One cup of honey weighs 336 g, poured, according to King Arthur Baking. Honey is the densest sweetener in the kitchen — heavier per cup than sugar, heavier than maple syrup, heavier than molasses — because it is a concentrated solution of fructose and glucose with very little water. The cup weight of 336 g is the number you need when a recipe is written in grams, when you are swapping honey for sugar, or when you are tracking how much sugar is actually in a dish. All weights on this page are approximate; the USDA lists honey at about 339 to 340 g per cup, a small difference that reflects variety and temperature, so verify with a scale when precision matters.
Honey: weight and measurement table
The table below gives the weight of honey in every measure you will use, from a teaspoon up to 2 cups, all derived from the King Arthur Baking figure of 336 g per cup, poured. Every figure is approximate — poured 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 | 7 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 21 g |
| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 84 g |
| 1/3 cup | 112 g |
| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 168 g |
| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 252 g |
| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 336 g |
| 2 cups | 672 g |
| 100 g | 0.3 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 0.3 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 Honey?
Honey is a thick, floral syrup made by bees, and it is sweeter than sugar by weight. Bees collect nectar, break down its sucrose into fructose and glucose, and evaporate the water until the honey is about 17 percent water and 82 percent sugars. That composition is what makes honey behave the way it does: it is hygroscopic, so it attracts moisture and keeps baked goods soft; it is acidic, so it reacts with baking soda; and it browns fast, so honey cakes need a lower oven temperature. It is used for baking, glazes, dressings and sweetening tea, and its flavour varies enormously by flower — clover honey is mild, buckwheat honey is dark and malty, orange blossom honey is floral. Honey keeps indefinitely in an airtight jar at room temperature; crystallisation is natural and reverses in warm water, and it is not a sign that the honey has gone bad.
How to measure Honey correctly
Honey is measured poured, and the method matters more than most cooks realise. For dry ingredients, spoon the ingredient into the measure with a smaller spoon, letting it fall loosely, then sweep a knife across the top to level it — never dip the measuring cup into the bag, because dipping compresses the ingredient and adds up to 20 percent. For liquids, pour into a liquid measuring jug and read the level at eye height, or weigh directly into the bowl, which is the most accurate method of all. The King Arthur Baking figure used on this page is 336 g per cup, and it is the figure the site's converters use, so the numbers here and the numbers in the tool always agree. Confidence in this figure is high.
A note on the published figures
King Arthur lists 336 g per cup (21 g per tablespoon); USDA lists about 339-340 g. Honey is denser than any dry sweetener.
Worked examples
A honey cake for a celebration
A honey cake uses 1 cup of honey — 336 g — with 2 cups of flour and 3 eggs. The weight matters because honey is both the sweetener and a liquid: 336 g of honey brings about 57 g of water into the batter, and that water changes the crumb's moisture and the baking time. The recipe also reduces the oven temperature by 25 F, because honey browns faster than sugar, and it uses baking soda rather than baking powder, because honey's acidity activates the soda. Weighing the honey straight into the bowl is cleaner than counting cups, and it lets you adjust the recipe — a lighter cake uses 3/4 cup (252 g) and a little extra sugar, while a darker, more intensely flavoured cake uses the full cup.
A honey mustard glaze for ham
A glaze for a baked ham uses 1/2 cup of honey — about 168 g — whisked with mustard and brown sugar. The weight is useful because the glaze's thickness depends on it: 168 g of honey gives a glaze that coats the ham in a thin, even layer and caramelises in the oven without burning. A glaze made with too much honey slides off the ham and pools in the roasting tin, while too little leaves the ham dry and unglazed. The glaze goes on in the last 30 minutes of cooking, because honey's sugars burn if they are exposed to high heat for too long. The same glaze works on roasted carrots and parsnips, where a tablespoon per serving is the right amount.
A honey and lemon dressing
A salad dressing for four uses 2 tablespoons of honey — about 42 g — whisked with lemon juice, olive oil and mustard. The weight matters because the dressing's balance is delicate: 42 g of honey against 60 ml of lemon juice gives a sweet-tart edge that lifts a bitter leaf salad, while a tablespoon more makes it cloyingly sweet. Weighing the honey lets you reproduce the same dressing every time, and it also tells you how much sugar is in the salad — about 10 g per person, which is a reasonable amount for a dressing. The honey is whisked into the lemon juice first, because it dissolves in acid more easily than in oil.
Honey in baking: liquid, acid and browning
Honey is the most complicated sweetener to bake with, because it is three ingredients at once: a sweetener, a liquid and an acid. As a sweetener, it is sweeter than sugar, so you need less of it — about 3/4 cup of honey replaces 1 cup of sugar. As a liquid, it brings water into the batter, so you must reduce the other liquids by about a quarter cup for every cup of honey used. And as an acid, it reacts with baking soda, so a honey recipe needs soda rather than powder, or the bake will not rise properly. Honey also browns faster than sugar, because its fructose caramelises at a lower temperature, so honey cakes are baked about 25 F cooler than sugar cakes. Getting all three adjustments right is the difference between a moist, golden honey cake and a dark, gummy one that sinks in the middle. The gram weight is the tool that makes those adjustments possible: 336 g per cup, 252 g for three quarters of a cup, 21 g per tablespoon. And one safety note: honey should not be given to children under one year old, because it can contain botulinum spores that an infant's gut cannot handle.
What to use instead
If you run out of honey, these are the tested substitutes from our substitution data, with the ratio and the case where each one does not work. Use the ratio by weight where it is given, and check the warning before you commit the batter.
Honey to Granulated sugar: 1 cup sugar + 1/4 cup liquid per cup of honey. Do not swap 1:1 in candy-making, meringues or jam, where sugar's exact chemistry matters.
Honey to Maple syrup: 1:1. Do not use molasses in delicate recipes — its flavour overwhelms everything else.
Honey to Agave syrup: 1:1. Do not use molasses in delicate recipes — its flavour overwhelms everything else.
Honey to Golden syrup: 1:1. Do not use molasses in delicate recipes — its flavour overwhelms everything else.
The golden rule for any substitution is to match the job, not just the ingredient: a substitute that works in a sauce may fail in a cake, because the two recipes ask different things of the ingredient. When in doubt, use a recipe written for the substitute rather than adapting one written for the original.
Storage
Airtight jar at room temperature; crystallisation is natural and reverses in warm water. That is the headline, but the details matter. Store honey in an airtight container, away from heat, light and strong smells — dry ingredients absorb odours readily, and a bag of flour stored next to the spices will taste of them within a week. Label the container with the date you opened it, so you know how long it has been there, and check it before you bake: if it smells off, tastes bitter, or shows any sign of moisture or insects, discard it. Buying in smaller quantities and using it promptly is better than buying in bulk and storing it for a year, because every ingredient loses flavour with time, even the ones that never truly go bad.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 cup of honey?
One cup of honey weighs 336 g, poured, according to King Arthur Baking. The USDA lists about 339 to 340 g per cup — a small difference reflecting variety and temperature. One tablespoon weighs 21 g and one teaspoon weighs 7 g.
How many tablespoons of honey are in 100 g?
There are about 5 tablespoons in 100 g of honey (100 divided by 21 is 4.8). A standard 340 g jar holds about 16 tablespoons, which is just over 1 cup.
Can I use honey instead of sugar?
Yes, but adjust the recipe. Use 3/4 cup of honey per cup of sugar, reduce the other liquid by 1/4 cup, and lower the oven temperature by 25 F, because honey browns faster. Do not use honey in candy-making without adjusting — its water content changes the set.
Why has my honey crystallised?
Crystallisation is natural — honey is a supersaturated sugar solution, and the glucose crystallises over time. It is not a sign of spoilage. Place the jar in warm water for 10 minutes and stir, and the crystals will dissolve. Do not microwave honey, which can overheat it.
How long does honey last?
Indefinitely, in an airtight jar at room temperature. Honey is naturally antibacterial and does not spoil. Keep the lid sealed to stop it absorbing moisture, and store it away from direct sunlight.
Related pages
If you cook with this ingredient regularly, these pages will help: the cups to grams converter for any amount, the ingredient density lookup for the full table of 120 ingredients, the Honey cups to grams page for cup conversions, the Honey grams to cups page for working backwards from grams, and the Honey tablespoons to grams page for spoon measures. You may also want Maple Syrup, Granulated Sugar.