A cup of white chocolate chips is 170 g — the King Arthur Baking figure, measured spooned and levelled. Sweet chips made from cocoa butter, milk and sugar. It is used for cookies, blondies, bark and decorating. They are the sweetest chocolate on this page, made from cocoa butter, milk and sugar with no cocoa solids at all, and at 170 g per cup they weigh the same as dark chocolate chips, which makes the swap by weight simple, even though the flavour is completely different. This guide covers the weight of white chocolate chips 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.
White Chocolate Chips: weight and measurement table
The table below gives the weight of White Chocolate Chips in every measure you will use, from a teaspoon up to 2 cups, all derived from the King Arthur Baking figure of 170 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 | 3.5 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 10.6 g |
| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 42.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 56.7 g |
| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 85 g |
| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 127.5 g |
| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 170 g |
| 2 cups | 340 g |
| 100 g | 0.59 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 0.59 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 White Chocolate Chips?
Sweet chips made from cocoa butter, milk and sugar. White Chocolate Chips is used for cookies, blondies, bark and decorating. 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. White Chocolate Chips as sold is the form the weight on this page refers to: 170 g per cup, spooned and levelled, from King Arthur Baking. 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 White Chocolate Chips
Spoon the white chocolate chips 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 white chocolate chips on a kitchen scale instead: put the bowl on the scale, press tare, and add the white chocolate chips until the scale reads the weight you need.
How to store White Chocolate Chips
Cool, dry place, up to 1 year. That storage advice is worth following, because white chocolate chips goes stale faster than most cooks expect, and stale white chocolate chips 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 white chocolate chips is always better than a large amount of stale white chocolate chips, and the cost of replacing it is far less than the cost of a ruined bake.
What to use instead of White Chocolate Chips
If you run out of white chocolate chips, the closest swaps are Milk Chocolate Chips at 170 g per cup, Dark Chocolate Chips at 170 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: White Chocolate Chips in real recipes
1. A tray of white chocolate blondies
A tray of white chocolate blondies uses 12 tablespoons of white chocolate chips, about 127.5 g, folded into a butter and brown sugar batter. The chips melt slightly in the oven and give the blondies their creamy sweetness, and the weight is what decides whether they are rich or cloying: too many chips and the bars turn sickly sweet, too few and they taste of plain sponge. Fold the chips in at the end, so they stay in distinct pockets rather than melting into the batter, and do not over-bake them, because blondies continue to set as they cool.
2. White chocolate bark for gifts
A slab of white chocolate bark for gifts uses 16 tablespoons of white chocolate chips, about 170 g, melted gently and spread thin, then scattered with dried cranberries and pistachios. The bark should be smooth and glossy, and the weight is what decides the thickness: too much chocolate and the bark turns thick and heavy, too little and it cracks into thin shards. Melt the chips very gently, because white chocolate seizes faster than dark, and let the bark set at room temperature rather than in the fridge, which makes it dull.
3. White chocolate and cranberry cookies
A batch of white chocolate and cranberry cookies uses 10 tablespoons of white chocolate chips, about 106.2 g, folded into the dough with dried cranberries. The sweet white chocolate balances the tart cranberries, which is the whole point of the combination, and the weight matters: too many chips and the cookies turn sickly sweet, too few and the cranberries dominate. Fold the chips and cranberries in at the end, and chill the dough for thirty minutes before baking, so the cookies hold their shape.
Why the weight of White Chocolate Chips matters
White chocolate chips matter by weight because they are much sweeter than dark chocolate, and a small error changes a recipe's sweetness a lot. In a blondie, the white chocolate content decides whether the bars are rich and sweet or cloying, and the difference can be 30 g of chips. White chocolate also melts differently: it contains cocoa butter but no cocoa solids, so it melts faster and burns more easily than dark chocolate, and it does not hold its shape as well in the oven. The cup measure is unreliable because the chips are small and uniform, so they pack tightly, and a scooped cup can be 10 g heavier than a spooned and levelled one. Weighing the chips keeps the sweetness consistent, and it also matters because white chocolate chips vary in quality: cheap chips are mostly sugar and vegetable oil, while good ones are mostly cocoa butter, and the same weight gives a very different flavour.
The King Arthur Baking figure, and how it was measured
The King Arthur Baking figure for white chocolate chips is not disputed: 170 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, 170 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: King Arthur Baking 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 White Chocolate Chips
The most common mistake is melting white chocolate chips over too high a heat, which seizes them into a grainy, dull mass faster than dark chocolate. Melt them very gently, in short bursts in the microwave, stirring between each burst. The second mistake is using white chocolate chips in a ganache, where their stabilisers stop them melting smoothly; use chopped white chocolate bar for ganache. The third mistake is assuming white chocolate chips are interchangeable with dark chocolate chips in a recipe: they are far sweeter, so a cookie made with white chocolate needs less sugar elsewhere. Finally, do not store white chocolate chips in a warm place, because cocoa butter melts at body temperature and the chips will stick together into a solid lump.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 cup of white chocolate chips?
One cup of white chocolate chips weighs about 170 g, spooned and levelled, using the King Arthur Baking figure. That is for chips as sold, and the weight is the same as dark chocolate chips, because the chips are the same size and shape. The figure is approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters.
How many tablespoons is 100 grams of white chocolate chips?
100 grams of white chocolate chips is about 9.4 tablespoons, spooned and levelled, because one tablespoon weighs about 10.6 g. Nine level tablespoons is just under 100 g, so add a few more chips, or weigh them on a scale for accuracy.
Is white chocolate really chocolate?
It depends on the definition. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, milk and sugar, but no cocoa solids, so it has none of the brown colour or the bitter flavour of dark chocolate. Good white chocolate is mostly cocoa butter and tastes creamy and sweet, while cheap white chocolate is mostly sugar and vegetable oil. For baking, the difference matters, because the cocoa butter content decides how it melts.
Can I substitute dark chocolate chips for white chocolate chips?
Yes, by weight, because both weigh about 170 g per cup. The result will be very different, though: dark chocolate is far less sweet and much more bitter, so a cookie made with dark chocolate needs more sugar elsewhere, and the colour changes from pale to dark. The swap works best in recipes where the chocolate is a flavouring rather than the main sweetener.
Why does white chocolate seize when I melt it?
Because it contains milk solids and sugar, which burn and clump at a lower temperature than dark chocolate. Melt it very gently, in short bursts in the microwave or in a bowl over simmering water, and stir between each burst. A single drop of water can also seize it, so keep the bowl and the spoon completely dry.