Ingredient Weight Converter

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Shredded Coconut (Sweetened): cups to grams

1 cup of shredded coconut (sweetened) weighs 93 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.

Shredded Coconut (Sweetened) baseline: 1 cup = 93 g.

Common amounts

CupsTablespoonsGramsOunces (weight)Milliliters
1/4 cup4.023 g0.82 oz59 mL
1/3 cup5.331 g1.09 oz79 mL
1/2 cup8.047 g1.64 oz118 mL
2/3 cup10.762 g2.19 oz158 mL
3/4 cup12.070 g2.46 oz177 mL
1 cup16.093 g3.28 oz237 mL
1.5 cups24.0140 g4.92 oz355 mL
2 cups32.0186 g6.56 oz473 mL
3 cups48.0279 g9.84 oz710 mL
4 cups64.0372 g13.12 oz946 mL

Spoon weights

Derived from the same 93 g per cup — a US tablespoon is 1/16 of a cup and a teaspoon is 1/48.

AmountGrams
1 tablespoon5.8 g
1 teaspoon1.9 g
1/2 teaspoon0.97 g
1/4 teaspoon0.48 g

Shredded Coconut (Sweetened) at a glance

Sweetened vs. desiccated
Sweetened is moist and sugared; unsweetened desiccated is dry, fine, and thirstier. They are not interchangeable by volume
7 oz bag sweetened
about 2 1/8 cups (198 g ÷ 93 g)
Toasting
325 °F, stir every 3 minutes, about 8 minutes total

What a cup of shredded coconut (sweetened) actually weighs

The published 93 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 measuredGrams per cupvs. publishedWhy
Sweetened shredded, loose93 gpublished figureThe published figure. Long moist shreds that hold a lot of air.
Unsweetened desiccated (fine)80 g-14%Drier and finer. Lighter per cup, and it pulls more liquid out of a batter.
Packed into the cup~110 g+18%Shreds compress substantially. Pack only if the recipe says to.

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 shredded coconut (sweetened) by cup goes wrong

Sweetened shredded coconut — the standard bag in American grocery stores — weighs about 93 grams per cup. It is moist, sugared, and cut in long shreds. Unsweetened desiccated coconut is dried much harder and cut much finer, weighs roughly 80 g/cup, and absorbs meaningfully more liquid from whatever it goes into.

Practical tips for working with shredded coconut (sweetened)

For toasted coconut, spread it on a sheet pan and bake at 325 °F, stirring every 3 minutes, for about 8 minutes total. The edges go from white to honey gold while the centre stays paler. Watch it closely toward the end — coconut goes from underdone to burnt in about 90 seconds and there is no rescuing it once it browns.

Note from this ingredient's record: Unsweetened desiccated coconut is heavier per cup (about 80 g) and absorbs more liquid.

Substitutions that work — and what they cost you

  • Unsweetened for sweetened

    Ratio: 1:1 by volume, plus about 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of liquid per cup

    Trade-off: Without the extra liquid the bake comes out dry — desiccated coconut is a sponge.

  • Coconut flakes (chips) for shreds

    Ratio: 1:1 by weight

    Trade-off: Large flat chips look better on top of a cake and distribute much less evenly through a batter.

When shredded coconut (sweetened) ruins the recipe

What you seeWhat went wrongWhat to do
Macaroons or coconut cake came out dryUnsweetened desiccated coconut used where sweetened shredded was meant.Add a tablespoon of liquid and a tablespoon of sugar per cup, or buy the sweetened bag the recipe assumed.
Toasted coconut went from gold to black between checksThe sugar on sweetened coconut caramelises and then burns very fast.Stir every 3 minutes and pull it while the centre is still pale — it keeps browning on the hot pan.

Storing shredded coconut (sweetened)

Sealed at room temperature for a few months; coconut is high in fat and eventually goes rancid. Refrigerate an opened bag of unsweetened, which has no sugar to preserve it.

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