230 g of sour cream is 1 cup. Sour cream is thick and tangy, and it is spooned into a cup rather than poured, which means the measurement depends on pressing out the air pockets. A carelessly filled cup of sour cream can be 15 g light, which is enough to matter in a cake where sour cream is the main source of moisture.
All figures on this page are approximate, and they come from USDA, measured poured. When a recipe has to work the first time, verify with a kitchen scale.
Conversion table
| Cups | Grams of sour cream |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 57.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 76.7 g |
| 1/2 cup | 115 g |
| 2/3 cup | 153.3 g |
| 3/4 cup | 172.5 g |
| 1 cup | 230 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 345 g |
| 2 cups | 460 g |
| 3 cups | 690 g |
| 4 cups | 920 g |
Quick reference: 100 g of sour cream is about 0.43 cups, and 50 g is about 0.22 cups. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
How the measurement works
The figure on this page comes from USDA, measured poured. Cultured cream with a tangy flavour and thick texture. Dips, baking, tacos and stroganoff.
A note on disputed figures. USDA lists sour cream at about 230 g per cup; King Arthur rounds it to 227 g.
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.
Worked examples
A sour cream coffee cake
A coffee cake recipe calls for 230 g of sour cream, exactly 1 cup, folded into the batter with the flour. The sour cream keeps the cake moist for days and its acidity activates the baking soda. Spoon the sour cream into the cup and level it, pressing it down to remove air pockets, because a fluffy, under-filled cup will leave the cake dry.
A dip for a party
A sour cream and chive dip uses 115 g of sour cream, half a cup, mixed with a spoonful of mayonnaise and chopped herbs. The dip needs to be thick enough to cling to a chip, so the sour cream quantity sets the texture. Half a cup is easy to measure, but weigh it if you want the dip to be the same every time.
Beef stroganoff for a weeknight dinner
A stroganoff for four finishes with 115 g of sour cream, half a cup, stirred in off the heat at the very end. Adding it off the heat is the key step: sour cream splits if it boils. The amount matters less here than the timing, and a spoonful more or less will not change the dish.
Practical guidance
Dairy products vary in thickness, so the method matters. Thin dairy like milk and buttermilk is poured into a jug; thick dairy like sour cream, yogurt and cream cheese is spooned into a dry cup and levelled, pressing out air pockets as you go. Bring dairy to room temperature before adding it to a batter unless the recipe says cold, because cold dairy can seize melted butter and leave lumps. If a recipe gives dairy by weight and you only have cups, use the table below rather than guessing: a cup of cream cheese is noticeably heavier than a cup of milk, and the two are not interchangeable by volume.
Scaling is straightforward once you know the cup weight. Doubling a recipe that calls for 230 g of sour cream means measuring 460 g, or 2 cups, and tripling it means 690 g, or 3 cups. Halving is just as easy: half a cup is 115 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 sour cream, not just half of one of them. If you are scaling a recipe by an awkward factor, like two thirds, weigh the sour cream 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 sour cream 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 sour cream 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. Refrigerate; use within 2 weeks of opening.
- Spoon sour cream into the cup and press out air pockets.
- Stir it into hot dishes off the heat to stop splitting.
- Use within two weeks of opening.
Frequently asked questions
How do I measure sour cream accurately?
Spoon it into a dry measuring cup and press it down to remove air pockets, then level the top with a knife. Do not pour it, and do not use a jug, because thick dairy clings to the sides and reads inaccurately.
Can I substitute yogurt for sour cream?
Yes, in most recipes. Plain whole-milk yogurt weighs 245 g per cup against sour cream at 230 g, but the difference is small, and yogurt behaves similarly in baking and dips. The flavour is tangier and the texture slightly thinner.
Why does sour cream split in hot dishes?
Sour cream is an emulsion, and boiling breaks it. Always stir it in off the heat, or temper it first by mixing a spoonful of the hot liquid into the sour cream before adding it to the pot. Full-fat sour cream is more stable than light versions.
How long does sour cream keep?
About two weeks in the fridge once opened. If it smells sharp or bitter beyond its normal tang, or if pink or green mould appears, throw it away. Do not freeze sour cream, because it separates on thawing.
Is light sour cream the same weight as full-fat?
Nearly. Light sour cream is about 5 g lighter per cup because it contains more water and less fat. Use the same conversion for both, and choose based on the recipe rather than the weight.
Why recipes disagree: if you have ever found two charts giving different weights for the same ingredient, the reason is almost always the method. One chart measured the ingredient spooned and levelled, the other scooped it from the bag, and the two can differ by twenty percent. Brand and humidity add a few more grams of variation. That is why this page states the method alongside every figure, and why a kitchen scale is the only way to be certain. When two sources disagree, trust the one that tells you how it measured.