1 Cup Sour Cream in Millilitres
1 cup of sour cream is 236.6 ml and weighs 230 g (poured, USDA). Cultured cream with a tangy flavour and thick texture. All the figures on this page are approximate conversions based on the USDA value, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
Dairy ingredients sit in a narrow weight range — most land within a few grams of water — but the differences still matter in baking, where a few grams of liquid change a batter. One cup is always 236.6 ml, while the weight depends on fat content and whether the dairy is poured or spooned. This page gives you both numbers for every amount you are likely to need.
Why millilitres and grams are two different answers
Volume and weight answer different questions, and dairy shows why both are needed. One US cup is 236.6 ml of space, and every dairy ingredient fills it — but the weight of that space runs from around 100 g to around 246 g. The difference is water, fat and trapped air. A cup of milk is nearly all water, so it weighs almost the same as water; a cup of grated cheese is mostly air, so it weighs far less. The table below lists both figures, and the gram column is the one to trust when a recipe is precise.
Sour Cream cups to millilitres conversion table
| Cups | Millilitres | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 59.1 ml | 57.5 g | 4 tbsp |
| 1/3 cup | 78.9 ml | 76.7 g | 5.3 tbsp |
| 1/2 cup | 118.3 ml | 115 g | 8 tbsp |
| 2/3 cup | 157.7 ml | 153.3 g | 10.7 tbsp |
| 3/4 cup | 177.4 ml | 172.5 g | 12 tbsp |
| 1 cup | 236.6 ml | 230 g | 16 tbsp |
| 2 cups | 473.2 ml | 460 g | 32 tbsp |
| 3 cups | 709.8 ml | 690 g | 48 tbsp |
| 4 cups | 946.4 ml | 920 g | 64 tbsp |
The table covers the amounts recipes actually ask for, from a quarter cup up to four cups. One tablespoon of sour cream is about 14.4 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 USDA density of 230 g per cup, measured poured. 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 sour cream?
| Millilitres | Cups | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 ml | 0.4 cups | 97.2 g |
| 250 ml | 1.1 cups | 243 g |
| 500 ml | 2.1 cups | 486.1 g |
Recipes written in metric units often call for round millilitre amounts rather than cups, so this table bridges the two. 250 ml of sour cream is just over a cup — 1.1 cups — and weighs 243 g, while 500 ml is 2.1 cups and 486.1 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
Dips calling for 2 cups of sour cream
A dips recipe that calls for 2 cups of sour cream needs 473.2 ml, which weighs 460 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 473.2 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 460 g straight into the bowl. Because sour cream is used for dips, baking, tacos and stroganoff. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 460 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Baking calling for half a cup of sour cream
A baking recipe that calls for half a cup of sour cream needs 118.3 ml, which weighs 115 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 118.3 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 115 g straight into the bowl. Because sour cream is used for dips, baking, tacos and stroganoff. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 115 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Tacos calling for 3 cups of sour cream
A tacos recipe that calls for 3 cups of sour cream needs 709.8 ml, which weighs 690 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 709.8 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 690 g straight into the bowl. Because sour cream is used for dips, baking, tacos and stroganoff. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 690 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 1380 g. Halve it and you need 354.9 ml, or 345 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 243 g of sour cream, not 230 g. Check which cup your recipe uses before you convert.
How the weight was measured
Poured means the ingredient is poured into a liquid measuring jug and read at eye level at the meniscus, or weighed straight into the bowl on a scale. Liquids settle flat, so a poured cup is far more repeatable than a cup of any dry ingredient.
The source for the 230 g figure is USDA, and the confidence in the value is high. USDA 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.
There is a dispute worth knowing about. USDA lists sour cream at about 230 g per cup; King Arthur rounds it to 227 g. This page follows the USDA value of 230 g per cup, measured poured, rather than averaging across sources, because an average of two different measuring methods is a number that matches nobody's cup.
Common mistakes with sour cream
- Measuring a thick dairy in a liquid jug. Thick cultured dairy clings to a jug and the reading is unreliable. Spoon it into a dry cup and level it, or weigh it straight into the bowl.
- Packing grated cheese down. Grated cheese should be spooned lightly and levelled. Pressing it down packs far more cheese into the cup than the recipe expects.
- Reading a liquid jug from above. A jug read from above looks fuller than it is. Read the meniscus at eye level on a flat surface.
- Using a cup for a small amount. A tablespoon or two of dairy is better weighed than measured in a cup: a small error in a cup is a large error in a spoonful.
Storage and handling
Refrigerate; use within 2 weeks of opening. Cultured cream with a tangy flavour and thick texture. Keeping sour cream 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. sour cream is used for dips, baking, tacos and stroganoff. and it is worth keeping a note of the 230 g per cup figure on the container, so the conversion is always to hand.
Frequently asked questions
How do I measure sour cream without a scale?
Poured means the ingredient is poured into a liquid measuring jug and read at eye level at the meniscus, or weighed straight into the bowl on a scale. Liquids settle flat, so a poured cup is far more repeatable than a cup of any dry ingredient. That gives the closest result to 230 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 sour cream weigh the same as water?
No. One cup of sour cream weighs 230 g, which is lighter than water, which weighs 237 g per cup — 7 g lighter. That is why you cannot convert sour cream by assuming a millilitre weighs a gram: for water the shortcut works, but for sour cream it would be off by 7 g per cup, and the error grows with the size of the recipe.
How many cups is 250 ml of sour cream?
250 ml of sour cream is 1.1 cups, and it weighs 243 g. The table above lists 100 ml, 250 ml and 500 ml alongside their cup equivalents, so a recipe written in millilitres converts in one step. For anything more precise, weigh the sour cream on a kitchen scale.
How many millilitres is 1 cup of sour cream?
1 cup of sour cream 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 sour cream?
1 cup of sour cream weighs 230 g, measured poured according to USDA. 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.
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 Sour Cream in grams, 230 g of sour cream in cups, and sour cream by the tablespoon. Browse the units hub or the cups to grams hub for the full ingredient list. Other pages in this series: Milk in millilitres, Buttermilk in millilitres. More tools: cups to grams converter and weight converter. See also our disclaimer about approximate conversions.