One cup of yogurt weighs 245 g, spooned and levelled, according to the USDA. Plain whole-milk yogurt is thick, tangy and versatile — it thins a sauce, tenderises a marinade, lightens a cake and stands in for sour cream, all from the same tub. The cup weight of 245 g is the number you need when a recipe is written in grams, when you are swapping yogurt for another dairy ingredient, or when you are tracking protein and calories. All weights on this page are approximate; Greek yogurt is thicker and slightly denser, so verify with a scale when precision matters.
Yogurt: weight and measurement table
The table below gives the weight of yogurt in every measure you will use, from a teaspoon up to 2 cups, all derived from the USDA figure of 245 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 | 5.1 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 15.3 g |
| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 61.2 g |
| 1/3 cup | 81.7 g |
| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 122.5 g |
| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 183.8 g |
| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 245 g |
| 2 cups | 490 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 Yogurt?
Yogurt is plain whole-milk yogurt, thick and tangy. Milk is heated, cooled, and inoculated with live cultures — Lactobacillus and Streptococcus — which ferment the lactose into lactic acid, thickening the milk and giving it its tang. It is used for baking, marinades, dressings and breakfast bowls, and it brings three things to a dish: moisture, acidity and tenderness. The moisture keeps cakes soft, the acidity activates baking soda, and the fat and protein tenderise the crumb. It should be refrigerated and used within 1 week of opening. A little whey on the surface is normal — stir it back in.
How to measure Yogurt correctly
Yogurt is measured spooned and levelled, 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 USDA figure used on this page is 245 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
A yogurt cake for a weeknight
A yogurt cake uses 1 cup of yogurt — 245 g — with 2 cups of flour, 3 eggs and a cup of sugar. The weight matters because the yogurt is the cake's moisture and tenderness: 245 g of yogurt against 240 g of flour gives a cake that stays moist for days, while a cup too little gives a dry crumb. Weighing the yogurt keeps the ratio exact, and it also lets you scale the recipe — a half batch needs 122 g, and a double batch needs 490 g. The yogurt's acidity reacts with the baking soda in the recipe to give lift, and the cake is baked for 40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
A tandoori marinade
A marinade for four chicken breasts uses 1 cup of yogurt — 245 g — whisked with lemon juice, garlic, ginger and spices. The weight is useful because the marinade needs to coat the chicken evenly: 245 g is enough to cover four breasts in a thin, even layer, while a cup too much makes the coating slide off in the pan. The yogurt's lactic acid tenderises the chicken gently over a few hours, which is why yogurt marinades are the standard for tandoori cooking — the acid is mild enough not to toughen the meat, unlike vinegar or lemon juice alone. The chicken is marinated for at least 4 hours, then grilled until charred at the edges.
A raita for a curry night
A raita for six uses 2 cups of yogurt — 490 g — whisked with grated cucumber, mint and salt. The weight matters because the raita's thickness depends on it: 490 g of yogurt gives a raita that is thick enough to spoon, while a cup too much makes it soupy. Weighing the yogurt also tells you how much to buy — 490 g is two standard 200 g tubs plus a little, or one 500 g tub. The cucumber is grated and squeezed dry before it goes in, because its water would thin the raita, and the raita is chilled for 30 minutes before serving so the flavours meld.
Strained versus plain yogurt
The difference between plain yogurt and Greek yogurt is whey, and it changes everything. Plain yogurt is the fermented milk as it comes — about 245 g per cup, with all its whey intact, giving a pourable consistency. Greek yogurt is the same yogurt strained through cloth to remove the whey, leaving a thicker, denser product at about 270 g per cup, with twice the protein and half the lactose. That straining is why Greek yogurt is thicker, tangier and richer, and why it behaves differently in cooking: it brings less water to a batter, so a cake made with Greek yogurt in place of plain yogurt can come out dry; and it is denser, so a tablespoon weighs more. The practical rule is to use the yogurt your recipe specifies, and if you must swap, adjust: thin Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of water or milk per 100 g to match plain yogurt's consistency, and weigh it rather than measuring by volume. For marinades and dips, Greek yogurt's thickness is an advantage — it clings to meat and holds its shape on a spoon. For baking, plain yogurt's extra water is usually what the recipe expects.
What to use instead
If you run out of yogurt, 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.
- Yogurt to Sour cream: 1:1. Do not swap a hard aged cheese for a soft fresh one in a sauce — it will not melt the same way.
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
Refrigerate; use within 1 week of opening. That is the headline, but the details matter. Store yogurt 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 yogurt?
One cup of plain whole-milk yogurt weighs 245 g, spooned and levelled, according to the USDA. One tablespoon weighs 15.3 g. Greek yogurt is denser at about 270 g per cup, because the whey has been strained out.
How many tablespoons of yogurt are in 100 g?
There are about 6.5 tablespoons in 100 g of plain yogurt (100 divided by 15.3 is 6.5). A standard 200 g tub holds about 13 tablespoons, and a 500 g tub holds about 33 tablespoons.
Can I use yogurt instead of sour cream?
Yes, 1:1 by weight in most cases. Plain yogurt weighs 15.3 g per tablespoon against sour cream's 14.4 g, so the weights are close. Yogurt is tangier and leaner, which suits baking, dips and toppings, but it curdles more easily in hot sauces, so add it off the heat.
Can I use Greek yogurt instead of plain yogurt?
Yes, but adjust for thickness. Greek yogurt is strained, so it is denser and brings less water. For baking, thin it with about 1 tablespoon of water or milk per 100 g to match plain yogurt's consistency, and weigh it rather than measuring by volume.
How long does yogurt last once opened?
About 1 week in the fridge, sealed tightly. A little whey on the surface is normal — stir it back in. Discard the yogurt if it smells sharply sour, tastes bitter, or shows mould.
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 Yogurt cups to grams page for cup conversions, the Yogurt grams to cups page for working backwards from grams, and the Yogurt tablespoons to grams page for spoon measures. You may also want Sour Cream, Buttermilk.