How Many Cups in 16 Oz of Sour Cream?
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a delightful baking session, only to realize that your recipe calls for a specific amount of sour cream in cups, while you have a 16 oz container at hand?
The question that arises is: How many cups are there in 16 oz of sour cream? Fear not, for we have the answer! But there are many factors that will influence it, for example, are you working with US, imperial, or standard cups?
In this short yet educational article, we will unveil the simple conversion that will help you accurately measure the right amount of sour cream for your culinary endeavors.
Understanding this conversion is of utmost importance, as precise measurements play a vital role in the success of any recipe. Mastering this knowledge will not only save you from potential kitchen mishaps but also empower you to confidently experiment with various culinary delights.
Why Is This Important to Know?
Now, this may seem like a silly question. But there are actually a shocking number of reasons it’s an essential one!
For one, it’s crucial to understand what type of ounces you are working with. Is it ounces in weight or fluid ounces? Picking the wrong one may just result in a flopped recipe! And as you may know, ingredients these days, especially dairy-based ones, aren’t cheap!
Secondly, what type of cups are you working with? Because believe it or not, the actual volume of cups differs depending on where you are in the world.
For example, 1 US cup equals 237 milliliters. 1 imperial cup equals 284 milliliters. However, in standard cooking and baking, 1 cup equals 250 milliliters.
As you can see, that’s quite the difference in size. And in some recipes, even 1 teaspoon can make the world’s difference in the final texture and flavor of your dish.
So, today, we’ll take a look at all the important conversions of sour cream. And primarily, we will focus on how many cups are in 16 ounces of sour cream.
Volume to Weight Ratio of Sour Cream
First things first, sour cream is usually sold by weight, not by volume. So, you’ll often see it sold in grams, kilograms, ounces, or pounds.
If we are looking at 16 ounces in weight (aka 454 grams), we need to understand what the ratio of weight to volume is of sour cream. That’s the only way you will be able to calculate how many cups you can get from 454 grams (16 ounces) of sour cream.
For these calculations, working in milliliters and grams (the metric system) is more accurate and easy to convert.
1 gram of sour cream is equal in volume to 0.96 milliliters. So, 454 grams (16 ounces) is equal to 435 milliliters.
How Many Cups Are in 16 Ounces (Weight)?
As we’ve just calculated, there are 435 milliliters in 16 ounces (454 grams) of sour cream.
Now here is where the types of cups you are using come in.
If you are working with US cups, you will get 1.84 cups from 16 ounces of sour cream.
If you are working with Imperial cups, you will get 1.53 cups from 16 ounces.
And if you are working with standard cups, you will get 1.74 cups from 16 ounces of sour cream.
How Many Cups Are in 16 Fluid Ounces?
Now, the only consistent volume-based conversion of fluid ounces is to milliliters. 16 fluid ounces is equal to 473 milliliters.
Luckily, it’s really easy to convert milliliters to cups. However, again, the type of cup you are using will massively affect how many cups you will get from 16 fluid ounces.
So, if you are using US cups, you will get basically 2 cups of sour cream (technically, it’s 1.999 cups – but you can definitely round up here).
If you are working with imperial cups, you will get 1.66 cups from 16 fluid ounces of sour cream.
And if you are working in standard baking cups, you will get 1.89 cups from 16 fluid ounces of sour cream.
| Converting Fluid Ounces and Ounces to Cups | ||||
| amount in ml | US cup | Imperial cup | Standard cup | |
| 16 ounces (454 grams) | 435 ml | 1.84 cups | 1.53 cups | 1.74 cups |
| 16 fluid ounces | 473 ml | 2 cups | 1.66 cups | 1.89 cups |
16 oz of Sour Cream –What Cups to Use to Measure It?
Now, obviously, if you don’t work in milliliters, measuring our 1.84 cups might be difficult. Even if you do, it’s difficult to calculate and keep track of how much you’ve added.
We always recommend working in weight because the measurements are more accurate. But if you only have cups, here’s what you can do!
US Cups
As mentioned before, 16 ounces (454 grams) of sour cream will give you 1.84 US cups.
To measure this out, you can use 1 US cup + 3/4 US cup + 4 teaspoons.
Luckily, 16 fluid ounces is almost exactly equal to 2 US cups, so measuring out that conversion is easy.
Imperial Cups
If you need to measure out 1.53 imperial cups (that is equivalent to 16 ounces (454 grams) of sour cream), you can use the following measurement:
1 Imperial cup + 1/2 Imperial cup + 2 standard (5ml each) teaspoons
To measure out 1.66 Imperial cups, you can use 1 cup + 4/6 cup. Alternatively, you can use 1 cup + 1/2 cup + 1/6 cup.
Standard Cups
And finally, let’s say you are working with a standard cup that’s 250ml in volume, here’s how you will measure out the correct amount of cups for ounces and fluid ounces of sour cream.
1.74 cups is the equivalent of 1 cup + 3/4 cup.
1.89 cups are the same as 1 cup + 3/4 cup + 1/8 cup + 1 teaspoon. You can also measure it out by combining 1 cup + 7/8 cups + 1 teaspoon.
| How to Measure Out Cups | ||
| 16 Ounces (Weight) 435 milliliters | 16 Fluid Ounces 473 milliliters | |
| US cups | 1.84 cups 1 3/4 cups + 4 teaspoons | 2 cups 2 cups |
| Imperial cups | 1.53 cups 1 1/2 cups + 2 teaspoons | 1.66 cups 1 4/6 cups OR 1 cup + 1/2 cup + 1/6 cup |
| Standard cups | 1.74 cups 1 3/4 cups | 1.89 cups 1 cup + 3/4 cup + 1.8 cup + 1 teaspoon OR 1 cup + 7/8 cup + 1 teaspoon |
What Cups Are You Working With?
Now, all of the information above is USELESS unless you can figure out how big your measuring cups truly are. Because while all of the products on the shelves say “cups and teaspoons,” it doesn’t actually mean that the volumes are the same.
So, to figure out what you are working with and how many cups you will ultimately need, you need to check the volume of YOUR cups.
For this, you will need a scale (that works), your cups, and some water.
Step 1: Place the empty cup on the scale and make sure to tare it. When the cup is on the scale, the scale should read 0 grams.
Step 2: Fill a separate jug with water. Slowly fill the cup (on the scale) with water until it perfectly reaches the edge. The cup shouldn’t be overfilled. You should essentially be able to take a knife and run it straight over the edge, without any water spilling over.
Step 3: Take the reading in grams. If your cup holds 250 grams of water, that’s the equivalent of 250 milliliters of water. Write this number on the outside of the cup with a permanent marker. This way you have a quick reference.
Step 4: If your cup has any other volume than the cups we mentioned above, you will need to make new conversions.
Let’s say, as an example, your cup only measured 200 milliliters. That means that you will need a different quantity of (for example) standard cups to make up 16 fluid ounces (473 milliliters) of sour cream.
In this case, you will need 2 cups (which is 200ml each) + 3/4 cup (which is 75 ml).
