Honey Conversion Chart: Cups to Grams, Ounces, and Honey to Sugar
A honey conversion chart saves a lot of guesswork, because honey is much heavier than water and recipes switch between cups, grams and ounces freely. This page gives the numbers in one place: weight per cup and spoon, how many cups are in a jar, fluid ounces versus weight ounces, and how to swap honey and sugar.
How much does a cup of honey weigh?
Honey is roughly 1.4 times as dense as water. The USDA's FoodData Central lists one cup of honey at 339 grams and one tablespoon at 21 grams, so most cooks round to 340 grams a cup. That is about 12 ounces by weight, even though a cup is 8 fluid ounces by volume.
This is the most common source of mistakes. A honey jar labeled 16 oz means 16 ounces of weight, not 16 fluid ounces. It holds about 1 1/3 cups, not 2 cups.
| Volume | Grams | Ounces (weight) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 7 g | 0.25 oz |
| 1 tablespoon | 21 g | 0.75 oz |
| 1/4 cup | 85 g | 3 oz |
| 1/3 cup | 113 g | 4 oz |
| 1/2 cup | 170 g | 6 oz |
| 2/3 cup | 226 g | 8 oz |
| 3/4 cup | 255 g | 9 oz |
| 1 cup | 340 g | 12 oz |
How many cups or tablespoons are in a jar?
Because jars are sold by weight, divide the weight by 12 ounces to get cups, or by 0.75 ounces to get tablespoons. A 3 oz sampler jar holds 4 tablespoons, which is enough for a tasting or a batch of salad dressing.
| Jar size (weight) | Cups | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|
| 3 oz | about 1/4 cup | 4 |
| 12 oz | 1 cup | 16 |
| 16 oz (1 lb) | about 1 1/3 cups | 21 |
| 2 lb | about 2 2/3 cups | 42 |
| 5 lb | about 6 2/3 cups | 107 |
Honey to sugar conversion
Honey is sweeter than table sugar and contains water, so you cannot swap cup for cup without changing the recipe. The common kitchen rule, also used by many extension services and the honey industry, is below. It works for most cakes, quick breads and cookies.
- Use 3/4 cup honey for each 1 cup sugar (some bakers use as little as 1/2 cup)
- Reduce other liquids by about 1/4 cup per cup of honey
- Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of honey to balance its acidity, unless the recipe already has plenty
- Lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit, because honey browns faster
Sugar to honey and other swaps at a glance
Going the other way, use about 1 1/4 cups of sugar plus 1/4 cup of liquid to replace a cup of honey. Maple syrup and agave swap for honey one to one. Our substitute for honey guide lists more options, and baking with honey covers texture and browning.
| Recipe calls for | Use instead | Adjust |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup sugar | 3/4 cup honey | -1/4 cup liquid, oven -25°F |
| 1 cup honey | 1 1/4 cups sugar | +1/4 cup liquid |
| 1 cup honey | 1 cup maple syrup | None |
| 1 cup corn syrup | 1 cup honey | Expect more flavor and browning |
Tips for measuring honey cleanly
Lightly oil the measuring cup or spoon, or measure the oil in a recipe first and then the honey in the same cup, and it will slide right out. Weighing is even easier: put the bowl on a scale, zero it, and pour. If your honey has crystallized, warm the jar in a bowl of warm water first so you measure an accurate amount.
Honey in metric and imperial recipes
European and many Middle Eastern recipes list honey in grams, while American recipes list it in cups and spoons. If you convert by volume using the water rule, where a cup is about 240 grams, you will use far too little honey. Always convert honey at about 340 grams per cup, or 21 grams per tablespoon.
Milliliters work the other way. A cup is about 240 milliliters by volume regardless of what fills it, so 240 ml of honey is still one cup, and it weighs about 340 grams. If a recipe gives honey in milliliters, measure it with a liquid measuring cup; if it gives grams, use a scale.
| Grams of honey | Approximate volume |
|---|---|
| 50 g | 2 1/3 tablespoons |
| 100 g | 4 3/4 tablespoons (just under 1/3 cup) |
| 250 g | about 3/4 cup |
| 500 g | about 1 1/2 cups |
| 1 kg | about 3 cups |
Sources
- Honey: nutrients and portion weights · USDA FoodData Central
Frequently asked questions
- How many grams are in a cup of honey?
- About 340 grams. USDA data lists 339 grams per cup.
- How many ounces of honey are in a cup?
- A cup holds 8 fluid ounces by volume, but it weighs about 12 ounces because honey is denser than water.
- How many cups are in a 16 oz jar of honey?
- About 1 1/3 cups. Honey jars are labeled by weight, and a cup of honey weighs about 12 ounces.
- How do I convert honey to sugar?
- Replace 1 cup of honey with about 1 1/4 cups of sugar and add 1/4 cup of liquid. To replace sugar with honey, use 3/4 cup honey per cup of sugar, cut liquid by 1/4 cup and lower the oven 25°F.
- How much does a tablespoon of honey weigh?
- About 21 grams, or three quarters of an ounce. A teaspoon weighs about 7 grams.
Al Safa Honey is a food producer, not a medical provider. Nothing here is medical advice. Never give honey of any kind to a baby under 12 months old.
