To convert grams of whole flaxseed into tablespoons, multiply by 0.096969697: one gram comes to 0.096969697 tablespoons. Every ingredient has its own figure here, because the units are measuring different things and only the density links them.
Water is the yardstick: 1 mL of it weighs 1 g. Whole flaxseed comes in at 0.69741 g per mL, or 69.74% of water, which is why a cup of it is 165 g rather than 236.6 g. Volume and weight only line up for water, and only in metric.
A level tablespoon of whole flaxseed is 10.31 g, which puts a teaspoon at 3.438 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 15.47 g. Levelling twice is where the error comes from, so the scale is the faster instrument once the quantity passes a couple of spoons.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.606% of a cup of whole flaxseed, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 3.03 cups, and a 1 kg pack 6.061.
The condition this weight assumes: Whole seeds. Ground flax is much lighter per cup and goes rancid far faster.
The formula
grams- The amount of whole flaxseed you are converting, in grams
0.0969696969697- Tablespoons per gram for whole flaxseed, from its density of 0.69741 g/mL
tablespoons- The equivalent quantity in tablespoons
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in grams.
- It is multiplied by 0.0969696969697, the tablespoons-per-gram figure for whole flaxseed.
- The result appears in tablespoons, with a second reading in tsp beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
50 g of whole flaxseed in tablespoons
Take 50 g of whole flaxseed: 50 × 0.096969697 gives 4.84848 tablespoons. Doubling the batch takes it to 9.69697 tablespoons, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
150 g of whole flaxseed in tablespoons
150 g of whole flaxseed weighs out at 14.5455 tablespoons. Divide 14.5455 by 0.096969697 and you get back to 150 g, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
500 g of whole flaxseed in tablespoons
A recipe calling for 500 g of whole flaxseed needs 48.4848 tablespoons on the scale. The arithmetic is 500 × 0.096969697 = 48.484848, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 24.2424 tablespoons.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons are in 1 g of whole flaxseed?
One gram of whole flaxseed is 0.096969697 tablespoons. Half that quantity is 0.0484848 tablespoons and double it is 0.193939 tablespoons, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of whole flaxseed not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Whole flaxseed has a density of 0.69741 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 165 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 71.6 g per cup, and it is the reason a single volume-to-weight factor cannot be applied to every ingredient.
Does how I measure it change the weight?
Yes, and by more than most people expect. Handling changes the weight of a cup of whole flaxseed by roughly 12% — about 9.9 g either side of 165 g — because whole seeds. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of whole flaxseed the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce is a volume — one eighth of a US cup, 29.57 mL — and an ounce is a weight. One fluid ounce of whole flaxseed weighs 0.7275 oz, so the two readings differ by 27.2%. They coincide only for something with the density of water, and then only roughly.
Is this a US cup or a metric cup?
US customary: 236.59 mL, which is the cup every US recipe means. A metric cup is 250 mL, so the same cup of whole flaxseed would weigh 174.35 g instead of 165 g — 9.35 g more, or 5.67%. Australian and some European recipes use the metric cup, and the difference is large enough to matter in baking.
Do I need a scale for this, or will measuring cups do?
A scale, if the result matters. Volume measuring carries a spread of about 12% for whole flaxseed — roughly 19.8 g on a 165 g cup — while a domestic scale is accurate to a gram or two. For anything where the ratio of ingredients drives the outcome, bread and pastry above all, weigh it.
How much does 3 tbsp of whole flaxseed weigh?
3 tbsp of whole flaxseed comes to 30.938 g, or 30.938 grams. This page runs that calculation in reverse — enter a weight and it returns the volume — and the tablespoons-to-grams page does it in the direction the question is usually asked.
Whole flaxseed in grams and tablespoons
| Grams | Tablespoons | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 5 g | 0.484848 tbsp | 0.4848484848 |
| 10 g | 0.969697 tbsp | 0.9696969697 |
| 25 g | 2.42424 tbsp | 2.424242424 |
| 50 g | 4.84848 tbsp | 4.848484848 |
| 100 g | 9.69697 tbsp | 9.696969697 |
| 125 g | 12.1212 tbsp | 12.12121212 |
| 150 g | 14.5455 tbsp | 14.54545455 |
| 200 g | 19.3939 tbsp | 19.39393939 |
| 250 g | 24.2424 tbsp | 24.24242424 |
| 300 g | 29.0909 tbsp | 29.09090909 |
| 500 g | 48.4848 tbsp | 48.48484848 |
| 1000 g | 96.9697 tbsp | 96.96969697 |
Based on 165 g per cup of whole flaxseed. One gram of whole flaxseed is 0.096969697 tablespoons.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 165 g | 5.82 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 10.31 g | 0.364 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 6.875 g | 0.243 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 3.438 g | 0.121 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 2.578 g | 0.0909 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.719 g | 0.0606 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.8594 g | 0.0303 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.4297 g | 0.0152 oz | 0.6161 mL |
US customary measures: 1 cup = 236.59 mL, 1 tbsp = 14.79 mL, 1 tsp = 4.93 mL.
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Ounces per cup | Density (g/mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blueberries | 148 g | 5.221 oz | 0.6256 |
| Crumbled feta | 150 g | 5.291 oz | 0.634 |
| Corn kernels | 150 g | 5.291 oz | 0.634 |
| Whole flaxseed (this page) | 165 g | 5.82 oz | 0.6974 |
| Sliced strawberries | 166 g | 5.855 oz | 0.7016 |
| Chocolate chips | 170 g | 5.997 oz | 0.7185 |
| Chia seeds | 192 g | 6.773 oz | 0.8115 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.