Spinach is a leafy green vegetable that is packed with nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K, iron, folate, magnesium, calcium, potassium and manganese. Spinach is low in calories but high in fiber, making it a nutritious addition to any diet.
When cooking with spinach, it is useful to know how much fresh spinach equals one cup. The amount can vary slightly depending on how the spinach is packed and stored. Here is a quick overview of how many ounces of fresh spinach are in one cup:
Quick Answer
On average, one cup of fresh spinach weighs about 1.2 ounces. This means that approximately 5-6 cups of fresh spinach leaves make up one pound, which is 16 ounces.
Spinach Nutrition Facts
Before diving into the specific weight of spinach per cup, let’s look at the nutrition facts of spinach:
- 1 cup of raw spinach contains only 7 calories
- 1 cup provides 56% of your daily vitamin A needs
- 1 cup contains over 150% of your daily vitamin K needs
- Spinach provides magnesium, folate, iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium, and choline
- It has 2.9 grams of fiber per cup
- Spinach contains antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin
As you can see, spinach packs a nutritional punch, making it a heavyweight in the vegetable group. Understanding how many ounces are in a cup makes it easy to enjoy the health benefits of spinach.
Measuring Spinach
When measuring out fresh spinach, it’s important to note that it reduces significantly in volume after cooking. Raw spinach contains a high water content, so it shrinks down after being heated or sauteed.
For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked spinach, you’ll want to start with around 4 cups of raw leaves. The spinach will wilt down to the proper amount during the cooking process. This is an important factor when substituting raw spinach for cooked spinach in any dish.
Loose Packed Spinach
When lightly packed into a measuring cup, one cup of raw spinach weighs approximately 1.2 ounces. Since there are 16 ounces in one pound, this means there are about 13 cups of loosely packed spinach leaves in a pound. So if you purchase a 5 ounce box of spinach, which is approximately 1/3 pound, it will contain around 4-5 cups loosely packed.
Dense Packed Spinach
If the spinach is packed down tightly into the measuring cup, it will weigh slightly more. Dense packed spinach weighs around 1.4 ounces per cup. With 16 ounces in a pound, this equals around 11-12 cups of tightly packed spinach leaves per pound.
Overall the differences are minor, but it results in spinach weighing approximately 15-20% more when packed densely vs loosely per cup. This demonstrates why weight measurements like ounces are actually more accurate than measuring spinach by cup.
Weighing Spinach in Ounces
Since the cup measurement can vary based on packing, another option is to weigh spinach in ounces using a food scale. This eliminates any guesswork and provides a precise measurement for recipes.
Here are some common spinach weights in ounces:
- 1 ounce of spinach = About 1 loosely packed cup
- 2 ounces of spinach = 2 loosely packed cups
- 3 ounces of spinach = 2-3 tightly packed cups
- 4 ounces of spinach = Around 3.5-4 loosely packed cups
Weighing spinach ensures you have just the right amount for your recipe. It takes away any uncertainty around loose versus dense packing.
Spinach Packaging in Ounces
When purchasing spinach, checking the packaging label provides useful information about the weight in ounces. Here are some common sizes spinach is sold in:
- 5 ounce box = Approximately 5 loosely packed cups
- 10 ounce box = 9-10 loosely packed cups
- 16 ounce box = 14-16 loosely packed cups
- 20 ounce box = Around 18 loosely packed cups
As you can see, spinach is usually sold in the most common pound increments – 5 ounces, 10 ounces, 16 ounces (1 pound) and 20 ounces. This makes the weight and cup conversion simple to determine.
Spinach Volume Changes When Cooked
Raw spinach reduces dramatically in volume when cooked – up to four times less! This is because spinach contains a very high water content. As the spinach heats up, the water is released and the leaves shrink down.
It’s important to account for this volume change when substituting raw and cooked spinach. For example:
- 1 cup raw spinach = 1/4 cup cooked spinach
- 4 cups raw spinach = 1 cup cooked spinach
- 10 ounces raw spinach = Around 2-3 ounces cooked spinach
You can see that same 10 ounce box of raw spinach leaves will cook down to only 2-3 ounces. Keeping this 4:1 ratio in mind helps ensure you have the right amount of spinach for your recipes.
Spinach Stems and Leaves
When using fresh spinach in recipes, you’ll get slightly different yields if you use just the leaves versus the entire leaf and stem. Here is a comparison:
- 1 cup spinach leaves = 1.2 ounces
- 1 cup spinach leaves and stems = 1 ounce
This shows that the stems account for a bit of weight in ounces. It’s not a major difference, but it’s useful to know that leaves alone will be lighter than leaves with stems per cup and per ounce.
Cooking Spinach
Raw spinach cooks down significantly, so it’s important to prepare extra spinach accordingly. Here are some cooking tips:
- Sauteeing: Use 4 cups raw per 1 cup cooked
- Boiling: Start with 4 cups raw to yield 1 cup boiled
- Casseroles or baked dishes: Account for up to a 75% reduction in volume after cooking
Starting with at least 3-4 times the measured amount of raw spinach ensures you’ll end up with the right quantity for your recipe after cooking. When in doubt, go with more rather than less!
Spinach Substitution Ratios
When substituting cooked spinach for raw spinach, or vice versa, keep these rough ratios in mind:
- 1 cup raw spinach = 1/4 cup cooked spinach
- 1 cup cooked spinach = 4 cups raw spinach
- 10 ounces raw spinach = 2-3 ounces cooked spinach
- 3 ounces cooked spinach = 10-12 ounces raw spinach
Using these simple spinach conversion ratios, you can easily substitute different forms of spinach called for in any recipe.
Freezing Spinach
Fresh spinach can also be frozen for later use. Here is how spinach quantities change when freezing:
- 1 pound fresh spinach = About 1 cup frozen
- 10 ounces (about 6 cups) fresh = 3/4 cup frozen
- 16 ounces (about 10 cups) fresh = 1 1/4 cups frozen
In general, fresh spinach reduces to about 1/10 the volume when freezing. Accounting for this shrinkage factor helps when freezing spinach to have ready on hand.
Canned Spinach
Canned spinach is significantly denser than fresh or frozen spinach. Here is the conversion:
- 1 cup fresh spinach = 1/2 cup canned spinach
- 10 ounces fresh spinach = 14-15 ounces canned spinach
- 15 ounce can = Around 30 ounces fresh or 24 cups raw leaves
As you can see, canned spinach weighs over twice as much as fresh per cup. Adjust spinach quantities accordingly when swapping canned for fresh spinach.
Key Spinach Weight and Volume Conversions
Here are some of the key fresh spinach conversions summarized:
- 1 cup loose raw spinach = 1.2 ounces
- 1 cup dense raw spinach = 1.4 ounces
- 5 ounce box = 4-5 cups raw leaves
- 1 pound = 16 cups loosely packed
- 1 cup raw = 1/4 cup cooked
- 1 cup cooked = 4 cups raw
- 1 pound fresh = 1 cup frozen
- 1 cup fresh = 1/2 cup canned
These simple conversions can help with measuring spinach for all your cooking and baking needs!
Conclusion
To summarize, one cup of fresh raw spinach weighs approximately 1.2 ounces on average when loosely packed, or 1.4 ounces when densely packed. This equals around 5-6 cups of leaves per pound. However, spinach reduces significantly in volume when cooked down to just a quarter of its raw amount. Freezing also decreases the volume by about 90%.
Understanding these weight and volume conversions makes it easy to substitute different forms of spinach in recipes. With its outstanding nutritional profile, spinach is a healthy addition to any meal. Whether using cups, ounces, or pounds, learning the basic conversions allows you to reap the benefits of spinach in your cooking.
