Here is the number first: 1 cup of butter = 2 sticks of butter. It never changes for US butter, because the stick itself is the standard. What changes is the recipe in front of you: one asks for sticks, the next for grams, the next for tablespoons, and a European recipe asks for a 250 g block that matches none of them. Below is the full table, three worked examples, and how to handle each of those cases without a scale.

1 Cup in Sticks of Butter conversion table

Cup Of Butter Sticks Of Butter
0.5 cups of butter 1 sticks of butter
1 cup of butter 2 sticks of butter
1.5 cups of butter 3 sticks of butter
2 cups of butter 4 sticks of butter
3 cups of butter 6 sticks of butter
4 cups of butter 8 sticks of butter
6 cups of butter 12 sticks of butter
8 cups of butter 16 sticks of butter

Quick reference:

  • 0.5 cups of butter = 1 sticks of butter
  • 1.5 cups of butter = 3 sticks of butter
  • 3 cups of butter = 6 sticks of butter
  • 6 cups of butter = 12 sticks of butter

How to convert cup of butters to sticks of butters

The stick is the unit, and the conversion is just counting. One stick is 8 tablespoons, half a cup, 4 ounces and 113 g; two sticks are a cup and 227 g; four sticks are a pound and 454 g. The only method question is solid versus melted. All of these figures assume solid butter measured cold, cut from the block. If a recipe says 'melted butter, measured', melt it first and then measure the liquid — but if it says a quantity of butter and then 'melted', measure it solid and melt it afterwards, because the two orders give different amounts. A kitchen scale removes the question entirely: 113 g is a stick, 227 g is a cup, 454 g is a pound, whatever the temperature.

Why this conversion comes up

You will meet this conversion every time a recipe is scaled. Halving a cake that needs two sticks leaves you with one stick; doubling a cookie recipe that needs half a stick leaves you with a whole one; and a pastry recipe that needs a pound of butter is really asking for four sticks. The conversion is fixed, so scaling is just counting sticks — but only if you know the starting point, which is one stick equals half a cup, 8 tablespoons and 113 g.

Worked examples

Doubling a shortbread batch

A shortbread recipe calls for 2 cup of butter of butter and you are doubling it for gifts: 4 cup of butter, or 8 sticks of butter. Shortbread is mostly butter, sugar and flour, so the butter amount decides the texture — too little and it is dry and crumbly, too much and it spreads. Weigh it, do not estimate it.

Butter for a roux

A roux for a cheese sauce starts with 1 cup of butter of butter, melted with an equal amount of flour. 1 cup of butter is 2 sticks of butter. The butter and flour should be equal by weight, not by volume — and since butter is 227 g per cup and flour is 120 g per cup, equal volumes are not equal weights. Weigh both if you want a roux that thickens properly.

A pound of butter for laminated dough

A croissant dough recipe calls for 2 cup of butter of butter for the lamination. 2 cup of butter is 4 sticks of butter. Keep the butter block cold and pliable, not hard and brittle — if it cracks when you fold the dough, the layers break and the butter leaks out in the oven. This is the recipe where weighing beats measuring by a wide margin.

Practical guidance

The conversion also matters when you cook from two traditions at once. An American recipe, a British cookbook and a metric scale can describe the same dish in three different units, and the dish only works if all three agree. The fixed factor on this page is the bridge between them — but remember to check which pint, quart or gallon the recipe means, because the imperial versions are about 20% larger than the American ones.

Common mistakes to avoid

  1. Swapping salted and unsalted butter without adjusting the salt. Swapping salted and unsalted butter without adjusting the salt. The weight is identical, but salted butter adds about a quarter-teaspoon of salt per stick. If the recipe was written for unsalted butter, reduce the added salt.
  2. Measuring melted butter by volume as if it were solid. Measuring melted butter by volume as if it were solid. Melted butter loses water and takes up less volume, so a cup measured after melting is less butter than the recipe expects. Measure solid, then melt.
  3. Using whipped butter in a recipe written for regular butter. Using whipped butter in a recipe written for regular butter. Whipped butter is aerated, so a cup of it weighs far less than a cup of regular butter. Weigh whipped butter, or do not substitute it in baking.
  4. Confusing a European 250 g block with a US stick. Confusing a European 250 g block with a US stick. A stick is 113 g; a European block is 250 g, about 2.2 sticks. Cutting a European block 'in half' does not give you a stick.

Frequently asked questions

How do I measure half a stick of butter?

Cut the stick in half along the wrapper markings — half a stick is 4 tablespoons, a quarter-cup and about 57 g. The wrapper of a standard stick is printed with tablespoon lines, so you can cut exactly 1, 2, 4 or 8 tablespoons without a measuring tool.

Does whipped butter convert the same way?

No. Whipped butter is aerated, so a cup of whipped butter weighs far less than a cup of regular butter. Never substitute whipped butter by volume in baking. Weigh it if you must use it, and expect a different texture.

How many grams is 1 stick of butter?

One US stick of butter is 113 g (113.5 g precisely, rounded to 113 g on the wrapper). It is also half a cup, 8 tablespoons and 4 ounces. A whole pound of butter is four sticks, or 454 g.

Is a stick of butter the same as half a cup?

Yes. A standard US stick of butter is exactly half a cup, which is 8 tablespoons, 4 ounces and 113 g. The wrapper is usually printed with tablespoon markings, so you can cut the amount you need without a measuring cup.

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?

Yes, but adjust the salt. Salted butter contains roughly a quarter-teaspoon of salt per stick, so reduce the salt in the recipe by that amount for each stick you use. The weight and the conversion are identical — only the salt changes.

Related links