One tablespoon of instant yeast is 9 grams, so converting tablespoons of instant yeast to grams means multiplying by 9. That factor is specific to this ingredient — it comes from its density, not from any relationship between the two units.
The density behind that figure is 0.60865 g per mL, against 1.00 for water. A cup of water weighs 236.6 g and a cup of instant yeast weighs 144 g, so this ingredient is 60.87% as heavy as the same volume of water — the single fact the whole page rests on.
A level tablespoon of instant yeast is 9 g, which puts a teaspoon at 3 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 13.5 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 0.694% 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.
The condition this weight assumes: Three grams to a teaspoon, so a standard 7 g sachet is a little over two and a quarter teaspoons.
The formula
tablespoons- The amount of instant yeast you are converting, in tablespoons
9- Grams per tablespoon for instant yeast, from its density of 0.60865 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in tablespoons.
- It is multiplied by 9, the grams-per-tablespoon figure for instant yeast.
- 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
2 tbsp of instant yeast in grams
2 tbsp of instant yeast weighs out at 18 grams. Divide 18 by 9 and you get back to 2 tbsp, which is the quickest check that the factor is the right way up.
4 tbsp of instant yeast in grams
Take 4 tbsp of instant yeast: 4 × 9 gives 36 grams. Doubling the batch takes it to 72 grams, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
12 tbsp of instant yeast in grams
12 tbsp of instant yeast weighs out at 108 grams. Divide 108 by 9 and you get back to 12 tbsp, 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 tbsp of instant yeast?
One tablespoon of instant yeast is 9 grams. Half that quantity is 4.5 grams and double it is 18 grams, 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?
A scale, if the result matters. Volume measuring carries a spread of about 20% for instant yeast — roughly 28.8 g on a 144 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 many tablespoons of instant yeast is 500 g?
500 g of instant yeast is 55.556 tablespoons — 0.111111 tablespoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.111111 = 55.556. Going that way is a division by 9, or a multiplication by 0.111111 if you prefer.
Instant yeast in tablespoons and grams
| Tablespoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tbsp | 4.5 g | 4.5 |
| 1 tbsp | 9 g | 9 |
| 2 tbsp | 18 g | 18 |
| 3 tbsp | 27 g | 27 |
| 4 tbsp | 36 g | 36 |
| 6 tbsp | 54 g | 54 |
| 8 tbsp | 72 g | 72 |
| 12 tbsp | 108 g | 108 |
| 16 tbsp | 144 g | 144 |
Based on 144 g per cup of instant yeast. One tablespoon of instant yeast is 9 grams.
| 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.