The short answer: 1 cup of coconut sugar weighs 180 g (spooned and levelled, USDA). The rest of this guide explains how crystal size and moisture move that number, how to measure it, and what to use instead. Granulated sugar from coconut palm sap with a caramel flavour. It is used for baking and sweetening as a 1:1 swap for brown sugar. This guide covers the weight of coconut sugar in every measure you will use — cups, tablespoons and teaspoons — how to measure it correctly, what to use instead when you run out, and how to store it. All weights on this page are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters.

Coconut Sugar: weight and measurement table

The table below gives the weight of Coconut Sugar in every measure you will use, from a teaspoon up to 2 cups, all derived from the USDA figure of 180 g per cup, spooned and levelled. Every figure is approximate — spooned and levelled is a technique, not a machine setting — so when the recipe matters, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale instead.

| Amount | Weight (approx.) |

| --- | --- |

| 1 teaspoon | 3.8 g |

| 1 tablespoon | 11.2 g |

| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 45 g |

| 1/3 cup | 60 g |

| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 90 g |

| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 135 g |

| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 180 g |

| 2 cups | 360 g |

| 100 g | 0.6 cups |

There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon and 16 tablespoons in a cup, so you can move between any of these measures by multiplying or dividing. If a recipe calls for 100 g and you only have measuring cups, that is about 0.6 cups. Keep the cups to grams converter open while you cook and you will never need to do the arithmetic in your head.

What is Coconut Sugar?

Granulated sugar from coconut palm sap with a caramel flavour. It is used for baking and sweetening as a 1:1 swap for brown sugar. Sugar does more in a recipe than sweeten it: it holds moisture, helps browning, and in baking it tenderises the crumb by interfering with gluten. Coconut Sugar differs from granulated sugar mainly in crystal size and moisture, and those two things decide both its weight per cup and how it behaves. Fine crystals pack tightly and dissolve fast; coarse crystals pack loosely and stay crunchy on top of a muffin. Knowing the weight per cup lets you swap sugars by weight instead of by volume, which is the only swap that keeps the recipe balanced.

How to measure Coconut Sugar correctly

Spoon the ingredient loosely into the measuring cup with a smaller spoon, then sweep a straight knife across the top to level it. Never dip the cup into the bag or jar: dipping packs the ingredient down and can add up to 20 percent to the weight of a cup. For sugars, crystal size is the other variable: fine sugar settles and packs more densely than coarse sugar, so two cups of two different sugars can weigh very different amounts even when both are measured the same way. The USDA figure used on this page is 180 g per cup, and confidence in this figure is medium. A kitchen scale removes all of this variation: weigh the sugar and you do not need to care about crystal size at all.

Method and source

All the figures on this page are derived from a single sourced number: 180 g per cup of coconut sugar, spooned and levelled, from USDA. Confidence in that figure is medium. Every other number — the teaspoon, tablespoon, quarter-cup and half-cup weights — is that number divided or multiplied, so if the cup figure is right, the rest follow. If a different source gives a different cup weight, every number on this page shifts by the same proportion. A note on the published figures: Coconut sugar is not on the King Arthur chart; published values range from about 160 g to 192 g per cup depending on crystal size. We use the USDA-based midpoint of 180 g. Every density-based result on this page is labelled approximate, and the honest advice is the same on every page of this site: when the recipe has to work the first time, verify with a kitchen scale.

Worked examples

A cake or a batch of cookies

A cake that calls for 2 cups of coconut sugar needs 360 g. Sugar is hygroscopic, so it holds moisture in the crumb, and the weight matters: 360 g gives the sweetness and the texture the recipe was tested with, while a cup more or less changes both. If you are swapping coconut sugar for granulated sugar, do it by weight, not by volume, because a cup of coconut sugar does not weigh the same as a cup of granulated sugar.

A small batch of meringues

A small batch of meringues using 3/4 cup of coconut sugar needs 135 g, whisked into the egg whites a spoonful at a time. Fine sugar dissolves faster than coarse sugar, which is why the crystal size of coconut sugar matters here: undissolved crystals weep and leave a sticky meringue. Weighing 135 g and adding it gradually gives a glossy, stable meringue that holds its shape in the oven.

Sweetening by the spoonful

When a recipe only needs a spoonful or two — sweetening a sauce or a dressing — use the tablespoon figure: 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar is about 11.2 g, and 2 tablespoons are about 22.5 g. Level the spoon with a knife, because a heaped tablespoon of sugar can weigh half as much again as a level one, and in a dressing that is the difference between balanced and cloying.

What to use instead

And if a recipe calls for something else and you only have coconut sugar, these swaps go the other way:

  • Granulated sugar to Coconut Sugar: 1:1 (slightly less sweet, caramel note). Sweeteners differ in sweetness, moisture and browning; liquid sweeteners need the recipe's liquid reduced. Do not swap 1:1 in candy-making, meringues or jam, where sugar's exact chemistry matters.

One warning applies to every substitution: a swap changes the recipe. A different flour changes the crumb, a different sugar changes the browning, a different fat changes the flavour. Use the sugar substitute converter to check the swap before you commit, and when the recipe has to work the first time, buy the ingredient the recipe actually calls for.

Storage and common mistakes

Storage. Airtight container, cool and dry; clumps in humidity.

The most common mistake with coconut sugar is measuring it like granulated sugar. A cup of coconut sugar weighs 180 g, and a cup of granulated sugar weighs a different amount, so swapping them cup-for-cup changes the recipe. Swap by weight instead. The second mistake is letting sugar absorb moisture: keep it in an airtight container, because damp sugar clumps and weighs differently per cup. The third mistake is guessing at small amounts — a heaped tablespoon can weigh half as much again as a level one.

When the conversion matters most is when the recipe is unforgiving: a cake, a loaf, a meringue, a sauce that has to set. In those recipes, weigh the coconut sugar on a kitchen scale and use the numbers on this page as a check, not as the measurement itself. For everyday cooking — a soup, a salad, a stir-fry — a level spoon or a jug is accurate enough, and the figures here will keep you close. The rule of thumb is simple: the more the recipe depends on the exact amount, the more you should weigh it.

Frequently asked questions

How many grams is 1 cup of coconut sugar?

One cup of coconut sugar weighs approximately 180 g, measured spooned and levelled, according to USDA. That is the figure every other number on this page is derived from: a tablespoon is 11.2 g, a teaspoon is 3.8 g, and 2 cups are 360 g. All figures are approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters.

How do I measure coconut sugar without a scale?

Spoon the ingredient loosely into the measuring cup with a smaller spoon, then sweep a straight knife across the top to level it. Never dip the cup into the bag or jar: dipping packs the ingredient down and can add up to 20 percent to the weight of a cup. For small amounts, use proper measuring spoons and level them with a knife. For liquids, use a jug on a flat surface and read the level at eye height. These methods are accurate enough for everyday cooking, but for baking — where the ratio of ingredients decides the result — a kitchen scale is worth the small cost.

What can I use instead of coconut sugar?

The substitution database on this site lists no direct substitution pair for coconut sugar, so there is no published ratio to give here. In practice, cooks swap in a similar ingredient by weight — the same weight, not the same volume — and accept that the flavour and texture will change. When the recipe has to work the first time, buy the ingredient the recipe actually calls for.

How should I store coconut sugar?

Airtight container, cool and dry; clumps in humidity. Storing it properly also keeps its weight consistent: an ingredient that has absorbed moisture or dried out will not weigh the same per cup as a fresh one, so a recipe that worked last month can drift if the storage has changed.

Is coconut sugar sweeter than granulated sugar?

Roughly the same, gram for gram, but not cup for cup — because a cup of coconut sugar weighs 180 g, and a cup of granulated sugar weighs a different amount. If you swap by weight, the sweetness stays about the same; if you swap by volume, it does not. The other difference is flavour and behaviour: granulated sugar from coconut palm sap with a caramel flavour, which changes browning and moisture as well as sweetness.

Related links