Crushed tomatoes

One US cup of crushed tomatoes weighs between 242 and 260 grams (8.5 to 9.2 ounces), depending on the brand or product and which source measured it. That range is the answer; a single number would not be. Every figure behind it is below, with the method each source used.

Tomato paste, puree, sauces, canned tomatoes, juice and ketchup compared: cup weights side by side, the source behind each, and why they differ.

Crushed tomatoes span 242-260 g per US cup — a 7% split reflecting variance between plain-crushed products (crushed tomato flesh in tomato juice, 242-244 g/cup per USDA and Tuttorosso) and denser puree-packed products (crushed tomatoes suspended in tomato puree, 260 g/cup for Muir Glen and Happy Harvest).

Crushed tomatoes are a canned tomato product intermediate between diced tomatoes (discrete chunks) and tomato sauce (fully smooth). USDA and FDA regulations do not tightly define crushed tomatoes the way they define tomato sauce (8-12% solids) or paste (24-32% solids). Manufacturers have latitude in whether to pack in juice, puree, or a mixed base, and whether to include added seasonings. This lack of a tight identity standard produces the observed density spread.

USDA SR Legacy "Tomatoes, crushed, canned" (FDC 170501) publishes density approximately 242 g per US cup (256 g per metric cup, density 1.023 g/mL). This represents the plain-crushed reference — tomato flesh crushed and packed in its own juice.

Producer labels split into two clusters. Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes declares 1/4 cup = 61 g (244 g/cup, density 1.031 g/mL), matching USDA within 1%. Muir Glen Crushed Tomatoes with Basil, Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes, and Aldi's Happy Harvest Crushed Tomatoes all report the denser 1/4 cup = 65 g (260 g/cup, density 1.099 g/mL). The denser brands' ingredient labels reveal the reason: they are crushed tomatoes packed in tomato puree rather than in juice, adding extra tomato solids and raising density.

For validation and internal consistency, this entry withholds a single figure and publishes the observed range 242-260 g/cup. The 7.4% spread exceeds the 5% liquid category tolerance because two commercial product structures exist under the crushed tomatoes name — a formulation choice that regulatory standards do not force to converge.

Practical guidance: for chili, quick marinara, and shakshuka bases where the crushed tomatoes are one of many ingredients, either density works — recipes are forgiving at this scale. For pizza sauce and other applications where crushed tomatoes are the primary ingredient and cook down significantly, the denser puree-packed varieties (Muir Glen, Happy Harvest) produce a thicker finished sauce with less required reduction time. Recipes that specify a particular brand implicitly assume that brand's density; when substituting brands, weigh from the can rather than measure by cup to hit the same amount of tomato solids.

A 28-oz can (the standard supermarket size) holds 794 g. At USDA density (242 g/cup) that is roughly 3 1/4 cups; at Muir Glen density (260 g/cup) that is roughly 3 cups. The can weight is regulated; the cup volume derived from it is not.

King Arthur is silent on crushed tomatoes. Companion entries in the tomato family: tomato-paste at 262 g/cup (tight convergence, regulated 24-32% solids identity), tomato-sauce at 245 g/cup (tight convergence, regulated 8-12% solids identity). Crushed tomatoes are the tomato family's messiest entry due to unregulated formulation.