How Many Grams in a Cup of Cornmeal?
One cup of cornmeal weighs 138 grams when spooned into the cup and levelled off with a straight edge and this page converts cornmeal between cups, grams, tablespoons, teaspoons, millilitres and ounces, with full tables, worked examples and a free converter.
| Measure | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 138 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 8.6 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 2.88 g |
| 1 cup (volume) | 236.6 ml |
| 1 cup in ounces | 4.9 oz |
| 100 grams | 0.72 cups |
One cup of cornmeal weighs 138 grams — for the standard medium grind used in cornbread and as polenta. Fine and coarse grinds pack the same cup differently, which is the whole story with cornmeal. Below are the full conversion tables, a converter for any amount, and how to measure the grind your recipe expects.
Convert cornmeal instantly
This converter uses the same chef-reviewed database as our Cups to Grams converter for all 128 ingredients. Weights assume a US cup of 236.588 ml; see our methodology and sources.
Cups to grams: cornmeal
| Cups | Grams |
|---|---|
| ¼ cup | 35 g |
| ⅓ cup | 46 g |
| ½ cup | 69 g |
| ⅔ cup | 92 g |
| ¾ cup | 104 g |
| 1 cup | 138 g |
| 1½ cups | 207 g |
| 2 cups | 276 g |
| 3 cups | 414 g |
| Measure | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 8.6 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 2.88 g |
| 1 cup in ounces | 4.9 oz |
Grams to cups: cornmeal
| Grams | Cups (decimal) | Cups (fraction) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 g | 0.36 cups | ⅜ cups |
| 100 g | 0.72 cups | ¾ cups |
| 125 g | 0.91 cups | ⅞ cups |
| 150 g | 1.09 cups | 1 ⅛ cups |
| 200 g | 1.45 cups | 1 ½ cups |
| 250 g | 1.81 cups | 1.81 cups |
| 300 g | 2.17 cups | 2 ⅛ cups |
| 400 g | 2.9 cups | 2 ⅞ cups |
| 500 g | 3.62 cups | 3 ⅝ cups |
Working with more than one ingredient? The grams in a cup chart puts 40 ingredients in one table, and the Whole Recipe Converter converts a full ingredient list in a single paste.
How to measure cornmeal properly
Match the grind to the recipe. Fine cornmeal bakes tender cornbread; coarse cornmeal (the polenta grind) stays gritty no matter how long it bakes. Both are sold simply as 'cornmeal' in different countries. The 138-gram cup is the medium standard — weigh it, and at least the amount is right even if the grind argues.
Spoon and level, like flour. Cornmeal settles in the bag and scoops heavy. Stir it loose, spoon it into the cup, level the top: 138 grams. A scooped cup from a settled bag can overshoot by 10 percent or more.
Cornmeal is not cornstarch. Cornmeal is ground whole corn, and it gives body and crumb. Cornstarch (112 grams a cup) is the extracted starch alone and only thickens. And in British recipes 'cornflour' means cornstarch, not cornmeal — the Atlantic strikes again.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in a cup of cornmeal?
138 grams, for medium-grind cornmeal, spooned and levelled — the King Arthur Baking figure used across GramChef. Fine grinds sit a little heavier per cup and coarse polenta grinds a little lighter; the gram figure is the standard between them.
How many grams are in half a cup of cornmeal?
69 grams — exactly half of the 138-gram cup. Half a cup is the heart of a small skillet cornbread; a tablespoon of cornmeal weighs 8.6 grams.
Is cornmeal the same as polenta?
Yes, in the bag: polenta is the dish and the coarse Italian grind of cornmeal sold to make it. A cup of polenta-grind cornmeal converts by this same table — weigh 138 grams per cup and cook it with about four times its weight in water.
Sources: the weight on this page is based on published values from the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart and USDA FoodData Central, chosen and checked as described in our methodology.