Quick Summary: How many grams in a tablespoon? There are about 15 grams in a tablespoon of water or a similar liquid. Because grams measure weight and tablespoons measure volume, the exact amount depends on the ingredient: 1 US tablespoon holds roughly 14.8 g water, 12.5 g sugar, 8 g flour, 14 g butter, and 18 g salt. See the ingredient chart below for how many grams are in a tablespoon of your ingredient.
I created a few handy tablespoons-to-grams conversion charts for different ingredients.
Jump to:
- How many grams in a tablespoon?
- How many tablespoons in 1 gram?
- Why is there no single answer?
- Tablespoons to grams conversion
- Flour
- Sugar
- Sweeteners
- Fats
- Liquids
- Nuts and seeds
- Leaveners and small-measure ingredients
- How to convert tablespoons to grams
- What is a tablespoon?
- What is a gram?
- Which tablespoon should you use?
- Kitchen scales
- Other baking conversions
- FAQ
- References
- Comments
How many grams in a tablespoon?
There are about 15 grams in 1 tablespoon of water. One US tablespoon of pure water weighs 14.79 grams. The exact weight varies by ingredient, as shown in the chart below.
| 1 tablespoon of | Weight in grams |
|---|---|
| Water | 14.8 g |
| Granulated sugar | 12.5 g |
| All-purpose flour | 8 g |
| Butter | 14 g |
| Salt | 18 g |
| Honey | 21 g |
| Baking powder | 12 g |
| Cocoa powder | 7 g |
How many tablespoons in 1 gram?
1 gram to tablespoons (1g to tbsp): 1 gram equals 0.0676 tablespoons, or 1 g = 0.07 tbsp.
Why is there no single answer?
A tablespoon measures volume, while a gram measures weight. Because every ingredient has a different density, the same tablespoon holds a different weight depending on what it contains.
One tablespoon of flour is light at about 8 grams, while one tablespoon of honey is dense and heavy at about 21 grams. That is why there is no single number of grams in a tablespoon, and why the charts below are split by ingredient.
Tablespoons to grams conversion
Food has different densities. Since the weight of a tablespoon varies depending on the density of the substance, I created the following tablespoon to g conversion charts.
Note: All the measurements are given for level tablespoons (not heaped tablespoons).
Flour
| Ingredient | 1 tablespoon (tbsp) |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 7.8 g |
| 00 flour | 7.9 g |
| Almond flour | 6 g |
| Bread flour | 7.9 g |
| Buckwheat flour | 7.5 g |
| Cake flour | 6.3 g |
| Chestnut flour | 5.6 g |
| Coconut flour | 7 g |
| Cornflour | 9.4 g |
| Gluten-free flour | 7.6 g |
| Pastry flour | 6.8 g |
| Rye flour | 6.4 g |
| Self-rising flour | 7.8 g |
| Semolina flour | 10.4 g |
| Tapioca flour | 7.6 g |
| Whole wheat flour | 8.1 g |
Sugar
| Ingredient | 1 tablespoon (tbsp) |
|---|---|
| Granulated sugar | 12.5 g |
| Caster sugar | 14.1 g |
| Icing sugar | 7.8 g |
| Brown sugar | 12.5 g |
Sweeteners
| Ingredient | 1 tablespoon (tbsp) |
|---|---|
| Golden syrup | 20.7 g |
| Honey | 21.3 g |
| Light corn syrup | 20.2 g |
| Molasses | 21.6 g |
| Maple syrup | 19.8 g |
| Treacle syrup | 20.6 g |
Fats
| Ingredient | 1 tablespoon (tbsp) |
|---|---|
| Butter | 14.2 g |
| Ghee | 13.8 g |
| Margarine | 13.6 g |
| Avocado oil | 13.4 g |
| Coconut oil | 13.1 g |
| Grapeseed oil | 13.4 g |
| Macadamia oil | 13.4 g |
| Sesame oil | 13.6 g |
| Sunflower oil | 13.7 g |
| Peanut oil | 13.9 g |
| Peanut butter, creamy | 16 g |
| Virgin olive oil | 13.4 g |
| Vegetable oil | 14 g |
Liquids
| Ingredient | 1 tablespoon (tbsp) |
|---|---|
| Water | 14.79 g |
| Buttermilk | 15.3 g |
| Condensed milk, sweetened | 19 g |
| Goat milk | 15.3 g |
| Whole milk | 15 g |
| Whipping cream | 15 g |
Nuts and seeds
| Ingredient | 1 tablespoon (tbsp) |
|---|---|
| Chia seeds | 10.2 g |
| Coconut, shredded | 5.8 g |
| Hazelnut meal | 7.2 g |
| Pecans chopped | 6.8 g |
| Poppy seeds | 8.8 g |
| Walnuts chopped | 7.3 g |
Leaveners and small-measure ingredients
| Ingredient | 1 tablespoon (tbsp) |
|---|---|
| Baking powder | 13.8 g |
| Baking soda | 13.8 g |
| Cocoa powder | 7.4 g |
| Cream of tartar | 10.1 g |
| Ground coffee | 5 g |
| Gelatin, powdered | 9.3 g |
| Pink salt | 16.6 g |
| Salt, table | 17.1 g |
| Vanilla extract | 13 g |
| Yeast, active dry | 8.5 g |
| Yeast, instant | 8.5 g |
| Yeast, fresh | 9.4 g |
How to convert tablespoons to grams
To convert one tablespoon to grams, use the following formula. Multiply the volume by the density of the ingredient, where the density is given in grams per tablespoon (g/tbsp).
If the density is given in grams per milliliter (g/mL), multiply it by 14.79 to convert to g/tbsp, using 14.79 as the conversion factor.
Here is a simple formula for 1 tablespoon to g calculation: 1 tablespoon x density x 14.79
What is a tablespoon?
A tablespoon is a volume unit equal to three teaspoons or 0.5 fluid ounces. Tablespoons are usually abbreviated as tbsp, T, Tb, or Tbls.
In the Imperial system, one tablespoon of water weighs 17.76 grams; in the United States, it weighs 14.79 grams.
What is a gram?
A gram is a measurement of weight, the SI unit of mass, equal to 1/1,000 of a kilogram, and is approximately equivalent to the mass of one cubic centimeter, or one milliliter, of water. The gram (abbreviation as 'g') is an SI unit of weight in the metric system.
Which tablespoon should you use?
There are three main tablespoon sizes used worldwide. These are:A
- US tablespoon is used for American recipes. It equals 14.7868 mL.
- The metric tablespoon is used in the UK, Australia, and the Commonwealth. It is equal to 15 mL.
- The imperial tablespoon is an old imperial unit of measurement that is now replaced by the metric tablespoon in the United Kingdom. It equals 17.7582 mL.
If you follow the US recipes, you should purchase a set of measuring spoons that accurately measure ingredients.
Kitchen scales
Professional chefs recommend measuring dry ingredients by weight rather than volume for baking applications to achieve accurate baking results. The density of dry ingredients varies for various reasons, such as compaction.
The best way to make sure the most accurate measurement of ingredients is to use a kitchen scale (not a measuring cup or a spoon).
But tablespoons to grams conversions are a good way to use when a scale is unavailable, or you are a fan of the US measurement system.
Other baking conversions
Please check out other baking conversion charts on the website. Also, you will find individual converters from grams to teaspoons, grams to cups, and cups to grams helpful.
Download my FREE butter measurement conversion chart now! It's the most requested conversion on the website.
FAQ
How many grams is a tablespoon?
A tablespoon holds about 15 grams of water or a similar liquid. For other ingredients, it ranges roughly from 7 to 21 grams, because weight depends on density.
How many grams is 1 tablespoon of sugar?
One tablespoon of granulated sugar is about 12.5 grams. Brown sugar and icing sugar differ slightly.
How many grams is 1 tablespoon of flour?
One tablespoon of all-purpose flour is about 8 grams.
How many grams is 1 tablespoon of butter?
One tablespoon of butter is about 14 grams.
How do you convert tablespoons to grams?
Multiply the number of tablespoons by 14.7868 and then by the ingredient density in grams per milliliter. For water (density 1), 1 tablespoon equals about 14.8 grams.
References
- Culinary Measurement Tips from the National Institute of Standards & Technology
- Guidance for Industry: Guidelines for Determining Metric Equivalents of Household Measures from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration
- Cooking amounts converters from the Traditional Oven
- Online calculators from Convert-to.com
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