Dry vs Liquid Measurements: Weights for Every Ingredient

Updated 17 April 2026

Teaspoons and tablespoons measure volume, not weight. A tablespoon of flour weighs 8 g. A tablespoon of honey weighs 21 g. The same spoon holds wildly different masses depending on density. This reference table covers 30 ingredients verified against King Arthur Baking, Serious Eats, and USDA FoodData Central.

Salt brand warning

Diamond Crystal kosher salt weighs 9 g per tablespoon. Morton kosher salt weighs 15 g per tablespoon. This is a near-doubling of saltiness if you swap one for the other without adjusting. Table salt is 18 g per tablespoon. Many online recipes do not specify which brand they used when writing "1 tablespoon kosher salt". Full salt brand conversion table.

Ingredient Weight Reference

Ingredient	per tsp	per tbsp	per cup	Note
Water	4.9 g	14.8 g	237 g	Reference standard (1 ml = 1 g)
Flour, all-purpose (levelled)	2.6 g	8 g	120 g	Spoon-and-level method
Flour, all-purpose (scooped)	3.3 g	10-12 g	150 g	Scoop packs 25-50% more
Flour, bread	2.8 g	8.5 g	130 g
Flour, cake	2.5 g	7.5 g	100 g	Lightest flour type
Sugar, granulated	4.2 g	12.5 g	200 g
Sugar, brown (packed)	4.6 g	13.8 g	220 g
Sugar, brown (unpacked)	3.3 g	10 g	160 g
Sugar, powdered (icing)	2.5 g	7.5 g	120 g	Sifted
Butter	4.7 g	14.2 g	227 g	= 1 stick / 113 g per 8 tbsp
Olive oil	4.5 g	13.5 g	216 g
Vegetable oil	4.4 g	13.3 g	213 g
Coconut oil (solid)	4.1 g	12.5 g	200 g
Honey	7 g	21 g	340 g	Much denser than water
Maple syrup	6.6 g	20 g	320 g
Molasses	6.8 g	20.5 g	328 g
Cocoa powder	2.5 g	7.4 g	85 g
Baking powder	4.6 g	13.8 g	220 g
Baking soda	4.7 g	14 g	224 g	= bicarbonate of soda
Salt, table/iodised	6 g	18 g	288 g	Densest common kitchen salt
Salt, kosher (Diamond Crystal)	3 g	9 g	144 g	Hollow pyramid crystals, packs loosely
Salt, kosher (Morton)	5 g	15 g	240 g	Flat crystals, 1.67x denser than DC
Salt, Maldon flake	2 g	6 g	96 g	Very light, finishing salt only
Salt, fine sea salt	5.5 g	16.5 g	264 g
Vanilla extract	4.3 g	13 g	208 g	Similar density to water/alcohol
Cinnamon, ground	2.6 g	7.8 g	125 g
Cumin, ground	2.1 g	6.3 g	100 g
Paprika, ground	2.3 g	6.9 g	110 g
Black pepper, ground	2.3 g	7 g	112 g
Yeast, instant dry	3.1 g	9.3 g	149 g

Sources: King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart, USDA FoodData Central, Serious Eats salt tests. All values are approximate.

Why weighing is better than measuring by volume

Flour compaction adds up to 50%

Flour compacts in a bag over time. Scooping directly packs 25 to 50% more flour than spoon-and-level. A cup of scooped flour can weigh 150 g while a cup of spooned-and-levelled flour weighs 120 g. A 25% flour overrun in a cake recipe makes it dense. A kitchen scale eliminates this entirely.

The recommended tool

A digital kitchen scale that reads in 1 g increments is the single most useful baking tool after measuring spoons. The OXO Good Grips 5 lb scale and the Escali Primo are both reliable, affordable options widely used by home bakers. Tare (zero) between each ingredient to measure directly into the bowl.

Salt Brand Conversion Kitchen Chart Cooking Terms tbsp to tsp Converter