To convert grams of instant yeast into teaspoons, multiply by 0.33333333: one gram comes to 0.33333333 teaspoons. 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. Instant yeast comes in at 0.60865 g per mL, or 60.87% of water, which is why a cup of it is 144 g rather than 236.6 g. Volume and weight only line up for water, and only in metric.
A level teaspoon of instant yeast weighs 3 g. A kitchen scale that reads to the nearest gram is therefore working at roughly 33.3% 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 9 g if the recipe scales up.
Grams are the unit this conversion is really for. A domestic scale resolves to a gram, which is 0.694% of a cup of instant yeast, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 3.472 cups, and a 1 kg pack 6.944.
What the number depends on: Three grams to a teaspoon, so a standard 7 g sachet is a little over two and a quarter teaspoons.
The formula
grams- The amount of instant yeast you are converting, in grams
0.333333333333- Teaspoons per gram for instant yeast, from its density of 0.60865 g/mL
teaspoons- The equivalent quantity in teaspoons
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in grams.
- It is multiplied by 0.333333333333, the teaspoons-per-gram figure for instant yeast.
- The result appears in teaspoons, with a second reading in mL 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 instant yeast in teaspoons
Take 50 g of instant yeast: 50 × 0.33333333 gives 16.6667 teaspoons. Doubling the batch takes it to 33.3333 teaspoons, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
150 g of instant yeast in teaspoons
150 g of instant yeast weighs out at 50 teaspoons. Divide 50 by 0.33333333 and you get back to 150 g, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
500 g of instant yeast in teaspoons
A recipe calling for 500 g of instant yeast needs 166.667 teaspoons on the scale. The arithmetic is 500 × 0.33333333 = 166.66667, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 83.3333 teaspoons.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many teaspoons are in 1 g of instant yeast?
One gram of instant yeast is 0.33333333 teaspoons. Half that quantity is 0.166667 teaspoons and double it is 0.666667 teaspoons, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of instant yeast not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Instant yeast has a density of 0.60865 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 144 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 92.6 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 instant yeast by roughly 20% — about 14.4 g either side of 144 g — because three grams to a teaspoon, so a standard 7 g sachet is a little over two and a quarter teaspoons. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of instant yeast 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 instant yeast weighs 0.6349 oz, so the two readings differ by 36.5%. 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 instant yeast would weigh 152.16 g instead of 144 g — 8.16 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 instant yeast is 3 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 33.3% 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 much does 2 tsp of instant yeast weigh?
2 tsp of instant yeast comes to 6 g, or 6 grams. This page runs that calculation in reverse — enter a weight and it returns the volume — and the teaspoons-to-grams page does it in the direction the question is usually asked.
Instant yeast in grams and teaspoons
| Grams | Teaspoons | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 5 g | 1.66667 tsp | 1.666666667 |
| 10 g | 3.33333 tsp | 3.333333333 |
| 25 g | 8.33333 tsp | 8.333333333 |
| 50 g | 16.6667 tsp | 16.66666667 |
| 100 g | 33.3333 tsp | 33.33333333 |
| 125 g | 41.6667 tsp | 41.66666667 |
| 150 g | 50 tsp | 50 |
| 200 g | 66.6667 tsp | 66.66666667 |
| 250 g | 83.3333 tsp | 83.33333333 |
| 300 g | 100 tsp | 100 |
| 500 g | 166.667 tsp | 166.6666667 |
| 1000 g | 333.333 tsp | 333.3333333 |
Based on 144 g per cup of instant yeast. One gram of instant yeast is 0.33333333 teaspoons.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 144 g | 5.08 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 9 g | 0.317 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 6 g | 0.212 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 3 g | 0.106 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 2.25 g | 0.0794 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.5 g | 0.0529 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.75 g | 0.0265 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.375 g | 0.0132 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground cinnamon | 125 g | 4.409 oz | 0.5283 |
| Chili powder | 125 g | 4.409 oz | 0.5283 |
| Garlic powder | 134 g | 4.727 oz | 0.5664 |
| Instant yeast (this page) | 144 g | 5.079 oz | 0.6087 |
| Ground turmeric | 144 g | 5.079 oz | 0.6087 |
| Powdered gelatin | 150 g | 5.291 oz | 0.634 |
| Baking powder | 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.