Tablespoons to Grams Calculator

Q: How many grams is one tablespoon of flour?

One tablespoon of plain flour weighs approximately 8 grams. Flour is relatively light due to its fine, airy texture. This is significantly less than a tablespoon of water (15g) or a tablespoon of sugar (12.5g). When measuring flour, spoon it loosely into the tablespoon rather than packing it down.

Q: How many grams is one tablespoon of sugar?

One tablespoon of granulated sugar weighs approximately 12.5 grams. Brown sugar packed into a tablespoon can weigh slightly more (around 13-14g) depending on moisture content and how firmly it is packed. Icing (powdered) sugar is lighter, around 8-9 grams per tablespoon.

Q: How many grams is one tablespoon of butter?

One tablespoon of butter weighs approximately 14.2 grams. A UK tablespoon holds 15ml of liquid, but butter is slightly less dense than water, giving a weight of about 14.2g per tablespoon. This is equivalent to roughly half an ounce.

Q: What is the difference between a UK tablespoon and a US tablespoon?

A UK tablespoon is 15ml. A US tablespoon is also 14.79ml (approximately 15ml). In practice they are used interchangeably. However, an Australian tablespoon is 20ml — significantly larger. Always check which system a recipe uses, especially when following Australian cooking websites.

Q: How many grams is a tablespoon of honey?

One tablespoon of honey weighs approximately 21 grams. Honey is denser than water (density ≈ 1.4 g/ml), which is why a tablespoon of honey is heavier than a tablespoon of water (15g). This is important when substituting honey for sugar in recipes — you're adding more mass per spoon.

Q: How many grams is a tablespoon of salt?

One tablespoon of fine table salt weighs approximately 18 grams. Salt is considerably denser than most other cooking ingredients. Sea salt flakes weigh significantly less per tablespoon (around 9-12g) because the flake crystals are larger and trap more air. Always specify the type of salt in a recipe.

Q: Why can't I use the same weight for every ingredient?

Because tablespoons measure volume (15ml), not weight. Different ingredients have different densities — the same volume of a dense ingredient like honey will weigh much more than a light, airy ingredient like flour. This is why a single tablespoon-to-grams value cannot apply to all ingredients; each food has its own density.

Convert tablespoons to grams for any ingredient. Select your ingredient and enter the number of tablespoons — we'll show you the weight in grams and ounces.

Why Tablespoons to Grams Conversion Matters in Cooking

One of the most common stumbling blocks in cooking and baking is the difference between volume measurements (like tablespoons and cups) and weight measurements (like grams and ounces). In the UK, most modern recipes — especially from food scientists and professional bakers — use weight measurements because they are far more accurate. A tablespoon of flour can weigh anywhere from 7g (if very loosely spooned) to 10g (if packed), which makes a significant difference in a delicate bake.

A UK tablespoon holds 15 millilitres of volume. However, because different ingredients have different densities, the same 15ml volume can weigh very different amounts. A tablespoon of honey (density ~1.4 g/ml) weighs about 21g, while a tablespoon of cocoa powder (density ~0.5 g/ml) weighs only about 7.5g. This is why you cannot use a single conversion factor for all ingredients.

UK Tablespoon vs US Tablespoon vs Australian Tablespoon

The UK tablespoon is standardised at 15ml, and the American tablespoon is very close at approximately 14.79ml — effectively the same for cooking purposes, and recipes from both countries can be used interchangeably. However, the Australian tablespoon is 20ml — significantly larger. This means an Australian recipe calling for "1 tablespoon" contains 33% more volume than the same instruction in a UK recipe. If you're following an Australian food blog or cookbook, reduce each tablespoon to three UK teaspoons plus a little extra, or multiply the tablespoon quantity by 4/3.

Ingredient Densities Explained

Here's why the gram weights per tablespoon vary so much between ingredients:

Water (15g/tbsp): The reference ingredient — 1ml of water weighs exactly 1g. All other liquids and solids are compared to this.
Plain flour (8g/tbsp): Flour is very light and airy. It weighs roughly half as much as water per tablespoon. Self-raising flour is similar; wholemeal flour is slightly heavier (~9g).
Granulated sugar (12.5g/tbsp): Sugar crystals pack together relatively well, giving it a higher density than flour. Caster sugar is similar; icing sugar is lighter (~8-9g).
Butter (14.2g/tbsp): Butter is close to water in density but slightly lighter. Clarified butter is similar; coconut oil is about 13.6g per tablespoon.
Salt (18g/tbsp): Fine salt is very dense — the small, uniform crystals pack closely together. Sea salt flakes are much lighter per tablespoon (~9-12g) due to their irregular crystal shape.
Honey (21g/tbsp): Honey is considerably denser than water (density ~1.4), making it the heaviest ingredient per tablespoon in our list.
Rice, uncooked (16g/tbsp): Dry rice grains pack together with some air gaps, giving roughly 16g per tablespoon. Cooked rice would weigh more due to absorbed water.
Rolled oats (9g/tbsp): Oats are light and fluffy. Their irregular, flaky shape traps lots of air, resulting in a low weight per tablespoon.
Cocoa powder (7.5g/tbsp): Unsweetened cocoa is one of the lightest ingredients — it's very fine and airy. Dutch-processed cocoa has a similar weight.
Baking powder (14g/tbsp): Baking powder is a fine, dense powder that packs well — though in practice you'd rarely need more than a teaspoon (not tablespoon) of baking powder.
Vegetable oil (13.6g/tbsp): Cooking oils are slightly lighter than water. Most vegetable oils, olive oil, and sunflower oil have similar densities around 0.91 g/ml.

Baking Accuracy: Why Weight Beats Volume

Professional bakers and food scientists strongly prefer weighing ingredients over using tablespoon and cup measurements. The reason is simple: volume is affected by how loosely or tightly an ingredient is packed, humidity, and particle size. Consider plain flour: if you scoop the tablespoon directly into the bag of flour, it will be compacted and may contain 10g or more. If you spoon the flour gently into the tablespoon, it might only weigh 7g. For delicate recipes like soufflés, macarons, or bread, this variation can be the difference between success and failure.

The most accurate way to measure in cooking is always to use digital kitchen scales. However, when a recipe only gives tablespoon measurements, or when you're cooking something where precision is less critical (like adding a tablespoon of oil to a pan), our converter gives you a reliable estimate based on standard ingredient densities.

Converting Grams Back to Tablespoons

To convert grams back to tablespoons for a specific ingredient, divide the weight in grams by the grams-per-tablespoon value for that ingredient. For example:

50g of flour ÷ 8g per tbsp = 6.25 tablespoons
100g of sugar ÷ 12.5g per tbsp = 8 tablespoons
30g of butter ÷ 14.2g per tbsp = 2.11 tablespoons
50g of honey ÷ 21g per tbsp = 2.38 tablespoons

Common Cooking Conversions and Tips

When scaling UK recipes, understanding these relationships helps enormously:

Teaspoons and tablespoons: 1 UK tablespoon = 3 UK teaspoons. So if you need 1 teaspoon of an ingredient, you're using 1/3 of the per-tablespoon weight.

Tablespoons and cups: 1 UK cup = 16 tablespoons = 240ml. A US cup is also 240ml, so UK and US recipes are interchangeable on this point.

Dessertspoons: UK recipes sometimes specify a "dessertspoon," which is 10ml (between a teaspoon at 5ml and a tablespoon at 15ml). This measurement is not used in American recipes.

UK vs US Baking: Key Differences

When following American baking recipes in the UK, there are several important differences beyond tablespoon sizes. US recipes typically call for "all-purpose flour," which is equivalent to UK plain flour (not self-raising). US "baking soda" is UK bicarbonate of soda. "Heavy cream" in the US is equivalent to UK double cream. "Powdered sugar" or "confectioners' sugar" is UK icing sugar. "Brown sugar" in the US is often closer to UK light soft brown sugar.

These differences mean that even when you have tablespoon quantities correct, ingredient substitutions can still affect results. A recipe that calls for 2 tablespoons of baking powder (28g) might seem like a lot — in the UK this would typically be reduced as American baking powder brands have different strengths.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many grams is one tablespoon of flour?

One tablespoon of plain flour weighs approximately 8 grams. Flour is very light due to its fine, airy texture. This is why you should always weigh flour for precise baking rather than measuring in tablespoons. Self-raising flour has a very similar weight per tablespoon.

How many grams is one tablespoon of sugar?

One tablespoon of granulated white sugar weighs approximately 12.5 grams. Caster sugar is very similar at around 12-13g per tablespoon. Icing sugar (powdered sugar) is lighter, around 8-9g per tablespoon, because the fine powder traps more air.

How many grams is one tablespoon of butter?

One tablespoon of butter weighs approximately 14.2 grams. Since 1 tablespoon = 15ml and butter has a density slightly below water (~0.91 g/ml), you get just over 14g. This is equivalent to approximately half an ounce (0.5 oz = 14.17g).

What is the difference between a UK tablespoon and a US tablespoon?

A UK tablespoon is 15ml. A US tablespoon is approximately 14.79ml — effectively identical for cooking purposes. The key difference to watch out for is the Australian tablespoon, which is 20ml. When following Australian recipes, note that each tablespoon is about 33% larger than a UK tablespoon.

How many grams is a tablespoon of honey?

One tablespoon of honey weighs approximately 21 grams. Honey has a density of around 1.4 g/ml, making it significantly denser than water. This means a tablespoon of honey is 40% heavier than a tablespoon of water.

How many grams is a tablespoon of salt?

One tablespoon of fine table salt weighs approximately 18 grams. Note that sea salt flakes (like Maldon) weigh significantly less per tablespoon — around 9-12g — because the irregular flake crystals leave more air gaps. Recipe writers usually specify the type of salt to avoid this confusion.

Why can't I use the same weight for every ingredient?

Because tablespoons measure volume (15ml), not mass. Different ingredients have different densities — honey is 1.4 g/ml while cocoa powder is about 0.5 g/ml. The same 15ml volume produces very different weights. This is why cooking by weight (grams) is always more accurate than cooking by volume (tablespoons).