1 Cup Sesame Oil in Grams
1 cup of sesame oil weighs 216 g (poured, USDA). Toasted sesame oil is dark and intensely nutty; refined sesame oil is neutral. 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.
Sesame oil comes in two very different forms, and confusing them is the most common mistake cooks make with it. Refined sesame oil is pale, neutral and suitable for frying, while toasted sesame oil is dark, intensely nutty and made for finishing, and a few drops of it can flavour a whole dish. A cup of either weighs 216 g, poured, but nobody measures toasted sesame oil by the cup: it is used by the teaspoon and the tablespoon, because its flavour is so strong. It is the oil of stir-fries, dressings and marinades across East and Southeast Asia, and it should be refrigerated once opened, because its flavour fades fast in a warm cupboard.
Why weighing sesame oil beats measuring it in cups
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.
Sesame Oil cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 54 g | 4 |
| 1/3 cup | 72 g | 5.3 |
| 1/2 cup | 108 g | 8 |
| 2/3 cup | 144 g | 10.7 |
| 3/4 cup | 162 g | 12 |
| 1 cup | 216 g | 16 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 324 g | 24 |
| 2 cups | 432 g | 32 |
| 3 cups | 648 g | 48 |
| 4 cups | 864 g | 64 |
One tablespoon of sesame oil weighs about 13.5 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.
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.
Worked examples
A stir-fry finish
A stir-fry that calls for 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil needs 27 g, drizzled over the pan at the very end of cooking, off the heat. The oil is a finishing oil, not a cooking oil: if you fry in it, its delicate nutty flavour burns and turns bitter. Add it last, toss once, and serve immediately, while the aroma is at its strongest. Weighing 2 tablespoons is a good habit, because a heavy hand with sesame oil can overwhelm a dish.
A sesame dressing
A dressing for noodles or slaw that uses 1/4 cup of sesame oil needs 54 g, whisked with soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey. The oil gives the dressing its characteristic nutty depth, and it emulsifies well with the other ingredients. Use toasted sesame oil for the flavour, and if the dressing is too strong, cut it with a neutral oil such as vegetable oil rather than adding more vinegar, which throws the balance off.
A marinade for chicken
A marinade that calls for 1/3 cup of sesame oil needs 72 g, mixed with soy sauce, garlic, ginger and a little sugar. The oil carries the flavours into the meat and helps it brown on the grill, but because toasted sesame oil is so strongly flavoured, the marinade needs only a short time: half an hour is enough, and longer can make the chicken taste overwhelmingly of sesame. Reserve some marinade before the chicken goes in, and use it as a sauce.
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.
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.
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 sesame oil
Refrigerate toasted sesame oil after opening. Keeping sesame oil 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 toasted and regular sesame oil?
Toasted sesame oil is made from toasted sesame seeds, so it is dark amber, intensely nutty and strongly flavoured, and it is used as a finishing oil in small amounts. Regular or refined sesame oil is made from raw seeds, so it is pale and neutral, and it can be used for frying. A cup of either weighs 216 g, but they are not interchangeable: using toasted sesame oil for frying will burn its flavour, and using refined sesame oil as a finishing oil will add almost no flavour at all.
How much sesame oil should I use?
Less than you think. Toasted sesame oil is one of the strongest-flavoured oils in the pantry, and a tablespoon or two is usually enough for a dish that serves four. Start with the amount the recipe calls for, taste, and add a few drops more if you need it, because once the flavour is in, you cannot take it out. For dressings and marinades, measure it rather than pouring freehand, because a free pour easily doubles the amount.
Can I use cups instead of a scale for sesame oil?
Yes, but a scale is more accurate. If you measure sesame oil poured, exactly as the figure on this page was measured, a cup will be close to 216 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 sesame oil?
There are 16 tablespoons in a US cup, so a cup of sesame oil is 16 tablespoons, and one tablespoon weighs about 13.5 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 sesame oil?
Packing does not apply to sesame oil, 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 sesame oil weighs about 216 g whether it is cool or at room temperature.