Butter Converter — Sticks, Cups, Tablespoons, Grams

One stick of butter equals 8 tablespoons. One stick also equals 1/2 cup, 113 grams, and 4 ounces. US butter is sold in 1-pound packages containing 4 sticks, and each stick's wrapper has tablespoon markings printed on it showing marks at every tablespoon from 1 through 8. This makes it easy to cut exact amounts directly from the wrapper without a measuring cup.

One stick of butter weighs 113 grams. Two sticks weigh 227 grams and equal 1 cup. Four sticks weigh 454 grams, equal 2 cups, and equal 1 pound. European butter is often sold in 250 gram blocks rather than sticks, so 1 US stick at 113 grams is slightly less than half of a standard 250 gram European block. If a European recipe calls for 250 grams of butter, that equals approximately 2.2 US sticks.

Half a stick of butter equals 4 tablespoons, 1/4 cup, 57 grams, and 2 ounces. On a standard US butter wrapper, the halfway mark is clearly printed at the 4-tablespoon line. If a recipe calls for 1/4 cup of butter, that is exactly half a stick. For baking, cutting to the 4-tablespoon mark on the wrapper is the most accurate method without using a scale.

Two sticks of butter equal exactly 1 cup. Two sticks also equal 16 tablespoons, 227 grams, and 8 ounces. Many American cake and cookie recipes call for 2 sticks of butter, which is a full cup. This is one of the most common butter measurements in baking, particularly for chocolate chip cookies, pound cakes, and layer cakes.

To measure butter without a wrapper, use the water displacement method or a kitchen scale. For water displacement, fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of cold water, then add chunks of butter until the water level rises to 1.5 cups — the submerged butter equals 1/2 cup. For greater precision, use a digital kitchen scale: 1/4 cup equals 57 grams, 1/2 cup equals 113 grams, and 1 cup equals 227 grams.

500 grams of butter equals approximately 2.2 cups. Since 1 cup of butter weighs 227 grams, divide 500 by 227 to get 2.2 cups. In sticks, 500 grams equals approximately 4.42 sticks. In tablespoons, 500 grams equals approximately 35 tablespoons. A 500 gram block of butter is common in European and Australian grocery stores and equals just over 1 pound of US butter.

Yes, you can substitute oil for butter in many recipes. The standard conversion is to use 3/4 of the butter amount in oil. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, use 3/4 cup of oil. If it calls for 1 stick (113 grams) of butter, use about 6 tablespoons of oil. Oil makes baked goods moister and denser than butter. It works well in quick breads, muffins, and chocolate cake, but is not ideal for recipes where butter's flavor and structure are essential, like shortbread or flaky pastry.