Butter Converter

Butter conversions are based on US stick butter as the reference.

1 stick of butter:

• 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons
• 113.4 grams = 4 ounces

Common conversions:

• 1 cup butter = 2 sticks = 227 g = 8 oz = 16 tbsp
• 1 tablespoon = 14.175 g = 0.5 oz
• 1 pound butter = 4 sticks = 454 g

Metric equivalents:

• 100 g butter = 0.882 sticks = 7.05 tbsp
• 250 g butter = 2.205 sticks = 1.1 cups

These conversions are for standard US butter sticks. European butter blocks may differ in size.

The stick is a uniquely American unit, and it baffles cooks elsewhere because butter outside the US is sold in solid blocks measured by weight. A US stick is a quarter-pound, and its wrapper is printed with tablespoon and cup marks so you can cut off what a recipe asks for without a scale. European butter usually comes in 200 g or 250 g blocks with no such markings, which is exactly why a conversion helps when you’re following an American recipe abroad.

For accuracy, weighing beats volume here too, since how firmly butter is packed into a cup changes how much you get. One thing the conversion can’t capture: salted and unsalted butter weigh the same but behave differently in a recipe, so check which one a recipe wants before swapping.