The Basics of Weighing Ingredients
One of the most important things that I learned when I first started to gain my footing in the kitchen was the value of a kitchen scale. The ability to weigh ingredients and get precise measurements is incredibly valuable when baking, which comes down to a lot of science and chemical reactions. It was well over four years ago now when I first got on my soapbox about why I prefer weighing ingredients. Since then, I’ve included weight conversions in a number of recipes, but given the sheer volume of comments and emails I’ve received about ingredient weights, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit the topic here.
The Problem
The most common misconception that I hear in emails and comments with regards to weighing is the overarching belief that 8 ounces = 1 cup… forever and ever, amen. No matter what. For all ingredients. Always.
This is simply not true.
For liquid ingredients like water and milk, yes, this is true. Butter is an anomaly of solid ingredients and it, too, weighs 8 ounces per cup. This is about where that line of thinking ends.

All other solid ingredients (and even ones you can pour like honey and molasses), have vastly different weights per 1 cup of volume.
Common Weight Measurements
These are the ounce measurements for 1 cup of some of the most common ingredients in your pantry:
All-Purpose Flour: 4.25 ounces
Bread Flour: 4.25 ounces
Butter: 8 ounces
Cheese: 4 ounces
Chocolate Chips: 6 ounces
Honey: 12 ounces
Maple Syrup: 11 ounces
Molasses: 12 ounces
Peanut Butter: 9.5 ounces
Sugar (Granulated): 7 ounces
Sugar (Light or Dark Brown): 7.5 ounces
Sugar (Powdered): 4 ounces
Vegetable Oil: 7 ounces
Whole Wheat Flour: 4 ounces
As you can see, if you tried to use the conversion of 8 ounces per 1 cup for every single ingredient, you would likely end up with some disasters in your kitchen. For a complete, comprehensive list, check out (and bookmark!) this Master Weight Chart by King Arthur Flour. This is my go-to source for converting ingredients to weight measurements. With the ounce measurements in hand, you can easily do a conversion to grams if that is your preferred unit of measurement.
My Scale Recommendation
I currently use the OXO Food Scale with Pull-Out Display, which has a 22-pound capacity. It measures in ounces and grams, as well as milliliters and cups for water. I previously used the Escali Pana Volume Measuring Scale for years; this is a great scale if you’re new to weighing ingredients. It comes with a chart of ingredients and accompanying codes, so you enter the code and it automatically adjusts the measuring to a volume readout, i.e. in cups and tablespoons. I replaced it because I was often maxing out the weight capacity on it; I have not yet had that issue with the OXO scale.
Bottom Line
I know that some people feel very strongly one way or the other about weighing your ingredients or using the traditional measuring cups. Sure, weighing seems more like science class when you could be using pretty measuring cups shaped like birds, but the truth is… it’s just more accurate. If you crave consistent results with your baked goods, and especially if you venture into pastries or breads, you’ll want to get in the habit of weighing ingredients.
I try to include weight measurements where possible, and will be striving to do so even more going forward, so keep an eye out!
Now, grab a scale, your favorite ingredients, and bake up something wonderful! :)
“The most common misconception that I hear in emails and comments with regards to weighing is the overarching belief that 8 ounces = 1 cup.” <— THIS. THANK YOU. I am going to start directing people to this post from my blog…I have a very popular pasta recipe where the ingredients list "8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)" and have gotten multiple emails from people telling me that I'm wrong, and that 8 ounces of pasta is equivalent to 1 cup. Uhh, no. You explained it much more patiently than I can :)
I never even thought about weighing ingredients for baking until I started making some of your cookie recipes (Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, specifically). These days, I am so anal about it that not only do I weigh the ingredients, but I also weigh the finished dough, divide it by the number of portions, and make sure each portion weighs the proper amount. It takes a little more time, but I take pride in going the extra mile in the kitchen. Thanks for all your tips, Michelle!
I have just bought a scale. I was tired of not being able to make certain recipes because I knew just putting in measurements in cups was not going to turn out the results I wanted. Thank you for this.
Thank you for this post! I just bought a scale in December in time for holiday cooking baking but, when I measured out 1 cup granulated sugar from a recipe I’ve made before and weighed it, the weight was off by a few ounces from the expected weight. In fact, it was off enough that I chickened out and went back to using the measuring cups for the recipes since I know that’s worked previously! In your experience, have you noticed that the weight of 1 cup of something like granulated sugar can change up to a few ounces from measurement to measurement?
Hi Neal, I’ve never experimented with sugar, but I did experiment with flour and the difference was astounding. I’ve also noticed similar differences with cocoa powder, brown sugar, etc.
Thank you for posting this! I, too, came to realize the importance of weighing instead of measuring. it was a little challenging at first, but now it’s second nature.
This truly makes a difference, especially with breads and cakes, where excess humidity can have adverse affects on the final product. Weighing ingredients is the way to go!
BTW, love your blog! It’s my go-to when I’m in need of inspiration, or just a darned good recipe!
Being Italian, my grandmother taught me how to bake and her “measuring” cup for everything was a broken old china teacup, lol. By some miracle EVERYTHING she made was amazing. Me? well, lets just say I have taken to using the metric system and weigh everything in grams. It helps with consistency and cost control of my ingredients. It was very hard at first as we are “a little of this and a little of that” kind of family. I have bookmarked your weight chart. Thank you!
In Canada we use the metric system of measurement, recipes with metric measurements clear up any confusion of weigh vs volume.
Once a recipe has been converted, weighing is the fastest, simplest way to bake, for sure.
I try to write/distribute recipes in which I’ve weighed ingredients (such as veggies and pasta) for savory dishes as well because Mother Nature never makes 2 peppers the same size. Weighing is certainly the great equalizer!
Thanks, I’ve never weighed but have wanted to. I need a scale. Thanks for your thoughts on them.
Great post! Weighing is a good idea for accuracy and consistency. I imagine each cup of flour I measure out is slightly different. My scale died before Christmas, and lucky me, there was a new one under the tree.
I think may recipe writers don’t always differentiate between ounces and fluid ounces. http://www.mathsisfun.com/measure/us-standard-volume.html
This is such a great post Michelle! And very useful for me as a Brit because we very rarely use cups anyway. Thanks!
After a life time of baking (I’m 54), I finally started using a scale last year – it has made baking so much easier and the results so much more consistent. Another benefit, when the recipe says divide dough into halves, thirds, or whatever, just switch to grams and it’s easy to do the math and get it right. Love your posts and recipes!
Flour, in particular, depends a great deal on your technique, and even somewhat on the brand. Cook’s Illustrated says one cup of all-purpose flour should weigh 5 ounces, and bread flour 5.2 ounces.
Such a great post! I always weigh my ingredients, especially in baked goods! I never thought to post the weight values in my recipes though. After this, it seems like a good thing to start! Thanks for being so informative!
Thanks for this! I always struggle with measurements, especially because I am in France and they use a weird system here. They don’t even have measuring cups here!
http://www.creamstop.com
In Italy (I’m Italian) we always weigh dry ingredients. I love when you, bloggers, give us indication of oz so I can make your lovely sweets more easily! Pinned!
This is so good. Thank you. I can send people here. Pinned to my How To board. As in, how to measure :)
” the overarching belief that 8 ounces = 1 cup… forever and ever, amen.” I have people write to me correcting me all the time when I say 6 oz/1 cup choc chips. They say it should be 8oz. No, not really. And also with w.w. flour vs. AP flour. 1 cup of each weighs different amounts so you cant always just sub 1:1 like people expect. Thank you!
I find it much easier weighing the ingredients. And less cleaning, as in many cases you can weigh and add the ingredients directly to the bowl you are using to make the dough. Yes, I’m lazy …..
Not lazy… resourceful. Or at least I think so!
Thank you for this! I bookmarked the chart.
I usually use my deciliter measuring cup because I want things to happen quickly. I use my kitchen scale mostly to weigh butter :)
Please share more kitchen stuff like this, it’s fascinating!