The short answer: 1 cup of walnuts weighs 113 g (spooned and levelled, King Arthur Baking). This guide covers the weight in every measure, how chopping and toasting change it, how to store nuts so they do not go rancid, and what to use instead. Chopped walnut pieces with a rich, slightly bitter flavour. It is used for brownies, salads, pesto and banana bread. This guide covers the weight of walnuts 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.

Walnuts: weight and measurement table

The table below gives the weight of Walnuts in every measure you will use, from a teaspoon up to 2 cups, all derived from the King Arthur Baking figure of 113 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 | 2.4 g |

| 1 tablespoon | 7.1 g |

| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 28.2 g |

| 1/3 cup | 37.7 g |

| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 56.5 g |

| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 84.8 g |

| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 113 g |

| 2 cups | 226 g |

| 100 g | 0.9 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 0.9 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 Walnuts?

Chopped walnut pieces with a rich, slightly bitter flavour. It is used for brownies, salads, pesto and banana bread. Nuts bring fat, crunch and flavour, and walnuts are used for brownies, salads, pesto and banana bread. The weight per cup depends on whether the nuts are whole, chopped or ground: chopping lets the pieces settle together, so a cup of chopped nuts weighs more than a cup of whole ones. The King Arthur Baking figure of 113 g per cup assumes the nuts as described in the data — chopped walnut pieces with a rich, slightly bitter flavour — measured spooned and levelled. If you chop them first, weigh them after chopping, or weigh a little extra and accept the difference.

How to measure Walnuts 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 nuts, decide whether the recipe wants them whole or chopped before you measure, because chopping changes the weight per cup. The King Arthur Baking figure used on this page is 113 g per cup, and confidence in this figure is high. Weighing nuts is worth doing whenever the amount decides the texture — a cake, a pesto, a granola — because a cup measure can be off by a fifth either way depending on how the pieces settle.

Method and source

All the figures on this page are derived from a single sourced number: 113 g per cup of walnuts, spooned and levelled, from King Arthur Baking. Confidence in that figure is high. 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. 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

Baking with walnuts

A banana bread or a batch of brownies that calls for 1 1/2 cups of walnuts needs 169.5 g. Chop the nuts before you weigh them if the recipe wants them chopped, because a cup of chopped nuts weighs more than a cup of whole ones. Toasting them first in a dry pan for a few minutes deepens the flavour, but let them cool before they go into the batter, or they will melt the butter.

A salad or a pesto

A salad for four that calls for 2 cups of walnuts needs 226 g, toasted and scattered over the top just before serving so they stay crisp. For a pesto, the same weight goes into the food processor with the other ingredients, and the nuts should be weighed after toasting, since toasting drives off a little moisture.

Scaling a batch of granola

Doubling a granola recipe that calls for 2 1/2 cups of walnuts means using 565 g; halving it means 141.2 g. Weigh the nuts rather than counting cups, because the pieces settle differently every time you pour them, and a scale is the only measure that stays the same from batch to batch.

What to use instead

The substitution database on this site lists no direct substitution pair for walnuts, so this page does not invent one. In practice, cooks swap walnuts for a similar ingredient by weight — the same weight, not the same volume — and accept that the flavour and texture will change. For flours and sugars, the flour substitute converter and sugar substitute converter will walk you through the options that do exist in the data. Whatever you swap in, weigh it, and expect the result to be different from the original: a substitution is a rescue, not a replica.

Storage and common mistakes

Storage. Refrigerate or freeze; walnut oils turn rancid quickly.

The most common mistake with walnuts is measuring them before chopping when the recipe wants them chopped. Chopped nuts pack more tightly, so a cup of chopped nuts weighs more than a cup of whole ones — weigh them after chopping. The second mistake is storing nuts at room temperature for months: the oils go rancid, so refrigerate or freeze them. The third mistake is burning them while toasting: nuts go from toasted to burnt in seconds, so watch the pan and shake it constantly.

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 walnuts 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 walnuts?

One cup of walnuts weighs approximately 113 g, measured spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. That is the figure every other number on this page is derived from: a tablespoon is 7.1 g, a teaspoon is 2.4 g, and 2 cups are 226 g. All figures are approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters.

How do I measure walnuts 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 walnuts?

The substitution database on this site lists no direct substitution pair for walnuts, 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 walnuts?

Refrigerate or freeze; walnut oils turn rancid quickly. 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.

Should I toast walnuts before using them?

Toasting deepens the flavour of walnuts noticeably, and it is worth doing for baking, salads and pesto. Toast them in a dry pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan constantly, and take them off the heat just before they look done — they keep cooking in their own heat. Let them cool before they go into a batter, or they will melt the butter, and weigh them after toasting if the recipe is precise.

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