Butter is sold and measured in more ways than almost any other ingredient: sticks, blocks, cups, tablespoons, grams and ounces. Here's how they all line up.
The Quick Answers
- 1 US stick of butter = ½ cup = 8 tablespoons = 4 ounces = 113 grams.
- 1 cup of butter = 2 sticks = 16 tablespoons = 227 grams.
- 1 tablespoon of butter = about 14 grams.
- 1 pound of butter = 4 sticks = 2 cups = 454 grams.
Full Conversion Chart
| Sticks | Cups | Tablespoons | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¼ stick | 2 tbsp | 2 | 28 g | 1 oz |
| ½ stick | ¼ cup | 4 | 57 g | 2 oz |
| 1 stick | ½ cup | 8 | 113 g | 4 oz |
| 1½ sticks | ¾ cup | 12 | 170 g | 6 oz |
| 2 sticks | 1 cup | 16 | 227 g | 8 oz |
| 3 sticks | 1½ cups | 24 | 340 g | 12 oz |
| 4 sticks | 2 cups | 32 | 454 g | 16 oz |
Butter in Canada
In Canada, butter is usually sold in 454 g (1 pound) blocks rather than sticks. To measure from a block, use the chart above: a quarter of the block is one "stick" (113 g, or ½ cup). Many blocks have markings on the wrapper. If yours doesn't, cut it into four equal pieces once and you have four ready-measured half cups.
Measuring Butter Without Markings
The water displacement method works with any shape of butter. Fill a liquid measuring cup to 1 cup with cold water, then add butter until the water rises by the amount you need. For ½ cup of butter, add pieces until the water reaches 1½ cups, then drain the water. It's quick and surprisingly accurate.
Salted or Unsalted?
Most baking recipes assume unsalted butter so you can control the salt. If you only have salted butter, use it 1 for 1 and reduce any added salt by about ¼ teaspoon for every ½ cup (one stick) of butter.
Melted, Softened or Cold?
- Cold butter, cut into cubes, makes flaky pastry, biscuits and crumbles.
- Softened butter should hold a fingerprint without being greasy, usually after 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature. It's essential for creaming with sugar in cakes and cookies.
- Melted butter gives chewier cookies and denser brownies. Measure it before melting; the volume doesn't change much, but solid butter is easier to measure accurately.
Out of butter? See butter substitutes, or check the butter cups to grams chart.
Questions
How many tablespoons are in a stick of butter?
There are 8 tablespoons in one US stick of butter.
How many grams is half a cup of butter?
Half a cup of butter, or one stick, weighs 113 grams.
Can I use margarine instead of butter?
Use stick margarine with at least 80% fat for baking. Tub spreads contain more water and can make cookies spread and cakes heavy.
Have a recipe to resize? Paste it into the converter and get every amount scaled in seconds.
Open the converter
