Cups of Cooking Oil to Grams
1 cup of vegetable oil weighs 218 g (USDA FoodData Central: "Oil, canola (fdcId 172336): 1 cup = 218 g; 1 tbsp = 14 g"). Oil floats on water because it is lighter: 0.92 g per ml against 1 for water. Olive oil is a touch lighter at 216 g per cup, and coconut oil weighs 226 g.
Source: Oil, canola (fdcId 172336): 1 cup = 218 g; 1 tbsp = 14 g (USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy). Most neutral oils (canola, sunflower, corn) weigh within a few grams of this.
| Cups | Grams (US cup) | Ounces (US cup) | Grams (metric cup, 250 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 27 | 0.961 | 29 |
| 1/4 cup | 54 | 1.92 | 58 |
| 1/3 cup | 73 | 2.56 | 77 |
| 1/2 cup | 109 | 3.84 | 115 |
| 2/3 cup | 145 | 5.13 | 154 |
| 3/4 cup | 164 | 5.77 | 173 |
| 1 cup | 218 | 7.69 | 230 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 327 | 11.53 | 346 |
| 2 cups | 436 | 15.38 | 461 |
| 3 cups | 654 | 23.07 | 691 |
| 4 cups | 872 | 30.76 | 921 |
| Grams | US cups | Measuring-cup version |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | 0.115 | 1 tbsp + 2 ½ tsp |
| 50 g | 0.229 | 3 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 100 g | 0.459 | ⅓ cup + 2 tbsp |
| 125 g | 0.573 | about ½ cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 150 g | 0.688 | ⅔ cup + 1 tsp |
| 200 g | 0.917 | ¾ cup + 2 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 250 g | 1.15 | 1 cup + 2 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 300 g | 1.38 | about 1 ⅓ cups + 2 tsp |
| 400 g | 1.83 | about 1 ¾ cups + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 500 g | 2.29 | about 2 ¼ cups + 2 tsp |
| 1,000 g | 4.59 | about 4 ½ cups + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| Measure | Grams | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 1.1 | 1.23 |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.3 | 2.46 |
| 1 tsp | 4.5 | 4.93 |
| 1 tbsp (3 tsp) | 13.6 | 14.79 |
| 2 tbsp (1/8 cup) | 27.2 | 29.57 |
| 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) | 54.5 | 59.15 |
| 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) | 109 | 118.3 |
Worked example: a muffin recipe with ½ cup oil
- Vegetable oil: 0.5 × 218 g = 109 g.
- Olive oil: 0.5 × 216 g = 108 g, which is 1 g less.
- Coconut oil: 113 g for a half cup straight from the source.
- In tablespoons the vegetable oil is 0.5 × 16 = 8 tbsp at 13.6 g each.
- Pour the oil into the bowl on the scale and tare after each addition so you only watch one number.
Cooking oils land within a few grams
The note on the vegetable oil (canola) entry says most neutral oils, such as canola, sunflower and corn, weigh within a few grams of the figure. Olive oil is 2 g lighter per cup. That matters so little in a cake that you can substitute one for the other by the cup, but if you are scaling a batch of 12 cakes, weigh the oil once.
Coconut oil: solid or melted
King Arthur publishes coconut oil as "Coconut oil: 1/2 cup = 113 g", so a cup is 226 g. Its weight per cup is around 8 g more than vegetable oil. A solid spoonful in a cup leaves air gaps; if the recipe says melted, melt it first and then measure, or weigh it solid, which is the surest. Coconut oil melts at warm room temperature, so weigh it quickly on a hot day.
Oil versus butter
A cup of butter is 227 g and a cup of vegetable oil is 218 g, so a swap by volume puts in 9 g less. Butter is also part water and milk solids, while oil is pure fat, so cakes made with oil tend to feel moister. For conversions on the butter side, see butter cups to grams.
Pouring and measuring tips
- Use a liquid measuring cup, set on the counter, and read at eye level.
- Measure oil before sticky liquids like honey, and use the same cup for both; the oil coating helps the honey slide out.
- Don't measure oil in a dry cup unless you can fill it brim-level without spilling.
- Weighing oil is easy because it pours cleanly, so a scale beats any jug.
Frying and greasing
Pan-frying uses far more oil than a cake. Two cups of vegetable oil in a pan is 436 g, and a tablespoon to grease a baking sheet is 13.6 g. Oil is lighter than water, so a jug marked in millilitres will hold less weight than a jug of water of the same volume.
From ml to grams
Because oil is lighter than water, 250 ml is 230 g, not 250 g. A 250 ml metric cup of olive oil is 228 g. If your recipe lists oil in millilitres and your scale reads grams, multiply by 0.92.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 cup of vegetable oil?
1 US cup of vegetable (canola) oil is 218 g (USDA FoodData Central).
How many grams are in 1 cup of olive oil?
1 US cup of olive oil is 216 g, slightly lighter than vegetable oil.
How many grams are in 1 tablespoon of oil?
A tablespoon of vegetable oil is about 13.6 g; olive oil is 13.5 g.
How many grams are in half a cup of coconut oil?
Half a cup of coconut oil is 113 g according to King Arthur.
Does 1 ml of oil weigh 1 gram?
No. Oil is lighter than water: 1 ml of vegetable oil weighs about 0.92 g.