Quinoa: Cups to Grams

One US cup (240 ml) of quinoa weighs 170 grams; half a cup weighs 85 grams. A quarter cup is 42.5 grams, a tablespoon is 10.6 grams and a teaspoon is 3.54 grams. A cup measures volume, not weight, so these numbers are for quinoa only: a cup of honey weighs 340 grams.

170 g

1 cup of quinoa = 170 g (US legal cup, 240 ml)

6 oz240 ml16 tbsp

1 cup of quinoa = 170 g (US legal cup, 240 ml)

Based on quinoa at 170 g per US cup.

Quinoa conversion table

Cup measures of quinoa from 1/8 cup to 3 2/3 cups in grams, tablespoons, millilitres and ounces of weight
CupsCups (decimal)GramsTablespoonsMillilitresOunces (weight)
1/8 cup0.12521.3 g2 tbsp30 ml0.75 oz
1/4 cup0.2542.5 g4 tbsp60 ml1.5 oz
1/3 cup0.3356.7 g5.33 tbsp80 ml2 oz
1/2 cup0.585 g8 tbsp120 ml3 oz
2/3 cup0.67113 g10.7 tbsp160 ml4 oz
3/4 cup0.75128 g12 tbsp180 ml4.5 oz
1 cup1170 g16 tbsp240 ml6 oz
1 1/4 cups1.25213 g20 tbsp300 ml7.5 oz
1 1/3 cups1.33227 g21.3 tbsp320 ml8 oz
1 1/2 cups1.5255 g24 tbsp360 ml8.99 oz
1 2/3 cups1.67283 g26.7 tbsp400 ml9.99 oz
1 3/4 cups1.75298 g28 tbsp420 ml10.5 oz
2 cups2340 g32 tbsp480 ml12 oz
2 1/4 cups2.25383 g36 tbsp540 ml13.5 oz
2 1/2 cups2.5425 g40 tbsp600 ml15 oz
3 cups3510 g48 tbsp720 ml18 oz
3 2/3 cups3.67623 g58.7 tbsp880 ml22 oz

Ounces here are ounces of weight (1 oz = 28.35 g), not fluid ounces. One US cup is 8 fluid ounces of volume whatever is in it, but what it weighs in ounces depends on the ingredient: a cup of quinoa weighs about 6 oz. Why these two are not the same. Decimals for thirds are rounded (1/3 cup is 0.333 cups), and each linked amount opens a page comparing every ingredient at that measure.

Cite this: CupsToGrams, "Quinoa: Cups to Grams", https://cupsngrams.com/quinoa, figures verified . The data is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back to this page.

About measuring quinoa

Quinoa is a small, protein-rich seed cooked and eaten like a grain, and one US cup uncooked weighs about 170 grams. The seeds are coated in bitter saponins, which is why most quinoa is rinsed or pre-rinsed by the packer before you cook it. Like rice, quinoa expands a great deal once it absorbs water, so a modest cup of dry seeds turns into a much larger amount of cooked quinoa, useful to know when you are planning portions or scaling a recipe.

Rinse quinoa before cooking unless the bag says pre-rinsed, to wash off the bitter natural coating.

How many grams is a cup of quinoa?

One US cup (240 ml) of quinoa weighs about 170 grams. Because a cup measures volume rather than weight, that figure is specific to quinoa and does not transfer to any other ingredient: the same cup holds 125 grams of all-purpose flour and 340 grams of honey.

  • 1/4 cup of quinoa is about 43 grams
  • 1/3 cup of quinoa is about 57 grams
  • 1/2 cup of quinoa is about 85 grams
  • 2/3 cup of quinoa is about 113 grams
  • 3/4 cup of quinoa is about 128 grams
  • 1 1/2 cups of quinoa is about 255 grams
  • 2 cups of quinoa is about 340 grams
  • 3 cups of quinoa is about 510 grams

Working the other way round, 100 grams of quinoa is about 0.588 cups, and 500 grams is about 2.94 cups.

Does it matter which cup my recipe means?

It does, though less than the ingredient itself. This page uses the US legal cup of 240 ml. An Australian metric cup is 250 ml, so a metric cup of quinoa comes to about 177 grams, and the old British imperial cup of 284.1 ml holds about 201 grams. See cup sizes by country for every standard side by side.

Frequently asked questions

How many grams is 1 cup of quinoa?

One US cup of uncooked quinoa is about 170 grams. The small seeds settle fairly densely, similar in weight to other whole grains measured dry.

How much does quinoa weigh once cooked?

Cooked quinoa weighs more per cup than dry, since the seeds absorb water and roughly triple in volume, much like rice. Weigh the dry seeds before cooking for an accurate recipe amount.

Why does quinoa need rinsing?

The seeds carry a natural coating called saponin that tastes bitter and soapy if left on. Rinsing under cold water before cooking removes it.

Where this figure comes from

We have not yet found a published reference that states a weight for a cup of quinoa. The 170 grams on this page follows the calibration the rest of the site is built on, with butter at 227 grams per cup, water at 240, all-purpose flour at 125 and granulated sugar at 200. Treat it as a good working figure rather than a cited one. If you have a better source, tell us and we will check it and credit you.

Published figures for the same ingredient vary between references anyway, because how an ingredient is packed changes what a cup of it weighs. Treat any cup figure as accurate to within a few percent, and weigh on a scale when a recipe is sensitive. Our full approach is on the methodology page.

Figures last verified . Compiled by the CupsToGrams editorial team at FusionStudios. Spotted a value that looks off? Tell us.

Common cup amounts in grams

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