One millilitre of sour cream is 1.0144207 grams, so converting millilitres of sour cream to grams means multiplying by 1.0144207. That factor is specific to this ingredient — it comes from its density, not from any relationship between the two units.
Put next to water — 1 g per mL exactly — sour cream measures 1.0144 g per mL. That ratio, 101.4%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
Sour cream has a density of 1.0144 g per mL, so 100 mL of it weighs 101.4 g and 250 mL weighs 253.6 g. That single figure is what every other number on this page is built from — water is 1.00 g per mL, so this ingredient is 101.4% as heavy as the same volume of water.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.417% of a cup of sour cream, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 2.083 cups, and a 1 kg pack 4.167.
The condition this weight assumes: Thick enough that it has to be spooned and levelled, which is where the measuring error creeps in.
The formula
millilitres- The amount of sour cream you are converting, in millilitres
1.01442068106- Grams per millilitre for sour cream, from its density of 1.0144 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in millilitres.
- It is multiplied by 1.01442068106, the grams-per-millilitre figure for sour cream.
- The result appears in grams, with a second reading in oz beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
15 mL of sour cream in grams
A recipe calling for 15 mL of sour cream needs 15.2163 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 15 × 1.0144207 = 15.21631, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 7.60816 grams.
100 mL of sour cream in grams
Take 100 mL of sour cream: 100 × 1.0144207 gives 101.442 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 202.884 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
250 mL of sour cream in grams
250 mL of sour cream weighs out at 253.605 grams. Divide 253.605 by 1.0144207 and you get back to 250 mL, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 mL of sour cream?
One millilitre of sour cream is 1.0144207 grams. Half that quantity is 0.50721 grams and double it is 2.02884 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of sour cream not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Sour cream has a density of 1.0144 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 240 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 3.4 g per cup, and it is the reason a single volume-to-weight factor cannot be applied to every ingredient.
Does how I measure it change the weight?
Barely. Sour cream does not compress, so a cup of it is 240 g however it is poured — within about 1%, which is inside the accuracy of a domestic scale. This is the group where measuring by volume is defensible.
Is a fluid ounce of sour cream the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce is a volume — one eighth of a US cup, 29.57 mL — and an ounce is a weight. One fluid ounce of sour cream weighs 1.058 oz, so the two readings differ by 5.82%. They coincide only for something with the density of water, and then only roughly.
Is this a US cup or a metric cup?
US customary: 236.59 mL, which is the cup every US recipe means. A metric cup is 250 mL, so the same cup of sour cream would weigh 253.61 g instead of 240 g — 13.6 g more, or 5.67%. Australian and some European recipes use the metric cup, and the difference is large enough to matter in baking.
Do I need a scale for this, or will measuring cups do?
At this size the spoon wins. One millilitre of sour cream is 1.014 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 98.6% resolution on that — a measuring spoon is the more accurate instrument below about 5 g, which is why spice quantities are still written in spoons.
How many millilitres of sour cream is 500 g?
500 g of sour cream is 492.89 millilitres — 0.985784 millilitres to one gram, so 500 × 0.985784 = 492.89. Going that way is a division by 1.01442, or a multiplication by 0.985784 if you prefer.
Sour cream in millilitres and grams
| Millilitres | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mL | 5.0721 g | 5.072103405 |
| 10 mL | 10.1442 g | 10.14420681 |
| 15 mL | 15.2163 g | 15.21631022 |
| 30 mL | 30.4326 g | 30.43262043 |
| 50 mL | 50.721 g | 50.72103405 |
| 100 mL | 101.442 g | 101.4420681 |
| 125 mL | 126.803 g | 126.8025851 |
| 150 mL | 152.163 g | 152.1631022 |
| 200 mL | 202.884 g | 202.8841362 |
| 250 mL | 253.605 g | 253.6051703 |
| 500 mL | 507.21 g | 507.2103405 |
Based on 240 g per cup of sour cream. One millilitre of sour cream is 1.0144207 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 240 g | 8.47 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 180 g | 6.35 oz | 177.4 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 160 g | 5.64 oz | 157.7 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 120 g | 4.23 oz | 118.3 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 80 g | 2.82 oz | 78.86 mL |
| 1/4 cup | 60 g | 2.12 oz | 59.15 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 15 g | 0.529 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 1 tsp | 5 g | 0.176 oz | 4.929 mL |
US customary measures: 1 cup = 236.59 mL, 1 tbsp = 14.79 mL, 1 tsp = 4.93 mL.
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Ounces per cup | Density (g/mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 236 g | 8.325 oz | 0.9975 |
| Heavy cream | 238 g | 8.395 oz | 1.006 |
| Vinegar | 239 g | 8.43 oz | 1.01 |
| Sour cream (this page) | 240 g | 8.466 oz | 1.014 |
| Tahini | 240 g | 8.466 oz | 1.014 |
| Half-and-half | 242 g | 8.536 oz | 1.023 |
| Egg whites | 243 g | 8.572 oz | 1.027 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.