Disclaimer

This is a cooking aid, not a measuring instrument

Use these conversions when you have no kitchen scale. Do not use them in preference to one. The arithmetic here is exact, but it is arithmetic performed on a published average density, and the ingredient in your kitchen is not obliged to match that average.

Where the error comes from

Almost all of it comes from packing, not from our maths. The same cup of flour weighs about 120 g spooned and levelled and up to 160 g scooped from the bag — so 20 g of flour is 2.67 tablespoons by one method and 2.00 by the other. Brand, humidity, how finely something is ground and how long it has been sitting in the cupboard all move the number too.

Small amounts are where this bites hardest. Below about a quarter of a teaspoon we deliberately refuse to show a fraction and tell you to use a scale instead, because the rounding would be larger than the quantity.

Do not use this for anything medical

These conversions are not for medication doses, supplement doses, infant formula, or any other situation where an error affects someone's health. Volume-to-weight conversion is the wrong tool for those. Use a scale calibrated for the purpose and follow the instructions from a pharmacist, doctor or the product itself.

Salt, leaveners and other things where a small error shows

Ingredients used in small quantities with a large effect deserve a scale. One US tablespoon of table salt is about 18.0 g, but flaked and coarse salts occupy far more volume for the same weight, so a tablespoon of one is not a tablespoon of another. The same caution applies to baking powder, baking soda and yeast.

Allergies and dietary requirements

Nothing on this site describes what an ingredient contains, only what it weighs. Check packaging for allergens and ingredients.

Sources

Densities come from King Arthur Baking, USDA FoodData Central, FAO/INFOODS and NIST, each linked on the methodology page. Where sources disagree we publish the range rather than averaging it away, and some figures are still marked as under review. We are not affiliated with any of those organisations.

Contact

Found something wrong? hello@gramstotablespoon.com. See also the terms of use.