1/3 cup of vegetable shortening weighs approximately 61.3 g. That figure comes from the published weight of a full cup — 184 g, scooped, King Arthur Baking — divided by three. All the gram figures on this page are approximate: cup weights vary with how the ingredient is packed, levelled or poured, and with the batch itself, so verify with a kitchen scale whenever the result matters, especially in baking.
Fat carries flavour, shortens gluten and keeps a bake tender, so measuring a third of a cup accurately matters more than it looks — a little extra oil or butter can turn a crumb greasy instead of moist. Solid white fat made from hydrogenated vegetable oil. It is used for flaky pie crusts, frying and frosting., and a third of a cup is one of the most common amounts in those recipes, small enough for a half batch or a glaze, large enough to matter to the result.
Conversion table for vegetable shortening
| Amount | Grams (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 46 g |
| 1/3 cup | 61.3 g |
| 1/2 cup | 92 g |
| 2/3 cup | 122.7 g |
| 3/4 cup | 138 g |
| 1 cup | 184 g |
| 2 cups | 368 g |
| 3 cups | 552 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 11.5 g |
| 2 tablespoons | 23 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 3.8 g |
The table is built from a single number — 184 g per cup — multiplied by each amount. A third of a cup is also 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, which is handy when your 1/3-cup measure is in the dishwasher: five level tablespoons (57.5 g) plus one level teaspoon (3.8 g) add up to 61.3 g. Read every figure as approximate and check it on a scale when precision matters.
Why a third of a cup is an awkward amount to eyeball
A third of a cup sits in an awkward spot. It is too small to judge by eye in a large bowl and too large to ignore, and most measuring-cup sets include a 1/3-cup measure precisely because guessing it goes wrong so often. People commonly fill a 1/2-cup measure two thirds full, or a 1-cup measure one third full, and both tricks are unreliable: the eye is poor at judging a third of a volume, and the error is usually on the generous side. Weighing 61.3 g removes the judgement entirely.
There is a second reason the weight matters for vegetable shortening specifically. Solid white fat made from hydrogenated vegetable oil. That character changes how it behaves in the cup — how it settles, how it packs, how much air it holds — and therefore how much a cup actually weighs on any given day. The published per-cup figure of 184 g is the standardised value, measured scooped by King Arthur Baking, and dividing it by three is the honest way to get a third of a cup. Any recipe that asks for a third of a cup of vegetable shortening was developed with that standard measure in mind.
Three recipes where a third of a cup is the amount that matters
A third of a cup is one of those amounts that turns up constantly once you start noticing it: it is the amount a recipe writer reaches for when a full cup would be too much and a quarter cup too little. The three examples below are built around the way vegetable shortening is actually used — flaky pie crusts, frying and frosting, so you can see the conversion working in context rather than as an abstract number.
Example 1
A pastry or shortbread dough. A small batch of pastry calls for 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening — 61.3 g. Cut it in cold and work it quickly; warm fat absorbs into the flour and the pastry loses its flake. If you scale the recipe up to a full cup (184 g), keep the fat cold the whole time and weigh it rather than packing it into a cup, where air pockets make the measure unreliable.
Example 2
A pan sauce or sauté that starts with a third of a cup. Heating 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening (61.3 g) is enough fat to sauté a pan of vegetables or to start a roux. If the recipe is doubled, 2/3 cup (122.7 g) is the doubled amount — and because fat is measured by pouring or scooping, the scale is more reliable than the cup's meniscus or a packed measure.
Example 3
Halving a cake that calls for 2/3 cup. A cake recipe written for two layers calls for 2/3 cup of vegetable shortening (122.7 g). Baking a single layer halves it to exactly 1/3 cup — 61.3 g. Weigh the halved amount: with fat, a small error is a large percentage of the total, and the crumb will show it.
How the weight was measured: method and source
The per-cup weight of vegetable shortening is 184 g, measured scooped, according to King Arthur Baking. The method is part of the number, not a footnote: the same ingredient measured a different way weighs a different amount, and a recipe developed with spooned-and-levelled flour will not behave the same if the flour was scooped and packed. There is no competing published figure for vegetable shortening in the data used for this page, so the headline number is simply the published per-cup weight divided by three. It is still labelled approximate, because any cup measure depends on how the ingredient is packed, levelled or poured, and on the batch itself.
If you are converting a recipe from another country, remember that a US cup is 236.6 ml while a metric cup is 250 ml, so a metric third of a cup is a slightly larger volume. The gram figures here are tied to the US cup through the published per-cup weight, so use them with US cup measures, or weigh the ingredient directly and ignore the cup altogether — which is the most reliable approach of all.
Measuring vegetable shortening without a scale
Vegetable Shortening is measured scooped: the solid fat is pressed into the cup so there are no air pockets, then levelled. Air pockets are the enemy — a cup that looks full can be 10 g light if it was loosely filled. Weighing is simpler: cut off what you need and add or trim pieces until the scale reads 61.3 g.
When you have no scale at all, use the proper dry or liquid measure for the ingredient, level it carefully, and accept that the result will be approximate. For vegetable shortening, the most common mistakes are packing a spooned ingredient, leaving air pockets in a scooped one, reading a liquid measure from above instead of at eye level, and using a coffee mug or teacup as a measuring cup — none of which holds a standard third of a cup. If a recipe has failed before and you suspect the measuring, the scale is the cheapest fix in the kitchen: a basic digital scale costs less than the ingredients of two ruined bakes.
A useful habit is to weigh the empty bowl first, press tare, and add the ingredient until the display reads the target. For 1/3 cup that target is 61.3 g; for 2/3 cup it is 122.7 g; for a full cup it is 184 g. Tare between ingredients and you can build a whole recipe in one bowl without washing a single measuring cup.
Storage and keeping vegetable shortening at its best
Cool, dry cupboard, up to 1 year after opening. Keeping vegetable shortening in the conditions the data recommends matters for weighing as well as for flavour: an ingredient that has absorbed moisture from the air weighs more per cup than a dry one, and a dried-out ingredient weighs less. If your vegetable shortening has been open for months in a humid kitchen, the per-cup weight will have drifted from the published 184 g, and the scale — which measures what is actually in the bowl — is the only way to know what you really added.
Buy vegetable shortening in quantities you will use within its storage life, keep the container sealed, and label it with the date you opened it. That small discipline keeps both the flavour and the weight predictable, which is what a conversion table depends on.
When a third of a cup is the wrong amount to use
Not every recipe should be scaled by thirds. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of vegetable shortening and you want a smaller batch, halving to 1/2 cup (92 g) is usually safer than cutting to a third, because halving keeps the ratios of the other ingredients simple too. A third of a cup earns its place when the recipe itself asks for it, when you are correcting a batter a little at a time, or when you are halving a recipe that started at 2/3 cup.
The other case to watch is leavening and setting agents mixed into vegetable shortening — if the flour in question already contains raising agents, changing the flour amount changes the raising power as well. Measure the flour accurately and do not adjust the raising agents separately unless the recipe tells you to.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening?
1/3 cup of vegetable shortening weighs approximately 61.3 g. It is calculated from the published per-cup weight of 184 g (scooped, King Arthur Baking) divided by three. Treat it as approximate and verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters.
How many tablespoons is 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening?
1/3 cup equals 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. One tablespoon of vegetable shortening weighs about 11.5 g and one teaspoon about 3.8 g, so five tablespoons plus a teaspoon come to approximately 61.3 g. Use level spoon measures, not heaped ones.
Is 61.3 g exact for 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening?
No. It is the published per-cup weight divided by three, rounded to one decimal place, and every cup weight is approximate because it depends on how the ingredient is scooped and on the batch. A kitchen scale reading of the actual ingredient is the exact figure for that batch; 61.3 g is the best standard estimate.
Can I use a 1/2-cup measure to get 1/3 cup of vegetable shortening?
You can fill it about two thirds full, but it is unreliable — the eye judges a third of a volume poorly and the error is usually generous. Weighing 61.3 g on a scale, or using a proper 1/3-cup measure, is more accurate. If you must estimate, fill the 1/2-cup measure, level it, and remove roughly a third.
Does the weight change if my vegetable shortening is old or damp?
Yes. Cool, dry cupboard, up to 1 year after opening. Moisture absorbed from the air adds weight per cup, so old or damp vegetable shortening can weigh more than the published 184 g per cup. Store it sealed and weigh what you use rather than trusting the volume alone.
What is 2/3 cup of vegetable shortening in grams?
2/3 cup of vegetable shortening weighs approximately 122.7 g — twice the 1/3-cup figure of 61.3 g. A full cup is 184 g and 1/4 cup is 46 g, all from the same per-cup weight of 184 g.