Updated · Built and checked by the PlinzoTools team, formulas tested against published sources
Convert grams to US teaspoons using a selectable ingredient density.
4.9909 tsp
A teaspoon is a unit of volume, but recipes and nutrition labels often list an ingredient by weight in grams -- and because different ingredients pack differently into a teaspoon (a teaspoon of flour weighs much less than a teaspoon of salt), a single fixed "grams per teaspoon" number doesn't work across ingredients. This converter uses a selectable ingredient density so the result reflects what a teaspoon of your specific ingredient actually weighs.
Enter your weight in grams, then pick your ingredient from the density dropdown: Water, Sugar (granulated), Salt (table), Flour (all-purpose), Butter, Honey, Milk, or Vegetable Oil -- or select "Custom" to enter a known density in g/mL. The result shows teaspoons, plus a full breakdown into mL, liters, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons.
Teaspoons = Grams ÷ (Density (g/mL) × 4.92892159375)
4.92892159375 is the exact number of milliliters in one US teaspoon. Dividing weight by (density × that mL figure) converts grams into the equivalent teaspoon volume for the selected ingredient.
Notice each example lands close to exactly 1 teaspoon -- these are the approximate real-world "1 teaspoon" weights for each ingredient, which is exactly why a single fixed conversion factor doesn't work for dry ingredients in general.
| Ingredient | Density (g/mL) | Approx. Weight per Teaspoon |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 1.00 | 4.93g |
| Sugar, granulated | 0.85 | 4.19g |
| Salt, table | 1.28 | 6.31g |
| Flour, all-purpose | 0.53 | 2.61g |
| Butter | 0.96 | 4.73g |
| Honey | 1.42 | 7.00g |
Home bakers converting a nutrition label's gram figure (like sodium or sugar content) into a teaspoon measurement for recipe scaling. Anyone following a recipe written in grams who only has volume-based measuring spoons. For liquid ingredients measured in larger volumes, see the Fluid Ounces to Grams Converter.
These density values are typical averages -- packed vs. loose measurement (especially for flour and brown sugar), grain size, and moisture content can all shift a real ingredient's actual density somewhat. For baking precision, weighing ingredients directly on a kitchen scale is more accurate than any volume-to-weight conversion.
Imagine a nutrition label says a serving contains 12 g of sugar and you want to visualize it. Select Sugar (granulated) at 0.85 g/mL and enter 12. The tool divides 12 by 0.85 × 4.92892, which gives about 2.86 teaspoons, a little under 3. For salt, 10 g at 1.28 g/mL is about 1.59 teaspoons. For flour, 30 g at 0.53 g/mL is about 11.48 teaspoons, or close to 3.8 tablespoons. These numbers are hypothetical, chosen only to show how strongly the ingredient changes the result.
With a fixed 5 mL spoon, the weight simply follows density. A teaspoon of flour holds air between the particles, which lowers its density. Table salt is compact and dense, so the same spoon holds more than twice the mass. Entering 6 g and choosing Flour returns roughly 2.3 tsp, while choosing Salt returns about 0.95 tsp. If you mistakenly leave the preset on the wrong ingredient, your seasoning or sweetness could be off by a wide margin.
Coarse salts, such as kosher or flaky sea salt, are less dense per teaspoon than the fine table salt preset because the crystals leave more gaps. If you are using them, enter a Custom density or convert using the table salt preset and then adjust to taste. Brown sugar depends heavily on how firmly it is packed, and powdered sugar is much lighter than granulated. Baking powder, spices, and cocoa also have their own densities, so pick Custom if you know them.
Also keep in mind that the tool assumes the US teaspoon of 4.92892 mL. A metric teaspoon used in some countries is exactly 5 mL, a difference of under 2 percent, which rarely matters in cooking but could matter in scaled-up production.
People sometimes convert grams of sodium or sugar into spoons to understand their intake. Keep in mind that the sodium on a label refers to sodium, not salt, so a gram figure for sodium is not a gram figure for salt. If you are following a dietary limit for a medical reason, use the guidance of your doctor or dietitian rather than a kitchen conversion.
It depends entirely on the ingredient -- roughly 4.9g for water, but denser ingredients like salt weigh more per teaspoon (about 6.3g) and lighter ones like flour weigh less (about 2.6g).
Because a teaspoon measures volume, not weight, and different ingredients pack differently into that same volume -- a universal "grams per teaspoon" figure would be wrong for most ingredients.
It's a good estimate using typical ingredient densities, but for baking precision, especially with flour, weighing directly on a kitchen scale removes any density-assumption error entirely.
At the table salt density of 1.28 g/mL, 10 g is about 1.59 teaspoons. Coarser salt will fill more spoon volume for the same weight.
Only if you supply a density. Use Custom and enter a known g/mL value; otherwise the nearest preset will only be a rough guess.
In the US system, yes. Divide the teaspoon result by three to see the tablespoon equivalent.
No. It uses a single typical density per ingredient, so if your ingredient is packed or fluffed, enter a Custom density that reflects it.
Reference: NIST Weights and Measures