Hemp hearts

One US cup of hemp hearts weighs 160 grams. Going the other way, 100 grams is about 0.62 cups.

Also called hemp hearts, shelled hemp seeds, hulled hemp seeds, hemp seed kernels, raw shelled hemp seeds, cannabis sativa shelled seeds.

Hemp hearts publish at 160 grams per cup with high confidence because four independent authoritative sources converge precisely on this figure. USDA FoodData Central entry 170148 (Seeds, hemp seed, hulled) publishes 30 grams per 3 tablespoons, which back-calculates to 160 g/cup (density 0.6763 g/mL). Manitoba Harvest, the global market leader in commercial hemp hearts, publishes the identical 30 grams per 3 tablespoons on both its US Natural Hemp Hearts and Canadian Organic Hemp Hearts retail packaging. Kirkland Signature Organic Hemp Hearts (Costco's private label) matches at 30 grams per 3 tablespoons. Aqua-calc's USDA-derived density calculation confirms 160 g/US cup via metric-to-US conversion. This four-source convergence at a single figure is unusual on this site and reflects hemp hearts' remarkable consistency across brands.

Hemp hearts (also called shelled hemp seeds or hulled hemp seeds) are the soft inner kernels of the Cannabis sativa seed, revealed after the harder outer hull is removed via mechanical dehulling. Whole hemp seeds (unshelled) have a crunchy nut-like exterior and would be significantly denser per cup because the hull adds mass without proportional volume, similar to the pearled versus whole grain distinction in farro on this site. This entry covers hemp HEARTS specifically — the shelled product marketed by every major North American brand under the hemp hearts trade name. The product is unrelated to psychoactive cannabis: hemp seeds contain no meaningful THC and hemp hearts are legally sold as a food across North America and Europe.

Physical mechanism for the 160 g/cup density: hemp hearts are small (approximately 2-4 mm), soft, and irregularly shaped with a high fat content (49 percent by weight, mostly polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 oils, plus 32 percent protein). The soft texture allows them to pack fairly densely, but the oil coating prevents tight interlocking and the irregular shape creates persistent air voids between particles. The net result at 160 g/cup (density 0.6763 g/mL) is heavier than most flours (all-purpose 120 g/cup) but lighter than most intact whole grains (farro pearled 180 g/cup, amaranth grain 193 g/cup) — a density profile characteristic of fatty seed kernels rather than starchy grains or airy powders.

Compared to other seeds and small kernels on the site, hemp hearts at 160 g/cup pack lighter than intact whole grains and heavier than most milled flours. The comparison to other seed kernels places hemp hearts in the middle of the seed density spectrum — smaller and softer than pumpkin seed kernels, larger and fatter than chia or flax seeds. USDA does not publish a whole-hemp-seed (unshelled) cup portion; the shelled hemp hearts figure at 160 g/cup is the only cup weight consistently established across sources.

Category assignment is milled, matching other seeds, whole grains, and fibrous plant particulates on the site under the physical-packing definition.

Confidence is high reflecting the four-source convergence — USDA Standard Release cross-validated by Manitoba Harvest (market leader), Kirkland Signature, and independent density calculation, all agreeing precisely at 30 g per 3 tablespoons. High confidence for a range-publish moat play is rare on this site; hemp hearts earn it because commercial hemp seed processing produces exceptionally consistent product across brands, and USDA's measured figure aligns with every retail label. For baking and cooking accuracy, weigh hemp hearts on a kitchen scale, but the 160 g/cup figure is reliable enough to use for recipe planning without a scale. This entry represents a moat play for the site: hemp hearts is a modern superfood added to the North American market after the King Arthur Ingredient Weight Chart was established, and no other cup-to-gram reference cross-validates the USDA figure against multiple commercial brands with the physical explanation of why fatty seed kernels pack at their characteristic density between flours and whole grains.