1 cup of shortening in grams — 191 g.

Why 191 g per cup

Shortening (Crisco-type) is whipped during manufacture to incorporate air, giving it a lower density than butter at 191 g/cup. Bakers measure it by volume more often than by weight.

Solid fats like butter and shortening are nearly always specified by weight or by stick (4 oz = 113 g per US stick), so the gram value is the reliable one. Oils are measured by volume in most recipes; their density is close to water (~0.92 g/ml), so 1 cup ≈ 216–218 g for olive and vegetable oils.

The most accurate way to measure shortening

For recipes where the outcome matters — bakes, doughs, anything leavened — measure shortening on a kitchen scale set to grams. Set the bowl on the scale, press tare to zero, then add until the readout matches the gram value the recipe calls for. This removes the largest source of cup-to-cup variation: how you scoop.

The cup-based numbers on this page assume the “spoon and level” method — fluffing the ingredient in its container, spooning it into the cup, and levelling the top with a straight edge. Scooping directly with the cup packs more in, and can push the gram value up by 20-30 % for fluffy ingredients like flour and cocoa.