1 Cup Ghee in Grams
1 cup of ghee weighs 218 g (poured, USDA). Clarified butter with the milk solids removed; nutty and heat-stable. 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.
Ghee is clarified butter with the milk solids removed, and it is the cooking fat of Indian kitchens and the secret behind the nutty flavour of so many curries and dals. A cup weighs 218 g when poured, and because the milk solids are gone, it has a much higher smoke point than butter and it keeps for months without refrigeration. The milk solids are what burn in butter, so removing them leaves a pure, golden fat that can be heated hard for frying and tempering spices. It is made by simmering butter until the solids sink and brown, then straining them out, and the browned solids give ghee its distinctive nutty aroma.
Ghee cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 54.5 g | 4 |
| 1/3 cup | 72.7 g | 5.3 |
| 1/2 cup | 109 g | 8 |
| 2/3 cup | 145.3 g | 10.7 |
| 3/4 cup | 163.5 g | 12 |
| 1 cup | 218 g | 16 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 327 g | 24 |
| 2 cups | 436 g | 32 |
| 3 cups | 654 g | 48 |
| 4 cups | 872 g | 64 |
One tablespoon of ghee weighs about 13.6 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 ghee
Fats are where cup measurements get genuinely confusing, because the same fat can be solid, soft or liquid depending on temperature, and its weight per cup changes with its state. A cup of butter weighs 227 g, a cup of vegetable shortening only 184 g, and a cup of olive oil 216 g, so swapping fats cup-for-cup is never a straight exchange. Fat carries flavour, creates tenderness, traps air in creamed batters and makes pastry flaky, and each of those jobs depends on how much fat is actually in the bowl. Too little fat and a cake is dry; too much and it is greasy and heavy. Weighing fat removes the guesswork of softened butter, melted butter and oil poured from a bottle, and it is the only reliable way to substitute one fat for another.
Worked examples
A tadka for dal
A tadka, the spiced oil poured over dal, uses about 1/4 cup of ghee, which is 54.5 g, heated until it shimmers and then filled with cumin seeds, garlic and dried chillies. The ghee must be hot enough for the spices to sizzle and pop, and its high smoke point is what makes that possible without burning. Pour the tadka over the dal just before serving, so the spices stay crisp and the aroma hits the table at its best.
A curry base
A curry that starts with 1/2 cup of ghee needs 109 g, melted in a heavy pot and used to fry onions, ginger and garlic until golden. The ghee carries the flavour of the spices into the sauce and gives the finished curry a richness that oil cannot match. Because ghee has no milk solids, the onions can fry longer and darker without the fat burning, which is what builds the deep colour of a good curry base.
Baking with ghee
Ghee can replace butter in baking, and a cake that calls for 1 cup of ghee needs 218 g, used exactly as you would use melted butter. The nutty flavour suits spice cakes, shortbread and Indian sweets, and because ghee has no water, the crumb is slightly more tender than a butter cake. Weigh it while it is liquid and pour it in, or weigh it solid and melt it gently; either way the weight is the same.
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 measuring melted butter in a cup and using it where the recipe expects softened butter. A cup of melted butter and a cup of softened butter weigh the same, but melted butter behaves completely differently in a batter: it cannot trap air, so cakes come out dense. The second mistake is scooping shortening or lard with air pockets left in the cup, which can under-measure by 10 percent or more; press it in firmly and level it. The third is measuring oil in a dry cup instead of a liquid jug, which makes it hard to read the level accurately. And the fourth is swapping fats cup-for-cup without adjusting for weight: a cup of shortening is 43 g lighter than a cup of butter, and that missing fat changes the texture of pastry and frosting.
When this conversion matters most
This conversion matters most in pastry and cakes, where fat is doing structural work. In pie crust and puff pastry, cold fat in the right amount creates the layers that make pastry flaky; too much and the crust is greasy, too little and it is tough. In creamed cakes, the weight of butter determines how much air can be beaten in, and therefore how light the cake is. It matters less in frying or roasting, where the fat is a cooking medium and a little more or less makes no real difference. It matters again when you substitute fats: butter, margarine, shortening and lard all weigh differently per cup, so convert by weight first and the substitution will behave.
What to do if you do not have a scale
If you do not have a scale, butter is the easiest fat to measure without one, because a standard US stick is 113 g, which is half a cup or 8 tablespoons, and the wrapper is marked in tablespoons. For other solid fats, pack them firmly into a dry cup with the back of a spoon, pressing out air pockets, then level the top. For oils, use a liquid measuring jug at eye level and read the bottom of the meniscus. For melted fats, let them cool slightly before measuring so the volume has settled, and remember that a cup of melted fat is the same weight as a cup of solid fat, even though it behaves differently in the recipe.
Storing ghee
Cool cupboard up to 3 months; refrigerate for longer. Keeping ghee 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
What is the difference between ghee and butter?
Ghee is butter with the milk solids and water removed, so it is pure butterfat. A cup of ghee weighs 218 g, while a cup of butter weighs 227 g, and ghee has a much higher smoke point, about 250 degrees Celsius, because there are no milk solids to burn. It also keeps for up to three months in a cool cupboard without refrigeration, while butter needs the fridge. The flavour is nuttier and deeper than butter, because the milk solids are browned as the ghee is made.
Does ghee need to be refrigerated?
No, not necessarily. Ghee keeps for up to three months in a cool cupboard because it contains no milk solids or water for bacteria to grow on, and refrigeration will make it solid and hard to spoon. Keep it in an airtight jar away from heat and light, and always use a clean, dry spoon, because any water introduced into the jar can spoil it. In a hot kitchen, the fridge is the safer choice, and the ghee will soften again at room temperature.
Can I use cups instead of a scale for ghee?
Yes, but a scale is more accurate. If you measure ghee poured, exactly as the figure on this page was measured, a cup will be close to 218 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 ghee?
There are 16 tablespoons in a US cup, so a cup of ghee is 16 tablespoons, and one tablespoon weighs about 13.6 g. A teaspoon weighs about 4.5 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 ghee?
Packing does not apply to ghee, 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 ghee weighs about 218 g whether it is cool or at room temperature.