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Measuring Vegetables for Recipes: Pounds to Cups

How Many Cups in a Pound of Vegetables?

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Measuring vegetables for recipes is not always easy. The following equivalent measurements will help you convert a vegetable’s weight in pounds on the grocery scale to the amount in cups that you need for a recipe. Use this helpful chart as you create your grocery list to ensure you buy the right amount of veggies.

Now, when a recipe calls for a cup of onions, you’ll know how many to buy and slice!

Vegetable Measurements for Recipes

How Many Cups Are in a Pound?

Asparagus1 pound = 3 cups chopped
Beans (string)1 pound = 4 cups chopped
Beets1 pound (5 medium) = 2–1/2 cups chopped
Broccoli1/2 pound = 3 cups chopped
Cabbage1 pound = 4–1/2 cups shredded
Carrots1 pound = 3-1/2 cups sliced or grated
Celery1 pound = 4 cups chopped
Cucumbers1 pound (2 medium) = 4 cups sliced
Eggplant1 pound = 4 cups chopped (6 cups raw, cubed = 3 cups cooked)
Garlic1 clove = 1 teaspoon chopped
Leeks1 pound = 4 cups chopped (2 cups cooked)
Mushrooms1 pound = 5 to 6 cups sliced = 2 cups cooked
Onions1 pound = 4 cups sliced = 2 cups cooked
Parsnips1 pound unpeeled = 1-1/2 cups cooked and pureed
Peas1 pound whole = 1 to 1-1/2 cups shelled
Potatoes1 pound (3 medium) sliced = 2 cups mashed
Pumpkin1 pound = 4 cups chopped = 2 cups cooked and drained
Spinach1 pound = 3/4 to 1 cup cooked
Squash (summer)1 pound = 4 cups grated = 2 cups salted and drained
Squash (winter)2 pounds = 2-1/2 cups cooked and pureed
Sweet potatoes1 pound = 4 cups grated = 1 cup cooked and pureed
Swiss chard1 pound = 5 to 6 cups packed leaves = 1 to 1-1/2 cups cooked
Tomatoes1 pound (3 or 4 medium) = 1-1/2 cups seeded pulp
Turnips1 pound = 4 cups chopped = 2 cups cooked and mashed

This chart is a great printable to put on your refrigerator! 

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Please share your questions and tips below!

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About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Sue Derby</span> Sun, 07/16/2017 - 14:06
I need to know how many cups of pecan halves is in one pound?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 07/18/2017 - 14:33

That would be about 4 cups.

 <span>Kory</span> Fri, 06/09/2017 - 11:09
Could you add rhubarb to your list?
<span>Stewart</span> Thu, 01/26/2017 - 11:57
Your conversions/equivalents do not say whether they account for loss from peeling, cutting off leafy portions, cutting off root portions, etc.
<span>Lee</span> Thu, 09/22/2016 - 21:06
I just wanted to know how many potatoes I would need for 5/8 of a pound? So my original crockpot broke and I had to buy a new 1 but it's smaller, so I had to cut the original recipe in half. And it originally called for 1 1/4 lbs of baking potatoes, thinly sliced. And half of 1 1/4 lbs is 5/8 of a lb. So is 5/8 a lb. a full 1 potato or is it less than 1 potato?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 09/27/2016 - 12:24

Think of it this way: There are 16 ounces in a pound. One eighth of a pound is (16 divided by 8), so the answer is 2. Five eighths means 5 times 2, so the proper weight is 10 ounces.

As for how many potatoes that is, you need to weigh a potato and see how close it comes to 10 ounces and use all of part of it—or, if one potato is less than 10 ounces, use part of another. In all likelihood, the recipe will come out fine if your potato portion is slightly over or slightly under 10 ounces.

Call us when it's ready!

 

 <span>Dianne Rigsby</span> Sat, 09/03/2016 - 12:24
Thank's very much, I needed a weighing scale was trying to determine if needed 2 pounds of 4 to 5 inch cumcumber's how many would it take to make 2 pounds, I found answer. Thanks so much
<span>Melissa</span> Fri, 06/03/2016 - 13:31
Love your chart. I need to know about green peppers though and I do not see that. Would you know about how many green peppers would be in 5 pounds?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/06/2016 - 14:35

Bell peppers vary in size, but a general rule is that 2 bell peppers equal 1 pound. So 10 bell peppers would be about 5 pounds.