Convert cooking measurements — millilitres, grams, cups, tablespoons and teaspoons — with an ingredient selector so mL-to-grams is accurate for flour, sugar, butter and more.
This is the converter’s key advantage: millilitres measure volume and grams measure weight, so converting between them depends entirely on the ingredient. 250 mL of water weighs 250 g, but 250 mL of flour weighs only about 133 g because flour is lighter. Most online converters ignore this and assume water. Pick your ingredient from the selector and the mL-to-grams result adjusts to the correct density.
Australian recipes use a 250 mL cup and a 20 mL tablespoon; US recipes use about 237 mL and 15 mL. This tool uses Australian measures by default. When following a US recipe, keep that difference in mind — it’s enough to affect baking results.
A recipe calls for 2 cups of plain flour but you’d rather weigh it for accuracy. Select cup in the "From" box and grams in the "To" box, choose flour as the ingredient, and enter 2. Using flour’s density of about 0.53 and the Australian 250 mL cup, the converter gives about 265 grams. Choosing a different ingredient — sugar, say — with the same 2 cups would give a very different weight of around 425 grams, because sugar is denser than flour.
This is the difference between a cooking converter that actually works and one that quietly gives wrong answers. Millilitres measure volume — how much space something takes up — while grams measure weight. Converting between them is only possible if you know the density of the specific ingredient, because different ingredients weigh different amounts for the same volume. A cup of water and a cup of flour occupy the same space, but the water weighs almost twice as much. Many online converters ignore this entirely and silently assume everything has the density of water, which is fine for liquids but wildly wrong for flour, sugar, butter or cocoa. This converter includes an ingredient selector so that when you convert between millilitres and grams, it uses the correct density — about 0.53 for flour, 0.85 for sugar, 0.96 for butter, and 1.0 for water and milk. For dry baking ingredients especially, weighing in grams is far more accurate than measuring by cup, since the amount that fits in a cup varies with how tightly it’s packed.
| Measure | Approx. Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 250 mL water | 250 g |
| 250 mL flour | ~133 g |
| 250 mL sugar | ~213 g |
| 1 AU cup flour | ~133 g |
| 1 tbsp (20mL) | 20 mL |
| 100 g butter | ~104 mL |
| 1 US cup | 237 mL |
| 250 g flour | ~1.9 cups |
| 1 tsp | 5 mL |
| 300 mL | ~1.2 cups |
How do I convert mL to grams for cooking?
Multiply the millilitres by the ingredient’s density. Water is 1.0 (so 250 mL = 250 g), but flour is about 0.53 (250 mL ≈ 133 g). Select your ingredient in the converter and it applies the right density automatically.
Why is 250 mL of flour not 250 grams?
Because grams measure weight and millilitres measure volume. Flour is much lighter than water, so 250 mL of flour weighs only about 133 g. Always pick the ingredient when converting between mL and grams.
How many grams is one cup of flour?
One Australian cup (250 mL) of plain flour is about 133 grams. A US cup (237 mL) is around 125 grams. Select cup and grams with flour as the ingredient for an exact figure.
Is an Australian tablespoon different from a US one?
Yes. An Australian tablespoon is 20 mL while a US tablespoon is about 15 mL. This converter uses the 20 mL Australian tablespoon by default.
How do I convert millilitres to grams for cooking?
Multiply the millilitres by the ingredient’s density. Water is 1.0 (250 mL = 250 g), but flour is about 0.53 (250 mL ≈ 133 g). Select the ingredient and the converter applies the right density.
How many grams is a cup of flour?
An Australian cup (250 mL) of plain flour is about 133 grams; a US cup is around 125 grams. Choose flour as the ingredient for an exact figure.
Why isn’t 250 mL of flour equal to 250 grams?
Because grams measure weight and millilitres measure volume. Flour is much lighter than water, so 250 mL of it weighs only about 133 grams.
Is weighing more accurate than using cups?
Yes, especially for dry ingredients. The amount that fits in a cup changes with how tightly it’s packed, while a weight in grams is always exact.