Grams of Sugar to Cups
100 g of granulated sugar is 0.505 US cups, which for baking purposes is ½ cup. Divide any gram figure by 198 (King Arthur Baking) and you have the cup answer; the sections below give the shortcuts and the traps.
Source: Sugar (granulated white): 1 cup = 198 g (King Arthur Baking, Ingredient Weight Chart). USDA lists 200 g (fdcId 169655).
| Grams | US cups | Measuring-cup version |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | 0.126 | about 2 tbsp |
| 50 g | 0.253 | about ¼ cup |
| 100 g | 0.505 | about ½ cup |
| 125 g | 0.631 | about ½ cup + 2 tbsp |
| 150 g | 0.758 | about ¾ cup |
| 200 g | 1.01 | about 1 cup |
| 250 g | 1.26 | about 1 ¼ cups + 1 tsp |
| 300 g | 1.52 | about 1 ½ cups + 1 tsp |
| 400 g | 2.02 | 2 cups + 1 tsp |
| 500 g | 2.53 | about 2 ½ cups + 1 tsp |
| 1,000 g | 5.05 | about 5 cups + 2 tsp |
| Cups | Grams (US cup) | Ounces (US cup) | Grams (metric cup, 250 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 25 | 0.873 | 26 |
| 1/4 cup | 50 | 1.75 | 52 |
| 1/3 cup | 66 | 2.33 | 70 |
| 1/2 cup | 99 | 3.49 | 105 |
| 2/3 cup | 132 | 4.66 | 139 |
| 3/4 cup | 148 | 5.24 | 157 |
| 1 cup | 198 | 6.98 | 209 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 297 | 10.48 | 314 |
| 2 cups | 396 | 13.97 | 418 |
| 3 cups | 594 | 20.95 | 628 |
| 4 cups | 792 | 27.94 | 837 |
| Measure | Grams | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 1 | 1.23 |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.1 | 2.46 |
| 1 tsp | 4.1 | 4.93 |
| 1 tbsp (3 tsp) | 12.4 | 14.79 |
| 2 tbsp (1/8 cup) | 24.7 | 29.57 |
| 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) | 49.5 | 59.15 |
| 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) | 99 | 118.3 |
Worked example: a UK sponge calling for 225 g sugar
- Recipe weight: 225 g granulated sugar.
- Divide by cup weight: 225 ÷ 198 = 1.136 cups.
- Whole cup first: 1 cup is 198 g, leaving 27 g.
- Convert the leftover to tablespoons: 27 ÷ 12.4 = 2.2 tbsp, so about 2.
- Measure 1 cup + 2 tbsp. With the USDA 200 g cup, the answer would be 1.125 cups, a negligible gap.
Sugar grams ladder
Handy equivalents, from small to large:
- 25 g = ⅛ cup (0.13)
- 50 g = ¼ cup (0.25)
- 150 g = ¾ cup (0.76)
- 200 g = 1 cup (1.01)
- 250 g = 1 ¼ cups (1.26)
- 400 g = 2 cups (2.02)
Use tablespoons for the small stuff
A tablespoon of sugar weighs 12.4 g. That makes 25 g about 2 tablespoons, and 50 g about 4. For a drizzle of sugar on top of a crumble, that is accurate enough; for a custard, weigh it.
When 100 g is not exactly half a cup
Half a US cup of sugar is 99 g, so 100 g is 1 g above half a cup. That sounds trivial, but recipes sometimes scale up: 1000 g of sugar is 5.05 cups, and rounding that to 5 cups leaves you 10 g off.
A quick mental method
When you have no calculator, remember one anchor: 198 g is one cup. Half of that is 99 g, so anything near 200 g is almost exactly one cup, 400 g is two cups, and 600 g is three. Start from the nearest anchor, then add or subtract tablespoons at 12.4 g each. This gets you within a tablespoon of the right answer for most cake and cookie recipes.
Metric cups need a different divisor
If the recipe's author used a 250 ml cup, divide by 209 g instead. 250 g of sugar is then 1.19 metric cups, but 1.26 US cups. The cups to ml page explains which countries use which.
Jam and preserving quantities
Jam recipes often list sugar by the kilo or by 750 g. A pot using 750 g needs 3.79 cups, which is 3 ¾ cups with a little left over. Because set depends on the sugar-to-fruit ratio, weigh sugar for preserves rather than trusting the cup.
Reducing sugar in a recipe
Many bakers want to cut sugar by a quarter. In grams that is easy: a recipe calling for 300 g becomes 225 g. In cups the same cut is awkward: 1.52 cups becomes 1.14 cups. Do the cut in grams, then convert once at the end. Be aware that sugar also affects spread and browning, so reduce in small steps.
Prefer a different sugar? Check its own cup weight first: raw turbinado is 180 g per cup, so 250 g of it is 1.39 cups, not 1.26.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups is 100 g of sugar?
100 g of granulated sugar is 0.505 US cups, so use ½ cup.
How many cups is 200 g of sugar?
200 g of granulated sugar is 1.01 US cups, about 1 cup.
How many cups is 500 g of sugar?
500 g of granulated sugar is 2.53 US cups, so use 2 ½ cups.
Does it change for caster or brown sugar?
Yes. Divide by their own cup weights instead: 190 g for superfine sugar or 213 g for packed brown sugar.
What is the easiest way to avoid conversions?
Weigh the sugar. A kitchen scale makes grams-to-cups arithmetic unnecessary and is more repeatable.