Butter Guide and Quick Conversions 🧈

By Clara Gonzalez - Reviewed Mar 15, 2024. Original Feb 20, 2005.

Used in savory dishes and one of the most important ingredients in baking, butter has its own tricks. Check my quick guide for butter quantity conversions to make cooking so much easier.

How to measure butter

If the recipe calls for room temperature butter, leave it out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes. It should be soft and creamy before you measure it.
When measuring butter by cups or tablespoons, do not squeeze or compact it, fill the measuring spoon or cup and then level it flush with a knife.
If the recipe only has weight measurements (pounds, grams, ounces, kilograms, etc.), it is always preferable for the butter to be weighed. You can use the conversions below, but this may affect the result.

Butter measuring utensils

To measure flour you will need one of the following, depending on what the recipe calls for

Quick conversion tables

Remember that conversions are never exact, especially when converting from one type of measurement to another (weight to volume, for example).

1 kilogram	2.2 pounds
1 pound	0.45 kilograms
1 pound	16 ounces
1 teaspoon	⅓ tablespoon
To convert from kilogram to libras	multiply by 2.2046
To convert from pounds to kilogram	multiply by 0.4536

Tabla de conversión rápida.

Butter measurements

Butter quantity	Equals to (approximately)
1 kilogram	2.2 pounds
1 pound	0.45 kilogram
1 pound	16 ounces
1 stick	½ cup
1 stick	¼ pound
1 stick	181 grams
½ cup	¼ pound
½ cup	181 grams
1 cup	½ pound
1 cup	227 grams
2 cups	1 pound
2 cups	454 grams
1 tablespoon	⅛ stick
1 tablespoon	90 grams

Conversión rápida de medidas de harina todo uso.

More how-tos

See all how-tos ➜

Butter FAQs

How many grams is a stick of butter?

A stick of butter equals approximately 181 grams.

How many grams is 1 cup of butter?

1 cup of butter equals approximately 227 grams.

How many grams is one tablespoon of butter?

1 tablespoon of butter equals to approximately 90 grams.

What is clarified butter?

Clarified butter is butter heated over very low heat until the fat separates from the protein and solids. The solids and protein are discarded leaving clear butter fat. Clarified butter is also known as ghee.

What does mantequilla mean in Spanish?

In most country "mantequilla" in Spanish refer to butter. In some countries (like Argentina), butter is referred to as "manteca", which is how lard is called in the rest of the Spanish-speaking world.