Ingredient Weight Converter · dairy
Cream Cheese: cups to grams
1 cup of cream cheese weighs 232 grams. Use the converter below for any other amount, or check the quick-reference table.
By Andrew Flores, Editor and publisher, Nathan Management. Last reviewed .
Density source: USDA FoodData Central, cross-checked against the King Arthur Baking weight chart. How these figures are derived and corrected is documented in our editorial standards.
Cream Cheese baseline: 1 cup = 232 g.
Common amounts
| Cups | Tablespoons | Grams | Ounces (weight) | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4.0 | 58 g | 2.05 oz | 59 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 5.3 | 77 g | 2.73 oz | 79 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 8.0 | 116 g | 4.09 oz | 118 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 10.7 | 155 g | 5.46 oz | 158 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 12.0 | 174 g | 6.14 oz | 177 mL |
| 1 cup | 16.0 | 232 g | 8.18 oz | 237 mL |
| 1.5 cups | 24.0 | 348 g | 12.28 oz | 355 mL |
| 2 cups | 32.0 | 464 g | 16.37 oz | 473 mL |
| 3 cups | 48.0 | 696 g | 24.55 oz | 710 mL |
| 4 cups | 64.0 | 928 g | 32.73 oz | 946 mL |
Spoon weights
Derived from the same 232 g per cup — a US tablespoon is 1/16 of a cup and a teaspoon is 1/48.
| Amount | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 15 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 4.8 g |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.4 g |
| 1/4 teaspoon | 1.2 g |
Cream Cheese at a glance
- Standard of identity
- at least 33% milkfat, no more than 55% moisture (US)
- 8 oz brick
- 227 g — just under 1 cup
- Cheesecake temperature
- Pull it at 150 °F in the center; carryover finishes it. Past 160 °F the proteins tighten and the top cracks
What a cup of cream cheese actually weighs
The published 232 g assumes one specific way of filling the cup. Here is what the same cup weighs under the other common handling methods and product forms, and how far off the recipe you end up.
| How it was measured | Grams per cup | vs. published | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brick style, softened and packed into a cup | 232 g | published figure | The published figure. Press out air pockets with a spatula. |
| Whipped cream cheese from a tub | ~160 g | -31% | Air has been beaten in. It is sold by weight, so a cup of it holds much less cheese — never substitute it by volume in baking. |
A tilde (~) marks a working estimate rather than a published figure — it varies with brand, grind, or how hard the cup was packed.
Why measuring cream cheese by cup goes wrong
Brick-style full-fat cream cheese is the cheesecake standard: at least 33 percent fat and no more than 55 percent moisture under the US standard of identity. A cup weighs 232 grams. Whipped cream cheese has air folded in and weighs much less by volume; tub-style spreadable cream cheese has extra water and gums and will loosen any baked recipe.
Practical tips for working with cream cheese
Always use the foil-wrapped brick of full-fat cream cheese in cheesecake and frosting recipes. Soften it to room temperature before mixing — cold cream cheese leaves lumps that won't smooth out no matter how long you beat it. For frosting, a 1:1 ratio of cream cheese to butter (both softened) makes the classic carrot-cake topping; use only powdered sugar to sweeten or the frosting will be grainy.
Note from this ingredient's record: Brick-style, full-fat. Whipped or tub varieties have added water and will loosen a cheesecake by 10–15 percent.
Substitutions that work — and what they cost you
Mascarpone
Ratio: 1:1
Trade-off: Much richer (about 60–75% fat), far less tangy, and softer. It makes a looser cheesecake and a sweeter-tasting frosting.
Neufchâtel
Ratio: 1:1
Trade-off: The US 'one-third less fat' brick. Works in frosting and baked cheesecake with a slightly softer set; do not use it in a no-bake cheesecake that relies on fat to firm up.
When cream cheese ruins the recipe
| What you see | What went wrong | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Cheesecake batter is full of small lumps that never smooth out | The cream cheese went into the mixer cold. | Bring it fully to room temperature — an hour on the counter, or 15 seconds at a time in the microwave — and beat it alone until smooth before adding anything else. |
| Cream cheese frosting is soupy | Tub-style or whipped cream cheese used instead of brick, or over-beating, which breaks the emulsion. | Use full-fat brick, beat only until combined, and chill 20 minutes before piping. |
Storing cream cheese
Refrigerated in its foil, about two weeks after opening. It does not freeze well for spreading — the texture goes grainy — but frozen-then-thawed cream cheese is fine baked into a cheesecake.
Other ingredients
Browse every ingredient on the site, or jump to a related one: