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Home » Tips

How Many Cups In A Pound?

Published: Jun 17, 2023 · Modified: Jun 16, 2023 by Ginny · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Converting recipes to increase or decrease the number of servings, or to fit a different sized-baking dish doesn’t have to be complicated. How many cups in a pound is one of the most frequently asked questions, but the answer depends on what you’re measuring. Let’s take a look at cups to pounds conversions for kitchen staples and how to use measuring cups!

Two images of measuring cup being used and vintage kitchen scale.
Let’s convert cups to pounds!
Contents hide
1 What Is A Pound?
2 What Is A Cup?
3 Pounds To Cups Conversion
4 How Many Cups In A Pound Of Flour?
5 How Many Cups In A Pound Of Sugar?
6 How Many Cups In A Pound Of Fat?
7 Pounds To Cups Conversions For Dairy
8 How To Use A Measuring Cup
9 F.A.Q.
10 Related Posts

Each food or ingredient has a different volume. As an example, one pound of flour won’t translate into the same number of cups as sugar does.

If your recipe calls for an ingredient by weight, the easiest way to measure it is using a kitchen scale. However, measuring your ingredient using cups is possible since we already know the cup weight for so many kitchen staples!

What Is A Pound?

Analog kitchen scale with pear and apples.

A pound is a measure of weight for dry ingredients used in the United States often abbreviated as “lb”, “lbs”, or “#”.

1 pound = 16 ounces = 0.45 kilograms = 454 grams

Note: In this post, we are referring to the US (avoirdupois) pound, which is different from the UK/imperial (Troy) pound. The latter weighs 13 ounces or 373.24 grams.

What Is A Cup?

Woman pouring sugar from a measuring cup in a glass bowl.

A cup is a tool used to measure both wet and dry kitchen ingredients by volume. It’s worth noting this is not the kind of cup you use for drinking coffee or tea.

Measuring cups are usually made differently for dry and liquid ingredients. The dry measuring cup has a measuring scale on it while the liquid measuring cup is commonly made of transparent glass or plastic.

Which Cup Should You Use?

In the United States, there are two main cup sizes: the US customary cup is used for cooking and the US legal cup is typically used for nutrition labeling. They have a slightly different volume.

1 US customary cup = 236.588 ml

1 US legal cup = 240 ml

The UK and Commonwealth nations (such as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) use a different cup called the metric cup.

1 metric cup = 250 ml

You might find a different kind of cup in old British cookbooks known as the imperial cup.

1 imperial cup = 284.131 ml

Phew….so many cups! Confusing, right?

Set of metallic measuring cups on grey background.
Set Of Measuring Cups

For the sake of simplicity, we’re sticking with the US customary cup throughout this entire article. After all, this is the one most Americans use.

It’s certainly good to have a set of measuring cups and spoons if you cook often but I also highly recommend you also invest in a kitchen scale.

For baking especially, exact measurements always yield the best results!

Pounds To Cups Conversion

1 pound of water = 1.92 cups = 15.34 fluid ounces = 0.45 liters

For baking and cooking purposes, the pounds-to-cups conversion for liquids is rounded up:

1 pound = 2 cups

1 cup = 1/2 pound

This equation works for liquid conversion, but foods have different densities. The most accurate formula also takes density into account because a cup is a unit of volume while a pound is a unit of weight. This is what it looks like:

cups = pounds x 1.92/ingredient density

To save you time from looking up the densities of the different ingredients you might be working with, here are pre-calculated values for common cooking and baking ingredients.

Note: The values can vary slightly between brands as they each use ingredients from different sources and various processing methods.

How Many Cups In A Pound Of Flour?

Each type of flour has a slightly different density, and we’re listing the most frequently used.

Type Of FlourPoundsCups
All-Purpose Flour1 lb3.62 cups
Bread Flour1 lb3.49 cups
Cake Flour1 lb3.98 cups
Self Raising Flour1 lb3.63 cups
Whole Wheat Flour1 lb3.5 cups
Pastry Flour1 lb4.2 cups
Buckwheat Flour1 lb3.78 cups
Gluten-Free Flour1 lb3.72 cups
Pounds to cups conversions for common types of flour

How Many Cups In A Pound Of Sugar?

There are many types of sugar, each with its own density. Skip the math and use these pounds to cups calculations for common types of sugar and liquid sweeteners such as corn syrup and honey.

Type Of SugarPoundsCups
Granulated Sugar1 lb2.27 cups
Caster Sugar1 lb2.02 cups
Brown Sugar1 lb2.27 cups
Powdered Sugar1 lb3.63 cups
Corn Syrup1 lb1.39 cups
Honey1 lb1.35 cups
Maple Syrup1 lb1.45 cups
Pounds to cups conversions for common types of sugar and sweeteners

How Many Cups In A Pound Of Fat?

These cooking fats and oils are used in a lot of recipes and you can consult this handy chart whenever you need to make the pounds-to-cups conversion.

As you can see in the table below the values are different because each type of fat has another density. Butter is the easiest one since 1 pound of butter equals 2 cups.

Type Of FatPoundsCups
Butter1 lb2 cups
Lard1 lb2.09 cups
Margarine1 lb2.09 cups
Virgin Olive Oil1 lb2.07 cups
Canola Oil1 lb2.11 cups
Vegetable Oil1 lb2.08 cups
Coconut Oil1 lb2.07 cups
Palm Oil1 lb2.15 cups
Rapeseed Oil1 lb2.08 cups
Sunflower Oil1 lb2 cups
Pounds to cups conversions for common types of cooking fats and oils

Pounds To Cups Conversions For Dairy

Milk, cream, yogurt, and other types of dairy are also kitchen staples. They are used for both cooking and baking which is why you’ll often need to measure them for your recipes.

Type Of DairyPoundsCups
Milk1 lb1.85 cups
Buttermilk1 lb1.88 cups
Condensed Milk1 lb1.48 cups
Light Cream1 lb1.89 cups
Heavy Cream1 lb1.93 cups
Sour Cream1 lb1.97 cups
Whipped Cream1 lb3.87 cups
Mascarpone1 lb2.02 cups
Plain Yogurt1 lb1.81 cups
Greek Yogurt1 lb2 cups
Pounds to cups conversions for dairy products

How To Use A Measuring Cup

Getting the right quantities for ingredients without a scale is not just about how many cups in a pound, it’s also about measuring properly.

For liquids, it’s pretty straightforward. Simply fill the cup to the level you need.

Some mistakes can be made when measuring dry ingredients though. If you don’t need a whole cup, fill it to the appropriate level and lightly tap it against the table to level the surface.

Refrain from packing the dry ingredient as the “cup” it will end up weighing more which can affect how your recipe turns out.

When you need a whole cup of the ingredient just use your finger to level it off in one sweeping motion.

F.A.Q.

Do 4 Cups Equal One Pound?


One pound is equal to two cups. Each cup weighs 8 fluid ounces.

How Many Cups Is 1 Pound Of Flour?


1 pound of unsifted all-purpose flour is approximately 3 1/2 cups. One pound of sifted all-purpose flour is 4 cups.

For a recipe requiring 1 pound of cake flour measure 4 cups if the flour is unsifted or 4 1/2 cups for sifted cake flour.

How Many Cups Is A Pound Of Sugar?


One pound of granulated sugar equals approximately 2 1/4 cups.

Is 1 Pound Equal To 2 Cups?


1 pound of water equals 1.92 cups, which can be rounded up to 2 cups for most purposes.

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Ginny
Ginny

Hi!

Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.

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About Ginny

Hi!

Ginny Collins is a passionate foodie and recipe creator of Savor and Savvy and Kitchenlaughter. Indoors she focuses on easy, quick recipes for busy families and kitchen basics. Outdoors, she focuses on backyard grilling and smoking to bring family and friends together. She is a lifelong learner who is always taking cooking classes on her travels overseas and stateside. Her work has been featured on MSN, Parade, Fox News, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and many local news outlets. She lives in Florida where you will find her outside on the water in her kayak, riding her bike on trails, and planning her next overseas adventure.

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Family Photo Hi! I'm Ginny and for over 30 years, I've been creating simple and easy recipes without sacrificing on taste for our family on the go. I can't wait to show you how to do the same for your family. Read More...

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