Tomato paste

One US cup of tomato paste weighs 262 grams (9.2 ounces). Going the other way, 100 grams is about 0.38 cups.

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

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.

Tomato 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.

USDA 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%.

Producer 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.

This 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.

Double-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.

For 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.

Practical 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.

King Arthur's ingredient weight chart lists tomato paste at 2 tablespoons = 1 oz = 29 g, which extrapolates to 232 g per US cup and a density of 0.98 g/mL, lighter than water. That cannot be right for a paste that is 24-32% tomato solids, and USDA, Hunt's and Contadina all measure about 1.11 g/mL. Two tablespoons hold one US fluid ounce, and 29 g is that fluid ounce converted as if it were one ounce of weight (28.35 g), rounded up: the same fluid-ounce pattern behind King Arthur's 227 g cup of milk. The figure is recorded here as a rejected source with that reasoning, and the correction has its own page.

The following published figures for tomato paste are rejected here, with the physics or standards reasoning behind each rejection on its own page:

• King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart: 232 g per cup