If your recipe lists 220 g of demerara sugar and you want the cup measure, it is 1 cup. The working is simple — 220 g divided by 220 g per cup (spooned and levelled, King Arthur Baking) — and the result is approximate, because a cup is a volume and this ingredient does not pack the same way every time. Large-crystal golden cane sugar with a toffee note. You will find it in crumble toppings, shortbread and sweetening hot drinks, and in all of them the conversion runs the same way. Below is the table for every weight from 25 g to 500 g, worked examples for scaling recipes up and down, and the practical guidance that makes the number useful at the counter.
How many cups is that? The full table
One cup of demerara sugar is 220 g, so the conversion in this direction is division: cups = grams ÷ 220. The table gives the result for the common weights, rounded to the nearest useful fraction or to two decimals where no tidy fraction fits. All figures are approximate, and a scale beats a cup whenever precision matters.
| Grams | Cups (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 25 g | 1/8 cup |
| 50 g | 1/4 cup |
| 75 g | 1/3 cup |
| 100 g | 3/7 cup |
| 150 g | 2/3 cup |
| 200 g | 0.91 cups |
| 220 g | 1 cup |
| 250 g | 1 1/7 cups |
| 300 g | 1 3/8 cups |
| 400 g | 1 5/6 cups |
| 500 g | 2 2/7 cups |
Notice how the table behaves at the small end: 25 g is only 1/8 cup, and at that scale the cup is the wrong tool entirely — a tablespoon measure, or the scale itself, is far more accurate. Cups earn their keep at 100 g and above, where the fraction is big enough to read reliably. If your recipe calls for less than a quarter cup of demerara sugar, weigh it directly and skip the conversion.
Three recipes, one conversion: 220 g = 1 cup
A recipe written in grams
Take a recipe that lists 220 g of demerara sugar — the kind of recipe you find in books and sites that weigh everything (crumble toppings, shortbread and sweetening hot drinks). The conversion is 220 ÷ 220 = 1 cup, measured spooned and levelled. If you own a scale, skip the cup entirely and weigh 220 g; the cup is a translation, and like any translation it loses a little. The scale is the original.
Scaling up for a crowd
Now double it: 440 g is 2 cups. The arithmetic stays clean because the base conversion is exact, but the practicalities change — a doubled batter needs a tin about twice the volume, and the baking time grows. Check the bake five minutes before the original time and then every few minutes; large batches brown outside before the middle sets.
Using up a partial bag
Suppose the bag holds 270 g and the recipe wants 220 g. The extra 50 g is 1/4 cup — not enough to change the recipe, but enough to matter if you tip the whole bag in. Weigh 220 g, keep the remaining 50 g for next time, and the recipe stays exactly as written. This is the quiet advantage of cooking by weight: leftovers stay usable instead of becoming guesswork.
Method and source: spooned and levelled
The 220 g per cup figure comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. Confidence is high, which reflects how consistent the figure is across sources rather than how precisely your kitchen will reproduce it — no kitchen reproduces a cup exactly, which is why the figures are approximate. To match the method: spoon the ingredient into a dry cup measure and level it, unless the ingredient is a liquid (pour it) or the method says packed (press it in firmly). There is no famous dispute about the weight of demerara sugar: 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.
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
The first mistake is scooping with the cup instead of spooning into it. The second is levelling with a finger instead of a straight edge — fingers press the ingredient down and add weight. The third is measuring a dry ingredient in a liquid jug, where the meniscus and the spout make levelling guesswork. The fourth is converting only one ingredient and guessing the rest. Avoid those four and your 220 g will genuinely be one cup. Storage: Airtight container, cool and dry, indefinitely.
Scaling from one cup to any batch size
The one-cup figure is a starting point, not a fixed quantity. Halve the recipe and you need 110 g (1/2 cup); quarter it and you need 55 g (1/4 cup); double it and you need 440 g (2 cups); triple it and you need 660 g (3 cups). Every one of those is the same division — grams ÷ 220 — and the scale does the work for you. What the scale cannot do is scale the equipment, and that is where large batches actually fail. A triple batch of anything using demerara sugar needs a bowl big enough to mix in without spilling, a tin (or several tins) with about three times the volume, and an oven that can hold the larger mass without the temperature dropping. Baking time grows too, but not in proportion: expect roughly a quarter longer, and test with a skewer rather than trusting the clock. Small batches have the opposite problem — a quarter batch bakes faster than you expect, so start checking early. Whatever the size, scale every ingredient by the same factor, including salt and raising agents, and weigh each one: a scaled recipe is only as accurate as its least accurately scaled ingredient.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups is 220 g of demerara sugar?
220 g of demerara sugar is 1 cup (approximately). One cup weighs 220 g (spooned and levelled, King Arthur Baking), so the calculation is 220 ÷ 220. The figure is approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when precision matters.
How many grams is 1 cup of demerara sugar?
One cup of demerara sugar weighs 220 g, spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. That is the anchor figure for every conversion on this page: divide any gram weight by 220 to get cups, or multiply any cup amount by 220 to get grams.
Can I measure 220 g of demerara sugar without a scale?
Yes — measure one cup with a dry measuring cup, spooning the demerara sugar in loosely and levelling it off with a straight edge. Do not scoop with the cup and do not pack it unless the method says packed. A careful cup lands close to 220 g, which is good enough for everyday cooking, though a scale is better for baking.
Why do different websites give different weights for demerara sugar?
Because they measure the cup differently. King Arthur Baking lists 220 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.
How many tablespoons is 220 g of demerara sugar?
One tablespoon of demerara sugar weighs about 13.8 g, so 220 g is about 16 tablespoons — which is 16, the number in a cup, as expected. Tablespoons are useful for small adjustments, but for a full cup, weighing or using a cup measure is more accurate than counting spoonfuls.
What if my recipe calls for 250 g of demerara sugar?
250 g is 1 1/7 cups (250 ÷ 220). Measure one cup and add about 30 g more, or weigh 250 g directly — which is easier and more accurate. The table on this page covers 25 g to 500 g for exactly these in-between weights.