A standardized measurement system for recipes would make cooking a much simpler process, especially if you're looking to cook recipes from around the world. But unfortunately, there isn't one. Sometimes you may stumble upon a recipe that uses the metric system, where the ingredients are weighed out and listed in grams as opposed to teaspoons, tablespoons or cups. While the best thing you can do is invest in a digital scale to minimize the approximations you make in converting from grams to teaspoons, the next best solution is to consult a grams-to-teaspoons conversion chart that will help you quickly convert the measurements.
How to Convert Grams to Teaspoons
Just like with converting grams to tablespoons, the process for converting grams to teaspoons is the same except the weights are less. Grams are a measurement of weight, while tablespoons are a measurement of volume and density. This makes it difficult to compare liquid and solid ingredients. A tablespoon of oil weighs a different amount compared to a tablespoon of salt, so using a conversion chart helps you convert from metrics to the U.S. measurement system in no time.
A common conversion is 1 tablespoon is equivalent to 3 teaspoons, so if you know the gram-to-tablespoon conversion for a particular ingredient, divide that by 3 and you end up with the gram-to-teaspoon measurement.
Water and Other Liquid*s* The best way to convert water from grams to teaspoons is to make use of a bit of simple mathematics. A teaspoon is a measure of volume, while a gram is a measure of weight. To accurately know how much a teaspoon of water weighs, we first need to know its density.
One teaspoon of water is equal to 5 milliliters (mL) of water. The density of water is 1 gram per milliliter (g/mL). We can use this information to determine how many grams are in one teaspoon of water by multiplying the volume (mL) of the water with its density: 5 mL x 1 g/mL gives us 5 grams. So, there are 5 grams in a teaspoon of water. Here are a few more common conversions:
- 5 grams = 1 teaspoon of water
- 7.5 grams = 1 1/2 teaspoons water
- 10 grams = 2 teaspoons of water
- 15 grams = 3 teaspoons of water
- 50 grams = 10 teaspoons of water
- 100 grams = 20 teaspoons of water
- 200 grams = 40 teaspoons of water
Flour
A tablespoon of flour weighs approximately 8 to 9 grams. Since the measurement of 1 tablespoon is equivalent to 3 teaspoons, 1 teaspoon of flour weighs approximately 3 grams. Using this formula, we can estimate these common grams-to-teaspoons measurements:
- 3 grams = 1 teaspoon of flour
- 4.5 grams = 1 1/2 teaspoons of flour
- 6 grams = 2 teaspoons of flour
- 9 grams = 3 teaspoons of flour
- 50 grams = 16 2/3 teaspoons of flour
- 100 grams = 33 1/3 teaspoons of flour
Sugar
When it comes to converting sugar from grams to teaspoons, it’s important to note that based on nutritional labels of various products, the official measurement is: 4 grams of sugar in 1 teaspoon. Here’s a handy chart of frequently used sugar measurements to help you get started:
- 4 grams = 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 6 grams = 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
- 8 grams = 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 12 grams = 3 teaspoons of sugar
- 16 grams = 4 teaspoons of sugar
- 50 grams = 12 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
- 100 grams = 25 teaspoons of sugar
Salt The weight of salt is less than that of sugar, but not by much. According to a nutritional label, 4 grams of salt is approximately equivalent to 3/4 of a teaspoon, which contains 1600 milligrams of sodium. Based on this information, these are some commonly used grams-to-teaspoon salt measurements:
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4 grams = 3/4 teaspoon of salt
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5 grams = 1 teaspoon of salt
- 10 grams = 2 teaspoons of salt
- 15 grams = 3 teaspoons of salt
- 17.5 grams = 3.5 teaspoons of salt
- 20 grams = 4 teaspoons of salt
- 25 grams = 5 teaspoons of salt
While having these charts and making use of interactive online conversion charts comes in handy, the best thing to do if you want to convert grams to teaspoons, or convert the metric system of measurement to the US system, is to get a digital weighing scale. It will be extremely handy and allow you to convert measurements from grams, ounces or pounds. A digital scale will be a much more accurate measure than using a mechanical scale.
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Writer Bio
Christabel Lobo is a freelance writer focusing on all-things food, travel, and wellness. Her writing has appeared in Tenderly, SilverKris, Byrdie, Trivago, Open Skies, Fodor’s, London’s Evening Standard, Silkwinds, HuffPost, Barclays Travel, Pint Size Gourmets, and on her personal yoga & travel blog, Where’s Bel. Feel free to check out her design and writing portfolio: christabel.co