1 Cup Vegetable Shortening in Millilitres
1 cup of vegetable shortening is 236.6 ml and weighs 184 g (scooped, King Arthur Baking). Solid white fat made from hydrogenated vegetable oil. 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.
Cooking fats look interchangeable in a measuring cup, but they are not: a cup of one fat can weigh over 40 g more than a cup of another. Volume is constant at 236.6 ml per US cup, while weight follows density. This page gives you both figures, measured the way the source specifies, so a swap between fats does not quietly change your recipe.
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 Shortening cups to millilitres conversion table
| Cups | Millilitres | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 59.1 ml | 46 g | 4 tbsp |
| 1/3 cup | 78.9 ml | 61.3 g | 5.3 tbsp |
| 1/2 cup | 118.3 ml | 92 g | 8 tbsp |
| 2/3 cup | 157.7 ml | 122.7 g | 10.7 tbsp |
| 3/4 cup | 177.4 ml | 138 g | 12 tbsp |
| 1 cup | 236.6 ml | 184 g | 16 tbsp |
| 2 cups | 473.2 ml | 368 g | 32 tbsp |
| 3 cups | 709.8 ml | 552 g | 48 tbsp |
| 4 cups | 946.4 ml | 736 g | 64 tbsp |
The table covers the amounts recipes actually ask for, from a quarter cup up to four cups. One tablespoon of vegetable shortening is about 11.5 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 184 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 vegetable shortening?
| Millilitres | Cups | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 ml | 0.4 cups | 77.8 g |
| 250 ml | 1.1 cups | 194.4 g |
| 500 ml | 2.1 cups | 388.8 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 shortening is just over a cup — 1.1 cups — and weighs 194.4 g, while 500 ml is 2.1 cups and 388.8 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
Flaky pie crusts calling for 2 cups of vegetable shortening
A flaky pie crusts recipe that calls for 2 cups of vegetable shortening needs 473.2 ml, which weighs 368 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 473.2 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 368 g straight into the bowl. Because vegetable shortening is used for flaky pie crusts, frying and frosting. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 368 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 vegetable shortening
A frying recipe that calls for half a cup of vegetable shortening needs 118.3 ml, which weighs 92 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 118.3 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 92 g straight into the bowl. Because vegetable shortening is used for flaky pie crusts, frying and frosting. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 92 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Frosting calling for 3 cups of vegetable shortening
A frosting recipe that calls for 3 cups of vegetable shortening needs 709.8 ml, which weighs 552 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 709.8 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 552 g straight into the bowl. Because vegetable shortening is used for flaky pie crusts, frying and frosting. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 552 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 1104 g. Halve it and you need 354.9 ml, or 276 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 194.4 g of vegetable shortening, not 184 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 184 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 184 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 vegetable shortening
- 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, dry cupboard, up to 1 year after opening. Solid white fat made from hydrogenated vegetable oil. Keeping vegetable shortening 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 shortening is used for flaky pie crusts, frying and frosting. and it is worth keeping a note of the 184 g per cup figure on the container, so the conversion is always to hand.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups is 250 ml of vegetable shortening?
250 ml of vegetable shortening is 1.1 cups, and it weighs 194.4 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 shortening on a kitchen scale.
How many millilitres is 1 cup of vegetable shortening?
1 cup of vegetable shortening 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 vegetable shortening?
1 cup of vegetable shortening weighs 184 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 vegetable shortening 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 shortening 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 184 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.
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 Shortening in grams, 184 g of vegetable shortening in cups, and vegetable shortening 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, Vegetable Oil in millilitres. More tools: cups to grams converter and weight converter. See also our disclaimer about approximate conversions.