To convert millilitres of vanilla extract into grams, multiply by 0.85380407: one millilitre comes to 0.85380407 grams. Every ingredient has its own figure here, because the units are measuring different things and only the density links them.
Water is the yardstick: 1 mL of it weighs 1 g. Vanilla extract comes in at 0.8538 g per mL, or 85.38% of water, which is why a cup of it is 202 g rather than 236.6 g. Volume and weight only line up for water, and only in metric.
Vanilla extract has a density of 0.8538 g per mL, so 100 mL of it weighs 85.38 g and 250 mL weighs 213.5 g. That single figure is what every other number on this page is built from — water is 1.00 g per mL, so this ingredient is 85.38% as heavy as the same volume of water.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.495% of a cup of vanilla extract, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 2.475 cups, and a 1 kg pack 4.95.
The condition this weight assumes: Alcohol and water carrying dissolved vanillin, so it is lighter than a sugar syrup and heavier than the alcohol alone.
The formula
millilitres- The amount of vanilla extract you are converting, in millilitres
0.853804073222- Grams per millilitre for vanilla extract, from its density of 0.8538 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in millilitres.
- It is multiplied by 0.853804073222, the grams-per-millilitre figure for vanilla extract.
- The result appears in grams, with a second reading in oz beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
15 mL of vanilla extract in grams
15 mL of vanilla extract weighs out at 12.8071 grams. Divide 12.8071 by 0.85380407 and you get back to 15 mL, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
100 mL of vanilla extract in grams
Take 100 mL of vanilla extract: 100 × 0.85380407 gives 85.3804 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 170.761 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
250 mL of vanilla extract in grams
250 mL of vanilla extract weighs out at 213.451 grams. Divide 213.451 by 0.85380407 and you get back to 250 mL, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 mL of vanilla extract?
One millilitre of vanilla extract is 0.85380407 grams. Half that quantity is 0.426902 grams and double it is 1.70761 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of vanilla extract not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Vanilla extract has a density of 0.8538 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 202 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 34.6 g per cup, and it is the reason a single volume-to-weight factor cannot be applied to every ingredient.
Does how I measure it change the weight?
Yes, and by more than most people expect. Handling changes the weight of a cup of vanilla extract by roughly 20% — about 20.2 g either side of 202 g — because alcohol and water carrying dissolved vanillin, so it is lighter than a sugar syrup and heavier than the alcohol alone. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of vanilla extract the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce is a volume — one eighth of a US cup, 29.57 mL — and an ounce is a weight. One fluid ounce of vanilla extract weighs 0.8907 oz, so the two readings differ by 10.9%. They coincide only for something with the density of water, and then only roughly.
Is this a US cup or a metric cup?
US customary: 236.59 mL, which is the cup every US recipe means. A metric cup is 250 mL, so the same cup of vanilla extract would weigh 213.45 g instead of 202 g — 11.5 g more, or 5.67%. Australian and some European recipes use the metric cup, and the difference is large enough to matter in baking.
Do I need a scale for this, or will measuring cups do?
At this size the spoon wins. One millilitre of vanilla extract is 0.8538 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 117% resolution on that — a measuring spoon is the more accurate instrument below about 5 g, which is why spice quantities are still written in spoons.
How many millilitres of vanilla extract is 500 g?
500 g of vanilla extract is 585.61 millilitres — 1.17123 millilitres to one gram, so 500 × 1.17123 = 585.61. Going that way is a division by 0.853804, or a multiplication by 1.17123 if you prefer.
Vanilla extract in millilitres and grams
| Millilitres | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mL | 4.26902 g | 4.269020366 |
| 10 mL | 8.53804 g | 8.538040732 |
| 15 mL | 12.8071 g | 12.8070611 |
| 30 mL | 25.6141 g | 25.6141222 |
| 50 mL | 42.6902 g | 42.69020366 |
| 100 mL | 85.3804 g | 85.38040732 |
| 125 mL | 106.726 g | 106.7255092 |
| 150 mL | 128.071 g | 128.070611 |
| 200 mL | 170.761 g | 170.7608146 |
| 250 mL | 213.451 g | 213.4510183 |
| 500 mL | 426.902 g | 426.9020366 |
Based on 202 g per cup of vanilla extract. One millilitre of vanilla extract is 0.85380407 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 202 g | 7.13 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 12.62 g | 0.445 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 8.417 g | 0.297 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 4.208 g | 0.148 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 3.156 g | 0.111 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.104 g | 0.0742 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.052 g | 0.0371 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.526 g | 0.0186 oz | 0.6161 mL |
US customary measures: 1 cup = 236.59 mL, 1 tbsp = 14.79 mL, 1 tsp = 4.93 mL.
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Ounces per cup | Density (g/mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground turmeric | 144 g | 5.079 oz | 0.6087 |
| Powdered gelatin | 150 g | 5.291 oz | 0.634 |
| Baking powder | 192 g | 6.773 oz | 0.8115 |
| Vanilla extract (this page) | 202 g | 7.125 oz | 0.8538 |
| Kosher salt | 240 g | 8.466 oz | 1.014 |
| Table salt | 288 g | 10.16 oz | 1.217 |
| Baking soda | 288 g | 10.16 oz | 1.217 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.