Teaspoons to Grams

How to convert teaspoons to grams

A teaspoon measures volume, so convert with the weight of one teaspoon of the ingredient:

grams = teaspoons × grams per teaspoon

A U.S. cup holds 48 teaspoons, so a teaspoon of granulated sugar is 200 g ÷ 48 = 4.17 g, and USDA lists 4.2 g. Two teaspoons of sugar are about 8.3 g. The calculator covers 25 ingredients and also shows tablespoons, cups, milliliters and ounces, with a table of the same teaspoons for every ingredient.

Grams in one teaspoon

USDA’s own teaspoon entries match these closely: granulated sugar 4.2 g, table salt 6 g, olive oil 4.5 g.

Salt, sugar and labels

Teaspoons matter most for salt and sugar, where small amounts change a recipe or a diet. One teaspoon of table salt is about 6 g — and salt is roughly 40% sodium, so that teaspoon holds about 2,300 mg of sodium, the daily value on U.S. nutrition labels. Sugar on a label is listed in grams; dividing by about 4.2 turns it into teaspoons, so a drink with 39 g of sugar contains a little over 9 teaspoons. Spoons should be level for both: a heaped teaspoon holds noticeably more.

Baking soda, yeast and spices

Leaveners and spices are measured in teaspoons because a few grams make a big difference. If a recipe from a baker’s book gives them in grams, weigh them on a scale that reads to 0.1 g, or convert with the teaspoon weight of that exact product from its label — baking soda, baking powder, yeast and ground spices each weigh differently, and they are not in the list above. For everything measured by the cup in the same recipe, use grams to cups; for amounts in ounces, teaspoons to ounces.

Teaspoons, tablespoons and milliliters

A U.S. teaspoon is 1/6 fluid ounce, or 4.93 mL; three teaspoons make a tablespoon. Medicine spoons and many recipes outside the U.S. round it to 5 mL. For bigger amounts, see tablespoons to grams and grams to cups; for teaspoons as a volume, teaspoons to milliliters.