There are about 3 cups in a pound of Raisins. Raisins weighs 149 g per cup (spooned and levelled), so a pound — 453.59 g — divides to 3.04 cups. Dried grapes, sweet and chewy. Baking, oatmeal, salads and trail mix. Every figure on this page is approximate, because a cup measures volume and the weight depends on how the ingredient settles and how it was measured; when the amount matters — a cake, a sauce that must set, a dough that must rise — weigh the Raisins on a kitchen scale instead of trusting the cup. This page gives you the full table for a pound and beyond, worked examples from real recipes, the method behind the figure, and the mistakes that catch people out.
How many cups in a pound of Raisins?
A pound of Raisins is about 3 cups (3.04 cups, to be exact). The table below covers a quarter of a pound up to ten pounds, so you can read off whatever your recipe or your bulk buy calls for without doing the division yourself. If your recipe lists Raisins in grams, the same table works in reverse: find the grams and read across to the cups.
| Amount | Cups | Grams | Tablespoons | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 lb | 0.76 | 113 | 12 | 180 |
| 0.5 lb | 1.52 | 227 | 24 | 360 |
| 0.75 lb | 2.28 | 340 | 37 | 540 |
| 1 lb | 3.04 | 454 | 49 | 720 |
| 2 lb | 6.09 | 907 | 97 | 1441 |
| 5 lb | 15.22 | 2268 | 244 | 3601 |
| 10 lb | 30.44 | 4536 | 487 | 7203 |
The tablespoons column is the useful one for small amounts: a pound of Raisins is about 49 tablespoons, and a single tablespoon weighs about 9.3 g. Use the pounds to grams converter if your recipe lists a different weight, and the cups to grams converter if you need the figure for a single cup of raisins.
How the maths works
The conversion is a single division: one pound is 453.59 g, and one cup of Raisins weighs 149 g, so 453.59 ÷ 149 = 3.04 cups. Going the other way, one cup of Raisins weighs 149 g, which is 0.33 lb, and one tablespoon weighs about 9.3 g while one teaspoon weighs about 3.10 g. To get any number of cups, weigh that many times 149 g: two cups is 298 g, three cups is 447 g, and half a cup is 74 g. In volume terms, a pound of Raisins is about 720 ml, since one US cup is 236.6 ml. Remember that the cup is a volume and the pound is a weight, so this maths only works because we know the density of Raisins; the same pound of a different ingredient would be a different number of cups entirely.
Worked examples
The examples below use real recipes, with the cups and the grams side by side so you can follow the maths in context. Each one also notes where the cup is good enough and where the scale earns its keep.
Oatmeal raisin cookies for a bake sale
Oatmeal raisin cookies for a bake sale need 1 cup of Raisins — about 149 g — folded into a double batch of cookie dough. One cup is about 149 g; soak the raisins in hot water for ten minutes first and they stay plump instead of drying out in the oven.
A rice pilaf for eight
A rice pilaf for eight needs 3/4 cup of Raisins — about 112 g — stirred into basmati with almonds. Three-quarters of a cup is about 112 g; add the raisins with the water so they plump as the rice cooks.
Trail mix for a hiking trip
Trail mix for a hiking trip needs 1 1/2 cups of Raisins — about 224 g — mixed with nuts, seeds and chocolate. One and a half cups is about 224 g, and a pound of raisins makes about two big bags of trail mix.
How the figure was measured
The weight figure on this page comes from King Arthur Baking: Raisins weighs 149 g per cup, measured spooned and levelled, and that figure carries high confidence in CookScale's 120-ingredient table. All weights are per US cup (236.6 ml), and every cup-based result on this page is approximate, because a cup measures volume while the weight depends on how the ingredient settles, how fresh it is, and how it was measured. When the amount matters — a cake, a sauce that must set, a dough that must rise — weigh the Raisins on a kitchen scale instead of trusting the cup. Read more about this ingredient on the Raisins hub, which covers its weight, its measures, its storage and its substitutes in one place.
How to measure it
Spoon Raisins into a dry cup measure and level it off — never pack them down, and never scoop the cup through the bag. Whole nuts, halves and chopped pieces all measure differently in the same cup, because the pieces settle differently and the air gaps change. If a recipe says '1 cup chopped', chop first and then measure; if it says '1 cup, chopped', measure first and then chop. When it matters, weigh: 149 g of Raisins is 149 g however you chop them.
Practical guidance
Nuts go rancid faster than almost anything else in the pantry because their oils are exposed to air. Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 6 months. Soak raisins in hot water for ten minutes before baking; plump raisins stay moist in the oven while dry ones turn hard. Buy smaller bags more often rather than one huge bag that sits open, and taste one before baking with an old bag: fresh nuts taste sweet and clean, stale ones taste like old oil.
Why recipes ask for a pound of Raisins
Raisins are sold by weight in boxes and bulk bags, while recipes call for cups, so the pound conversion is the bridge between the box and the cookie dough. A pound is about three cups, and the standard 15 oz box holds about two and three-quarter cups, which is why so many recipes call for exactly one box.
Buying and storing a pound of Raisins
A pound of nuts is the standard bag size, and the price per pound drops sharply in bulk bins and warehouse packs. Only buy the big bag if you have freezer space — nuts keep for a year in the freezer and for months in the fridge, but only weeks in a warm cupboard.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in a pound of Raisins?
About 49 tablespoons. A pound of Raisins is about 3.04 cups, and there are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so 3.04 × 16 is about 49. A single tablespoon weighs about 9.3 g.
Do whole and chopped Raisins measure the same?
No. Chopped Raisins pack tighter, so a cup of chopped pieces weighs more than a cup of whole ones. The 149 g per cup figure is for Raisins spooned and levelled as sold — weigh them if the recipe is a cake where the amount matters, and chop after measuring if the recipe says '1 cup, chopped'.
How many cups are in an 8 oz bag of Raisins?
About 1.52 cups. An 8 oz bag weighs 227 g, and at 149 g per cup that divides to 1.52 cups. A full pound bag is double that, about 3.04 cups.
How long does a pound of Raisins keep?
Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 6 months. In practice, a pound lasts a few weeks in a cupboard, months in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer. Taste one before baking with an old bag — fresh nuts taste sweet and clean, stale ones taste like old oil.
Do raisins weigh the same as grapes?
Per cup, no — raisins are dried grapes, so a cup of raisins weighs about 149 g while a cup of grapes weighs about 150 g, which is a coincidence of packing, not of density. A pound of raisins is about three cups, while a pound of grapes is a much larger volume of fruit.