3/4 Cup Heavy Cream in Grams
3/4 cup of heavy cream weighs 178.5 g (poured, USDA). Cream with at least 36% fat that whips to firm peaks. All the figures on this page are approximate conversions based on the USDA value of 238 g per cup, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
It is used for whipping, ganache, sauces and soups. 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
Poured 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 238 g per cup figure is USDA, 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.
USDA lists heavy cream at about 238 g per cup; King Arthur rounds it to 227 g.
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.
Heavy Cream cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 59.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 79.3 g |
| 1/2 cup | 119 g |
| 2/3 cup | 158.7 g |
| 3/4 cup | 178.5 g |
| 1 cup | 238 g |
| 1 1/4 cups | 297.5 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 357 g |
| 2 cups | 476 g |
| 3 cups | 714 g |
One tablespoon of heavy cream weighs about 14.9 g, and one teaspoon about 5 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 178.5 g is the one to use when a recipe calls for 3/4 cup.
When this conversion matters most
This conversion matters most in ganache and in sauces, where cream is a ratio ingredient rather than a casual addition. A ganache with too much cream never sets; one with too little turns stiff and dull. In a cream sauce, the amount decides whether the sauce coats the pasta or slides off it. Heavy cream weighs 238 g per cup, so 3/4 cup is 178.5 g, which is less than milk by weight per cup because fat is lighter than water. For whipping, the exact weight matters less than the temperature and the fat content, but weighing still helps you get the sugar ratio right.
Worked examples
A chocolate ganache for a layer cake
A ganache recipe calling for 3/4 cup of heavy cream needs 178.5 g, heated and poured over chopped chocolate. Ganache is a ratio, usually equal weights of cream and chocolate, so the cream weight decides whether the ganache pours like silk or sets like fudge. Weighing 178.5 g keeps the ratio exact, while a jug measure can be 10 g off and turn a pouring ganache into a stiff one.
Whipped cream for a pavlova
A pavlova topping that uses 3/4 cup of heavy cream needs 178.5 g, whipped with a little sugar and vanilla. Heavy cream whips because it is at least 36 percent fat, and the weight matters less here than the temperature: cold cream whips, warm cream does not. Weighing 178.5 g into a chilled bowl gives you a known amount to whip, so you can judge the sugar ratio instead of guessing.
A creamy tomato soup, doubled
Doubling a soup recipe that calls for 3/4 cup of heavy cream means 1 1/2 cups, or 357 g. Cream enriches a soup and softens the acid of the tomatoes, but too much makes it heavy and masks the flavour. Weighing 357 g for the doubled pot keeps the soup silky rather than greasy, and it is easier than pouring two jugfuls and hoping the level was right both times.
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is using the King Arthur rounded figure of 227 g per cup, which gives 170.2 g for 3/4 cup, about 8 g light; the USDA value of 238 g per cup is the reliable one, giving 178.5 g. A second mistake is trying to whip warm cream: chill the cream, the bowl, and the whisk, or it will never reach firm peaks. A third mistake is boiling a cream sauce hard, which can split it; keep the heat gentle and add the cream at the end.
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 heavy cream beats measuring it in cups
Dairy is the ingredient that sets the moisture and the richness of a recipe, and 3/4 cup is an amount that appears in cakes, sauces, and soups all the time. Weighing it matters because dairy varies in thickness: milk pours freely, while sour cream and cream cheese are thick enough to trap air in a cup. A cup measure can be 10 g or more off, which is enough to change a cake from moist to dry or a sauce from silky to thin. Weighing removes that whole source of error, and it is faster than spooning a thick dairy into a cup and levelling it.
Storage
Refrigerate; use within 1 week of opening. Cream with at least 36% fat that whips to firm peaks. It is used for whipping, ganache, sauces and soups. 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 heavy cream?
3/4 cup of heavy cream weighs 178.5 g, poured, using the USDA value of 238 g per cup. The figure is approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters, especially for ganache.
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
Not directly: milk is much thinner and has far less fat, so a sauce made with milk will be watery and a ganache will not set. For a sauce, you can use half milk and half melted butter as a rough stand-in, but for whipping and ganache there is no substitute for cream at 178.5 g per 3/4 cup.
How many tablespoons is 3/4 cup of heavy cream?
3/4 cup is 12 tablespoons, and one tablespoon of heavy cream weighs about 15 g. That gives roughly 178.5 g for the full 12 tablespoons. Weighing the cream into a jug on the scale is faster and more accurate.
Why does heavy cream weigh less than milk per cup?
Heavy cream is at least 36 percent fat, and fat is lighter than water, so a cup of cream weighs 238 g against 244 g for whole milk. The difference is small, only 6 g per cup, but it adds up in a recipe that uses several cups.
How long does heavy cream keep?
Refrigerate heavy cream and use it within one week of opening. It whips best when it is very cold, so keep it at the back of the fridge rather than in the door, and weigh 178.5 g straight from the carton when a recipe calls for 3/4 cup.