How to Convert European Recipes to American Measurements

Step 1: Convert Temperature

European recipes use Celsius. Common conversions:

Celsius — Fahrenheit — Common Use

150°C — 300°F — Low/slow baking

170°C — 340°F — Delicate cakes

180°C — 356°F — Most cakes & cookies

190°C — 375°F — Pies & pastries

200°C — 392°F — Breads

220°C — 428°F — Pizza, high-heat roasting

Formula: °F = (°C × 9/5) + 32

Step 2: Convert Weights to Volumes

This is where our converter shines. European recipes list ingredients by weight (grams), and you need cups. Key conversions:

Ingredient — 100g — 200g — 250g

All-Purpose Flour — ¾ cup — 1⅔ cups — 2 cups

Sugar — ½ cup — 1 cup — 1¼ cups

Butter — 7 tbsp — ⅞ cup — 1.1 cups

Produce is weighed too: a muffin recipe asking for 150 g of berries means about a cup (blueberries in grams and cups), and 100 g of baby spinach for a pasta sauce is more than three cups raw (spinach grams to cups), and half a cup of chopped broccoli is about 45 g (broccoli grams to cups).

Step 3: Understand European Ingredients

Some differences to watch for:

"Plain flour" (UK) = All-purpose flour (US)

"Self-raising flour" = Self-rising flour

"Caster sugar" = Superfine sugar

"Icing sugar" = Powdered/confectioner's sugar

"Double cream" = Heavy cream

"Single cream" = Light cream

British recipes often call for cooked "mince" or chicken by weight: convert them with cooked ground beef grams to cups and cooked chicken grams to cups. "Mash" is mashed potato — see mashed potatoes grams to cups.

Step 4: Adjust Pan Sizes

European recipes often use centimeter-sized pans:

20 cm = 8 inches

23 cm = 9 inches

25 cm = 10 inches

30 cm = 12 inches

Pro Tip

Rather than converting everything to cups, consider buying a kitchen scale and following the grams exactly. It's faster, more accurate, and eliminates conversion errors.