Why choose unsalted butter for baking?

It gives you full control over the sodium. Salt brands vary in density, so adding your own fine salt ensures perfect balance without accidental saltiness.

How do I measure cold butter without a scale?

Use the 'Water Displacement Method': Fill a 2-cup measure with 1 cup of cold water. Add butter chunks until the water level rises to the amount you need (e.g., for 0.5 cup butter, water should hit 1.5 cups). Drain water.

Butter, unsalted

By Fidamen-Chefsolver Team | Reviewed by Chefsolver Staff

Butter is the backbone of baking flavor. Measuring solid butter by cup is notoriously difficult due to air pockets. Professional bakers rely on weight because a 'stick' wrapper may be misprinted, and packing cold butter into a cup usually results in less fat than the recipe requires. Weighing ensures your cookies spread correctly and your cakes stay tender.

Quick convert

Ingredient

→

US cup = 236.588 mL
1 tbsp = 14.787 mL
1 tsp = 4.929 mL

Reference table

Butter, unsalted — milliliters to grams
mL	g
10	10
25	24
50	48
75	72
100	96

How this conversion works

Milliliters measure volume while grams measure weight. Because Butter, unsalted has a density of 0.959 g/mL, 10 mL weighs 10 g — not 10 g as it would for water. This converter uses the real density of Butter, unsalted so every measurement is accurate.

Measurement notes

Values are rounded to the nearest whole gram. Actual weight can vary slightly with compaction, temperature, and brand. For precision baking, a kitchen scale is always more reliable than volume measurements.

Tired of converting?

Cooking like a pro requires precision. For consistent results, weigh your ingredients.

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FAQ

Why choose unsalted butter for baking?: It gives you full control over the sodium. Salt brands vary in density, so adding your own fine salt ensures perfect balance without accidental saltiness.
How do I measure cold butter without a scale?: Use the 'Water Displacement Method': Fill a 2-cup measure with 1 cup of cold water. Add butter chunks until the water level rises to the amount you need (e.g., for 0.5 cup butter, water should hit 1.5 cups). Drain water.