How Many Grams in a Cup of Greek Yogurt? 245, and Why It Outweighs Regular Yogurt
One US cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt weighs 245 grams, per USDA FoodData Central. If you are logging macros or converting a recipe and wondering how many grams in a cup of Greek yogurt, 245 is the reference number. The interesting part is the comparison: regular plain yogurt weighs less per cup, because Greek yogurt has had the watery whey strained out. Straining does not make yogurt lighter per cup. It makes it denser.
The straining paradox
Greek yogurt is regular yogurt with the liquid whey strained out. Intuition says removing liquid should lighten it. The physics says otherwise, because whey is mostly water, and water is the lightest thing in the cup. What remains after straining is a higher concentration of milk solids and protein packed into the same volume. Density goes up, so the cup weighs more: about 245 grams for Greek against roughly 225 for regular.
This is the same logic as the milk and cream comparison, running in reverse. With dairy, richer often means lighter per cup, because fat is less dense than water. Straining breaks that pattern because you are removing the light stuff and keeping the heavy stuff.
The protein math that actually matters
People rarely weigh Greek yogurt out of baking curiosity. They weigh it to track protein, and the numbers justify the habit. One cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt carries about 25 grams of protein for roughly 145 calories, per USDA per-100g values. Whole-milk Greek yogurt lands near 22 grams of protein and about 238 calories per cup. A tablespoon works out to about 15.3 grams, which is why the 15-gram shorthand most macro trackers use is close enough.
One caveat on brands. The 245-gram figure is a reference value for plain nonfat yogurt at a level fill. Whole-milk and low-fat versions weigh nearly the same per cup, since the water content is similar, but their calories differ. Whipped or fruit-flavored versions can drift 10 grams or more either way. When the brand prints a gram weight on the container, believe the container.
Grams in a cup of Greek yogurt: the conversion table
| Amount | Greek, nonfat | Greek, whole milk | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 15 g | 15 g | 15.3 g exact; 15 is fine |
| 1/4 cup | 61 g | 61 g | |
| 1/3 cup | 82 g | 82 g | |
| 1/2 cup | 123 g | 123 g | Half of 245 |
| 2/3 cup | 163 g | 163 g | |
| 3/4 cup | 184 g | 184 g | |
| 1 US cup | 245 g | 245 g | The headline number |
| 1 metric cup (250 ml) | 259 g | 259 g | European recipes |
The single-serve container math trips people up more than the cup math does. The standard 5.3-ounce cup is 150 grams, not the 170 grams of a 6-ounce cup, and both are sold side by side. Read the label's gram weight before you log it. For cooking, the difference between 245 and 240 is negligible in a marinade and worth respecting in a cheesecake, where the yogurt is structural.
For the most accurate results, tare the scale and spoon the yogurt straight into the bowl. It is faster than leveling a cup and you skip the part where half the yogurt stays in the measuring cup. The weighing vs measuring piece has the accuracy numbers, and the liquids vs dry ingredients guide covers which tools to trust for thick ingredients like this one.
Use the free cups to grams converter to pick the ingredient, enter the cups, and get the grams. No sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in a cup of Greek yogurt?
About 245 grams of plain nonfat Greek yogurt per US cup, per USDA FoodData Central. Whole-milk Greek yogurt weighs nearly the same by volume but has different calories.
Why does Greek yogurt weigh more than regular yogurt per cup?
Straining removes whey, which is mostly water, leaving a higher concentration of milk solids and protein in the same volume. Denser means heavier: about 245 grams per cup for Greek yogurt, against a lighter cup for regular.
How many grams of protein are in a cup of Greek yogurt?
About 25 grams of protein for 145 calories in plain nonfat Greek yogurt, per USDA values. Whole-milk Greek yogurt has about 22 grams of protein and 238 calories per cup.
How many grams is a tablespoon of Greek yogurt?
About 15 grams. One cup is 245 grams, divided by 16 tablespoons gives 15.3 grams per tablespoon.
Is a 5.3 oz Greek yogurt cup the same as a cup?
No. A 5.3-ounce container is 150 grams; a 6-ounce container is 170 grams. Neither is a full measured cup at 245 grams. Always go by the gram weight printed on the label.