How to measure flour correctly (and why weighing wins)

Flour is the ingredient most often measured wrong, and it matters: too much flour makes cakes dry and cookies tough. The good news is that the fix takes ten seconds.

The problem with scooping

When you dip a measuring cup straight into the bag, the cup presses the flour together. A scooped cup of all-purpose flour can weigh 140–150 g, while the same cup filled gently weighs about 120 g. That is up to 25% more flour than the recipe writer used.

The spoon-and-level method

1. Stir the flour in its bag or container to loosen it.
2. Spoon flour into the measuring cup until it is heaped over the top. Don’t tap or shake the cup.
3. Sweep a straight edge, like the back of a knife, across the top to level it.

This gives about 120 g per cup of all-purpose flour, which is the weight most modern American recipes assume.

Better still: weigh it

A digital kitchen scale removes the guesswork completely. Put your bowl on the scale, press “tare” to zero it, and add flour until you reach the weight. Our flour cups to grams chart lists every common amount, and the cups to grams converter handles any other flour.

Quick reference

• 1 cup all-purpose flour = 120 g
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour = 60 g
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour = 30 g
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour = 7.5 g