Paprika (ground)

One US cup of paprika (ground) weighs 108.8 grams (3.8 ounces). Going the other way, 100 grams is about 0.92 cups.

A US cup of ground paprika weighs 109 grams, a figure on which USDA's reference weight and an independent foodservice measurement agree to within a tenth of a gram.

Paprika is the dried, ground pod of Capsicum annuum, made from milder, thinner-fleshed pepper varieties than those used for chili powder. Hungary and Spain are the two traditional origins. In US retail, a jar labeled simply paprika is the sweet style; Hungarian grades run from delicate to hot, and Spanish pimentón dulce is the sweet Spanish equivalent. Grade mainly changes pungency and color, and there is no published data showing it moves cup weight, so this entry covers sweet and hot ground paprika alike. Smoking changes flavor but not packing: smoked paprika, dried over wood smoke before grinding, has its own entry and shares this figure.

USDA's SR Legacy record for ground paprika lists 6.8 grams per tablespoon, which scales to 108.8 grams per cup. A foodservice conversion table built from measurements across several vendors lists paprika at 3.84 ounces per cup, or 108.9 grams. Two independent methods, one lab reference and one kitchen measurement, land on the same number. USDA's teaspoon figure of 2.3 grams scales to 110.4, within 1.5%, which is simply coarser rounding on a smaller portion.

Lower figures circulate, and all of them trace to rounding rather than measurement. McCormick's label lists a quarter teaspoon as 0.5 grams. At 109 grams per cup, a quarter teaspoon actually weighs about 0.57 grams, and labels round to the half gram, so the printed 0.5 is correct rounding, but scaling it back up to a cup gives a false 96. The same foodservice site that measured 109 in its table also offers a half-teaspoon-per-gram rule of thumb in its prose, which works out to the same 96; it is a shortcut, not a measurement. At the other end, some online converters publish 123 grams per cup while listing 6.8 grams per tablespoon on the same page. Sixteen tablespoons at 6.8 grams is 109 grams, so 123 is an arithmetic error. None of these is used here.

The physics supports a middling figure for a spice. USDA composition data shows roughly 13% fat, 14% protein, and 35% fiber by weight. Ground pepper pericarp breaks into flat, papery flakes that bridge against each other and trap air, keeping paprika well lighter than crystalline or granular powders. The fat coats each particle in a thin oily film that makes the powder slightly tacky, so it absorbs humidity, clumps, and compresses under a scoop. The 109 figure assumes fresh powder spooned and leveled; pressed or humid-clumped paprika can run heavier. Within the spice family, paprika sits just below ground nutmeg at 112 grams per cup and inside ground allspice's 96 to 116 range.

In practice, a teaspoon of paprika weighs 2.3 grams and a tablespoon 6.8 grams. For seasoning, measure by spoon without concern. For dishes where paprika is the main spice, such as goulash or paprikash calling for several tablespoons, weigh it. Spoon it into the measure and level without pressing, break up clumps first, and keep the jar tightly sealed.