Tomato Paste

One US cup of tomato paste weighs 262 grams. Going the other way, 100 grams is about 0.38 cups.

Also called tomato paste, canned tomato paste, tomato concentrate, concentrated tomato paste.

Canned tomato paste weighs 262-264 g per US cup — USDA, Hunt's, Contadina, and aqua-calc all converge within 1%. Density is 1.11 g/mL, denser than water because concentrated tomato solids dominate the finished product.\n\nTomato paste is tomatoes cooked down until most water has evaporated, leaving 24-32% natural tomato soluble solids by USDA Grade A standards. The result is a thick, spreadable concentrate that sits between tomato puree (10-24% solids) and double-concentrated tomato paste (36-40% solids).

Canned tomato paste is the FDA-defined form, sold in 6-oz (170 g) cans across US brands and increasingly in resealable tubes for portioned use.\n\nUSDA SR Legacy "Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added" (FDC 170459) publishes 1 cup = 262 g, corresponding to density 1.108 g/mL. Additional portion figures: 1/4 cup = 66 g, 1 tbsp = 16 g, 1 oz = 28 g, 6-oz can = 170 g. The 1-cup and 1/4-cup figures are internally consistent within 1%.\n\nProducer labels converge tightly.

Hunt's tomato paste declares 2 tablespoons = 33 g, extrapolating to 264 g per US cup. Contadina publishes the identical figure. aqua-calc's USDA-derived record shows 279 g per metric cup, equivalent to 264 g per US cup and density 1.116 g/mL. The full-source range is 262-264 g/cup — a 0.76% spread, easily within the 5% liquid category tolerance.\n\nThis tight cross-source convergence reflects tomato paste's regulated identity.

USDA Grade A canned tomato paste must contain 24-32% natural tomato soluble solids; anything above 32% is technically "concentrated tomato paste." The finished density is dominated by tomato solids (mostly pectin, cellulose, and sugars) suspended in the remaining water fraction. At approximately 25% solids and 75% water, given tomato-solid density near 1.5 g/mL, the resulting weighted density lands consistently near 1.11 g/mL across brands. No air is entrained — canned tomato paste is a viscous fluid rather than a shredded solid, so packing behavior does not vary the way it does for shredded cheese or ground spices.\n\nDouble-concentrated tomato paste (Cento's tube product, DeLallo, Amore, Mutti) is a distinct product — 36-40% tomato solids rather than 24-32% — but is sold with volumetric substitution guidance ("1 tsp tube paste = 1 tsp canned paste") rather than a distinct cup weight.

Its density is slightly higher than standard paste, but the volumetric substitution rule means recipes calling for tomato paste by cup or tablespoon translate directly regardless of concentration.\n\nFor validation and internal consistency, this entry publishes 262 g per US cup as a high-confidence single figure. USDA, Hunt's, Contadina, and aqua-calc convergence within 1% supports this position without a range publish.\n\nPractical guidance: for most home cooking (chili, ragù, marinara base, meatloaf, braises), the 16 g/tbsp figure is accurate enough that scooping from the can is fine. For baking applications (tomato-based bread, focaccia, savory tarts) and for scaling commercial recipes, weigh from the can.

A full 6-oz can holds 170 g, which is roughly 2/3 cup; a 12-oz can holds 340 g, about 1 1/3 cup. Refrigerated leftovers can be portioned into 1-tbsp (16 g) dollops and frozen on parchment for grab-and-use bases.\n\nKing Arthur is silent on tomato paste — its ingredient weight chart focuses on baking-specific ingredients and does not tabulate tomato products. No correction opportunity here.