How Many Grams in a Cup of Heavy Cream?

Heavy cream, also labeled heavy whipping cream, contains at least 36 percent milk fat and is essential for whipped cream, rich sauces, and tender baked goods. One US cup weighs approximately 238 grams—lighter than whole milk per cup because fat is less dense than water, though the high fat content makes it rich and viscous.

Measure heavy cream in liquid measuring cups or by weighing 238 grams per cup. Cold cream whips best; measure before whipping when recipes specify volumes of liquid cream. For ganache and custards, weight ensures correct chocolate-to-cream ratios that volume measuring can skew.

Common errors include substituting half-and-half or milk for heavy cream in whipped applications—they will not whip. Over-whipping turns cream to butter at roughly 227 grams per cup of butter output. Confusing heavy cream with table cream or light cream changes fat percentage and recipe success.

Store heavy cream refrigerated with the cap sealed; use within one week of opening. Freeze in ice cube trays for cooking though frozen cream will not whip well after thawing. Substitute coconut cream in vegan recipes at similar weights with flavor differences.

Heavy cream's 238 grams per cup underpins ganache ratios where chocolate and cream weights must balance for proper setting. Whipping incorporates air that changes volume but not the starting liquid weight needed in recipes. When substituting half-and-half in soup recipes, note the lower fat percentage rather than the few grams difference per cup. Crème fraîche and sour cream sit near similar weights but behave differently when boiled. For ice cream bases, weighing cream ensures consistent butterfat contribution when you blend dairy from different carton sizes or brands with slightly different fat labels.

Label whipped cream yields separately from liquid cream weight—two cups whipped cream starts from the same 238 grams per cup liquid measure before air incorporation doubles appearance volume.