How to Convert a Recipe to Metric or Imperial
You found the perfect recipe, but it is written in grams and milliliters and you think in cups and ounces, or the reverse. Converting as you go is doable, but it is easy to get wrong, especially in baking where amounts matter. Here is how to do it quickly and accurately.
The common conversions
Volume:
- 1 cup = about 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = 15 ml
- 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
- 1 fluid ounce = about 30 ml
Weight:
- 1 ounce = about 28 grams
- 1 pound = about 454 grams
- 100 grams = about 3.5 ounces
Oven temperature:
- Fahrenheit to Celsius: subtract 32, then multiply by 5/9. (350F is about 175C.)
- Celsius to Fahrenheit: multiply by 9/5, then add 32.
The catch with dry ingredients
Volume to weight is not one number for everything. A cup of flour weighs far less than a cup of sugar. For baking, weight (grams) is more accurate than volume (cups), which is why serious bakers use a scale. If a recipe gives grams, trust the grams.
The fast way
Try the free recipe unit converter for cups, grams, ounces, and oven temperatures, including cups-to-grams by ingredient. And to convert as you cook, let the recipe do it. Gratly shows a clean recipe on any site and lets you switch between ounces and grams with one tap, so you never do the math. It is a free Chrome extension that also scales servings up or down and pulls timers from the steps.
FAQ
Should I use cups or grams for baking? Grams, if the recipe offers them. Weight is more consistent than volume, especially for flour.
How do I convert oven temperature quickly? A rough shortcut: 350F is about 175C, 400F is about 200C, 425F is about 220C.
Cook from any recipe, in your units
Add Gratly to Chrome for free and switch between metric and imperial on any recipe. Related: how to scale a recipe.