La receta pide cien gramos de azúcar, pero yo pongo un poco menos.

In Spanish, pedir can mean more than just to ask for in the literal sense. Here, la receta pide... means:

• the recipe calls for...
• the recipe requires...

So La receta pide cien gramos de azúcar is a very natural way to say The recipe calls for one hundred grams of sugar.

This is a common use of pedir with things like:

• La receta pide harina integral. = The recipe calls for wholemeal flour.
• El trabajo pide mucha paciencia. = The job requires a lot of patience.

Use cien before a noun to mean one hundred.

So:

• cien gramos = one hundred grams
• cien euros = one hundred euros

Use ciento when the number continues:

• ciento uno = 101
• ciento veinte = 120
• ciento cincuenta gramos = 150 grams

So in this sentence, cien gramos is correct because the number is exactly 100 and comes directly before the noun.

In Spanish, when you talk about a quantity followed by a substance or noun, you usually use de:

• cien gramos de azúcar = one hundred grams of sugar
• un kilo de harina = a kilo of flour
• un vaso de agua = a glass of water

This is very similar to English of in these kinds of expressions.

Usually, yo is not necessary in Spanish because the verb ending already shows the subject:

• pongo already means I put / I add

So you could say:

• ...pero pongo un poco menos.

That would still be completely correct.

Here, yo is probably included for emphasis or contrast:

• the recipe says one thing, but I do something different

So pero yo pongo... sounds like:

• but I put...
• but I personally add...
• but as for me, I use...

Poner literally means to put, but in cooking it is often used in a broader way, like to add or to put in.

So yo pongo un poco menos means something like:

• I add a little less
• I put in a little less

In a cooking context, that sounds very natural.

You may also hear other verbs in similar contexts, such as:

• añadir = to add
• echar = to throw in / add

For example:

• La receta pide cien gramos de azúcar, pero yo añado menos.
• ...pero yo echo un poco menos.

All are possible, but poner is common and natural.

Un poco menos means a little less.

In this sentence, it means the speaker uses a slightly smaller amount than the recipe recommends.

So if the recipe asks for 100 grams of sugar, the speaker might use:

• 90 grams
• 80 grams
• or just some amount below 100 grams

It does not mean less often or less intensely here. It specifically refers to quantity.

Both ideas are possible, but they are structured differently.

In the original sentence:

• La receta pide cien gramos de azúcar, pero yo pongo un poco menos.

Here, menos stands for less than that amount. The noun is understood from context. In English, this is like saying:

• The recipe calls for 100 grams of sugar, but I use a little less.

You do not need to repeat de azúcar because it is already clear what is being talked about.

If you said:

• ...pero yo pongo un poco menos de azúcar

that would also be correct, and it explicitly repeats sugar:

• ...but I add a little less sugar

So:

• un poco menos = a little less
• un poco menos de azúcar = a little less sugar

The first avoids repetition.

After measurements and quantities, Spanish normally uses the noun without an article:

• cien gramos de azúcar
• medio litro de leche
• dos kilos de patatas

That is the normal pattern.

Using de el azúcar would be wrong here.
Using del azúcar would also not fit this structure.

You use the bare noun because the phrase means a quantity of sugar, not of the sugar.

Because the quantity is more than one gram:

• un gramo = one gram
• dos gramos = two grams
• cien gramos = one hundred grams

Spanish nouns usually become plural in the normal way:

• gramo → gramos

Both are in the present indicative:

• pide = (it) asks for / calls for
• pongo = I put / I add

The present tense is often used for:

• general truths
• habits
• instructions
• things that are usually done

So here the sentence describes a general cooking habit:

• the recipe normally calls for 100 grams of sugar
• but I usually use a bit less

No, both are irregular.

Pedir

It is a stem-changing verb: e → i in some forms.

Present tense:

• yo pido
• tú pides
• él/ella pide
• nosotros pedimos
• vosotros pedís
• ellos piden

Poner

It is also irregular.

Present tense:

• yo pongo
• tú pones
• él/ella pone
• nosotros ponemos
• vosotros ponéis
• ellos ponen

A very common thing for learners to notice is the yo form:

• pongo, not pono

Yes, but this word order is the most neutral and natural.

The structure is:

• La receta = subject
• pide = verb
• cien gramos de azúcar = object/complement
• pero = but
• yo = subject
• pongo = verb
• un poco menos = object/complement

You could also hear variations like:

• La receta pide cien gramos de azúcar, pero pongo un poco menos.
• Yo pongo un poco menos, aunque la receta pide cien gramos de azúcar.

But the original sentence is very standard and easy to understand.

The sentence is natural in Spain and also understandable everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world.

A few notes:

• receta, pedir, poner, azúcar, and un poco menos are all standard Spanish.
• In Spain, poner in cooking is very common.
• In some other regions, people might also prefer echar or añadir in everyday speech.

So the sentence is not strongly regional, but it sounds perfectly normal in Spain.

Azúcar is a slightly unusual noun.

Most commonly, you will see:

• el azúcar

But adjectives may sometimes appear in either masculine or feminine, depending on the variety or speaker:

• el azúcar blanco
• el azúcar moreno

In modern standard usage, treating it as masculine is the safest choice for learners.

In this sentence, you do not see the article directly before azúcar, so the gender issue does not really affect the phrase gramos de azúcar.

Not exactly.

• menos azúcar = less sugar
• un poco menos = a little less

So menos azúcar is more general, while un poco menos is more specific and softer.

Compare:

• Yo pongo menos azúcar. = I use less sugar.
• Yo pongo un poco menos. = I use a little less.

The second one suggests only a small reduction, and it avoids repeating azúcar.