A cup of dried apricots is 130 g — the USDA figure, measured spooned and levelled. Dried apricot halves, sweet and tangy. It is used for tagines, stuffing, baking and snacking. They are the most versatile dried fruit in the savoury kitchen, equally at home in a tagine and a fruit cake, and at 130 g per cup they sit neatly between raisins and cranberries in weight, which makes them a useful bridge when a recipe needs a fruit that is neither too sweet nor too tart. This guide covers the weight of dried apricots 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.
Dried Apricots: weight and measurement table
The table below gives the weight of Dried Apricots in every measure you will use, from a teaspoon up to 2 cups, all derived from the USDA figure of 130 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 | 2.7 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 8.1 g |
| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 32.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 43.3 g |
| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 65 g |
| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 97.5 g |
| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 130 g |
| 2 cups | 260 g |
| 100 g | 0.77 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 0.77 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 Dried Apricots?
Dried apricot halves, sweet and tangy. Dried Apricots is used for tagines, stuffing, baking and snacking. The ingredient is a familiar one in most kitchens, but it is worth knowing what it actually is before you measure it, because the form it comes in decides how it behaves in a recipe. Dried Apricots as sold is the form the weight on this page refers to: 130 g per cup, spooned and levelled, from USDA. If you buy it in a different form — chopped, ground, toasted, sweetened or unsweetened — the weight per cup changes, sometimes by a lot, so weigh the ingredient in the form the recipe asks for, or weigh it before you change its form. That single habit, weighing before chopping, grinding or toasting, is what keeps the recipe consistent from one bake to the next.
How to measure Dried Apricots
Spoon the dried apricots lightly into the measuring cup or spoon, then level the top with the back of a knife. Do not scoop the measure straight from the bag or the jar, because scooping packs the ingredient down and adds weight with every spoonful. Do not press it down or shake the measure to settle it, because that packs it too. The spooned and levelled method is a technique, not a machine setting, so two people measuring the same ingredient can still differ by a few grams, which is why the figures on this page are approximate. When the recipe matters, weigh the dried apricots on a kitchen scale instead: put the bowl on the scale, press tare, and add the dried apricots until the scale reads the weight you need.
How to store Dried Apricots
Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 6 months. That storage advice is worth following, because dried apricots goes stale faster than most cooks expect, and stale dried apricots will spoil a whole batch of baking. Keep it sealed, because air and moisture are what make it go stale, and keep it away from strong smells, because it absorbs odours from the cupboard. Check the ingredient before you use it: smell it, taste a little, and look at it. If it smells sharp, stale or off, or if it has changed colour or texture, replace it rather than risking a recipe on it. A small amount of fresh dried apricots is always better than a large amount of stale dried apricots, and the cost of replacing it is far less than the cost of a ruined bake.
What to use instead of Dried Apricots
If you run out of dried apricots, the closest swaps are Raisins at 149 g per cup, Dates at 149 g per cup. Swap by weight, not by volume, because the cup weights differ, and a volume swap gives the wrong amount. Each substitute changes the flavour a little, so choose the one that suits the dish: a mild substitute for a delicate bake, and a stronger one where the flavour can carry it. Taste the finished dish before serving, because a substitute that works in a salad may not work in a cake, and the other way round.
Worked examples: Dried Apricots in real recipes
1. A Moroccan tagine with apricots and almonds
A Moroccan tagine for four uses 10 tablespoons of dried apricots, about 81.2 g, stirred in during the last half hour of cooking with almonds and chickpeas. The apricots soften in the sauce and add a sweetness that balances the spices and the saltiness of the preserved lemon, and adding them late matters: apricots cooked for the whole time dissolve completely and make the sauce cloying. Stir them in near the end so they stay in soft pieces, and taste before serving, because the sweetness builds as the tagine rests.
2. A fruit cake for Christmas
A Christmas fruit cake uses 12 tablespoons of chopped dried apricots, about 97.5 g, mixed with raisins, currants and candied peel and soaked in brandy overnight. The apricots add a tangy note that balances the sweetness of the other fruits, and their orange colour brightens the dark cake. Weigh the apricots before chopping, because chopped fruit packs tighter and over-measures the cup, and soak the mixed fruit overnight so it plumps up and stays moist in the bake.
3. A stuffing with apricots and sausage
A stuffing for a roast chicken uses 8 tablespoons of chopped dried apricots, about 65 g, mixed with breadcrumbs, sausage meat and sage. The apricots add a sweetness that suits the savoury stuffing, and their tanginess keeps it from tasting flat. Chop the apricots small so they distribute evenly through the stuffing, and weigh them first, because too many apricots make the stuffing taste like a fruit pudding.
Why the weight of Dried Apricots matters
Dried apricots matter by weight because they are used in both sweet and savoury cooking, and the amount changes the dish in different ways. In a tagine, the apricot content decides the balance between sweet and savoury, and a 20 g error is enough to tip it. In a fruit cake, the apricots add a tangy note that balances the sweetness of the raisins, and too many can make the cake taste sharp. The cup measure is unreliable because apricot halves are flat and irregular, so they leave air gaps that change with every spoonful, and a scooped cup can be 10 to 15 g lighter than a spooned and levelled one. Weighing them takes a moment and keeps the balance right, and it also helps with cost, because dried apricots are not cheap and a recipe that says a cup can hide a wide range of actual amounts.
The USDA figure, and how it was measured
The USDA figure for dried apricots is not disputed: 130 g per cup, spooned and levelled, is the accepted value, and other sources agree within a few grams. Small differences between brands and batches are normal, because natural ingredients vary, but the variation is small enough that the figure on this page is a reliable guide for everyday cooking. The figure on this page, 130 g per cup, was measured spooned and levelled, which is the standard method for this kind of ingredient. If you measure it differently — scooping instead of spooning, packing instead of levelling, or measuring after chopping — the weight changes, and the recipe changes with it. The source matters too: USDA is the reference used throughout this site, because its figures are consistent and widely used in baking, and the USDA figures are used where King Arthur does not publish one. When two sources disagree, this site says so, and the figure given is the one judged most reliable for everyday cooking.
Common mistakes with Dried Apricots
The most common mistake is adding dried apricots to a tagine or a stew too early, where they dissolve completely and make the sauce cloying; add them in the last half hour so they stay in soft pieces. The second mistake is using unsulphured apricots in a recipe written for sulphured ones: unsulphured apricots are darker and tangier, and they can make a fruit cake taste sharper than intended. Check the packet. The third mistake is measuring apricots after chopping them, which packs them tighter and over-measures the cup. Weigh them whole, then chop. Finally, do not store them in an open bag in a warm kitchen, because they dry out and harden, and hard apricots stay hard in the finished dish.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 cup of dried apricots?
One cup of dried apricots weighs about 130 g, spooned and levelled, using the USDA figure. That is for whole dried apricot halves as sold, and chopped apricots weigh more per cup because they pack tighter. The figure is approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters.
How many tablespoons is 100 grams of dried apricots?
100 grams of dried apricots is about 12.3 tablespoons, spooned and levelled, because one tablespoon weighs about 8.1 g. Twelve level tablespoons is just under 100 g, so add a small pinch more, or weigh the apricots on a scale for accuracy.
What is the difference between sulphured and unsulphured apricots?
Sulphured apricots are treated with sulphur dioxide to keep their bright orange colour, while unsulphured apricots are darker brown and tangier. The weight per cup is the same, but the flavour is different: unsulphured apricots taste sharper and more intense, which suits savoury cooking, while sulphured apricots are milder and better for baking.
Can I substitute raisins for dried apricots?
Yes, by weight: 100 g of raisins replaces 100 g of dried apricots. The result will be sweeter and less tangy, because raisins are sweeter than apricots, and the colour changes from orange to brown. Remember that raisins are heavier per cup at 149 g, so do not swap by volume.
How should I store dried apricots?
Keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. An open bag in a warm kitchen dries them out and makes them hard within weeks. If they have hardened, soak them in warm water for fifteen minutes to soften them again.