To convert tablespoons of onion powder into grams, multiply by 7.1875: one tablespoon comes to 7.1875 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 — onion powder measures 0.48608 g per mL. That ratio, 48.61%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A level tablespoon of onion powder is 7.188 g, which puts a teaspoon at 2.396 g and a tablespoon and a half — the quantity recipes are fondest of — at 10.78 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 0.87% of a cup of onion powder, so weighing gets an accuracy no measuring cup can reach. A 500 g pack of it is 4.348 cups, and a 1 kg pack 8.696.
How the figure is arrived at: Hygroscopic — it pulls in moisture and cakes, and a caked spoonful weighs more than a free-flowing one.
The formula
tablespoons- The amount of onion powder you are converting, in tablespoons
7.1875- Grams per tablespoon for onion powder, from its density of 0.48608 g/mL
grams- The equivalent quantity in grams
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in tablespoons.
- It is multiplied by 7.1875, the grams-per-tablespoon figure for onion powder.
- 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 onion powder in grams
A recipe calling for 2 tbsp of onion powder needs 14.375 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 2 × 7.1875 = 14.375, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 7.1875 grams.
4 tbsp of onion powder in grams
A recipe calling for 4 tbsp of onion powder needs 28.75 grams on the scale. The arithmetic is 4 × 7.1875 = 28.75, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 14.375 grams.
12 tbsp of onion powder in grams
12 tbsp of onion powder weighs out at 86.25 grams. Divide 86.25 by 7.1875 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 onion powder?
One tablespoon of onion powder is 7.1875 grams. Half that quantity is 3.59375 grams and double it is 14.375 grams, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of onion powder not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Onion powder has a density of 0.48608 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 115 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 121.6 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 onion powder by roughly 20% — about 11.5 g either side of 115 g — because hygroscopic — it pulls in moisture and cakes, and a caked spoonful weighs more than a free-flowing one. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of onion powder 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 onion powder weighs 0.5071 oz, so the two readings differ by 49.3%. 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 onion powder would weigh 121.52 g instead of 115 g — 6.52 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 tablespoon of onion powder is 7.188 g, and a scale reading to the nearest gram is working at 13.9% 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 tablespoons of onion powder is 500 g?
500 g of onion powder is 69.565 tablespoons — 0.13913 tablespoons to one gram, so 500 × 0.13913 = 69.565. Going that way is a division by 7.1875, or a multiplication by 0.13913 if you prefer.
Onion powder in tablespoons and grams
| Tablespoons | Grams | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 tbsp | 3.59375 g | 3.59375 |
| 1 tbsp | 7.1875 g | 7.1875 |
| 2 tbsp | 14.375 g | 14.375 |
| 3 tbsp | 21.5625 g | 21.5625 |
| 4 tbsp | 28.75 g | 28.75 |
| 6 tbsp | 43.125 g | 43.125 |
| 8 tbsp | 57.5 g | 57.5 |
| 12 tbsp | 86.25 g | 86.25 |
| 16 tbsp | 115 g | 115 |
Based on 115 g per cup of onion powder. One tablespoon of onion powder is 7.1875 grams.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 115 g | 4.06 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 7.188 g | 0.254 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 2 tsp | 4.792 g | 0.169 oz | 9.858 mL |
| 1 tsp | 2.396 g | 0.0845 oz | 4.929 mL |
| 3/4 tsp | 1.797 g | 0.0634 oz | 3.697 mL |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.198 g | 0.0423 oz | 2.464 mL |
| 1/4 tsp | 0.599 g | 0.0211 oz | 1.232 mL |
| 1/8 tsp | 0.2995 g | 0.0106 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 nutmeg | 106 g | 3.739 oz | 0.448 |
| Ground black pepper | 110 g | 3.88 oz | 0.4649 |
| Paprika | 110 g | 3.88 oz | 0.4649 |
| Onion powder (this page) | 115 g | 4.057 oz | 0.4861 |
| 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 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.