3/4 Cup Butter in Grams
3/4 cup of butter weighs 170.2 g (scooped, King Arthur Baking). Dairy butter, about 80% fat; one US stick is 113 g, half a cup or 8 tablespoons. All the figures on this page are approximate conversions based on the King Arthur Baking value of 227 g per cup, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
It is used for baking, frying, sauces and spreading. That range of uses is part of why the conversion comes up so often: the same ingredient appears in everyday cooking and in precise baking, and the two situations demand different levels of accuracy. Knowing the weight of 3/4 cup, rather than guessing from a measuring cup, keeps the result consistent no matter which recipe you are following, and it lets you scale a recipe up or down without the errors multiplying.
How the weight was measured
Scooped is the method used for this ingredient, and it matters because the same cup can hold a different weight depending on how it was filled. Spooned and levelled means spooning the ingredient into the cup and levelling the top with a straight knife, without packing it down. Packed means pressing the ingredient firmly into the cup until it holds its shape. Poured means pouring a liquid into a measuring jug up to the line. Scooped means pushing the cup through a solid fat and levelling the top.
The source for the 227 g per cup figure is King Arthur Baking, and this page follows that value exactly rather than averaging across sources, because an average of two different measuring methods is a number that matches nobody's cup.
All the figures on this page are approximate conversions. When a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale: weigh the ingredient directly into the bowl on a tared scale and trust that number over any cup.
Butter cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 56.8 g |
| 1/3 cup | 75.7 g |
| 1/2 cup | 113.5 g |
| 2/3 cup | 151.3 g |
| 3/4 cup | 170.2 g |
| 1 cup | 227 g |
| 1 1/4 cups | 283.8 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 340.5 g |
| 2 cups | 454 g |
| 3 cups | 681 g |
One tablespoon of butter weighs about 14.2 g, and one teaspoon about 4.7 g. Three quarters of a cup is 12 tablespoons, and it occupies about 177 ml by volume, the same as 3/4 cup of anything, because volume does not change from one ingredient to the next. Only the weight changes, and that is why the table above is organised by weight rather than volume. The table is rounded to the nearest tenth of a gram where the fraction demands it, so the numbers are approximate by design; the 3/4 cup figure of 170.2 g is the one to use when a recipe calls for 3/4 cup.
When this conversion matters most
This conversion matters most in baking, where butter controls tenderness, spread, and flakiness all at once. A cake, a batch of cookies, or a pie crust can all be ruined by 15 g of extra butter, and a cup is a poor way to measure a solid fat: scooping leaves air pockets, and soft butter packs differently from cold butter. Three quarters of a cup is also a common amount in recipes that were written around one and a half sticks, so knowing it weighs 170.2 g lets you cut the sticks and weigh the pieces without guessing. For frying or spreading, the exact weight matters far less, and a rough cup measure is fine.
Worked examples
A pound cake that needs 3/4 cup of butter
A classic pound cake calling for 3/4 cup of butter needs 170.2 g, which is one and a half US sticks. Butter is the ingredient that decides whether the cake is tender or tough, because fat coats the flour and shortens the gluten strands. Weighing 170.2 g means the crumb comes out the same every time, while a cup measure of soft butter can vary by 10 g or more depending on how firmly it was packed.
Shortbread for the holidays
A shortbread recipe using 3/4 cup of butter needs 170.2 g, and shortbread is the recipe where the weight matters most, because it contains almost nothing but butter, sugar, and flour. Too much butter and the biscuits spread into greasy discs; too little and they turn dry and crumbly. Weighing the butter, then chilling the dough before baking, is the difference between neat fingers and a flat tray.
Doubling a cookie batch for a bake sale
Doubling a cookie recipe that calls for 3/4 cup of butter means 1 1/2 cups, or 340.5 g. When you double by cups, any packing error doubles too, so a 10 g error becomes a 20 g error and the cookies spread differently from the test batch. Weighing 340.5 g keeps the doubled batch identical to the original.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is measuring soft butter in a cup and guessing at the level: soft butter traps air, so the cup holds less than 170.2 g and the bake turns out dry. A second mistake is using the wrapper markings as gospel; they are printed for convenience and can be a gram or two off, so weigh the cut pieces. A third mistake is swapping butter for oil cup-for-cup in a creamed recipe: oil cannot trap air the way creamed butter does, so the cake will be dense even though the weight is similar.
If you do not have a kitchen scale, measure with tablespoons instead of a cup: 3/4 cup is 12 level tablespoons, and levelling each spoonful separately keeps the total far closer to the true weight than a single cup measure. For thick ingredients like sour cream or cream cheese, press the spoonful in firmly and level the top; for liquids, fill the spoon on a flat surface. This method works well for cooking, where a few grams either way do not matter, but for baking, a scale is the better investment: it removes the guesswork entirely and makes every recipe repeatable.
Why weighing 3/4 cup of butter beats measuring it in cups
Fat is the ingredient that decides whether a bake is tender or tough, flaky or dense, and 3/4 cup is an amount that appears in cakes, pastry, and roasting all the time. Weighing it matters because a cup is a poor way to measure a fat: solid fats trap air pockets when scooped, and liquid fats are hard to read in a measuring jug. A cup measure can be 10 g or more off, which is enough to change a cake from moist to greasy. Weighing removes that whole source of error, and it is faster than packing a cup and scraping it out.
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 months; freeze up to 6 months. Dairy butter, about 80% fat; one US stick is 113 g, half a cup or 8 tablespoons. It is used for baking, frying, sauces and spreading. Knowing how the ingredient is stored matters for the conversion too: an ingredient that has absorbed moisture or dried out will weigh differently per cup, so store it properly and weigh it fresh for the best results.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 3/4 cup of butter?
3/4 cup of butter weighs 170.2 g, scooped, using the King Arthur Baking value of 227 g per cup. The figure is approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters, especially for cakes and pastry.
How many sticks of butter is 3/4 cup?
3/4 cup of butter is one and a half US sticks. One stick weighs 113 g and equals 1/2 cup, so one and a half sticks is 170.2 g. Cut one full stick and half of another, then weigh the pieces to confirm 170.2 g.
How many tablespoons is 3/4 cup of butter?
3/4 cup is 12 tablespoons, and one tablespoon of butter weighs about 14 g. That gives roughly 170.2 g for the full 12 tablespoons. Tablespoon markings on a stick wrapper are handy, but weighing is more accurate.
Can I use margarine instead of butter, gram for gram?
Yes, by weight: margarine also weighs 227 g per cup, so 3/4 cup of margarine is 170.2 g, the same as butter. The flavour and the way it creams are different, so the bake will not taste identical, but the weight swap is exact.
Should I weigh butter cold or at room temperature?
Either works, because the weight does not change with temperature, but cold butter is easier to cut accurately and room-temperature butter is easier to cream. Weigh the pieces first, then let them come to room temperature if the recipe needs soft butter.