A 14 oz jar of coconut oil holds about 1.8 cups. The catch is that coconut oil is solid below about 24°C, so 'a cup of coconut oil' can mean two different things: melted oil poured into a cup, or solid oil scooped and packed. The figure on this page — 218 g per cup — is for melted coconut oil, and it is the figure to use when a recipe gives grams. If you scoop the solid oil, it packs at about 227 g per cup, like butter.
How many cups in a 14 oz jar?
A 14 oz jar of coconut oil holds about 1.8 cups (397 g ÷ 218 g per cup).
| Amount | Cups | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full 14 oz jar | 1.8 | 397 | 29 |
| Half 14 oz jar | 0.9 | 198.5 | 14 |
| Quarter 14 oz jar | 0.45 | 99.25 | 7 |
| 1 tablespoon | 0.06 | 13.62 | 1 |
The table gives the full package, half a package and a quarter of a package, plus a single tablespoon, so you can scale the answer to whatever your recipe asks for. If your packet is a different size from the one on this page, the same per-cup figure still applies — divide your packet's weight by the grams per cup, or its volume by 236.6 ml per cup, and you have your answer.
Worked examples
Granola that needs half a cup
A tray of granola takes about 1/2 cup of coconut oil — 109 g melted, or 8 tablespoons — tossed with 3 cups of oats, 1 cup of nuts and 1/3 cup of honey. Melt the oil first, then pour it over the dry ingredients and toss well; solid coconut oil does not coat evenly and leaves clumps. Half a cup is just over a quarter of the jar, so one jar makes about three and a half trays of granola.
Curry that needs a quarter of a cup
A curry for four takes about 1/4 cup of coconut oil — 55 g, or 4 tablespoons — melted in the pan to fry the spices and onions. The oil adds a subtle coconut note that suits Thai and South Indian dishes, and its high smoke point handles the frying well. A quarter of a cup is about a seventh of the jar, so the jar lasts through roughly seven curries at that rate. If the oil is solid, scoop it into the pan and let the heat melt it — there is no need to melt it separately.
Baking that needs three-quarters of a cup
A batch of coconut cookies takes about 3/4 cup of coconut oil — around 164 g — creamed with 1 cup of sugar and 2 eggs. Use the oil softened, not melted: melted oil makes cookies spread thin, while softened oil creams like butter and holds air. If your kitchen is cold and the oil is rock solid, stand the jar in warm water for ten minutes until it softens. Three-quarters of a cup is a little over 40 percent of the jar, so one jar covers about two batches of cookies.
How the figure was measured
The weight figure on this page comes from USDA: coconut oil weighs 218 g per cup, measured poured, and that figure carries high confidence in CookScale's 120-ingredient table. Every cup-based result on this page is approximate, because a cup measures volume and the weight depends on how the ingredient settles, how it was measured, and how fresh it is. When the amount matters — a cake, a cheesecake, a sauce that must set — weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale instead of trusting the cup. Package sizes vary by brand and region, so check the weight printed on your own packet before planning a recipe around this page.
The density note matters here: 218 g per cup is for melted coconut oil. Solid coconut oil packs at about 227 g per cup, like butter, so if you measure the oil solid and scooped, use 227 g per cup instead.
How to measure it
Oil is measured by volume, which makes this page simpler than the dry-ingredient ones: a cup is 236.6 ml no matter what is in it, so the bottle's millilitres divide cleanly into cups. Use a liquid measuring jug with a spout, read it at eye level on a flat counter, and let the oil settle — a jug tilted in your hand reads a tablespoon high. For small amounts a tablespoon measure is more accurate than eyeballing a jug line. If a recipe gives grams instead, weigh the oil: it is lighter than water, so 1 cup of olive oil is about 216 g and 1 cup of vegetable oil about 218 g, not 237 g. Mixing up oil and water weights is the most common conversion error in baking.
Practical guidance
Oil goes rancid long before it looks or smells obviously wrong, and a 500 ml bottle opened for occasional cooking can sit for months. Store it in a cool, dark cupboard away from the stove — heat and light are what turn it. Taste a drop before using an old bottle in a vinaigrette: if it is bitter or sharp in a stale way, it is past its best and will carry that flavour into everything. Never pour used oil back into the fresh bottle, and keep the cap on: oil absorbs strong smells from the pantry. For frying, measure what you need into the pan rather than pouring from the bottle over a hot hob, where a slip becomes a fire risk.
The solid-versus-melted question is the whole story with coconut oil, and it is why the gram figure matters more than the cup figure. If your recipe is in cups and does not say melted or solid, assume the oil is measured melted and poured — that is how the 218 g figure was established. Keep the jar in a cupboard, not the fridge: refrigerated coconut oil turns rock-hard and is difficult to scoop, while a jar at room temperature softens enough to measure easily. In summer the jar may be fully liquid, which is fine — measure it like any other oil and use the same 218 g per cup.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in a 14 oz jar of coconut oil?
There are about 29 tablespoons in a 14 oz jar of coconut oil, because the jar holds about 1.8 cups and there are 16 tablespoons in a cup. A tablespoon of melted coconut oil weighs about 13.6 g. If you are scooping solid oil, a tablespoon weighs closer to 14 g — the difference is small, but it adds up across a whole jar.
Should I measure coconut oil melted or solid?
Measure it the way the recipe expects. If the recipe says '1/2 cup melted coconut oil', melt it first and then measure by volume. If it says '1/2 cup coconut oil, softened', scoop the solid oil and pack it lightly. When a recipe gives grams, weigh it — 218 g per cup melted, about 227 g per cup solid — and the state of the oil stops mattering.
Is coconut oil the same as butter in baking?
Not quite. Coconut oil is pure fat, while butter is about 80 percent fat and 20 percent water and milk solids. Cup-for-cup, coconut oil makes cookies crisper and cakes a little drier than butter does, and it adds a coconut flavour. It works best in recipes developed for it, or as a dairy-free substitute where a slight flavour change is welcome.
How long does coconut oil last once opened?
Coconut oil keeps for a year or more at room temperature because it is highly saturated and resists going rancid. Store it in a cool cupboard with the lid on. It will go solid in a cool kitchen and liquid in a warm one — both are normal. Discard it only if it smells sour or stale, or if it has picked up a strong smell from something stored nearby.
Why does my jar of coconut oil look half empty in winter?
It is not half empty — solid coconut oil contracts slightly as it cools and can pull away from the sides of the jar, leaving a gap that looks like missing oil. The weight is unchanged: a 14 oz jar still weighs 397 g. Warm the jar gently and the oil liquefies and settles back. Do not judge the contents by the level in a cold jar.