The most reliable way to measure flour is to weigh it: King Arthur Baking counts 1 cup of all purpose flour as 120 g. No scale? Fluff the flour, spoon it into the cup until it overflows, and level it with a straight edge. That's how to measure flour so it lands close to what the recipe writer used, instead of up to 160 g when you scoop from a packed bag.
| All purpose flour | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 7.5 g |
| 1/4 cup | 30 g |
| 1/3 cup | 40 g |
| 1/2 cup | 60 g |
| 1 cup | 120 g |
| 2 cups | 240 g |
How to measure flour with a scale
This is the method King Arthur Baking recommends, and it's faster than cups once you try it.
- Turn on the scale and press tare so it reads zero.
- Set your bowl on the scale and press tare again.
- Spoon or pour in flour until you reach the weight you need, 120 g for each cup.
- Press tare and add your next dry ingredient to the same bowl.
King Arthur Baking says landing within about 5 g of the written amount is fine. You don't need to chase every last gram.
The spoon and level method
If you're working with cups, this is the version that gets you closest to 120 g:
- Fluff. Stir the flour in its bag or canister with a spoon to loosen it.
- Spoon. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it's heaped over the top. Don't shake or tap the cup.
- Level. Sweep a straight edge, like the back of a butter knife, across the top.
Use dry measuring cups made to be filled to the brim, not a liquid measuring cup with a spout. You can't level a liquid cup, and you end up eyeballing the line.
Why scooping packs the cup
Flour settles in the bag, and pushing a cup into it compresses it even more. King Arthur Baking found a cup filled that way can hold up to 160 g, which is 40 g more than their standard. Here's how the methods compare:
| Method | About grams per cup |
|---|---|
| Scooped from a packed bag | Up to 160 g |
| Fluffed, spooned and leveled | About 120 g |
| Weighed on a scale | 120 g |
Forty extra grams per cup adds up. In a cake with 3 cups of flour that's up to 120 g extra, enough to make it dry and dense.
Different flours, different weights
Not every flour weighs the same per cup. King Arthur Baking lists all purpose, bread flour and unbleached cake flour at 120 g per cup, but whole wheat flour at 113 g. If you swap flours in a recipe written in cups, weighing keeps you honest. If the recipe is written in grams, just use the grams and ignore the cup.
Also watch the wording. "1 cup sifted flour" means sift first, then measure. "1 cup flour, sifted" means measure first, then sift. They aren't the same amount.
Small flour amounts are where cups get fuzzy. A tablespoon or two for dusting a pan, thickening a sauce or tossing with berries is about 7.5 g per tablespoon. A MeasureMate digital measuring spoon scoops and weighs in one step, reads in 0.1 g steps, and switches between grams, ounces and other units, so those small amounts are easy to check right at the counter.
Quick questions
How many grams is 1 cup of flour?
King Arthur Baking uses 120 g for 1 cup of all purpose flour. Other sources may list slightly different figures, so use the grams in the recipe when they're given.
Should I sift flour before measuring?
Only when the recipe says so. Follow the wording to know whether sifting comes before or after measuring.
Is it wrong to scoop flour with the measuring cup?
It's not wrong, just less consistent. Scooping packs the cup and can give you up to a third more flour than the recipe expects.
Weights based on King Arthur Baking's ingredient weight chart and flour measuring guide.