1 Cup Coffee in Grams
1 cup of coffee weighs 237 g (poured, USDA). Brewed black coffee, essentially flavoured water. All the figures on this page are approximate conversions based on the USDA value, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
Brewed black coffee is, for the purposes of a kitchen scale, essentially flavoured water, and a cup of it weighs 237 g, exactly the same as a cup of water. It is used in tiramisu, chocolate cake and sauces, where its bitterness deepens the flavour of chocolate and its liquid is part of the hydration of the recipe. The weight applies to black coffee: once milk, cream or sugar are added, the weight changes, and a cup of sweetened milky coffee weighs more than a cup of black coffee. For cooking, the strength of the coffee matters more than its weight: a strong brew gives a better flavour than a weak one, and espresso gives the most intense flavour of all.
Coffee cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 59.2 g | 4 |
| 1/3 cup | 79 g | 5.3 |
| 1/2 cup | 118.5 g | 8 |
| 2/3 cup | 158 g | 10.7 |
| 3/4 cup | 177.8 g | 12 |
| 1 cup | 237 g | 16 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 355.5 g | 24 |
| 2 cups | 474 g | 32 |
| 3 cups | 711 g | 48 |
| 4 cups | 948 g | 64 |
One tablespoon of coffee weighs about 14.8 g, and a cup is 16 tablespoons, so the tablespoon column is simply the cup weight divided by 16. 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. All the values in this table are approximate, and they assume the ingredient is measured poured, exactly as the source measured it.
Why a scale beats a cup for coffee
Liquids are the most forgiving ingredients to measure in cups, because a cup of water weighs 237 g and most water-based liquids are within a few grams of that. But they are not all the same: a cup of orange juice weighs 248 g, a cup of coconut milk 240 g, and a cup of soy sauce 255 g, so the differences add up in large batches. Liquids also change with temperature, because warm liquids expand slightly, and with dissolved solids, because sugar, salt and pulp all add weight. In baking, liquid is half of the hydration ratio, and getting it right is what makes dough workable and batters pourable. Weighing liquids is the fastest way to measure them: put the bowl on the scale, tare it, and pour to the number, with no jug to wash and no meniscus to read.
Worked examples
A tiramisu for a dinner party
A tiramisu that calls for 1 cup of brewed coffee needs 237 g, cooled and mixed with a little liqueur, for dipping the ladyfingers. The coffee is the flavour of the whole dessert, so brew it strong and let it cool completely before using it, because hot coffee will make the ladyfingers fall apart. Dip each ladyfinger for a second or two only: any longer and it will soak up too much coffee and turn to mush in the finished tiramisu.
A chocolate cake with coffee
A chocolate cake that uses 1/2 cup of brewed coffee needs 118.5 g, added to the batter with the cocoa powder. The coffee does not make the cake taste of coffee: it deepens the flavour of the chocolate and makes it taste more chocolatey, which is why so many chocolate cake recipes include it. Use a strong brew, and add it while it is still warm, because warm liquid blooms the cocoa powder and releases more of its flavour.
A coffee sauce for ice cream
A coffee sauce that calls for 1/4 cup of brewed coffee needs 59.2 g, simmered with sugar and cream until it thickens. The coffee gives the sauce its bitterness, which balances the sweetness of the sugar and the richness of the cream, and the sauce is best served warm over vanilla ice cream. Reduce it gently rather than boiling it hard, because a hard boil will make the sauce bitter and the cream can split.
How the weight was measured
The figure on this page comes from USDA, measured poured unless the method line says otherwise. Spooning means filling the cup with a spoon rather than plunging the cup into the bag, and levelling means sweeping a knife across the rim. Scooping packs the ingredient down and can add a fifth or more to the weight, which is why two bakers following the same cup-based recipe can get visibly different results. Confidence in this value is medium. That reflects how consistent the ingredient is from brand to brand: a uniform, factory-packed ingredient is more predictable than a fresh, variable one. Even a high-confidence figure is still an approximation, because moisture, grind size and settling all shift the weight a little. Treat the grams on this page as a reliable starting point and check with a scale when the recipe is fussy, expensive, or being made for the first time.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is reading the jug from above while holding it in the air, which distorts the level by a tablespoon or more. Always set the jug on a flat surface and crouch to eye level. The second is measuring a hot liquid in a plastic jug, which can flex and throw the level off, and measuring a cold liquid straight from the fridge in a recipe that expects room temperature. The third is forgetting to stir liquids that separate, such as coconut milk, stock with sediment, or juice with pulp, so the first pour is thin and the last pour is thick. And the fourth is measuring sticky or pulpy liquids in a dry cup, where a film clings to the sides and never makes it into the bowl.
When this conversion matters most
This conversion matters most in baking and in large-batch cooking, where liquid is a large share of the recipe and small errors scale up. In bread, a 20 g error in water changes the hydration by several percentage points, which is the difference between a dough that holds its shape and one that spreads. It matters less in a single drink or a dressing, where taste is the guide and you can adjust. It matters again when a recipe is written in grams and you are converting it to cups: knowing that a cup of the liquid is not always 237 g stops you from adding too much of a denser liquid. And it matters for scaling: doubling a liquid by weight is exact, while doubling by volume doubles the reading error.
What to do if you do not have a scale
If you do not have a scale, use a liquid measuring jug with clear markings, set it on a flat counter, and read the level at eye level using the bottom of the meniscus. Pour slowly as you approach the line, because it is easy to overshoot and hard to pour back cleanly. For small amounts, use measuring spoons rather than guessing a fraction of a cup. Liquids are the one category where cups work reasonably well, because density varies little, but weighing is still faster and cleaner, and it lets you measure straight into the mixing bowl.
Storing coffee
Drink fresh; refrigerate leftovers up to 1 week. Keeping coffee properly stored matters for the conversion as well as for the flavour: an ingredient that has absorbed moisture from the air weighs more per cup than a dry one, and one that has dried out weighs less. Store it in an airtight container, away from heat and light, and measure it in the state the recipe expects, not straight from a damp or stale bag.
Frequently asked questions
Does coffee weigh the same as water?
Brewed black coffee weighs essentially the same as water: a cup of either is 237 g. The dissolved coffee solids add almost nothing to the weight, far less than a gram per cup, so for any recipe the two are interchangeable by weight. That changes as soon as milk, cream or sugar are added: a cup of sweetened milky coffee is noticeably heavier, so the 237 g figure applies to black coffee only.
Does the strength of the coffee change its weight?
No, not in any way that matters in a kitchen. A strong brew and a weak brew weigh the same per cup, because the difference in dissolved solids is tiny. What changes is the flavour: a strong brew gives a much more intense coffee flavour in a tiramisu or a chocolate cake, and espresso gives the most intense flavour of all. For cooking, brew the coffee stronger than you would drink it, and let it cool before using it.
Can I use cups instead of a scale for coffee?
Yes, but a scale is more accurate. If you measure coffee poured, exactly as the figure on this page was measured, a cup will be close to 237 g, within a few grams. The problem is that most people scoop rather than spoon, which can add 15 to 25 percent to the weight, and that error is enough to change a bake. For everyday cooking, cups are fine. For baking, where the ratio of ingredients decides the result, weigh it and check the number on the scale.
How many tablespoons are in a cup of coffee?
There are 16 tablespoons in a US cup, so a cup of coffee is 16 tablespoons, and one tablespoon weighs about 14.8 g. A teaspoon weighs about 4.9 g. Tablespoons are useful when a recipe calls for a small amount, but they carry the same packing problem as cups: a heaped tablespoon can weigh half as much again as a level one, so level every spoon with the back of a knife, and use a scale for small amounts when accuracy matters.
Does the weight change if I pack or sift coffee?
Packing does not apply to coffee, because it is poured rather than spooned. The weight is consistent as long as the liquid is measured at eye level in a jug and the ingredient is stirred first if it separates. Temperature makes a small difference, because warm liquids expand slightly, but for ordinary kitchen use the poured weight is stable, and a cup of coffee weighs about 237 g whether it is cool or at room temperature.