In Canadian recipes, butter is commonly measured by volume and not by its weight. In the US, it is measured in sticks, while in European or British recipes, the weight is what counts as measurement. So, butter in sticks, grams, liters, cups or pounds can be a bit confusing 🙂
| Butter by volume | Butter by weight | Butter sticks |
|---|---|---|
| 2 cups / 480 mL | 1 lb (16 oz) / 454 g | 4 |
| 1 cup / 240 mL | ½ lb (8 oz) / 227 g | 2 |
| ½ cup / 120 mL | ¼ lb (4 oz) / 115 g | 1 |
Tips on how to measure butter
- A brick of butter comes with a small measurement unit on its wrapping. On one of its sides, you will find indications on where to cut to obtain the desired amount. This is a useful way to measure butter. Each section represents 8 tablespoons of butter.
- If there is no measurement on the package, you can use a ruler to determine the length of the brick. Divide it accordingly to the chart above and remember that 1 lb / 454 g brick represents 2 cups/ 500 ml.
- If your recipe requires tablespoons of butter, you can do the following: with the measurements on the wrapping (or the chart above) split 1 cup into ¼ cup portions. Divide each ¼ cup into four 1-tablespoon quantities and use as much as you need.