Grams to tsp Converter
Grams measure weight and teaspoons measure volume, so the answer depends on what you are scooping. Enter grams, pick the ingredient, and get US teaspoons, the nearest ⅛-tsp kitchen fraction, plus tablespoons and milliliters.
Example: with Weight (grams) 3 · Ingredient Water (1.00 g/mL) → Teaspoons (US): 0.61 tsp.
- Nearest kitchen measureabout ⅝ tsp (nearest ⅛ tsp)
- Also equals0.20 tbsp = 3.00 mL
Computed by the calculator below using its default values. Change any input to see your own numbers.
tsp = grams ÷ (density in g/mL × 4.92892). A teaspoon of water weighs about 4.9 g, sugar 4.2 g, salt 6 g, flour just 2.6 g.
Why grams-to-teaspoons depends on the ingredient
A teaspoon always holds 4.92892 mL of space, but how much that space weighs depends on density. Table salt packs about 6 g into a teaspoon; fluffy all-purpose flour only about 2.6 g. So the same 3 grams is roughly half a teaspoon of salt but a heaping, rounded teaspoon of flour. Skip the ingredient step and the answer can be off by a factor of two.
Powders are the least predictable: sifting, humidity, and how hard you pack the spoon shift flour, cocoa, and powdered sugar by 10–20%. For anything where precision matters — baking, coffee, supplements — a $15 gram scale beats every conversion chart.
The 4-gram sugar teaspoon
Nutrition math leans on one convenient constant: granulated sugar runs about 4.2 g per teaspoon. That is why dietitians translate a 36 g soda label into roughly 8½ teaspoons of sugar. This calculator uses the same density (0.85 g/mL), so label-to-spoon conversions come out consistent with what you have read elsewhere.
How it’s calculated
Teaspoons = grams ÷ (density × 4.92892 mL). Densities used (g/mL): water 1.00, granulated sugar 0.85, table salt 1.22, all-purpose flour 0.53, butter 0.911, honey 1.42, olive oil 0.92, baking powder 0.933 — USDA FoodData Central-style bulk densities. 1 US tsp = 4.92892 mL (NIST); 1 tbsp = 3 tsp.
Bulk densities are approximate — packing, humidity, and sifting change powders by 10–20%, so weigh with a scale when precision matters.
How many grams in one teaspoon
| Ingredient | Grams per level tsp | Teaspoons in 10 g |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 4.9 g | 2.03 |
| Granulated sugar | 4.2 g | 2.39 |
| Table salt | 6.0 g | 1.66 |
| All-purpose flour | 2.6 g | 3.83 |
| Butter | 4.5 g | 2.23 |
| Honey | 7.0 g | 1.43 |
| Olive oil | 4.5 g | 2.21 |
| Baking powder | 4.6 g | 2.17 |
Computed from the densities above with 1 tsp = 4.92892 mL; rounded to two decimals.
Common mistakes
- Using the water rule (about 5 g per tsp) for flour — flour is half as dense, so you end up with nearly twice the volume you meant.
- Confusing the 4.93 mL US teaspoon with the 5 mL metric dosing teaspoon — a 1.4% gap that is harmless in cooking but matters for medicine.
- Scooping packed brown sugar or unsifted flour and expecting chart densities — packing alone can add 20%.
- Reading salt conversions across brands: table salt is about 6 g per tsp, but flaky kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) is closer to 2.8 g.
Frequently asked questions
How many teaspoons is 3 grams?
It depends on density: about 0.61 tsp of water, 0.71 tsp of sugar, 0.5 tsp of table salt, or 1.15 tsp of flour. For a powder with near-water density, call it a bit over half a teaspoon.
What is the grams to teaspoons formula?
tsp = grams ÷ (density in g/mL × 4.92892). For water at 1 g/mL: 3 ÷ 4.92892 = 0.61 tsp. For sugar at 0.85 g/mL: 3 ÷ 4.19 = 0.72 tsp.
How many grams is 1 teaspoon of sugar?
About 4.2 g of granulated sugar. The familiar claim that 4 grams of sugar equals a teaspoon is the label-math convention built on this same density.
Is a teaspoon of salt really 6 grams?
For fine table salt, yes — about 6 g. Coarse and flaky salts trap air: Morton kosher runs near 4.8 g per tsp and Diamond Crystal about 2.8 g, which is why recipes specify the brand.
Should I measure by weight instead?
For baking, yes. A scale removes the density guesswork entirely — grams are grams no matter how the ingredient is packed, sifted, or humidified.