Popcorn Kernels: How Much Popped Does Each Cup Make?
A US cup of popcorn kernels weighs 225 g. Working back the other way, 100 g is about 1/2 cup and 250 g is about 1 1/8 cups. Use the calculator for any amount in between.
💡 Tip: About 1 tablespoon of kernels makes roughly 2 cups popped — measure kernels, not popped, when a recipe gives a popped-cup amount
Popcorn kernels to popped popcorn
Kernels expand massively — roughly 1 tablespoon of kernels → 2 cups popped. Use this to measure for a recipe or a movie night:
| Unpopped kernels | Popped (approx) | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| 2 tbsp (28 g) | ~4 cups | 1–2 |
| ¼ cup (56 g) | ~8 cups | 2–3 |
| ⅓ cup (75 g) | ~10 cups | 3–4 |
| ½ cup (113 g) | ~15 cups | 5–6 |
A typical snack serving is about 2 cups of popped popcorn per person.
Converting grams of popcorn kernels back to cups
| Grams | Amount | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 1/4 cup | 1.76 |
| 100 | 1/2 cup | 3.53 |
| 150 | 2/3 cup | 5.29 |
| 180 | 3/4 cup | 6.35 |
| 200 | 7/8 cup | 7.05 |
| 250 | 1 1/8 cups | 8.82 |
| 300 | 1 1/3 cups | 10.6 |
| 400 | 1 3/4 cups | 14.1 |
| 500 | 2 1/4 cups | 17.6 |
| 750 | 3 1/3 cups | 26.5 |
| 1000 | 4 1/2 cups | 35.3 |
How many grams in a cup of popcorn kernels?
| Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | 56.3 | 1.98 |
| 1/3 | 75 | 2.65 |
| 1/2 | 113 | 3.97 |
| 3/4 | 169 | 5.95 |
| 1 | 225 | 7.94 |
| 1 1/2 | 338 | 11.9 |
| 2 | 450 | 15.9 |
| 3 | 675 | 23.8 |
| 4 | 900 | 31.7 |
There are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so one tablespoon of popcorn kernels weighs roughly 14.1 g — and a teaspoon 4.69 g.
Is popcorn kernels heavy or light for its category?
At 225 g per cup, popcorn kernels is the heaviest of the 17 grains & legumes charted here — 181% heavier per cup than quick oats, the lightest at 80 g.
Substituting by volume shifts the weight: a cup of sushi rice (uncooked) in place of popcorn kernels is about 25 g lighter, so convert to grams before swapping.
Common questions about measuring popcorn kernels
- How many cups is 100g of popcorn kernels?
- 100 g of popcorn kernels works out at roughly 1/2 cup.
- How much popcorn does ¼ cup of kernels make?
- About 8 cups of popped popcorn — enough for 2–3 people. Roughly 1 tablespoon of kernels makes 2 cups popped.
- How many cups of popped popcorn come from ½ cup of kernels?
- About 15 cups of popped popcorn, enough for 5–6 servings.
- How many grams is 1 cup of popcorn kernels?
- 1 cup of unpopped popcorn kernels weighs about 225 grams.
- How many kernels for one serving of popcorn?
- About 2 tablespoons of kernels makes roughly 4 cups popped — one to two snack servings.
- How many cups is 200g of popcorn kernels?
- 200 grams of popcorn kernels is about 7/8 cup.
- How many cups is 250g of popcorn kernels?
- 250 g of popcorn kernels works out at roughly 1 1/8 cups.
- How many cups is 500g of popcorn kernels?
- 500 g of popcorn kernels works out at roughly 2 1/4 cups.