Cups of Cocoa Powder to Grams
1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder weighs 84 g. King Arthur Baking gives it as "Cocoa (unsweetened): 1/2 cup = 42 g", so a half cup is 42 g. Tablespoons run to 5.25 g each, which matters because cocoa is nearly always used in spoonfuls.
Source: Cocoa (unsweetened): 1/2 cup = 42 g (King Arthur Baking, Ingredient Weight Chart). USDA lists 86 g per cup (fdcId 169593).
| Cups | Grams (US cup) | Ounces (US cup) | Grams (metric cup, 250 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 10 | 0.37 | 11 |
| 1/4 cup | 21 | 0.741 | 22 |
| 1/3 cup | 28 | 0.988 | 30 |
| 1/2 cup | 42 | 1.48 | 44 |
| 2/3 cup | 56 | 1.98 | 59 |
| 3/4 cup | 63 | 2.22 | 67 |
| 1 cup | 84 | 2.96 | 89 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 126 | 4.44 | 133 |
| 2 cups | 168 | 5.93 | 178 |
| 3 cups | 252 | 8.89 | 266 |
| 4 cups | 336 | 11.85 | 355 |
| Grams | US cups | Measuring-cup version |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | 0.298 | about ¼ cup + 2 tsp |
| 50 g | 0.595 | about ½ cup + 1 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 100 g | 1.19 | about 1 cup + 3 tbsp |
| 125 g | 1.49 | about 1 ⅓ cups + 2 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 150 g | 1.79 | about 1 ¾ cups + 2 tsp |
| 200 g | 2.38 | about 2 ⅓ cups + 2 tsp |
| 250 g | 2.98 | about 2 ¾ cups + 3 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 300 g | 3.57 | about 3 ½ cups + 1 tbsp |
| 400 g | 4.76 | about 4 ¾ cups + 1 tsp |
| 500 g | 5.95 | about 5 ¾ cups + 3 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 1,000 g | 11.9 | about 11 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| Measure | Grams | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 0.4 | 1.23 |
| 1/2 tsp | 0.9 | 2.46 |
| 1 tsp | 1.7 | 4.93 |
| 1 tbsp (3 tsp) | 5.2 | 14.79 |
| 2 tbsp (1/8 cup) | 10.5 | 29.57 |
| 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) | 21 | 59.15 |
| 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) | 42 | 118.3 |
Worked example: a brownie recipe with ½ cup plus 2 tbsp cocoa
- Half a cup is quoted directly as 42 g.
- Two tablespoons: 2 × 5.25 g = 10.5 g.
- Add them together: 42 g + 10.5 g = 52.5 g.
- Cross-check as a cup fraction: 52.5 ÷ 84 = 0.625 cup.
- On the USDA cup the same quantity would be 53.8 g.
A light powder with a published half cup
Unlike flour, King Arthur's cocoa line is quoted for half a cup, since few recipes call for a full cup. Doubling gives 84 g. USDA FoodData Central lists 86 g per cup, only 2 g more, so cocoa is among the better-agreed measurements on this site.
Cocoa is not flour
A cup of cocoa (84 g) weighs 36 g less than a cup of all-purpose flour (120 g). Some brownie recipes swap a few tablespoons of flour for cocoa to deepen flavour. Do not assume the swap is weight for weight: a quarter cup of flour is 30 g, but a quarter cup of cocoa is only 21 g, a gap of 9 g. Follow the recipe's own cocoa amount and weigh both if you are adapting one yourself.
Natural versus Dutch-process
Natural and Dutch-process cocoa behave differently with leaveners, but the published cup weight on this page applies to unsweetened cocoa in general. The acidity matters for chemistry, not for weighing. If your recipe uses baking soda, check which kind it was written for before swapping.
Cocoa in recipes: how many spoonfuls
Cocoa is usually listed in tablespoons. At 5.25 g each, 3 tablespoons is 15.8 g, 6 tablespoons is 31.5 g and a full 16-tablespoon cup is 84 g. That arithmetic ties the cup and spoon figures together: if your measuring cups are lost, a set of spoons will still give you the right weight. Level each spoon with a knife rather than leaving it heaped.
Lumps, packing and sifting
- Cocoa clumps in the bag. Whisk or sift it, then spoon it lightly into the cup.
- Do not tap the cup, which compacts the powder and adds weight.
- For frostings, sift cocoa with the powdered sugar so lumps don't survive.
Hot cocoa mix is a different product
Drinking chocolate and hot cocoa mixes usually contain sugar. They are not unsweetened cocoa, so the 84 g figure does not apply. Check the package's own serving weight instead.
Hot chocolate and small spoonfuls
A mug of hot chocolate takes about two tablespoons of cocoa, which is 10.5 g. A quarter cup is 21 g and a third of a cup is 28 g. These are tiny weights, so a scale that reads to a tenth of a gram helps if you make cocoa often.
In metric cups
A 250 ml cup holds about 88.8 g of cocoa powder (0.355 g per ml × 250 ml). The tablespoon to grams table has cocoa alongside other spoonful ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 cup of cocoa powder?
1 US cup of unsweetened cocoa powder is 84 g (King Arthur Baking); USDA lists 86 g.
How many grams are in 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder?
One US tablespoon of cocoa powder is about 5.25 g.
How many grams are in half a cup of cocoa?
Half a cup is 42 g, the figure King Arthur publishes directly.
Is Dutch-process cocoa a different weight?
The published figure covers unsweetened cocoa; treat it as a good estimate for both natural and Dutch-process.
Can I replace flour with cocoa by cup?
Not exactly. A cup of cocoa is 84 g and flour is 120 g; convert by weight.