170 g of dark chocolate chips is 1 cup. Chocolate chips are lighter per cup than a solid block of chocolate would be, because the chips do not pack tightly and there is air between them. The figure is the same for dark, milk and white chocolate chips, which makes it easy to remember, but the flavour and the melting behaviour are very different.
All figures on this page are approximate, and they come from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. When a recipe has to work the first time, verify with a kitchen scale.
Putting the numbers to work
Chocolate chip cookies for a bake sale
A cookie recipe uses 340 g of dark chocolate chips, which is 2 cups, folded into the dough at the very end. The chips should be distributed evenly so every cookie gets its share. Fold them in gently rather than beating them, because beating breaks the chips and smears chocolate through the dough.
Chocolate chip muffins for breakfast
A muffin recipe uses 170 g of dark chocolate chips, exactly 1 cup, stirred into the batter. Toss the chips in a spoonful of flour first, which stops them sinking to the bottom of the muffins during baking. This is a small trick that makes a visible difference.
A chocolate chip banana bread
A banana bread recipe uses 85 g of dark chocolate chips, half a cup, folded into a batter made with very ripe bananas. The chocolate and banana are a classic pairing, and the chips add pockets of melted chocolate to a moist, dense loaf. Half a cup is the right amount: more and the bread becomes a chocolate loaf with banana in it.
The numbers in a table
| Cups | Grams of dark chocolate chips |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 42.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 56.7 g |
| 1/2 cup | 85 g |
| 2/3 cup | 113.3 g |
| 3/4 cup | 127.5 g |
| 1 cup | 170 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 255 g |
| 2 cups | 340 g |
| 3 cups | 510 g |
| 4 cups | 680 g |
Quick reference: 100 g of dark chocolate chips is about 0.59 cups, and 50 g is about 0.29 cups. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
Tips for best results
Dry powders and leavening agents are measured spooned and levelled, never heaped and never scooped from the container. A heaped tablespoon of baking soda can be double the intended amount, and that much extra leavening leaves a soapy, metallic taste and a collapsed crumb. Dip a dry spoon into the container, fill it, then level it with the back of a knife. Keep leavening in airtight containers away from humidity, and replace baking powder every six months once opened, because stale powder is the most common silent cause of flat cakes.
Scaling is straightforward once you know the cup weight. Doubling a recipe that calls for 170 g of dark chocolate chips means measuring 340 g, or 2 cups, and tripling it means 510 g, or 3 cups. Halving is just as easy: half a cup is 85 g. The key is to scale every ingredient by the same factor, because changing one ingredient without changing the others throws the recipe out of balance. A cake scaled by half still needs half the flour, half the sugar, half the butter and half the dark chocolate chips, not just half of one of them. If you are scaling a recipe by an awkward factor, like two thirds, weigh the dark chocolate chips rather than trying to measure two thirds of a cup in a jug, because the jug markings are not precise enough for fractions of a cup.
When should you weigh dark chocolate chips instead of measuring it? Whenever the recipe has to work the first time, and whenever the amount is large. A kitchen scale costs less than a single failed cake, and it removes the biggest source of variation in home cooking: the way ingredients pack into a cup or a spoon. Put the bowl on the scale, press tare, and add the dark chocolate chips until the display shows the number you need. There is nothing to wash afterwards except the bowl, and the result is the same every time. For small amounts, a level spoon is accurate enough, and for liquids, a jug is fine, but for anything where precision matters, the scale is the tool to reach for.
Storage. Cool, dry place, up to 1 year.
- Toss chips in flour to stop them sinking in muffins.
- Fold chips in gently at the end of mixing.
- Store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.
Method and source
The figure on this page comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. Small chips of dark chocolate that hold their shape in baking. Cookies, muffins, brownies and snacking.
All results on this page are approximate. Ingredient weights vary with brand, humidity, temperature and how firmly you pack the cup, so when a recipe has to work the first time, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale and use the numbers here as a guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are milk and white chocolate chips the same weight per cup?
Yes. Dark, milk and white chocolate chips all weigh 170 g per cup. The difference is flavour and cocoa content, not density, so you can use the same conversion for any of them.
Why do chocolate chips not melt completely in cookies?
Chocolate chips are made with less cocoa butter than bar chocolate, so they hold their shape when baked. That is deliberate: the chips are meant to stay as distinct pockets of chocolate rather than melting into the dough.
How do I stop chocolate chips sinking in muffins?
Toss them in a spoonful of flour before folding them into the batter. The flour coats the chips and adds friction, which slows them sinking. It is a simple trick and it works.
Can I chop a chocolate bar instead of using chips?
Yes, and many bakers prefer it, because chopped chocolate melts more and gives a better texture. Chopped chocolate packs more densely, so a cup of chopped chocolate weighs a little more than 170 g. Weigh it rather than measuring by the cup.
How long do chocolate chips keep?
About a year in a cool, dry place. They can develop a white bloom on the surface if stored in a warm place, which is cocoa butter rising to the surface. Bloomed chocolate is safe to eat and fine for baking, though it looks less appealing.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake with dry powders is using a heaped spoon instead of a level one, which can double the amount of a powerful ingredient like baking soda. The second is scooping the spoon straight from the container, which packs the powder down and adds weight. The third is using a damp spoon, because moisture makes powders clump and stick, and the measurement becomes unreliable. The fourth mistake is confusing baking soda and baking powder, which look identical but behave very differently: soda needs an acid, powder does not, and swapping them will change whether a bake rises at all. Finally, do not keep leavening agents in a humid kitchen without a sealed container, because they absorb moisture and lose their strength, and a cake made with stale baking powder will not rise no matter how carefully you measure it.