1/3 Cup Mayonnaise in Grams
1/3 cup of mayonnaise weighs 73.3 g (spooned and levelled, USDA). That single number is the whole point of this page, but the reason it matters is that cups measure volume and recipes live or die by weight. Mayonnaise is one of those ingredients where a cup can hide a surprisingly wide range of weights, so converting to grams takes the guesswork out. Every figure on this page is approximate and comes from the USDA value for mayonnaise, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
Why weighing mayonnaise beats scooping it
Mayonnaise is the kind of ingredient where the cup method quietly fails. A cup is a volume measure, and the weight of a volume depends on how tightly the ingredient is packed, how fine it is, and even how humid the kitchen is. Two people filling the same cup of mayonnaise can easily end up with weights several grams apart, and in a recipe that calls for 1/3 cup, that difference doubles. Grams remove the variable entirely: 73.3 g of mayonnaise is 73.3 g of mayonnaise in any kitchen, on any day, in any hands. That is why professional recipes are written in grams, and why converting your cup measurements is the single cheapest upgrade you can make to your cooking. You do not need expensive equipment — a basic digital scale that reads to the gram costs less than a bag of good flour and pays for itself the first time a cake comes out right.
Mayonnaise cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams | Tablespoons (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 55 g | 3.4 g |
| 1/3 cup | 73.3 g | 4.6 g |
| 1/2 cup | 110 g | 6.9 g |
| 2/3 cup | 146.7 g | 9.2 g |
| 3/4 cup | 165 g | 10.3 g |
| 1 cup | 220 g | 13.8 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 330 g | 20.6 g |
| 2 cups | 440 g | 27.5 g |
| 3 cups | 660 g | 41.2 g |
| 4 cups | 880 g | 55 g |
The tablespoon column is a bonus for recipes that call for a spoonful or two: one tablespoon of mayonnaise weighs about 13.8 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 USDA 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 220 g per cup figure is USDA, and the confidence in the value is medium. USDA 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.
Worked examples
A dressing made in a jar
A jar dressing built on 1/3 cup of mayonnaise needs 73.3 g. Put the ingredient in the jar first, add the rest, shake, and taste. Weighing the base ingredient means the ratio of the dressing is right before you season it, so the salt and acid you add are adjusting flavour, not fixing a broken ratio.
Doubling a casserole
Doubling a casserole that uses 1 cup of mayonnaise means 1/3 cup, or 73.3 g. Casseroles are forgiving, but the liquid-to-solid ratio still decides whether the result is saucy or dry. Weigh the doubled amount and the larger dish behaves like the original.
A breading station for fried chicken
A breading station for a family pack of chicken often uses 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, which is 73.3 g. Weigh it into a shallow dish and you know exactly how much coating you have; when it runs low, weigh out a fresh half-batch rather than topping up by eye. Even coating means even crunch.
Scaling recipes with mayonnaise
Scaling is where grams earn their keep. To halve a recipe that uses 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, weigh 36.7 g. To double it, weigh 146.7 g. To make one and a half times the recipe, weigh 110 g. Doing this in cups means fractions of fractions and rounding at every step; doing it in grams is one multiplication. Write the gram weights on the recipe card the first time you make it, and every future batch — halved, doubled, or tripled — is a single calculation. This is also the moment to notice that some recipes do not scale linearly: leavening and seasoning often need a little less than a straight multiple, so scale the mayonnaise exactly and adjust the rest by taste.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1/3 cup of mayonnaise?
1/3 cup of mayonnaise weighs approximately 73.3 g, measured spooned and levelled. The figure comes from the USDA value of 220 g per cup. All weights on this page are approximate — verify with a kitchen scale when precision matters.
Can I halve or double this amount?
Yes. Half of 1/3 cup of mayonnaise is 36.7 g, and double is 146.7 g. Weighing makes scaling exact, whereas halving or doubling cups compounds measuring error. Scale the mayonnaise by weight and adjust leavening and seasoning by taste rather than by a straight multiple.
How should I store mayonnaise?
Refrigerate after opening; use within 2 months. Keeping it sealed and dry also keeps the cup weight close to the 220 g per cup value used on this page.
Why do different sources give different weights for mayonnaise?
Because a cup measures volume, not weight, and the weight of a volume depends on the measuring method. Spooned and levelled, scooped, sifted and packed cups of mayonnaise all weigh different amounts. This page follows the USDA method (spooned and levelled) consistently, so all the numbers here agree with each other — which matters more than matching any single outside source.
Can I use a cup instead of weighing mayonnaise?
Yes, but spoon and level rather than scooping: spoon mayonnaise 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 1/3 cup, fill and level the cup twice. Weighing 73.3 g is more accurate and, once you are used to it, faster.
Making your own mayonnaise instead
If you run out of mayonnaise, a quick homemade version needs only an egg yolk, a teaspoon of mustard, a splash of lemon juice or vinegar, and oil whisked in drop by drop. The 1/3 cup you need is 73.3 g, and a single yolk with about 100 ml of oil makes roughly that amount, though the exact yield depends on how much oil the emulsion takes. The technique matters more than the recipe: whisk the yolk, mustard and acid first, then add the oil in the thinnest stream you can manage while whisking constantly. If the mayonnaise splits, start a fresh yolk in a clean bowl and whisk the split mixture into it a spoonful at a time — it almost always comes back together. Homemade mayonnaise keeps in the fridge for three to four days, far less than the commercial kind, so make only what you need. For a lighter dressing, whisk the mayonnaise with a spoonful of yogurt or a little water; the weight stays roughly the same but the flavour opens up and it coats salads more evenly.