One ounce of vegetable oil is 0.13004368 cups, so converting ounces of vegetable oil to cups means multiplying by 0.13004368. 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 — vegetable oil measures 0.92143 g per mL. That ratio, 92.14%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A cup of vegetable oil is 218 g when it is measured the standard way, but how it gets into the cup changes the answer: between about 216.9 g and 220.2 g covers the range from lightly spooned to firmly packed. That 1% spread is larger than most of the adjustments recipes fuss over, and it disappears entirely the moment the ingredient is weighed instead.
One cup of vegetable oil is 7.69 oz. US kitchen scales usually step in eighths of an ounce, which is 3.54 g — around 1.63% of a cup of this ingredient, so the scale is precise enough for a full cup and coarse for a spoonful. That is why recipes mix the two systems: ounces for the bulk, spoons for the small amounts.
How the figure is arrived at: Every culinary oil is about 92% the density of water, which is precisely why oil floats on it.
The formula
ounces- The amount of vegetable oil you are converting, in ounces
0.13004368406- Cups per ounce for vegetable oil, from its density of 0.92143 g/mL
cups- The equivalent quantity in cups
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in ounces.
- It is multiplied by 0.13004368406, the cups-per-ounce figure for vegetable oil.
- The result appears in cups, with a second reading in tbsp beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
2 oz of vegetable oil in cups
2 oz of vegetable oil weighs out at 0.260087 cups. Divide 0.260087 by 0.13004368 and you get back to 2 oz, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
4 oz of vegetable oil in cups
Take 4 oz of vegetable oil: 4 × 0.13004368 gives 0.520175 cups. Doubling the batch takes it to 1.04035 cups, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
12 oz of vegetable oil in cups
12 oz of vegetable oil weighs out at 1.56052 cups. Divide 1.56052 by 0.13004368 and you get back to 12 oz, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many cups are in 1 oz of vegetable oil?
One ounce of vegetable oil is 0.13004368 cups. Half that quantity is 0.0650218 cups and double it is 0.260087 cups, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of vegetable oil not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Vegetable oil has a density of 0.92143 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 218 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 18.6 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. Vegetable oil does not compress, so a cup of it is 218 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 vegetable oil 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 vegetable oil weighs 0.9612 oz, so the two readings differ by 3.88%. 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 vegetable oil would weigh 230.36 g instead of 218 g — 12.4 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?
A scale, if the result matters. Volume measuring carries a spread of about 1% for vegetable oil — roughly 2.18 g on a 218 g cup — while a domestic scale is accurate to a gram or two. For anything where the ratio of ingredients drives the outcome, bread and pastry above all, weigh it.
How much does 2 cup of vegetable oil weigh?
2 cup of vegetable oil comes to 436 g, or 15.379 ounces. This page runs that calculation in reverse — enter a weight and it returns the volume — and the cups-to-ounces page does it in the direction the question is usually asked.
Vegetable oil in ounces and cups
| Ounces | Cups | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 oz | 0.0650218 cup | 0.06502184203 |
| 1 oz | 0.130044 cup | 0.1300436841 |
| 2 oz | 0.260087 cup | 0.2600873681 |
| 3 oz | 0.390131 cup | 0.3901310522 |
| 4 oz | 0.520175 cup | 0.5201747362 |
| 6 oz | 0.780262 cup | 0.7802621044 |
| 8 oz | 1.04035 cup | 1.040349472 |
| 12 oz | 1.56052 cup | 1.560524209 |
| 16 oz | 2.0807 cup | 2.080698945 |
Based on 218 g per cup of vegetable oil. One ounce of vegetable oil is 0.13004368 cups.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 218 g | 7.69 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 163.5 g | 5.77 oz | 177.4 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 145.3 g | 5.13 oz | 157.7 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 109 g | 3.84 oz | 118.3 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 72.67 g | 2.56 oz | 78.86 mL |
| 1/4 cup | 54.5 g | 1.92 oz | 59.15 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 13.62 g | 0.481 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 1 tsp | 4.542 g | 0.16 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 216 g | 7.619 oz | 0.913 |
| Vegetable oil (this page) | 218 g | 7.69 oz | 0.9214 |
| Coconut oil | 218 g | 7.69 oz | 0.9214 |
| Mayonnaise | 220 g | 7.76 oz | 0.9299 |
| Cream cheese | 227 g | 8.007 oz | 0.9595 |
| Water | 236 g | 8.325 oz | 0.9975 |
| Heavy cream | 238 g | 8.395 oz | 1.006 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.