To convert teaspoons of ground cumin into grams, multiply by 2.1041667: one teaspoon comes to 2.1041667 grams. Every ingredient has its own figure here, because the units are measuring different things and only the density links them.
Put next to water — 1 g per mL exactly — ground cumin measures 0.4269 g per mL. That ratio, 42.69%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A level teaspoon of ground cumin weighs 2.104 g. A kitchen scale that reads to the nearest gram is therefore working at roughly 47.5% resolution on a single spoonful, which is why measuring spoons beat scales below about 5 g and lose to them above it. Three teaspoons make a tablespoon, so the same spoonful is 6.313 g if the recipe scales up.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.99% of a cup of ground cumin, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 4.95 cups, and a 1 kg pack 9.901.
How the figure is arrived at: One of the lighter ground spices. Whole seeds measure quite differently, so a recipe that says ground means ground.
The formula
teaspoons- The amount of ground cumin you are converting, in teaspoons
2.10416666667- Grams per teaspoon for ground cumin, from its density of 0.4269 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in teaspoons.
- It is multiplied by 2.10416666667, the grams-per-teaspoon figure for ground cumin.
- The result appears in grams, with a second reading in oz beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
3/4 tsp of ground cumin in grams
A recipe calling for 3/4 tsp of ground cumin needs 1.57813 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 0.75 × 2.1041667 = 1.578125, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 0.789063 grams.
1 1/2 tsp of ground cumin in grams
Take 1 1/2 tsp of ground cumin: 1.5 × 2.1041667 gives 3.15625 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 6.3125 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
4 tsp of ground cumin in grams
4 tsp of ground cumin weighs out at 8.41667 grams. Divide 8.41667 by 2.1041667 and you get back to 4 tsp, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 tsp of ground cumin?
One teaspoon of ground cumin is 2.1041667 grams. Half that quantity is 1.05208 grams and double it is 4.20833 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of ground cumin not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Ground cumin has a density of 0.4269 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 101 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 135.6 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 ground cumin by roughly 20% — about 10.1 g either side of 101 g — because one of the lighter ground spices. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of ground cumin 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 ground cumin weighs 0.4453 oz, so the two readings differ by 55.5%. 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 ground cumin would weigh 106.73 g instead of 101 g — 5.73 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?
At this size the spoon wins. One teaspoon of ground cumin is 2.104 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 47.5% resolution on that — a measuring spoon is the more accurate instrument below about 5 g, which is why spice quantities are still written in spoons.
How many teaspoons of ground cumin is 500 g?
500 g of ground cumin is 237.62 teaspoons — 0.475248 teaspoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.475248 = 237.62. Going that way is a division by 2.10417, or a multiplication by 0.475248 if you prefer.
Ground cumin in teaspoons and grams
| Teaspoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 0.526042 g | 0.5260416667 |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.05208 g | 1.052083333 |
| 3/4 tsp | 1.57813 g | 1.578125 |
| 1 tsp | 2.10417 g | 2.104166667 |
| 1 1/2 tsp | 3.15625 g | 3.15625 |
| 2 tsp | 4.20833 g | 4.208333333 |
| 3 tsp | 6.3125 g | 6.3125 |
| 4 tsp | 8.41667 g | 8.416666667 |
| 6 tsp | 12.625 g | 12.625 |
Based on 101 g per cup of ground cumin. One teaspoon of ground cumin is 2.1041667 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 101 g | 3.56 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 6.312 g | 0.223 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 4.208 g | 0.148 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 2.104 g | 0.0742 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 1.578 g | 0.0557 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.052 g | 0.0371 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.526 g | 0.0186 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.263 g | 0.00928 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dried oregano | 48 g | 1.693 oz | 0.2029 |
| Ground ginger | 86 g | 3.034 oz | 0.3635 |
| Ground cardamom | 96 g | 3.386 oz | 0.4058 |
| Ground cumin (this page) | 101 g | 3.563 oz | 0.4269 |
| Ground cloves | 101 g | 3.563 oz | 0.4269 |
| Ground nutmeg | 106 g | 3.739 oz | 0.448 |
| Ground black pepper | 110 g | 3.88 oz | 0.4649 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.