:
- All-purpose flour: 120–125 g (sifted) / 130–135 g (spooned) / 140–150 g (scooped)
- Cake flour: 100–115 g
- Whole wheat flour: 120–130 g
- Granulated white sugar: 200 g
- Powdered (icing) sugar: 120 g (unsifted) / 100 g (sifted)
- Brown sugar (packed): 220 g
- Butter: 227 g (2 sticks = 1 cup)
- Honey: 340 g
- Cocoa powder: 85–90 g
- Rolled oats: 90 g
- Milk: 240 g (nearly the same as 240 mL by water weight)
Tablespoon and teaspoon conversions:
- 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 240 mL
- 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 15 mL
- 1 teaspoon = 5 mL
Scaling a recipe formula: Scaled Amount = Original Amount × (Desired Yield ÷ Original Yield)
Worked example: Recipe calls for 2.5 cups of all-purpose flour. You want to convert to grams.
Using 125 g per cup (spooned, not packed): Grams = 2.5 × 125 = 312.5 g (round to 313 g)
Scaling: Original recipe makes 24 cookies. You want 36. Scale factor = 36 ÷ 24 = 1.5× Every ingredient is multiplied by 1.5.
Pro tip: The biggest source of baking failure is over-measuring flour. Scooping directly from the bag can pack in 20–30% extra flour. Always spoon flour into the measuring cup and level with a straight edge — or better yet, use a kitchen scale.