There are about 1.9 cups in a pound of Yogurt. Yogurt weighs 245 g per cup (spooned and levelled), so a pound — 453.59 g — divides to 1.85 cups. Plain whole-milk yogurt, thick and tangy. Baking, marinades, dressings and breakfast bowls. 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 Yogurt 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 Yogurt?

A pound of Yogurt is about 1.9 cups (1.85 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 Yogurt 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 0.46 113 7 110
0.5 lb 0.93 227 15 219
0.75 lb 1.39 340 22 329
1 lb 1.85 454 30 438
2 lb 3.70 907 59 876
5 lb 9.26 2268 148 2190
10 lb 18.51 4536 296 4380

The tablespoons column is the useful one for small amounts: a pound of Yogurt is about 30 tablespoons, and a single tablespoon weighs about 15.3 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 yogurt.

How the maths works

The conversion is a single division: one pound is 453.59 g, and one cup of Yogurt weighs 245 g, so 453.59 ÷ 245 = 1.85 cups. Going the other way, one cup of Yogurt weighs 245 g, which is 0.54 lb, and one tablespoon weighs about 15.3 g while one teaspoon weighs about 5.10 g. To get any number of cups, weigh that many times 245 g: two cups is 490 g, three cups is 735 g, and half a cup is 122 g. In volume terms, a pound of Yogurt is about 438 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 Yogurt; 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.

A marinade for chicken kebabs

A marinade for chicken kebabs needs 1 cup of Yogurt — about 245 g — mixed with lemon, garlic and spices for about a kilo of chicken. Yogurt's acid tenderises without turning the surface mushy the way straight lemon juice can if it sits too long.

A yogurt loaf cake

A yogurt loaf cake needs 1 1/2 cups of Yogurt — about 368 g — folded into a batter with flour, sugar and oil for a 9-inch loaf. One and a half cups is about 368 g, and the loaf stays moist for days; use full-fat yogurt, since low-fat versions add water and less richness.

A big bowl of tzatziki

A big bowl of tzatziki needs 1 cup of Yogurt — about 245 g — combined with grated cucumber, garlic and dill for a mezze spread. Drain the cucumber first or the tzatziki thins out within the hour; a pinch of salt on the grated cucumber draws the water out in ten minutes.

How the figure was measured

The weight figure on this page comes from USDA: Yogurt weighs 245 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 Yogurt on a kitchen scale instead of trusting the cup. Read more about this ingredient on the Yogurt hub, which covers its weight, its measures, its storage and its substitutes in one place.

How to measure it

Spoon or pour Yogurt into the right measure for its texture: liquids go in a liquid jug read at eye level, while thick dairy like Yogurt is best weighed on a scale or spooned into a dry cup and levelled. Never pack thick dairy down — pressing it into the cup squeezes out air and whey and fits far more weight into the same volume. A tablespoon of Yogurt weighs about 15.3 g, so for small amounts a spoon is more accurate than a cup.

Practical guidance

Dairy is perishable, so a pound of it needs using within days rather than weeks — plan the recipes before you open the tub, not after. Refrigerate; use within 1 week of opening. Stir yogurt before measuring; the whey that collects on top is thinner than the yogurt below it. If you buy in bulk for a big cook, freeze what you will not use within the week, but remember that freezing changes the texture of most dairy: it is fine for cooking and baking, less good for eating fresh.

Why recipes ask for a pound of Yogurt

Yogurt tubs are labelled in grams or ounces, while recipes call for cups, so the pound-to-cups question is really a tub-to-recipe question. A pound tub holds just under two cups, which covers most marinades and cakes, and the big family tubs (around 32 oz) hold just under four cups — enough for a week of breakfasts and a batch of tzatziki.

Buying and storing a pound of Yogurt

A pound of dairy is a single tub or carton in most cases, and the price difference between the small and large sizes is usually small — buy the size you will actually finish before the use-by date. For a big cook, two pound tubs are often cheaper than one two-pound tub, and they keep better once opened.

Frequently asked questions

How many tablespoons are in a pound of Yogurt?

About 30 tablespoons. A pound of Yogurt is about 1.85 cups, and there are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so 1.85 × 16 is about 30. A single tablespoon weighs about 15.3 g.

How much does a cup of Yogurt weigh in ounces?

About 8.6 oz. One cup of Yogurt weighs 245 g, and there are 28.35 g in an ounce, so 245 ÷ 28.35 is 8.6 oz. A pound (16 oz) is therefore about 1.85 cups.

Can I swap Yogurt for another dairy by weight?

Only if you use the right figure for each one. Dairy products sit close together — milk is 244 g per cup and buttermilk 245 g — but cream cheese is 232 g and ricotta 246 g, so swapping by cups is safer than swapping by weight. When in doubt, weigh each ingredient against its own figure.

Does low-fat Yogurt weigh the same per cup?

Not exactly. Low-fat dairy has more water and less fat, so it is marginally heavier per cup than the full-fat product in this table. The difference is small — a few grams per cup — but if the amount matters, weigh the low-fat version on a scale rather than using the full-fat figure.

Is Greek yogurt the same weight per cup as plain yogurt?

No — Greek yogurt is strained, so it is denser and heavier per cup than the plain whole-milk yogurt in this table at 245 g per cup. Use the plain figure only for unstrained yogurt, and weigh Greek yogurt on a scale if the amount matters.

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