Cooking

Tablespoons to grams converter

Level spoons, by ingredient, because that is what changes the weight.

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Tablespoons to grams converter
Pick yours: each one weighs differently and the result shows the density used.
A metric tablespoon is 15 ml, a US one 14.8 and an Australian one 20.

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  1. Enter your measurements.
  2. Check the units and the assumptions.
  3. Press Calculate, or load the example.

Rather see a worked case? Press “Load example” and change any value afterwards.

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Teaspoons to grams

For salt, yeast and spices the teaspoon is the measure that really matters.

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Where each number comes from Conversion constants are exact; densities and coverage rates come from cited sources; everything else is an assumption you can change. Methodology · Sources and updates

How to use it

  1. Type how many tablespoons you need to convert.
  2. Pick the ingredient.
  3. Check the spoon standard: 15 ml is the European default.
  4. The result gives grams, millilitres and the cup equivalent.

How it is calculated

Same as cups, but with a much smaller measure, where the relative error is larger:

grams = tablespoons x spoon ml x density

There are three tablespoons in circulation: the 15 ml metric one (Europe, UK, Canada), the 14.79 ml US one and the 20 ml Australian one. The gap between the European and the Australian is 33 %: in a recipe with four tablespoons of oil, nearly a whole spoon.

All values are for a level spoon. A heaped tablespoon of flour can hold 50 % more, and repeated through a recipe that error ruins a dough.

Worked example

Three tablespoons of olive oil with a 15 ml spoon:

  • Volume: 3 x 15 = 45 ml
  • Olive oil density: 0.913 g/ml
  • Weight: 45 x 0.913 = 41 g

With a 20 ml Australian spoon it would be 55 g. Which is why knowing the recipe's spoon matters when the amount does.

Good to know

  • Always level. These values assume a levelled spoon, not a heaped one.
  • Three standards. 15 ml (metric), 14.79 ml (US) and 20 ml (Australia). Only the Australian one differs enough to notice.
  • For tiny amounts, use the spoon. Weighing 2 g of yeast on a domestic kitchen scale is unreliable: few have that resolution.
  • A table spoon is not a tablespoon. Cutlery ranges from 10 to 18 ml. Use proper measuring spoons.

Frequently asked questions

How many grams in a tablespoon of flour?

About 7.6 g with a 15 ml spoon, levelled. Heaped it can reach 11 g, 45 % more, which is why precise recipes specify level spoons.

How many grams in a tablespoon of sugar?

12.6 g of granulated sugar with a 15 ml spoon. Confectioners' sugar is 8.5 g, packed brown sugar 13.5 g.

How many tablespoons in a cup?

16 US tablespoons in a US cup. With a 15 ml metric spoon, a US cup is 15.8 tablespoons: near enough the same.

Which tablespoon does my recipe use?

European or British, 15 ml. American, 14.79 ml, which is practically identical. Australian, 20 ml, and that one genuinely differs.

Does this work for liquids and solids?

Yes, because it starts from the ingredient density. The only difference is that liquids level themselves and solids you have to level.

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