The quick answer is 170 g: 2 cups of shredded coconut weighs approximately 170 g when measured spooned and levelled (King Arthur Baking). One cup is 85 g, and doubling it is the whole calculation. But the number alone is only half the story. Sweetened shreds of dried coconut flesh; very light per cup. It is a regular in macaroons, cakes, curries and granola, and the way you fill the cup changes the weight by more than most cooks expect. This guide walks through the table for every useful amount from a quarter cup to three cups, shows the conversion working in three real recipes, and explains the method, the storage, and the mistakes that catch people out.
Shredded Coconut cups-to-grams table
Start with the anchor: 1 cup = 85 g. Every other row is that anchor times the cup fraction, rounded to the nearest gram. The table runs from 1/4 cup to 3 cups so it covers both the small adjustments (a quarter cup more or less) and the big ones (doubling or tripling a batch). All weights are approximate.
| Cups | Grams (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 21 g |
| 1/3 cup | 28 g |
| 1/2 cup | 42 g |
| 2/3 cup | 57 g |
| 3/4 cup | 64 g |
| 1 cup | 85 g |
| 1 1/4 cups | 106 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 128 g |
| 1 3/4 cups | 149 g |
| 2 cups | 170 g |
| 2 1/2 cups | 212 g |
| 3 cups | 255 g |
The table is built on one assumption that deserves stating plainly: the cup is spooned and levelled. If you fill the cup a different way, the table's numbers move. Scooping directly from the bag packs the ingredient in and adds weight; sifting adds air and removes it. That is not a flaw in the table — it is the reason the method is printed next to every figure. Match the method and the table matches your kitchen; ignore the method and you are weighing a different cup.
Putting 170 g to work
Example 1 — the weekend double batch
You make a bake every weekend that uses 1 cup of shredded coconut (85 g), and this weekend there are guests. Doubling gives 2 cups, which is 170 g. Weigh it, and while you are at it, weigh the other cup-measured ingredients in the recipe the same way. The result is not just a bigger batch — it is a more consistent one, because the second batch now matches the first instead of depending on how firmly you scooped.
Example 2 — a recipe written for two cups
A recipe built around 2 cups of shredded coconut is usually a generous one — a large cake, a tray bake, a batch of something meant to be shared (macaroons, cakes, curries and granola). Weigh 170 g, spooned and levelled, and follow the recipe's order of addition. If the recipe was written by someone who scoops rather than weighs, your weighed version may behave slightly differently the first time: note the result, and adjust the liquid by a tablespoon next time if the batter looks too stiff or too slack.
Example 3 — when you only have a partial bag
Suppose the bag holds 128 g — a cup and a half — and the recipe wants 2 cups (170 g). You are 42 g short, which is exactly half a cup. You can either buy more, or scale the whole recipe down by a quarter: use the 128 g you have, multiply every other ingredient by 0.75, and bake in a slightly smaller tin. Weighing makes that kind of rescue possible; scooping makes it guesswork.
Where the number comes from
King Arthur Baking lists shredded coconut at 85 g per cup, spooned and levelled. That single fact is the foundation of every number on this page, and it is worth understanding rather than just using. A cup is a volume; a gram is a weight; the bridge between them is density, and density depends on how the ingredient sits in the cup. Spooning adds air, scooping removes it, sifting adds more air still. Measure the way the source measured and the bridge holds. There is no famous dispute about the weight of shredded coconut: the figure used here is stable across the sources we checked, which is one reason this conversion is reliable. Even so, every figure on this page is labelled approximate, because how full the cup is, how settled the ingredient is, and the temperature in your kitchen all move the number a little. When precision matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
No scale? How to get close
If you have no scale, you can still get close: use a dry measuring cup, spoon shredded coconut in loosely, and level it with the back of a knife — never scoop, never shake the cup to settle it, never heap it. Two level cups measured this way will land near 170 g, usually within a few percent, which is good enough for most everyday cooking. For baking where precision matters, borrow or buy a scale; a basic digital scale costs less than a single failed cake. Storage: Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 6 months.
From a half batch to a triple batch
Start from the anchor — 1 cup is 85 g — and any batch size follows. A half batch is 1 cup (85 g). A quarter batch is 1/2 cup (42 g). One and a half times the recipe is 3 cups (255 g). A double batch of this page's amount — 4 cups — is 340 g, and a triple batch is 6 cups (510 g). The arithmetic is trivial, which is the point: when the numbers are easy, you can spend your attention on the things that actually change with batch size. A larger batch needs a larger bowl and a larger tin, and it needs more time in the oven — but not three times more time, roughly a quarter more, checked with a skewer. A smaller batch needs a smaller tin and less time, and it is the easiest place to make a mistake, because a small tin in a hot oven overbakes quickly. Scale the salt and the raising agents by the same factor as the bulk ingredients, weigh everything on the scale instead of converting by eye, and jot the scaled quantities on the recipe before you begin. The written numbers are what make a scaled recipe repeatable.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 2 cups of shredded coconut?
2 cups of shredded coconut weighs approximately 170 g. One cup is 85 g (spooned and levelled, King Arthur Baking), so the calculation is 85 × 2 = 170 g. The figure is approximate: how you fill the cup moves the weight, so verify with a kitchen scale when precision matters.
How many tablespoons are in 2 cups of shredded coconut?
There are 32 tablespoons in 2 cups, and one tablespoon of shredded coconut weighs about 5.3 g (85 g per cup ÷ 16). Spoonfuls are useful for small adjustments, but for the full two cups, weighing the 170 g directly is more accurate than counting 32 spoonfuls.
Can I measure 2 cups of shredded coconut without a scale?
Yes — use a dry measuring cup, spoon the shredded coconut in loosely, and level it off with the back of a knife. Do not scoop with the cup itself and do not pack it unless the method says packed. Two careful cups will land close to 170 g, which is good enough for everyday cooking, though a scale is better for baking.
Why do different websites give different weights for shredded coconut?
Because they measure the cup differently. King Arthur Baking lists 85 g per cup spooned and levelled, while other sources may scoop, sift or pack, and each method gives a different weight. The ingredient itself has not changed — only the measuring method has. Match the method and the numbers agree.
Does 2 cups of shredded coconut weigh the same as 2 cups of water?
No. Two cups of water weighs about 474 g, while 2 cups of shredded coconut weighs 170 g. A cup measures volume, not weight, so every ingredient has its own grams per cup — which is why a single universal cups-to-grams number cannot exist and why each ingredient needs its own conversion.
Is it better to weigh or to measure shredded coconut in cups?
Weighing is better whenever the recipe is a bake or a batch you want to repeat, because a scale reads the same every time while a cup varies with how you fill it. For soups, sauces and weekday cooking, a careful cup measure is usually fine. The threshold is the recipe: if the result depends on the ratio, weigh it.