How to Measure Butter Without a Scale (4 Easy Ways)

Butter is awkward to press into a measuring cup and messy to scoop out. Luckily you rarely need to. Here are four ways to measure butter accurately without a kitchen scale, and the numbers you need for each.

The key numbers

Convert any amount with the butter converter.

1. Use the wrapper lines

In the US, butter is sold in 4-ounce sticks with tablespoon marks printed on the wrapper. Each mark is 1 tablespoon (about 14 g). Cut through the paper at the line you need. This is the fastest and most accurate method if your butter has markings.

2. Divide the block

No markings? Use what you know about the package. A 250 g European block cut in half gives two 125 g pieces; cut one of those in half again for about 62 g. A US 1-pound box holds four sticks of 113 g each. For a 1/3 cup (about 76 g), cut a stick into thirds and use two of them.

3. The water displacement method

This works for any shape of butter, including odd leftover pieces:

1. Fill a clear liquid measuring cup with 1 cup of cold water.
2. Add chunks of butter until the water rises by the amount you need. For 1/2 cup butter, the water should reach 1 1/2 cups.
3. Make sure the butter is fully under the water (push it down with a spoon), then pour off the water.

Cold water keeps the butter from melting. Pat it dry before using it in pastry.

4. Count tablespoons

For small amounts, soften the butter and press it into a measuring tablespoon, then level it. 1 tablespoon of butter weighs about 14 g, so 3 tablespoons is about 42 g.

Melted vs solid butter

Butter weighs the same melted or solid, and the volume barely changes, so “1/2 cup butter, melted” is still one stick. But if a recipe says “1/2 cup melted butter”, you can melt first and measure in a liquid cup.

Salted vs unsalted

They weigh the same. If you use salted butter in a recipe written for unsalted, reduce the added salt by about 1/4 teaspoon per stick.

Butter in metric recipes

European and UK recipes give butter in grams. 100 g is a little less than 1 stick (about 7 tablespoons), and 250 g is just over 2 sticks (1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons). More: butter cups to grams, or convert whole recipes with our guide to converting US recipes to metric.