500 Grams of Water to Cups
2⅛ cups in a US cup — and what that looks like with a measuring spoon
500 grams of water is 2⅛ cups in a US cup. In the kitchen that is 2 cups, 1 tablespoon plus 2¼ teaspoons.
Grams weigh and cups fill, so the answer only exists once you say what is in the cup. A US cup of water weighs 237 g, and every figure on this page comes from that one number.
It also depends on whose cup you mean. In a 250 ml metric cup — the standard in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada — 500 g of water is 2 cups, because that cup holds about 5.7% more than the 236.6 ml US cup.
Round to the nearest measure in a standard cup set — 2 cups — and you are 26 g under, about 5% of the amount.
500 g of water in each cup standard
| Cup standard | Size | Grams per cup | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| US customary | 236.6 ml | 237 g | 2⅛ |
| Metric (UK, AU, NZ, CA) | 250 ml | 250 g | 2 |
| Imperial (older UK) | 284 ml | 285 g | 1¾ |
A recipe that says "cups" without saying which one is almost always American. If it came from a British, Australian or New Zealand source, use the metric row.
How to measure 500 g of water without scales
Water is the one ingredient where grams and millilitres are interchangeable: 1 g of water is 1 ml. Measure it in a liquid jug at eye level rather than a dry cup.
Because 1 g of water is 1 ml, a US cup of water is 237 g and a 250 ml metric cup is 250 g. Milk, stock and juice are close but a little heavier.
- Build it as 2 cups, 1 tablespoon plus 2¼ teaspoons rather than guessing at 2⅛ of a cup.
- 500 g is 33.76 tablespoons of water, at 14.81 g per tablespoon.
- As a liquid measure that is about 499 ml — read a jug at eye level, not from above.
Nearby amounts of water
| Grams | US cups | Metric cups | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 375 g | 1⅝ | 1½ | 25.32 |
| 380 g | 1⅝ | 1½ | 25.65 |
| 390 g | 1⅝ | 1½ | 26.33 |
| 400 g | 1⅔ | 1⅝ | 27 |
| 420 g | 1¾ | 1⅔ | 28.35 |
| 450 g | 1⅞ | 1¾ | 30.38 |
| 540 g | 2¼ | 2⅛ | 36.46 |
| 600 g | 2½ | 2⅜ | 40.51 |
500 g of something else
The same 500 g is a different number of cups for every ingredient, because they do not weigh the same for their size.
| Ingredient | Grams per US cup | US cups |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 125 g | 4 |
| Sugar | 200 g | 2½ |
| Butter | 227 g | 2¼ |
| Rice | 185 g | 2⅔ |
| Milk | 244 g | 2.05 |
| Powdered Sugar | 120 g | 4⅛ |
500 grams in other units
| Unit | Amount |
|---|---|
| US cups | 2⅛ |
| Tablespoons | 33.76 |
| Teaspoons | 101.3 |
| Ounces (weight) | 17.64 oz |
| Pounds | 1.10 lb |
| Millilitres (volume it fills) | 499 ml |
Frequently asked questions
How many cups is 500 grams of water?
500 grams of water is 2⅛ cups in a US cup, based on 237 g per cup. A 250 ml metric cup gives 2 cups.
What is the easiest way to measure 500 g of water?
2 cups, 1 tablespoon plus 2¼ teaspoons — built from a standard cup and spoon set. Water is the one ingredient where grams and millilitres are interchangeable: 1 g of water is 1 ml. Measure it in a liquid jug at eye level rather than a dry cup.
Is 500 g of water the same in cups in the UK?
No. A UK, Australian, New Zealand or Canadian metric cup is 250 ml against the US cup's 236.6 ml, so 500 g of water is 2 cups there and 2⅛ cups in the US.
Can I just use 2 cups instead?
2 cups of water weighs about 474 g, so you would be 26 g under. For a sauce or a soup that is fine; for a cake, where the flour-to-liquid ratio sets the crumb, weigh it.
How many ounces is 500 grams?
500 grams is 17.64 ounces by weight. Unlike cups, that answer is the same whatever you are measuring — ounces weigh, fluid ounces fill, and they are not the same unit.