One cup of peanut butter weighs 270 g, scooped, according to King Arthur Baking. Peanut butter is ground peanuts, usually with salt and a little oil, and its cup weight of 270 g makes it one of the densest ingredients in the kitchen — denser than butter, denser than cream cheese, denser than any flour. The figure matters for cookies, sauces, smoothies and satay, where peanut butter is measured by the cup or the tablespoon and the weight decides the richness and the nutrition. All weights on this page are approximate; natural peanut butter with separated oil weighs slightly less per tablespoon than stabilised commercial peanut butter, so verify with a scale when precision matters.
Peanut Butter: weight and measurement table
The table below gives the weight of peanut butter in every measure you will use, from a teaspoon up to 2 cups, all derived from the King Arthur Baking figure of 270 g per cup, scooped. Every figure is approximate — scooped 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 | 5.6 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 16.9 g |
| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 67.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 90 g |
| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 135 g |
| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 202.5 g |
| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 270 g |
| 2 cups | 540 g |
| 100 g | 0.4 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 0.4 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 Peanut Butter?
Peanut butter is ground peanuts, usually with salt and a little oil. Peanuts are roasted, ground into a paste, and mixed with salt and sometimes a stabiliser to stop the oil separating. It is used for sandwiches, cookies, sauces and satay, and it brings three things to a dish: fat, which adds richness; protein, about 25 percent by weight, which makes it filling; and flavour, a roasted, nutty taste that is unmistakable. It keeps for 3 to 6 months in a cool cupboard, and it should not be refrigerated, because it turns rock hard. Natural peanut butter, with no stabiliser, separates — the oil rises to the top — and must be stirred before use.
How to measure Peanut Butter correctly
Peanut Butter is measured scooped, 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 270 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.
Worked examples
Peanut butter cookies
A peanut butter cookie recipe uses 1 cup of peanut butter — 270 g — creamed with butter and sugar. The weight matters because the peanut butter is the recipe's main fat and flavour: 270 g against 120 g of butter gives a cookie that is rich, nutty and chewy, while a cup too little gives a dry, bland cookie. Weighing the peanut butter is also faster than spooning it — a scale lets you spoon it straight into the bowl until you hit 270 g, with no counting and no scraping. The dough is chilled for 30 minutes, rolled into balls, pressed with a fork to make the classic crosshatch, and baked for 12 minutes.
A satay sauce for a stir-fry
A satay sauce for four uses 1/2 cup of peanut butter — about 135 g — whisked with soy sauce, lime juice, chilli and a little hot water. The weight is useful because the sauce's thickness depends on it: 135 g of peanut butter against 100 ml of liquid gives a sauce that coats the noodles in a silky layer, while a tablespoon too much turns it into a paste. The peanut butter is whisked with the soy sauce first, because the salt helps it dissolve, then the lime juice and water are added gradually until the sauce pours in a ribbon. The sauce is served warm, because cold peanut butter thickens and seizes.
A peanut butter smoothie
A breakfast smoothie uses 2 tablespoons of peanut butter — about 34 g — blended with a banana, milk and oats. The weight matters because the nutrition depends on it: 34 g of peanut butter adds about 200 calories and 7 g of protein, and the difference between one tablespoon and the heaped spoon most people use is about 50 calories. Weighing the peanut butter once teaches your eye what 34 g looks like, and after that you can spoon it with confidence. The smoothie is blended until smooth, and the peanut butter's fat helps the body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins from the banana and the oats.
Natural versus stabilised peanut butter
The difference between natural and stabilised peanut butter is the oil, and it changes how the peanut butter behaves. Natural peanut butter contains only peanuts and salt — no stabiliser — so the peanut oil separates and rises to the top over time. It must be stirred before use, and a tablespoon scooped from an unstirred jar is unpredictable: mostly oil at the top, mostly dry solids at the bottom. Stabilised peanut butter contains an emulsifier, usually hydrogenated vegetable oil, which keeps the oil mixed and gives a smooth, spreadable texture that never separates. Both weigh the same per cup — 270 g — but natural peanut butter's weight varies more by how well it is stirred. The practical rule is to stir natural peanut butter thoroughly before measuring, and to store the jar upside down, which slows the separation. For baking, either works, though natural peanut butter's looser texture can make a dough slightly wetter. For sandwiches, stabilised peanut butter spreads more easily. And for anyone with a peanut allergy in the household, the choice matters less than the label: check for nut-free alternatives such as sunflower seed butter, which works 1:1 by weight in most recipes.
What to use instead
If you run out of peanut butter, 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.
Peanut butter to Almond butter: 1:1. Do not use a sweetened nut butter in a savoury sauce, and check for nut allergies before serving.
Peanut butter to Cashew butter: 1:1. Do not use a sweetened nut butter in a savoury sauce, and check for nut allergies before serving.
Peanut butter to Sunflower seed butter: 1:1 (nut-free). Do not use a sweetened nut butter in a savoury sauce, and check for nut allergies before serving.
Peanut butter to Tahini: 1:1 (less sweet, more bitter). Do not use a sweetened nut butter in a savoury sauce, and check for nut allergies before serving.
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
Cool cupboard; stir natural peanut butter before use. That is the headline, but the details matter. Store peanut butter 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 peanut butter?
One cup of smooth peanut butter weighs 270 g, scooped, according to King Arthur Baking. One tablespoon weighs 16.9 g and one teaspoon weighs 5.6 g. A standard 340 g jar holds about 20 tablespoons.
How many tablespoons of peanut butter are in 100 g?
There are about 6 tablespoons in 100 g of peanut butter (100 divided by 16.9 is 5.9). A tablespoon carries about 100 calories, so 100 g is about 600 calories.
Can I use almond butter instead of peanut butter?
Yes, 1:1 by weight. Almond butter, cashew butter and sunflower seed butter all work as direct replacements in baking and sauces. Sunflower seed butter is the best nut-free option. Check for nut allergies before serving.
Why does natural peanut butter separate?
Natural peanut butter contains no stabilisers, so the peanut oil rises to the top over time. This is normal. Stir the jar thoroughly before use, and store it upside down to slow the separation. Commercial peanut butter contains emulsifiers that keep it mixed.
How long does peanut butter last once opened?
About 3 to 6 months in a cool cupboard. Discard it if it smells rancid, tastes bitter, or shows mould. Do not refrigerate it — it turns hard and difficult to spread or measure.
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 Peanut Butter cups to grams page for cup conversions, the Peanut Butter grams to cups page for working backwards from grams, and the Peanut Butter tablespoons to grams page for spoon measures. You may also want Butter, Almond Flour.