Grams to Tablespoons Converter by Ingredient

This chart shows the weight of one level US tablespoon and one level teaspoon. Dry ingredients are spooned in and leveled, and brown sugar is packed. Salt, baking soda and yeast are listed because small spoon amounts matter most in baking.

Sources: King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart for most rows; USDA FoodData Central for milk and heavy cream; water calculated at 1 g per ml. Rows King Arthur lists per cup are divided by 16, the number of tablespoons in a cup.

These are the amounts people look up most, with 30 grams and 50 grams at the top. Each cell shows level US tablespoons, rounded to one decimal. A result of 0.5 means half a tablespoon, which is 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Going the other way is just as common, since many recipes list small amounts in spoons. To change tbsp to grams, multiply the number of tablespoons by the weight of one tablespoon. Four tablespoons equal 1/4 cup, so the last column matches our cups to grams chart after rounding.

You need one number: the weight of one tablespoon of your ingredient. Divide your grams by that weight, and the answer is tablespoons. The formula looks like this:

Tablespoons = grams ÷ grams in one tablespoon of the ingredient

1. Find your ingredient in the chart above. One tablespoon of granulated sugar weighs 12.4 grams.
2. Divide the grams in your recipe by that weight. For 20 grams of sugar, 20 ÷ 12.4 = 1.6 tablespoons.
3. Turn the decimal into teaspoons. One tablespoon holds 3 teaspoons, so 0.6 tablespoon is about 2 teaspoons, and your answer is 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons.

To go from tablespoons to grams, multiply instead of dividing. For example, 3 tablespoons of honey is 3 × 21 = 63 grams. The calculator above does both directions for you.

Many charts say one tablespoon equals 15 grams. That number comes from volume: a US tablespoon holds about 14.8 ml, and Nutrition Facts labels round it to 15 ml (FDA). Only water and similar liquids weigh about 1 gram per milliliter, so only they come close to 15 grams.

Dry ingredients hold a lot of air, so they weigh much less. A tablespoon of flour weighs about half as much as a tablespoon of water, while a tablespoon of honey weighs about 40% more. Salt shows the gap best: table salt weighs 18 grams per tablespoon, but Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs only 8 grams, according to King Arthur Baking.

A US tablespoon holds about 14.8 ml, and most recipes outside Australia use a spoon close to this size, often rounded to 15 ml. Australia is the exception, where one tablespoon holds 20 ml (Cup (unit), Wikipedia). Use this table to swap between spoons and cups.

Source: Food Measurement Equivalents, Oklahoma 4H, Oklahoma State University.

Small amounts are easy to get wrong, and a few grams of salt or baking soda can change a whole recipe. These four habits keep spoon measures close to the chart. Use them whenever you bake without a scale.

• Level every spoon. Fill the spoon, then sweep the top flat with the back of a knife. A rounded spoon holds more than the chart assumes.
• Use measuring spoons, not eating spoons. Spoons from a cutlery drawer are not made to a set size.
• Check which salt you have. Table salt weighs more than twice as much per tablespoon as Diamond Crystal kosher salt, so swap them by weight.
• Weigh leaveners when you can. One teaspoon of baking soda weighs about 6 grams, so a scale that reads to 0.1 gram helps for bread and cakes.