How Many Cups in a Pound of Ground Beef?
1 lb of raw ground beef = 2.02 cups (about 2 cups).
A pound of raw ground beef or hamburger meat fills about 2 cups when lightly packed. After browning and draining, the meat loses fat and water but crumbles loosely, so a pound of cooked ground beef usually measures around 2½ to 3 cups.
Raw ground beef: pounds to cups
| Lb | Cups |
|---|---|
| ¼ lb | 0.504 cup (about ½ cup) |
| ½ lb | 1.01 cups |
| 1 lb | 2.02 cups (about 2 cups) |
| 1½ lb | 3.02 cups (about 3 cups) |
| 2 lb | 4.03 cups (about 4 cups) |
Raw ground beef: cups to ounces
| Cups | Oz | G |
|---|---|---|
| ½ cup | 3.97 oz | 112.5 g |
| 1 cup | 7.94 oz | 225 g |
| 2 cups | 15.9 oz | 450 g |
Planning recipes with ground beef
Most recipes that call for "1 pound ground beef" expect about 2 cups raw, which browns down to enough filling for 8 tacos or a family-size pot of chili. Fattier blends such as 80/20 lose more fat when browned than lean 90/10 beef, so they yield a little less cooked meat. If a recipe gives cooked ground beef in cups, brown about 1 pound of raw beef for every 2½ cups needed.
Weights and volumes on this page use these grams-per-US-cup densities: raw ground beef 225 g. Packing, sifting and brand can shift real results by 5–15%, so weigh when a recipe depends on precision.
Common questions
How many cups is 4 oz of raw ground beef?
4 oz of raw ground beef = 0.504 cup (about ½ cup).
How many oz are in 1 cup of raw ground beef?
1 cup of raw ground beef = 7.94 oz.
How many cups is 2 lb of raw ground beef?
2 lb of raw ground beef = 4.03 cups (about 4 cups).