You’re standing in your kitchen, probably halfway through a recipe that looked amazing on Pinterest, and suddenly everything stops. The recipe says 60 grams of sugar. You look at your set of plastic measuring cups. There is no "60 gram" cup.
Honestly, it’s annoying. Most American recipes stick to volumes, while the rest of the world—and professional bakers—rely on weight because it’s actually accurate. If you’re trying to figure out 60 grams sugar in cups, the quick answer is that it's just shy of 1/3 cup. Specifically, it is about 0.3 cups of granulated white sugar. But if you just scoop it and dump it, you might be ruining your cake.
Sugar is tricky.
The math behind 60 grams sugar in cups
Weight and volume aren't friends. They don't speak the same language. Grams measure mass, while cups measure how much space something takes up. Think about it: a cup of lead is way heavier than a cup of popcorn. Sugar falls somewhere in the middle, but even then, the type of sugar changes the math completely.
For standard white granulated sugar, the industry standard is that 1 cup weighs approximately 200 grams. If you divide 60 by 200, you get 0.3. Since a 1/3 cup measure is roughly 0.33 cups, 60 grams is a "scant" 1/3 cup. That means you fill the 1/3 cup almost to the top, but leave a tiny sliver of room.
It gets weird when you change the sugar. If you are using powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar), it’s much lighter. A cup of that weighs about 120 grams because it’s full of air and cornstarch. So, 60 grams of powdered sugar is actually a half cup. See the problem? Using the same 1/3 cup for powdered sugar would leave your frosting runny and sad.
Why your scoop is probably wrong
Most people scoop sugar directly from the bag. You plunge the cup in, pack it against the side, and level it off. This compresses the crystals. You might end up with 70 or 75 grams in a "1/3 cup" measure just because you were aggressive with the scooping.
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Professional bakers like King Arthur Baking or Claire Saffitz always advocate for the "spoon and level" method. You spoon the sugar into the cup until it overflows, then scrape the excess off with a flat knife. This keeps the sugar aerated. If you do this, 60 grams will look like a very full 1/4 cup plus about one and a half tablespoons.
Does it actually matter?
Sometimes. If you're making a simple pan of brownies or sweetening a batch of tea, being off by 5 or 10 grams won't kill anyone. It might be a little sweeter, or a little more fudgy.
But if you’re making something structural like a macaron or a delicate sponge cake, sugar isn't just a sweetener. It’s a structural component. It affects how the proteins in eggs bond. It affects the "snap" of a cookie. If you're searching for 60 grams sugar in cups because you're making a technical dessert, stop what you're doing and buy a $10 digital kitchen scale. It’s the only way to be sure.
Conversions for different sugar types
Not all sugar is created equal. Here is how that 60-gram measurement looks across different varieties you likely have in your pantry.
Granulated White Sugar
This is the baseline. 60 grams is 0.3 cups. In practical terms, use your 1/4 cup measure and add 1 tablespoon. That gets you almost exactly to the 60-gram mark without having to guess what "30 percent of a cup" looks like.
Brown Sugar (Packed)
Brown sugar has molasses in it. It's sticky. If the recipe calls for 60 grams of packed brown sugar, it’s roughly 1/4 cup plus maybe a teaspoon. Because it's compressed, it takes up much less space than white sugar. If you don't pack it, 60 grams could fill up nearly 1/2 a cup because of the air gaps.
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Powdered Sugar
As mentioned, this stuff is fluffy. 60 grams is 1/2 cup. If you sift it first—which you should—it might even look like more.
Raw Sugar or Demerara
These crystals are huge. They don't fit together tightly in a measuring cup. 60 grams of raw sugar usually looks like a very generous 1/3 cup.
The humidity factor
Believe it or not, the weather in your kitchen changes your sugar. Sugar is hygroscopic. That’s a fancy way of saying it sucks moisture out of the air. On a humid day in Florida, 60 grams of sugar might actually have a lower volume because the moisture makes the crystals clump together. On a dry winter day in Denver, the sugar might be more "flowy," leading to a different volume. It sounds like overkill, but this is why bread bakers sometimes struggle when they move to a new climate.
Real-world kitchen hacks for 60 grams
If you don't have a 1/3 cup measure, or if yours is currently dirty in the dishwasher, you can use tablespoons.
One level tablespoon of granulated sugar is approximately 12.5 grams.
- 1 tablespoon = 12.5g
- 2 tablespoons = 25g
- 4 tablespoons = 50g
- 5 tablespoons = 62.5g
So, if you need 60 grams, use 5 level tablespoons and just take a tiny pinch out of the last one. Or just use 5 tablespoons and call it a day; the extra 2.5 grams is less than half a teaspoon. It won't break your recipe.
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The "Spoon and Level" technique for accuracy
If you are determined to use cups, follow these steps to get as close to 60 grams as possible:
- Fluff the sugar in the container with a fork.
- Use a large spoon to gently drop sugar into your measuring cup.
- Do not shake the cup or tap it on the counter. This settles the sugar and ruins the measurement.
- Use the back of a butter knife to sweep across the top.
- If you're using a 1/3 cup measure for granulated sugar, take one small teaspoon of sugar out of the top. That's your 60 grams.
Health and nutrition: What 60 grams looks like
It is worth noting that 60 grams of sugar is a lot. To put it in perspective, a standard 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola has about 39 grams of sugar. So, 60 grams is about a can and a half of soda.
The American Heart Association suggests that men should have no more than 36 grams of added sugar per day, and women should have no more than 25 grams. If you're eating a dessert that used 60 grams of sugar and it serves four people, you're getting 15 grams a serving. That's actually not bad. But if you're eating a "single-serve" mug cake that calls for 60 grams? You might want to sit down. That's a massive glucose spike.
Sugar substitutes
If you are swapping sugar for a sweetener like Stevia or Monk Fruit, do not use the 60-gram measurement. Most "cup-for-cup" sugar replacements are designed to match the volume of sugar, not the weight. They are often much lighter than real sugar. If a recipe asks for 60 grams of sugar and you want to use a sweetener, look at the back of the sweetener bag. They usually have a conversion chart. Often, you'll still use about 1/3 cup of the substitute, but that volume might only weigh 10 or 20 grams because those powders are so airy.
Actionable Next Steps
To get your recipe right every time, move away from volume. It’s the single best thing you can do for your cooking.
- Buy a scale: Seriously. You can get a digital kitchen scale for the price of two lattes. It eliminates the "60 grams sugar in cups" headache forever.
- Check the labels: If you're in a pinch, look at the nutrition facts on the sugar bag. It will say something like "Serving size: 1 tsp (4g)." You can do the math from there if you have to.
- Trust the weight: If a recipe gives you both grams and cups, and they don't seem to match (like if it says 60g / 1 cup), always follow the grams. The author likely had a very specific type of sugar or a very weird measuring cup.
- Calibrate your eye: Take your 1/3 cup measure and fill it how you normally would. Then weigh it. You’ll probably be surprised to see it’s actually 70 or 80 grams. Knowing your "scoop style" helps you adjust in the future.
Whether you're baking a cake or just trying to track your macros, 60 grams is a specific amount that requires a bit of finesse to measure in a cup. Stick to the 1/3 cup minus a teaspoon rule, and you’ll be fine.