1 Cup Vegetable Oil in Millilitres
1 cup of vegetable oil is 236.6 ml and weighs 218 g (poured, USDA). Neutral-flavoured oil, usually a soybean or canola blend. 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.
One cup of fat is always 236.6 ml, but the weight of that cup varies from fat to fat, and temperature changes everything. Cold butter packs differently from softened butter, and a melted fat measures differently again. The table below lists millilitres and grams side by side, so you can use whichever your recipe asks for.
Why millilitres and grams are two different answers
Volume and weight are different questions, and fats prove it. One US cup is 236.6 ml of space, and every fat fills that space — but what the space weighs depends on the fat's density and on whether it is solid or liquid when you measure it. Butter and margarine sit at one end of the range, shortening at the other, and the gap is more than 40 g per cup. A recipe that swaps fats by volume alone is quietly changing its fat ratio. Use the millilitre column for a jug and the gram column for a scale, and when you substitute one fat for another, convert by weight.
Vegetable Oil cups to millilitres conversion table
| Cups | Millilitres | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 59.1 ml | 54.5 g | 4 tbsp |
| 1/3 cup | 78.9 ml | 72.7 g | 5.3 tbsp |
| 1/2 cup | 118.3 ml | 109 g | 8 tbsp |
| 2/3 cup | 157.7 ml | 145.3 g | 10.7 tbsp |
| 3/4 cup | 177.4 ml | 163.5 g | 12 tbsp |
| 1 cup | 236.6 ml | 218 g | 16 tbsp |
| 2 cups | 473.2 ml | 436 g | 32 tbsp |
| 3 cups | 709.8 ml | 654 g | 48 tbsp |
| 4 cups | 946.4 ml | 872 g | 64 tbsp |
The table covers the amounts recipes actually ask for, from a quarter cup up to four cups. One tablespoon of vegetable oil is about 13.6 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 218 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 vegetable oil?
| Millilitres | Cups | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 ml | 0.4 cups | 92.1 g |
| 250 ml | 1.1 cups | 230.3 g |
| 500 ml | 2.1 cups | 460.7 g |
Recipes written in metric units often call for round millilitre amounts rather than cups, so this table bridges the two. 250 ml of vegetable oil is just over a cup — 1.1 cups — and weighs 230.3 g, while 500 ml is 2.1 cups and 460.7 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
Frying calling for 2 cups of vegetable oil
A frying recipe that calls for 2 cups of vegetable oil needs 473.2 ml, which weighs 436 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 473.2 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 436 g straight into the bowl. Because vegetable oil is used for frying, baking, dressings and mayonnaise. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 436 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 vegetable oil
A baking recipe that calls for half a cup of vegetable oil needs 118.3 ml, which weighs 109 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 118.3 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 109 g straight into the bowl. Because vegetable oil is used for frying, baking, dressings and mayonnaise. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 109 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Dressings calling for 3 cups of vegetable oil
A dressings recipe that calls for 3 cups of vegetable oil needs 709.8 ml, which weighs 654 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 709.8 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 654 g straight into the bowl. Because vegetable oil is used for frying, baking, dressings and mayonnaise. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 654 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 1308 g. Halve it and you need 354.9 ml, or 327 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 230.3 g of vegetable oil, not 218 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 218 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 density (0.92 g/ml) gives 218 g per cup. The King Arthur chart lists 198 g for vegetable oil, which appears to be an error carried from a smaller measure; we use the USDA density value. This page follows the USDA value of 218 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 vegetable oil
- 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
Cool, dark cupboard; use within 6 months of opening. Neutral-flavoured oil, usually a soybean or canola blend. Keeping vegetable oil 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. vegetable oil is used for frying, baking, dressings and mayonnaise. and it is worth keeping a note of the 218 g per cup figure on the container, so the conversion is always to hand.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 cup of vegetable oil?
1 cup of vegetable oil weighs 218 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.
Is 1 cup of vegetable oil 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 vegetable oil 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 218 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 vegetable oil weigh the same as water?
No. One cup of vegetable oil weighs 218 g, which is lighter than water, which weighs 237 g per cup — 19 g lighter. That is why you cannot convert vegetable oil by assuming a millilitre weighs a gram: for water the shortcut works, but for vegetable oil it would be off by 19 g per cup, and the error grows with the size of the recipe.
How many cups is 250 ml of vegetable oil?
250 ml of vegetable oil is 1.1 cups, and it weighs 230.3 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 vegetable oil on 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 Vegetable Oil in grams, 218 g of vegetable oil in cups, and vegetable oil by the tablespoon. Browse the units hub or the cups to grams hub for the full ingredient list. Other pages in this series: Butter in millilitres, Olive Oil in millilitres. More tools: cups to grams converter and weight converter. See also our disclaimer about approximate conversions.