Brown sugar: cups to grams
When a US recipe asks for a cup of brown sugar it almost always means packed: pressed firmly into the cup so it holds its shape when turned out. A packed cup of light or dark brown sugar weighs about 213 g.
Brown sugar: cups to grams
| US cups | Grams |
|---|---|
| ⅛ cup | 25 g |
| ¼ cup | 55 g |
| ⅓ cup | 70 g |
| ½ cup | 105 g |
| ⅔ cup | 140 g |
| ¾ cup | 160 g |
| 1 cup | 215 g |
| 1½ cups | 320 g |
| 2 cups | 425 g |
| 3 cups | 640 g |
| 4 cups | 850 g |
Tablespoons and teaspoons
| Spoon | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 15 g |
| 2 tablespoons | 25 g |
| ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) | 55 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 4 g |
Grams to cups
Going the other way, for a metric recipe in US cups:
| Grams | Cups of brown sugar |
|---|---|
| 25 g | about 2 tbsp |
| 50 g | about ¼ cup |
| 100 g | about ½ cup |
| 125 g | about ⅝ cup |
| 150 g | about ⅔ cup |
| 200 g | about 1 cup |
| 250 g | about 1⅛ cups |
| 300 g | about 1⅜ cups |
| 400 g | about 1⅞ cups |
| 500 g | about 2⅓ cups |
| 1 kg | about 4⅔ cups |
Light or dark
Dark brown sugar has more molasses, so it tastes deeper and makes bakes a little moister, but it weighs the same per cup. Swap one for the other freely.
Outside the US
In the UK look for light or dark soft brown sugar, or light muscovado. Demerara is too coarse and dry to replace it in cookies.
Hard as a rock?
Brown sugar dries out and sets hard. A slice of bread or a damp paper towel in the container overnight softens it again.
Weights are for a level US cup (236.6 ml), spooned in, based on published baking ingredient-weight charts. Weighing will always be more accurate than any cup.