Food and Nutrition Service

. 

United States Department of Agriculture

Determining Ounce Equivalents 

of Grains in Child and Adult Care 

Food Program Recipes

Grain items prepared from scratch can be a wonderful addition to Child and Adult Care Food Program 

(CACFP) menus. These items may count toward the minimum amount of grains required at CACFP meals 

and snacks, which are listed in ounce equivalents (oz eq). One ounce equivalent (oz eq) is equal to 16 

grams of grains. 

To determine how many oz eq of grains are in one serving of a recipe, you can:

A Complete the Homemade Grains Worksheet on page 6. 

Or

B Weigh one serving of the grain item. Compare the weight of the item to what’s listed in the 

“Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains in the CACFP” worksheet at TeamNutrition.USDA.gov.

You can also compare the weight of the item to what’s listed in “Exhibit A: Grains Requirements 

for Child Nutrition Programs” at foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov If you use this method, all

grain ingredients in the recipe must be creditable.

 FNS-876 September 2020

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Using the Homemade Grains Worksheet

You can use the Homemade Grains Worksheet on page 6 to help determine how many oz eq of 

grains are in one serving of your recipe. Complete the worksheet by following the steps below: 

1

2

Write the name of the recipe on the line after “Homemade Grains Worksheet.” Then, list each 

creditable grain ingredient in the recipe. Creditable grains include whole grains, enriched 

grains, bran, and germ. See the Grains Conversion Chart on page 5 for a list of commonly 

used grain ingredients. If an ingredient in your recipe is not creditable, do not include it in 

the Homemade Grains Worksheet. 

Amount Multiply by

Conversion 

Factor Equals

Grams of 

Grains

x =

x =

Total Grams of Creditable Grains

2 3

5

4

Pizza Crust

Yield: 25 servings

Ingredients

3 cups enriched bread flour

3 cups whole-wheat flour 

 cup milk 

 cup sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

The creditable grain ingredients in this recipe are 

enriched bread flour and whole-wheat flour. 

Homemade Grains Worksheet: Pizza Crust

1

Grain 

Ingredient

Enriched 

bread flour

Whole-wheat 

flour
3

2 List the amount of each creditable grain ingredient in the recipe. If amounts are listed as 

fractions, change the amounts to decimals by using the Fractions and Decimals Chart below. 

Fractions and Decimals Chart

Fraction Equals Decimal

= 0.125

= 0.25

= 0.333

= 0.375

= 0.5

= 0.625

= 0.667

= 0.75

= 0.875

Pizza Crust

Multiply by

Conversion 

Factor Equals

Grams of 

Grains

x =

x =

5 Total Grams of Creditable Grains

3 4

Equals

Grams of 

Grains

=

=

4

Yield: 25 servings

Ingredients

3 cups enriched bread flour

3 cups whole-wheat flour 

 cup milk 

 cup sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3 cups = 3.25 cups

3 cups = 3.5 cups

1

Grain 

Ingredient

2

Amount

Enriched 

bread flour 3.25 cups

Whole-wheat 

flour 3.5 cups

3 If the recipe lists the amount of grain ingredients in grams (g), skip to Step 5. If amounts 

are listed as cups, ounces, or pounds, you will need to change these measurements to 

grams. To do so, use the Grains Conversion Chart on page 5 to find the conversion factor 

for each grain ingredient. Write the conversion factor for each grain ingredient on the 

worksheet. If the recipe has a creditable grain ingredient that is not listed in the chart, 

you will need to weigh your ingredient in grams. 

1

Grain 

Ingredient

2

Amount Multiply by

3

Conversion

Factor

Enriched 

bread flour 3.25 cups x 137 g

Whole-wheat

flour 3.5 cups x 120 g
4

4 Multiply the amount of the creditable grain ingredient by the conversion factor to determine 

grams of the ingredient. If you have weighed the ingredient, enter the weight under the 

“Grams of Grains” column. 

1

Grain 

Ingredient

2

Amount Multiply by

3

Conversion 

Factor Equals

4

Grams of 

Grains

Enriched 

bread flour 3.25 cups x 137 g = 445.25 g

Whole-wheat 

flour 3.5 cups x 120 g = 420 g

Total Grams of Creditable Grains

5 Add the grams of all creditable grain ingredients to determine the total grams of creditable 

grains in the recipe.

4

Grain 

Ingredient Amount Multiply by

Conversion 

Factor Equals

Grams of 

Grains

Enriched 

bread flour 3.25 cups x 137 g = 445.25 g

Whole-wheat 

flour 3.5 cups x 120 g = 420 g

5 Total Grams of Creditable Grains 865.25 g

1 2 3

445.25 grams of enriched bread flour + 420 grams of whole-wheat flour =

865.25 grams of creditable grains

6 Divide the total grams of creditable grains in the recipe (from Step 5) by the number of 

servings (yield) in the recipe. This tells you the amount of creditable grains per serving.

865.25 grams of creditable grains ÷ 25 servings =

34.61 grams of creditable grains per serving

7 Divide the grams of creditable grains per serving (from Step 6) by 16 grams. This tells you how 

many ounce equivalents of grains are in each serving.

34.61 grams of creditable grains per serving ÷ 16 grams = 

2.16 oz eq of grains per serving

8

5

If the answer in Step 7 ends in a decimal, round the number down to the nearest 0.25 oz eq 

of grains. 

2.16 rounds down to 2. 

One serving of this pizza crust provides 2 oz eq of grains.
5 

Grains Conversion Chart

Any ingredient: 1 pound (lb) = 453.6 g, 1 ounce (oz) = 28.35 g

Ingredient Measurement 

Unit

Conversion 

Factor

All-Purpose Flour, Enriched, Bleached and Unbleached 1 Cup 125 g

Almond Flour (Not Creditable) - -

Bread Flour, Enriched 1 Cup 137 g

Bromated Flour (Not Creditable) - -

Chia Seeds (Not Creditable as a Grain) - -

Corn Fiber (Not Creditable) - -

Corn Masa, Enriched 1 Cup 114 g

Cornmeal, Degerminated (Not Creditable) - -

Cornmeal, Enriched, Degermed 1 Cup 138 g 

Cornmeal, Whole Grain 1 Cup 122 g 

Corn Flour, Yellow (Not Creditable) - -

Corn Flour, Whole Grain 1 Cup 117 g

Cracked Wheat 1 Cup 160 g

Flaxseed (Not Creditable as a Grain) - -

Lentil Flour (Not Creditable as a Grain) - -

Oat Bran 1 Cup 94 g

Oat Fiber (Not Creditable) - -

Oat Flour, Whole Grain 1 Cup 120 g

Oats, Quick-Cooking or Rolled 1 Cup 81 g 

Rice Flour, Brown 1 Cup 158 g

Rice Flour, Enriched 1 Cup 160 g

Rice Flour, Unenriched (Not Creditable) - -

Self-Rising Flour, Enriched 1 Cup 125 g

Sorghum Flour (Not Creditable) - -

Tapioca Flour (Not Creditable) - -

USDA Foods White Whole Wheat/Enriched 60/40 Blend 1 Cup 120 g

Wheat Bran 1 Cup 58 g

Wheat Flour, Unenriched (Not Creditable) - -

Wheat Germ 1 Cup 115 g 

White Flour, Enriched 1 Cup 125 g

White Flour, Unenriched (Not Creditable) - -

Whole-Wheat Flour 1 Cup 120 g

5
6 

.

Try It Out! Use the Homemade Grains Worksheet to determine how 

many oz eq of grains are in one serving of the recipe. 

Multigrain Muffins

6

Yield: 15 servings

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1⁄2 cup enriched all-purpose flour

1 cup oat bran

3 cup flaxseeds

Homemade Grains Worksheet: ______________________ 

1

Grain Ingredient

2

Amount

3

Conversion Factor

4

Grams of Grains

x =

x =

x =

x =

5 Total Grams of Creditable Grains

6 _____ grams of creditable grains ÷ _____ number of servings = 

_____ grams of creditable grains per serving

7 _____ grams of creditable grains per serving ÷ 16 grams of grains per oz eq = 

_____ oz eq of grains per serving

8 Round amount of oz eq down to nearest 0.25 oz eq = 

_____ oz eq of grains per serving 

ANSWER KEY

fins igrain Muf tMul orksheet: Homemade Grains W

1

Grain Ingredient

2

Amount

3

Conversion Factor

4

Grams of Grains

120 g = 120 g x 1 cup Whole-Wheat Flour

62.5 g = 125 g x 1⁄2 cup Enriched All-Purpose Flour

94 g = 94 g x 1 cup Oat Bran

= x

276.5 f Creditable Grains Total Grams o 5

itable grains per serving ed grams of cr 18.43 number of servings = 15 ÷ itable grains ed grams of cr 276.5

 oz eq of grains per serving 1.15 16 grams of grains per oz eq = ÷ itable grains per serving ed grams of cr 18.43

 oz eq of grains per serving 1 est 0.25 oz eq = Round amount of oz eq down to near

6

7

8

More training, menu planning, and nutrition education materials for the CACFP 

can be found at TeamNutrition.USDA.gov