How Many Ounces of Cheese Are in a Cup?

Cheese is a versatile ingredient. Whether you’re prepping a sandwich or creamy mac and cheese, it’s important to add just the right amount so it won’t overpower the rest of your ingredients. But how exactly do you measure cheese if a recipe calls for ounces when you only have measuring cups or don’t have a kitchen scale? Just like the normal confusion about how many ounces are in a cup, you might be specifically wondering, how many ounces of cheese are in a cup? If you’re constantly wondering about it, then read on! 

How to Measure Cheese

Measuring cheese will always depend on the type you are using. While there may be tons of best cheeses on the market, it is important to note that each type of cheese will yield a different measurement when converted, especially in cups.

But why use ounces to measure cheese? Since cheese is considered a dry ingredient, it is typically measured using weight instead of volume.

That’s because volume measures are better used for liquid ingredients, like milk and water, that take up the space of the container they are in.

Dry ingredients such as cheese, on the other hand, can vary in shape and size, especially when shredded or grated. Thus, measuring cheese should be based on its heaviness instead of its volume, which is why it is more accurate to use ounces.

But no worries if you only have measuring cups at home, you can simply convert how many ounces of cheese are in a cup using the guide below!

Cheese Measurement Conversions

So, how many oz of shredded cheese is in a cup? Typically, 1 cup of shredded cheese such as cheddar weighs around 4 ounces.

But really, the answer all boils down to what type of cheese is used and how your cheese is grated. Soft or crumbly cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, and goat cheese tend to be much heavier.

• Once finely grated, a cup of soft cheese will yield about 6 ounces.
• For semi-hard cheeses such as Gruyere, Emmental, or cheddar cheese, a cup will typically yield 4 ounces. 
• Hard cheeses, on the other hand, such as Parmigiano or parmesan will yield about 3 ounces.

Grated Cheese Measurements

Another thing to consider when measuring cheese is the type of grater you’re using. Remember, the weight of your cheese can be the same but the volume will vary depending on how you grate the ingredient.

If you are wondering how each type of grate size differs in measurement when converted from cups to ounces, here’s a quick guide for harder cheeses:

Earlier, we said that 1 cup of hard cheese is equal to 3 ounces. That measurement uses the default size of grated cheese which is a medium grate.

However, if a recipe requires finely grated or coarsely grated hard cheese, you can follow the guide above as it will have different ounces. That’s because coarsely grated cheese is typically heavier than finely grated ones.

Other Cheese Measurements

Most recipes call for either ounces or cups when measuring cheese. And since you just learned how many ounces of cheese are in a cup, you might think it would be a breeze the next time you buy ingredients for cheese manicotti. However, there’s a chance that pre-shredded or pre-grated aren’t available. How would you know exactly how much to buy? 

Typically, blocks or wedges of cheese are sold by the pound. So, here’s a quick guide to help you convert cheese measurements from pounds to cups and ounces:

The table above applies to typically bought cheeses specifically semi-hard cheeses like cheddar, Gouda, Havarti, and Gruyere.

READ ALSO: What Is Gruyere Cheese And How to Use It

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

While most people don’t really care how much cheese they put on their plate or their recipe, there’s nothing really wrong with being careful and adding cheese in exact measurements. For those watching their diet or who can only consume so much cheese, this guide is for you.

This is also a handy guide that you can use at the market to know how many bags or blocks of cheese would be equivalent to the unit measurement used in a particular recipe.