2 Cups All-Purpose Flour in Grams
If you need 2 cups of all-purpose flour in grams, the answer is 240 g — measured spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. You are probably here mid-recipe, so here is the number first and the explanation second. The rest of this page gives you the full conversion table for all-purpose flour, worked examples from real recipes, the measuring method behind the number, and the mistakes that most often throw this conversion off. All weights here are approximate; a kitchen scale is the final word when precision counts.
The problem with cups, in one paragraph
A cup looks like a fixed unit, but for all-purpose flour it is not. The same cup can hold more or less depending on how the ingredient settled in its container, whether it was spooned in or scooped, and whether it was levelled or heaped. With 2 cups of all-purpose flour, the gap between a careful spoon-and-level measure and a careless scoop can be tens of grams — enough to change a recipe. Weighing 240 g instead removes the whole question. It is also faster once you get used to it: put the bowl on the scale, press tare, and pour until the display reads 240. No levelling, no sweeping, no second-guessing. The table below gives you every amount you are likely to need, so you can weigh instead of measuring by volume from now on.
All-Purpose Flour cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams | Tablespoons (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 30 g | 1.9 g |
| 1/3 cup | 40 g | 2.5 g |
| 1/2 cup | 60 g | 3.8 g |
| 2/3 cup | 80 g | 5 g |
| 3/4 cup | 90 g | 5.6 g |
| 1 cup | 120 g | 7.5 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 180 g | 11.2 g |
| 2 cups | 240 g | 15 g |
| 3 cups | 360 g | 22.5 g |
| 4 cups | 480 g | 30 g |
The tablespoon column is a bonus for recipes that call for a spoonful or two: one tablespoon of all-purpose flour weighs about 7.5 g. Remember that a cup is 16 tablespoons, so the numbers in the table are just the cup weight divided by 16, rounded sensibly. For small amounts a scale that reads to the gram is far more reliable than a spoon, because a heaped tablespoon can weigh half as much again as a level one.
How the weight was measured
Spooned and levelled means the ingredient was measured the way King Arthur Baking measures it: spooned into the measuring cup until heaped, then levelled with a straight edge. Never scoop the cup through the bag or jar, and never tap the cup down, because both pack the ingredient and add weight. The source for the 120 g per cup figure is King Arthur Baking, and the confidence in the value is high. King Arthur Baking publishes a standard ingredient weight chart that recipe developers use as a reference, and this page follows it exactly rather than averaging across sources, because an average of two different measuring methods is a number that matches nobody's cup.
There is a dispute worth knowing about. Flour weight is the most disputed conversion in baking: King Arthur lists 120 g per cup spooned and levelled, while other sources quote 125 g, 130 g and up to 142 g for a scooped cup. We use the King Arthur spooned-and-levelled value as primary. The practical advice is simple: use the value in the table above, measure the way the table describes, and your results will match the recipes this site is built around. If a recipe you are following was written with a different value, follow that recipe's value instead of ours, because consistency within one recipe matters more than which authoritative number you pick.
Worked examples
A layer cake that calls for 2 cups of all-purpose flour
A classic layer cake often asks for 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Weigh out 240 g and you get the crumb the recipe writer intended. If you scooped instead, you could easily add 20 to 30 g extra, and the cake would come out dense and dry. The fix is simple: weigh the flour straight into the bowl on the scale, then add the other dry ingredients on top, taring between each one. One bowl, no extra washing up, and a cake that rises the way it should.
Doubling a cookie batch for a bake sale
Doubling a cookie recipe that uses 1 cup of all-purpose flour means you need 2 cups, which is 240 g. Doubling by volume doubles the measuring error too, so weighing is worth even more here than in a single batch. Spoon and level the flour if you must use cups, but weighing 240 g is faster and more reliable, and it keeps the spread of the cookies consistent from the first tray to the last.
A bread dough with a hydration target
Bread bakers think in hydration — the weight of water as a percentage of the weight of flour. With 2 cups of all-purpose flour at 240 g, a 65% hydration dough needs about 156 g of water. That calculation is only possible because the flour is weighed; in cups, hydration is guesswork. If your dough feels too stiff or too slack, check the flour weight first before blaming the recipe.
All-Purpose Flour in the kitchen: what the numbers mean in practice
The standard white wheat flour for most baking, milled from a blend of hard and soft wheat. It is used for Cakes, cookies, breads, pastry and sauces. Knowing the weight helps you shop as well as cook: 2 cups is 240 g, so a bag or jar labelled in grams tells you immediately how many cups you have left. That is useful when a recipe calls for a large amount and you are wondering whether to open a second pack. It also helps with substitutions: if you swap all-purpose flour for something else, compare gram weights rather than cup volumes, because two ingredients that fill the same cup can weigh very different amounts.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 2 cups of all-purpose flour?
2 cups of all-purpose flour weighs approximately 240 g, measured spooned and levelled. The figure comes from the King Arthur Baking value of 120 g per cup. All weights on this page are approximate — verify with a kitchen scale when precision matters.
Can I use a cup instead of weighing all-purpose flour?
Yes, but spoon and level rather than scooping: spoon all-purpose flour into the cup until heaped, then sweep a knife across the top. Scooping packs the ingredient and can add 10 to 20 percent extra weight. For 2 cups, fill and level the cup twice. Weighing 240 g is more accurate and, once you are used to it, faster.
Is 240 g exact for 2 cups of all-purpose flour?
No — it is approximate. The per-cup value of 120 g comes from King Arthur Baking, and real-world variation in brand, grind, moisture and packing means your cup may weigh a few grams more or less. For most cooking that is fine; for baking, weigh with a scale and treat the table as your planning guide.
How many cups is 240 g of all-purpose flour?
240 g of all-purpose flour is 2 cups — the conversion works in both directions, since 120 g equals one cup. If your recipe is written in grams and your tools are cups, divide the gram weight by 120 to get cups.
How do I measure all-purpose flour without a scale?
Use the spoon-and-level method: spoon all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup until it is heaped above the rim, then level it with the back of a knife. Do not scoop the cup through the bag and do not tap it down. For 2 cups, repeat for a second cup. It is less accurate than weighing 240 g, but it is the best cup method available.