Tablespoons to Grams Conversion

How to use this calculator

Enter the number of tablespoons. Select the ingredient from the dropdown. Press Calculate to see grams, ounces, teaspoons, and cups.

Tablespoons to grams: why density matters

A tablespoon is a unit of volume (14.787 mL in the US). To convert to grams (mass), you need the density of the ingredient.

Density varies dramatically between ingredients:

Ingredient	g per tbsp	g per cup (16 tbsp)
Honey	21.25 g	340 g
Maple Syrup	20.13 g	322 g
Salt (table)	17.06 g	273 g
Water	15.00 g	240 g
Peanut Butter	16.13 g	258 g
Butter	14.19 g	227 g
Baking Powder	14.38 g	230 g
Milk / Cream	15.25 g	244 g
Vegetable Oil	13.63 g	218 g
Olive Oil	13.50 g	216 g
White Sugar	12.50 g	200 g
Brown Sugar (packed)	13.75 g	220 g
Cornstarch	8.00 g	128 g
All-Purpose Flour	7.81 g	125 g
Bread Flour	8.13 g	130 g
Cake Flour	7.13 g	114 g
Powdered Sugar	7.50 g	120 g
Cocoa Powder	5.31 g	85 g
Almond Flour	6.00 g	96 g

Common tablespoon-to-gram conversions

Quick reference for the most frequently used cooking amounts:

Amount	Butter (g)	White Sugar (g)	Flour (g)	Honey (g)	Olive Oil (g)
1 tbsp	14.19	12.50	7.81	21.25	13.50
2 tbsp	28.38	25.00	15.63	42.50	27.00
3 tbsp	42.57	37.50	23.44	63.75	40.50
4 tbsp (1/4 cup)	56.75	50.00	31.25	85.00	54.00
8 tbsp (1/2 cup)	113.50	100.00	62.50	170.00	108.00
16 tbsp (1 cup)	227.00	200.00	125.00	340.00	216.00

Butter: tablespoons to grams

Butter is the ingredient most often measured in tablespoons. The US stick system provides clear reference points:

1 stick of US butter = 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup = 113.4 g = 4 oz

Breakdown:

• 1 tablespoon butter = 14.19 g
• 2 tablespoons = 28.38 g (1 oz)
• 4 tablespoons = 56.75 g (1/4 stick)
• 8 tablespoons = 113.5 g (1 stick)
• 16 tablespoons = 227 g (2 sticks = 1 cup)

UK butter is sold in 250 g blocks, which equals approximately 17.6 tablespoons. European recipes often measure butter in grams, while US recipes use tablespoons or sticks. The conversion 14.19 g/tbsp allows easy switching.

Salted vs unsalted butter: The salt content is about 1.5 to 2% by weight and does not affect the tablespoon-to-gram conversion. 1 tablespoon of salted butter weighs the same as 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter — approximately 14.19 g.

Honey: tablespoons to grams

Honey is the most common liquid sweetener measured in tablespoons. At 21.25 g/tbsp, it is heavier than water (15 g/tbsp) or sugar (12.5 g/tbsp).

• 1 tablespoon of honey = 21.25 g = 0.75 oz
• 2 tablespoons = 42.5 g
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) = 85 g
• 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) = 170 g
• 1 cup honey = 340 g

Measuring tip: Spray the measuring spoon or cup with non-stick cooking spray before adding honey. The honey slides out cleanly without sticking, giving a more accurate measure and making cleanup easier. Alternatively, measure oil first if the recipe also calls for oil — the residual oil coating helps honey release.

Substituting honey for sugar: Use 3/4 the volume of honey to replace sugar (e.g. 1 tablespoon of sugar = 3/4 tablespoon of honey by volume, or 12.5 g of sugar = 12.5 g of honey by weight). Honey is sweeter than sugar, so less is needed. Also reduce other liquids slightly and lower oven temperature when baking.

Flour: tablespoons to grams

Flour is the most variable dry ingredient by tablespoon because its density depends heavily on measuring technique.

Standard values (US tablespoon, spooned and levelled):

• All-purpose flour: 7.81 g/tbsp
• Bread flour: 8.13 g/tbsp
• Cake flour: 7.13 g/tbsp
• Almond flour: 6.0 g/tbsp

The scooping problem: If you scoop directly from the bag by dipping your measuring spoon in, you can easily pack in 15 to 20% more flour than a properly spooned tablespoon. For recipes sensitive to flour amount (cookies, cakes), weighing provides consistent results every time.

Tablespoons vs cups for flour: For small amounts (1 to 4 tablespoons), tablespoons are fine. For larger amounts (1/2 cup or more), cups are faster and accurate enough for most baking. For professional baking or when precise results matter, always use grams.

Oil: tablespoons to grams

Cooking oils are commonly measured in tablespoons for dressings, marinades, and sauteing. All common oils are less dense than water:

• Olive oil: 13.50 g/tbsp = 0.914 g/mL
• Vegetable oil: 13.63 g/tbsp = 0.917 g/mL
• Coconut oil: 13.70 g/tbsp = 0.925 g/mL
• Avocado oil: 13.56 g/tbsp = 0.916 g/mL

For cooking purposes, the differences between oil types are under 2% and can be treated as equivalent. A tablespoon of any common cooking oil weighs approximately 13.5 to 14 g.

Calorie reference: 1 tablespoon of oil = approximately 13.5 g fat x 9 kcal/g = approximately 120 kcal. This is consistent across all cooking oils — the calorie difference between oil types is negligible.

Cocoa powder and baking powder: tablespoons to grams

These lighter dry ingredients are easy to mismeasure because they settle and pack.

Cocoa powder (unsweetened): 5.31 g/tbsp. Very light and fluffy. 3 tablespoons = 15.9 g. A standard brownie recipe uses about 4 to 6 tablespoons (21 to 32 g) of cocoa powder for an 8x8 inch pan.

Baking powder: 14.38 g/tbsp, but the density is deceptive — at 4.93 g/tsp (1/3 of the tablespoon value), it is close to the Arm and Hammer label claim of 4 g per teaspoon. Most recipes use baking powder in teaspoon quantities, not tablespoons, so the tablespoon conversion is mainly for scaling large recipes.

Baking soda: Slightly lighter than baking powder at approximately 4.6 g/tsp = 13.8 g/tbsp. For baked goods, measuring baking powder and soda by weight (grams) rather than tablespoons or teaspoons gives the most consistent results, since even small variations in leavening affect the final texture.