How many scoops of coffee per cup?
One level coffee scoop holds about 2 tablespoons, or roughly 10 grams of ground coffee. For most cups, that means one scoop per cup — with a few important caveats.
Last updated February 2026
How big is a coffee scoop?
A standard coffee scoop is designed to hold about 2 tablespoons of ground coffee, which is roughly 10 grams. That said, scoops vary between manufacturers, and how you fill one — heaped or level — changes the amount noticeably.
Scoops per cup
- 1 cup (250 ml): about 1.5 scoops (~15 g).
- 2 cups: about 3 scoops (~30 g).
- 4 cups: about 6 scoops (~60 g).
- 12-cup pot: about 10 scoops (~100 g).
These assume a balanced 1:16 ratio and a standard mug. Many people remember it as “one to one-and-a-half scoops per cup” and adjust from there.
The problem with scoops
Scooping is convenient but imprecise. Ground coffee settles and packs differently depending on grind size and roast, so two level scoops can differ by a couple of grams. Over a full pot that adds up to a meaningfully weaker or stronger brew.
A more reliable approach
If you brew the same coffee every morning, calibrate once: weigh a level scoop of your usual grounds so you know exactly how many grams it holds. Better still, weigh your coffee directly with the coffee amount calculator, which converts any number of cups into grams, tablespoons, and water for you.