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Shortening:
grams to cups.
Shortening weighs 190 g per cup — lighter than butter (227 g) because shortening is 100% fat without water or milk solids, and its whipped, aerated texture means a cup contains more air than a cup of dense butter.
Shortening: grams to cups
Approximate cup fractions for common gram amounts. Based on 190 g per cup.
| Grams | Cups (approx) | Decimal |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | ⅙ | 0.13 |
| 50 g | ¼ | 0.26 |
| 100 g | ½ | 0.53 |
| 150 g | ¾ | 0.79 |
| 200 g | 1 ⅛ | 1.05 |
| 250 g | 1 ⅓ | 1.32 |
| 500 g | 2 ⅔ | 2.63 |
Shortening: cups to grams
Based on 190 g per cup.
| Volume | Grams (g) |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 190 g |
| ¾ cup | 143 g |
| ½ cup | 95 g |
| ⅓ cup | 63 g |
| ¼ cup | 48 g |
| 1 tbsp | 12 g |
| 1 tsp | 4 g |
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Aerated texture and why shortening is lighter per cup than butter
Vegetable shortening is made from hydrogenated vegetable oils that are whipped to a creamy, spreadable consistency. The whipping process incorporates air into the shortening, which reduces the weight per cup to about 190 g. Butter, by contrast, is solid and unwhipped, packing to 227 g per cup. This difference matters when substituting shortening for butter in a recipe that uses cup measurements: a cup of shortening delivers 190 g of pure fat, while a cup of butter delivers 227 g of which only about 182 g is fat (the rest is water and milk solids). By weight of fat, they're nearly equivalent — which is why many substitution guides say 1 cup of butter = 1 cup of shortening, even though the gram weights differ.
Shortening's role in pie crust flakiness
Shortening is the classic fat for flaky American pie crusts because its all-fat, no-water composition produces flakiness without the steam created by butter's water content. However, it contributes less flavor than butter. Many pie crust recipes combine both fats: butter for flavor, shortening for flakiness. When such a recipe specifies both in cups, converting each to grams using their respective densities (butter: 227 g/cup, shortening: 190 g/cup) ensures you maintain the correct ratio of fat types and total fat content.
Frequently asked questions
- How many grams is 1 cup of shortening?
- 1 cup of shortening weighs 190 g. Compare to butter at 227 g per cup — shortening is lighter because it's whipped with air.
- Can I substitute butter for shortening at the same gram weight?
- Using the same gram weight of butter for shortening is a closer substitution than using the same cup volume. Keep in mind butter contains about 80% fat, so you'll be adding some extra water and milk solids that will slightly affect texture.
- How many cups is 250 g of shortening?
- 250 g ÷ 190 g/cup ≈ 1.32 cups — about 1 cup and 5 tablespoons.
Related guides
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