1 Cup Pastry Flour in Grams
1 cup of pastry flour weighs 106 g (spooned and levelled, King Arthur Baking). Low-protein flour between cake and all-purpose flour in strength. All the figures on this page are approximate conversions based on the King Arthur Baking value, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
Pastry flour sits between cake flour and all-purpose flour in strength, and it is the flour that pie makers reach for when they want a crust that is tender but still holds together. It is milled from soft wheat, so it has less protein than all-purpose flour, which means less gluten development and a more delicate crumb. A cup weighs 106 g, noticeably lighter than all-purpose flour at 120 g, so a recipe written for pastry flour and measured with all-purpose flour by volume ends up with too much flour by weight and a tough crust. That 14 g difference per cup is the whole point of weighing it.
Pastry Flour cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 26.5 g | 4 |
| 1/3 cup | 35.3 g | 5.3 |
| 1/2 cup | 53 g | 8 |
| 2/3 cup | 70.7 g | 10.7 |
| 3/4 cup | 79.5 g | 12 |
| 1 cup | 106 g | 16 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 159 g | 24 |
| 2 cups | 212 g | 32 |
| 3 cups | 318 g | 48 |
| 4 cups | 424 g | 64 |
One tablespoon of pastry flour weighs about 6.6 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 spooned and levelled, exactly as the source measured it.
Why a scale beats a cup for pastry flour
Flour is the ingredient where cup measurements fail most often, and the reason is packing. The same cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 120 g to 142 g depending on whether you scoop it straight from the bag or spoon it in lightly, and that 20 g swing is the difference between a tender cake and a dry one. In bread the error is more forgiving, because dough can be adjusted by feel, but in cakes, pastry and cookies there is no second chance once the batter is mixed. Weighing flour is the single highest-value habit a home baker can adopt, and it costs nothing more than a basic kitchen scale. It also makes recipes repeatable: the same numbers give the same loaf, the same crumb and the same rise every time you bake it.
Worked examples
A double-crust pie that needs 2 cups
A standard double-crust pie asks for 2 cups of pastry flour, which is 212 g. Cut in cold butter, add ice water a spoonful at a time, and the dough should just come together. If you had used all-purpose flour by volume instead, you would have about 240 g of flour in the bowl rather than 212 g, and the extra flour would drink the water and leave a crust that is tough instead of flaky. Weighing 212 g is what makes the crust tender.
Scones for afternoon tea
A batch of scones that calls for 1 1/2 cups of pastry flour needs 159 g. Scones are a good example of a recipe where the flour weight decides the texture: too much flour and they bake up hard and dry, too little and they spread into flat discs. Work the dough as little as possible once the liquid is in, because pastry flour still makes gluten when it is overworked, and the tenderness you chose it for disappears.
Shortbread fingers
Shortbread is flour, butter and sugar in a simple ratio, so the flour weight is the recipe. A batch using 1 cup of pastry flour needs 106 g, creamed with butter and sugar until it just holds together. Because pastry flour is low in protein, the shortbread bakes up crumbly and melting rather than crisp and hard, which is exactly the texture a good shortbread finger should have.
How the weight was measured
The figure on this page comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled 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 high. 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 scooping the cup directly through the bag. That packs the flour down and can add 20 g or more per cup, which is enough to turn a soft dough stiff or a moist cake dry. The second mistake is using a liquid measuring jug for flour. Jugs are read at eye level and cannot be levelled with a knife, so the amount is a guess dressed up as a measurement. The third is tapping or shaking the cup to settle the flour, which packs it further. And the fourth is forgetting that different flours weigh different amounts per cup: a cup of one flour is not interchangeable with a cup of another, even when the recipe says one cup of either. Always convert by weight for the flour you are actually using.
When this conversion matters most
This conversion matters most in baking, where flour provides the structure of the finished product. Cakes, pastry, cookies and enriched breads all depend on the ratio of flour to liquid, fat and sugar, and a 10 percent error in flour throws that ratio off. It matters less in recipes where flour is a thickener or a coating, such as a roux or a dusting for fried food, because small differences disappear into the cooking. It matters again when you scale a recipe up or down: doubling a scooped cup doubles the error, while doubling a weighed amount stays exact. If you bake the same recipe more than once, weighing is what makes the second batch taste like the first.
What to do if you do not have a scale
If you do not have a scale, spoon the flour into the cup until it is heaped, then sweep a straight knife across the top to level it off. Never scoop, never tap, and never press the flour down. That spooned-and-levelled method is exactly how the figure on this page was measured, so it is the closest you can get without weighing. It will still vary by a few grams from cup to cup, because flour settles and humidity changes its weight, but it is far closer than scooping. For recipes where flour is the main structure, such as sponge cakes and pastry, a scale that reads to the gram is worth buying before any other piece of baking equipment.
Storing pastry flour
Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 1 year. Keeping pastry flour 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 pastry flour and all-purpose flour?
Pastry flour is made from soft wheat and has less protein than all-purpose flour, so it forms less gluten and gives a more tender result. A cup of pastry flour weighs 106 g, while a cup of all-purpose flour weighs 120 g, so they are not interchangeable by volume. Use pastry flour for pie crusts, tarts, biscuits and scones, and all-purpose flour for recipes that need more structure, such as breads and chewy cookies.
Can I make pastry flour from all-purpose flour?
Many bakers approximate it by replacing some of the all-purpose flour in a cup with cornstarch, which lowers the overall protein. The result is close but not identical to true pastry flour, because the grind and the wheat variety differ. For a pie crust or a batch of scones it works well enough, but for the most delicate pastry, proper pastry flour is worth buying, and weighing it at 106 g per cup keeps the recipe exact.
Can I use cups instead of a scale for pastry flour?
Yes, but a scale is more accurate. If you measure pastry flour spooned and levelled, exactly as the figure on this page was measured, a cup will be close to 106 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 pastry flour?
There are 16 tablespoons in a US cup, so a cup of pastry flour is 16 tablespoons, and one tablespoon weighs about 6.6 g. A teaspoon weighs about 2.2 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 pastry flour?
Yes, and this is the single biggest source of error in cup measurements. pastry flour is measured spooned and levelled, and a scooped cup can weigh 15 to 25 percent more than a spooned cup, because scooping packs the ingredient down. Sifting has the opposite effect: it adds air and makes the cup lighter. Always measure the way the figure on this page was measured, spooned and levelled, and the weight will match the table.