1 Cup Butter in Millilitres
1 cup of butter is 236.6 ml and weighs 227 g (scooped, King Arthur Baking). Dairy butter, about 80% fat; one US stick is 113 g, half a cup or 8 tablespoons. All the figures on this page are approximate conversions based on the King Arthur Baking value, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
Fats are the trickiest ingredients to measure by volume, because a solid fat traps air, a liquid fat clings to the cup, and both change with temperature. The volume of one cup is fixed at 236.6 ml, but the weight in that cup depends on the fat and on how it was measured. This page gives you both numbers, plus the method behind the weight.
Why millilitres and grams are two different answers
Millilitres measure space and grams measure mass, and fats make the distinction unavoidable. A cup of any fat is 236.6 ml, but the weight of that cup ranges widely, and temperature moves it further: a solid fat softens, traps less air and packs more densely as it warms, while a liquid fat thins and pours more cleanly. Measuring a solid fat in a dry cup is also physically awkward, because it never fills the corners evenly. That is why the table below gives both numbers. The millilitre column is what you pour into a jug; the gram column is what you put on a scale. For pastry and cakes, where fat does structural work, the gram column is the one to trust.
Butter cups to millilitres conversion table
| Cups | Millilitres | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 59.1 ml | 56.8 g | 4 tbsp |
| 1/3 cup | 78.9 ml | 75.7 g | 5.3 tbsp |
| 1/2 cup | 118.3 ml | 113.5 g | 8 tbsp |
| 2/3 cup | 157.7 ml | 151.3 g | 10.7 tbsp |
| 3/4 cup | 177.4 ml | 170.2 g | 12 tbsp |
| 1 cup | 236.6 ml | 227 g | 16 tbsp |
| 2 cups | 473.2 ml | 454 g | 32 tbsp |
| 3 cups | 709.8 ml | 681 g | 48 tbsp |
| 4 cups | 946.4 ml | 908 g | 64 tbsp |
The table covers the amounts recipes actually ask for, from a quarter cup up to four cups. One tablespoon of butter is about 14.2 g and 14.8 ml, which is handy when a recipe calls for a spoonful rather than a cup: divide the cup weight by 16 and you have the tablespoon weight. Remember that the millilitre column never changes — 1 cup is always 236.6 ml — while the gram column depends on the King Arthur Baking density of 227 g per cup, measured scooped. If your recipe was written in grams, read the gram column; if it was written in cups or millilitres, read the millilitre column.
How much is 100 ml, 250 ml and 500 ml of butter?
| Millilitres | Cups | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 ml | 0.4 cups | 95.9 g |
| 250 ml | 1.1 cups | 239.9 g |
| 500 ml | 2.1 cups | 479.7 g |
Recipes written in metric units often call for round millilitre amounts rather than cups, so this table bridges the two. 250 ml of butter is just over a cup — 1.1 cups — and weighs 239.9 g, while 500 ml is 2.1 cups and 479.7 g. A standard measuring jug usually has both millilitre and cup markings, so you can pour to either scale, but the gram column is the one to use on a scale. Note that 100 ml is 0.4 of a cup, which is why metric recipes rarely line up neatly with cup measures.
Worked examples
Baking calling for 2 cups of butter
A baking recipe that calls for 2 cups of butter needs 473.2 ml, which weighs 454 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 473.2 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 454 g straight into the bowl. Because butter is used for baking, frying, sauces and spreading. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 454 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Frying calling for half a cup of butter
A frying recipe that calls for half a cup of butter needs 118.3 ml, which weighs 113.5 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 118.3 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 113.5 g straight into the bowl. Because butter is used for baking, frying, sauces and spreading. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 113.5 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Sauces calling for 3 cups of butter
A sauces recipe that calls for 3 cups of butter needs 709.8 ml, which weighs 681 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 709.8 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 681 g straight into the bowl. Because butter is used for baking, frying, sauces and spreading. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 681 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Scaling works the same way in both directions. Double the recipe and 3 cups becomes 1419.6 ml, or 1362 g. Halve it and you need 354.9 ml, or 340.5 g. When you scale, always scale by weight if the original recipe was written in grams, and by volume if it was written in cups — mixing the two mid-recipe is how scaling errors creep in. And remember that a US cup is 236.6 ml, while a metric cup is 250 ml: if you are following a recipe from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, one cup means 250 ml, which is 239.9 g of butter, not 227 g. Check which cup your recipe uses before you convert.
How the weight was measured
Scooped means the ingredient is firm enough to be pressed into the cup and levelled off, like a solid fat. It is pressed in to remove air pockets, then the top is levelled with a knife, so the cup is full without gaps.
The source for the 227 g figure is King Arthur Baking, and the confidence in the value is high. King Arthur Baking publishes a standard ingredient weight chart that recipe developers use as a reference, and this page follows it exactly rather than averaging across sources, because an average of two different measuring methods is a number that matches nobody's cup.
The figure is not disputed in the same way as the flour and sugar conversions: King Arthur Baking lists 227 g per cup, and other reliable sources cluster close to it. Small differences of a gram or two between sources are rounding, not disagreement.
Common mistakes with butter
- Measuring melted fat in a dry cup. Melted fat should be measured in a liquid jug or weighed, not scooped into a dry cup, because it clings and pours unevenly.
- Measuring a solid fat cold. Cold butter packs more densely than softened butter. Weigh it instead of relying on the cup, and the temperature stops mattering.
- Leaving fat in the measuring cup. Oil and melted butter cling to the cup, so what you measured is not what reached the bowl. Weighing in the mixing bowl avoids the loss entirely.
- Swapping fats by volume. Butter, oil and shortening do not weigh the same per cup, so swapping them by volume changes the fat ratio. Convert by weight, and the substitution behaves as expected.
Storage and handling
Refrigerate up to 3 months; freeze up to 6 months. Dairy butter, about 80% fat; one US stick is 113 g, half a cup or 8 tablespoons. Keeping butter stored properly also keeps its weight per cup stable: an ingredient that has absorbed moisture from the air weighs more per cup than a dry one, so a sealed container is not just about freshness, it is about measurement accuracy too. If a container has been open for months in a humid kitchen, the first thing to do before a precise bake is to weigh the ingredient rather than trusting the cup. butter is used for baking, frying, sauces and spreading. and it is worth keeping a note of the 227 g per cup figure on the container, so the conversion is always to hand.
Frequently asked questions
How many millilitres is 1 cup of butter?
1 cup of butter is 236.6 ml. That is the fixed volume of one US customary cup, and it is the same for every ingredient on this site: the cup does not change, only the weight inside it does. If your recipe is from a metric country, note that a metric cup is 250 ml, which is a different measure — check which cup the recipe means before converting.
How many grams is 1 cup of butter?
1 cup of butter weighs 227 g, measured scooped according to King Arthur Baking. That is the figure the conversion table on this page is built on, and it is the value to use when a recipe gives weights. All the gram figures here are approximate, so when a bake really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
Is 1 cup of butter always 236.6 ml?
Yes, as long as the recipe means a US customary cup. One US cup is 236.6 ml by definition, whatever is in it. The confusion comes from the metric cup, which is 250 ml, and from the old imperial cup. If a recipe does not say which cup it uses, a US recipe almost always means the 236.6 ml cup, while a recipe from Australia or New Zealand usually means the 250 ml metric cup.
How do I measure butter without a scale?
Scooped means the ingredient is firm enough to be pressed into the cup and levelled off, like a solid fat. It is pressed in to remove air pockets, then the top is levelled with a knife, so the cup is full without gaps. That gives the closest result to 227 g per cup, but it is still an estimate: the honest answer is that a scale is the only way to know the exact weight, and a basic digital kitchen scale costs less than a bag of good flour.
Does butter weigh the same as water?
No. One cup of butter weighs 227 g, which is lighter than water, which weighs 237 g per cup — 10 g lighter. That is why you cannot convert butter by assuming a millilitre weighs a gram: for water the shortcut works, but for butter it would be off by 10 g per cup, and the error grows with the size of the recipe.
Related conversions
Use the cups to millilitres converter or the millilitres to cups converter for instant answers, or the liquid volume converter for other units. For the weight of the same ingredient, see Butter in grams, 227 g of butter in cups, and butter by the tablespoon. Browse the units hub or the cups to grams hub for the full ingredient list. Other pages in this series: Vegetable Oil in millilitres, Olive Oil in millilitres. More tools: cups to grams converter and weight converter. See also our disclaimer about approximate conversions.